learning from the pedigree flock example
Essential care of ewes during pregnancy and careful management of lambing sheds is crucial to ensuring a smooth lambing.
Lamb losses in any sheep business are a drain on profits, but no more so than in pedigree flocks, where a dead lamb could mean a four or even five-figure catastrophe. So it’s no surprise to find leading North Yorkshire Texel breeder John Mellin tackling lambing with military precision – and it starts long before the first ewes lamb.
There are 400 pedigree Texel ewes in the Hull House flock at Hellifield, Skipton, and this year, for the first time, all ewes have been AI’d to lamb in two batches in February. Last year’s lambing percentage was 185%.
“This is a new venture for us, but it means we can focus our efforts over a tighter lambing period. Having said that, it will also bring another set of pressures because skills and management will be stretched over ashort, intense time,” says Mr Mellin.
Stressful
He knows no matter how much planning goes into it, lambing is tiring and stressful, but everything must be in place to cut lamb losses.
Shepherd Geoff Aiken will be lambing with John Mellin this spring along with another skilled labourer a Polish worker has been brought in to maintain basic jobs.
“We reckon that instead of bringing in a lambing assistant it’s better for us to focus our own stockmanship skills where they are needed and have someone else doing routine feeding and bedding jobs.”
Hygiene underpins lambing at Hull House Farm. The sheds do not carry any stock in between lambings and are thoroughly disinfected twice before the sheep are housed about two weeks before lambing.
One shed is fitted with 200 individual pens, which are bedded with straw, and there is a foot-dip of disinfectant at the entrance to each shed, which is strictly used by everyone going in and out.
There will be 182 lambing in mid-February with the rest lambing two weeks later. Ewes are monitored 24 hours a day during lambing.
Demanding
“Lambing itself is demanding in terms of labour, but the period after lambing is even more demanding if losses are to be avoided. That’s when you must be vigilant and ontop of everything, particularly hygÂiene and ensuring lambs are getting colostrum and ewes are milking.”
Newborn lambs receive a treatment to prevent watery mouth and navels are treated with iodine. Gloves are used when a ewe requires assistance and ewes are held in pens for up to three days.
“But it’s during this time that close monitoring is critical to avoid losses. Even when a lamb is up and sucking straight after it’s born we still go back and make sure it is still sucking half an hour later. That is very important. The ewe’s bag must be checked. You can’t afford to assume everything is OK,” says Mr Aiken.
Regular checks are maintained on lambs to ensure they receive enough milk. Any sign that milk intake is not what it should be triggers an immediate supplementary feed. Lambs are bottled or tubed.
“And we would continue to supplement a lamb until we feel the ewe is providing it with enough milk. It’s not a case of one feed and assume the ewe will do the rest. Until we feel the lamb is getting enough milk from the ewe we will continue to supplement.
“It’s vital to be as diligent with lambs born the day before as it is with those born that day. The first 48 hours are critical and all lambs must be monitored closely during this period,” says Mr Mellin.
Ventilation in lambing sheds is becoming more important, as climate change seems to bring far more warm days in late winter. “It’s essential to keep an adequate flow of air at all times. We can open up the half-doors at the end of our sheds to maximise air flow when necessary.
“Small details like changing the disinfectant in the foot baths every three days at the entrance to each building is important. But it’s taking time to maintain those small management details that help keep problems at bay,” adds Mr Mellin.
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