NON-MULES FEEDNEEDS
15 February 2002
NON-MULES FEEDNEEDS
A shortage of Mules following foot-and-mouth means more
flockmasters will lamb Texel or Suffolk cross ewes this
spring. But these ewes require a different management
approach as Jeremy Hunt discovers
SHEEP producers running Texel cross or Suffolk cross ewes for the first time this season should be very careful about the quality of forage offered, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy.
That is the advice of Midlands-based Signet consultant Maurice Jones who says forage quality is critical to successful management of this type of ewe.
On dairy farms where a mixed ration is being fed to cows, it will make more sense to also use it as a ewe ration and offer the farms second-grade silage to dairy youngstock.
"Young cattle can cope with poor quality forage; in-lamb Texel and Suffolk ewes cannot. My advice is not to cut corners on forage quality or there could be a heavy price to pay from digestive disorders and a high incidence of prolapse," he warns.
Sheep movement restrictions and the inability of Midlands and south-country buyers to source traditional Mule replacements has forced some flocks to bolster numbers with home-bred Texel and Suffolk cross females.
"As well as flocks that will lamb a proportion of these females as young sheep this year, there are growing numbers of flocks trying out this type of ewe with the intention of producing a higher value prime lamb.
"The theory looks good, but the practice must be exactly right. Compared with Mules these ewes are a very different commodity," says Mr Jones.
The heavier and more muscular conformation of Texel and Suffolk type ewes has a bearing on forage intake.
"These ewes just dont open-up the same at lambing and havent got the capacity to take in large amounts of mediocre quality forage.
"Its essential to keep the digestion working well and to avoid anything that might back-up in the rumen, increasing prolapse risk."
Mr Jones says using big-bale silage for Texel and Suffolk cross ewes is risky. "Aim for pit-silage and preferably double-chopped material.
"Feed 11ME forage rather than 10ME. Hay is good provided the quality is right. It should be okay if it has been made by June, but anything after that I would examine closely."
Forage intakes are as important as quality and should be limited in the three weeks before lambing, he advises. "I recommend a 3:2:1 system, scaling down to 1lb of forage/ewe/day by lambing. Ewes can be fed ad-lib forage after lambing, but its important to control intake in late term."
It is also wise to feed twice a day at the correct times. "Ewes fed at 8am need feeding again at 6pm; the time gap in-between feeds should be as equal as possible. Feeding times should suit ewes, not the farms labour force. And remember triplet bearing ewes should be fed three times a day."
As well as timing, flockmasters should also consider variation in flock lambing dates. When raddles have been changed during tupping time, it should not be difficult to group ewes according to their lambing dates. Scanned ewes should be grouped to within a 10-day lambing window, advises Mr Jones.
"This is the most effective way of ensuring ewes are not overfed or underfed in late pregnancy."
To supplement forage, Texel and Suffolk cross ewes need at least an 18% protein concentrate and preferably a 20%. Feed rates for a 20% concentrate should start at 0.25kg/head a day at six weeks pre-lambing increasing to just under 1kg by parturition.
"But when forage is very good, it may be possible to get away with a 30% reduction in concentrate feeding."
For producers who have not had forage analysed, Mr Jones says they should ask basic questions. "Know when it was made, how it was made and what it was made from. This wont give you an analysis, but will help you to make a reasoned assessment of its quality." *
Suffolk cross ewes will produce high quality prime lambs but require careful feeding pre-lambing, says Maurice Jones.
• Require high quality forage.
• Feed 20% protien content.
• Time feeds correctly.