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Know How / Sheep / Feed and nutrition

Careful feed and nutrition management in the flock is essential to control a ewe’s body condition score and ensure she produces adequate colostrum for her lambs. See the latest in grazing management and advice on rations formulated from a balance of protein, energy and supplements.

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AHDB resource

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Case studies

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SHEEP

How autumn flock resilience plan cuts lambing and cake bill

Prioritising fertility and challenging ewes to milk off forage has halved an autumn lambing flock’s labour requirement and saved on 27t of bought-in feed.  Focus has shifted from aiming for…

FEED AND NUTRITION

How growing lucerne could build resilience for Welsh farm

Integrating drought-tolerant lucerne into its sheep rotation has helped a Welsh livestock farm reduce the risk of feed shortfalls. Nitrogen fixing as well as deep rooted, lucerne has leaves with…

SHEEP

How a mixed farm trebled ewe flock on high-input system

A mixed farm has stuck to a high-input strategy after trebling its flock size and increasing arable ground. George Evans of Day House Farm, Stottesdon, Shropshire, is curious about lower…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why simple herbal ley mix benefits Durham mixed farm

Government clarification that growing one herb, one legume, and one grass together qualifies as a herbal ley under the Sustainable Farming Incentive is grist to the mill of a County…

LIVESTOCK

How feeding maize silage has cut ration cost by £10 a ewe

Switching the winter housing ration from conserved grass to maize silage was an unplanned change at Wern Ddu near Newtown in Montgomeryshire. Ten years on, and its financial and health…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How mineral blood test helps cut barren rates

Analysis of ewe bloods for minerals in late gestation prompted a change in supplementation that has cut barren rates from 5% to 1.6% for an Aultbea-based sheep breeder. Ryan MacLean…

Practical advice

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LIVESTOCK

How soil and crop can contribute to ruminant nutrition

Livestock farmers are advised to take a holistic approach to animal nutrition, accounting for soil, crop and stock when formulating diets to avoid mineral imbalances and optimise animal performance. Independent…

LIVESTOCK

Tips to prepare a contingency plan to beat another bad winter

Farmers must put in place a contingency plan following this year’s wet spring and carry out a feed budget well in advance. Independent sheep and beef consultant Liz Genever advises…

LIVESTOCK

Guidance on analysing and targeting forage quality this year

Beef and sheep farmers should earmark bales according to which field or cut they came from, so the forage can be targeted at the most appropriate livestock class.   A…

FEED AND NUTRITION

How to assess farm mineral status after high rainfall

Prolonged rainfall has led to concerns about mineral supplementation on farm, due to leaching from the soil.  A mineral audit may be a better investment than reaching straight for boluses,…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Adviser warns against three silage inoculant claims

An independent silage specialist has sparked industry debate by raising concern over information given to farmers about silage additives, which he claims are ruining forages. Dr Dave Davies of Silage…

SHEEP

5 things to consider before ditching sheep supplements

Use of concentrate feeds has had a major influence on sheep farming in the UK. However, the shifting sands of both input and commodity prices mean even if feeding supplements…

Insights

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HEALTH AND WELFARE

Why keeping ewes in good condition can help save on wormers

Keeping ewes at a good body condition score (BCS) in the weeks before and after lambing minimises worming requirements at a key point in the year, a new Welsh study…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Winter grazing crop outperforms brassicas in sheep trial

A winter grazing crop of Italian ryegrass, berseem clover and forage rape can finish more than twice as many lambs as an equivalent acreage of brassicas, a farm trial has…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Multispecies leys show seasonal advantage in Welsh uplands

Multispecies leys can perform as well as traditional ryegrass in upland regions, a three-year study by the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Wales has found. Seed mixes incorporating meadow fescue, Timothy…

LIVESTOCK

Better silage allows for soya strategy at lambing

Producing an 11ME silage can allow ewes to be fed a sixth of the amount of feed three weeks pre-lambing through supplementing rumen-protected soya, saving £3-£12 a ewe. This is…

Alternative ewe protein offers cost-effective solution

Sheep farmers looking to top up protein in late-pregnancy ewe diets can use alternatives to soya without affecting animal performance. According to a project funded by Eblex, HCC, Adas and…

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