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Know How / Sheep / Youngstock management

Youngstock management in flocks is a vital component of productivity and key to maintaining a good health status. Keep up with the major issues affecting ewe and ram lamb replacements including newborn care, breed selection, genetics, disease prevention and purchasing policy.

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Case studies

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SHEEP

How a Cornish farmer is making a profit from cade lambs

Cade lambs are often seen as a challenge. However, Cornish farmer Adrian Coombe has come to view them as an opportunity, and his surplus stock is now an integral, profitable…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Lincs flock makes five tweaks for ewe lamb success

Upping ram power and moving lambs back on to grass at scanning are some of the adjustments a Lincolnshire farm hopes will make breeding ewe lambs successful. This autumn will…

MEDICINES

How one sheep farmer eliminated watery mouth and joint ill

Matthew Isaac has reduced cases of watery mouth and joint ill at lambing to nothing by using good bacteria to keep infections at bay.   Mr Isaac, who runs a…

LAMBING

4 ways a Worcs farmer has made indoor lambing easier

A decade ago, Sam Jones from Brookhouse Farm, Redditch, Worcestershire, used to run 2,000 North of England Mules alongside his arable enterprise before he made the decision to cut his…

LIVESTOCK

Earlier lamb weaning slashes costs for Welsh flock

Weaning lambs a month earlier is one of a series of changes that has enhanced the performance of a Welsh lowland flock. Ben Anthony and Diana Fairclough run 700 ewes…

Practical advice

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LAMBING

Lambing shed communication - why and how to improve it

Keeping lines of communication open to track vital lambing shed jobs can help higher-output flocks keep standards high. Sheep vet Emily Gascoigne of Synergy Farm Health believes verbal and non-verbal…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How to stop losses when grazing youngstock on herbal leys

A fundamental misunderstanding of how to manage stock grazing herbal leys has caused heartache on some farms this summer, as more yearling cattle and weaned lambs have died from twisted…

SHEEP

3 ways to cut lamb worm risk at weaning

Sheep farmers trying to make the most of grass to counteract sky-high concentrate prices are advised to be vigilant for parasites in lambs post-weaning. Grazing grass can put lambs at…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Advice on managing lambs after weaning

High levels of lamb performance can be achieved post weaning with good grassland management and targeted feed supplementation, if needed. With the lamb market holding strong, independent sheep specialist Liz…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Advice on feeding creep to lambs efficiently

Creep feed adds to the cost of production, but for farmers chasing higher lamb prices from the early market, the economics of concentrate feeding can stack up. Farmers targeting early…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How to troubleshoot poor lamb growth rates

Assessing lamb performance early on is essential to ensure steps can be put in place to maintain growth rates post-weaning. The AHDB Sheep Key Performance Indicators project found light lambs…

Insights

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Coccidiosis project raises hope for new treatment

Coccidiosis is a perennial parasitic problem in growing lambs. It presents some difficulties in diagnosis, treatment and prevention – but good news could be around the corner.  Lambs and calves…

LIVESTOCK

Weaning lambs early could offer big benefits, trial shows

Early weaned lambs can grow as fast – if not – faster than their unweaned equivalents when fed legume-based forages. Research by New Zealand’s Massey University has found with the right…