16 November 2024

Mating and Closing

Philip Creighton of AGRIC, Teagasc Athenry, Co. Galway reports on mating, forage crops, and closing on the Sheep Research Demonstration Farm.

Rams were turned out to ewes on October 11. The average body condition score (BCS) of ewes going to the ram was 3.4, which is an increase of nearly 0.25 compared to last year. By mid-October, approximately 76% of lambs from the grass-only treatment, 80% from the grass plus white clover, and 87% from the grass plus white clover plus plantain treatments had been drafted. This includes lambs finished on their main forage treatments as well as those removed and finished on the hybrid brassica forage crop since mid-September.

Liveweight

The average liveweight of the remaining lambs is 41.2 kg. Based on forage crop availability, approximately half of these lambs will be finished on the forage crop, while the remaining lambs will be housed for finishing. This group will represent 5-10% of lambs, depending on the grazing treatment. The aim of incorporating the forage crop into our system is to reduce the need for concentrate supplementation to finish lambs, which was necessary in previous years, especially during challenging periods for lamb performance.

Closing

Closing of paddocks began in mid-October to build grass reserves for next spring. The target is to have approximately 20% of each farmlet closed by late October, 40% by mid-November, 60% by late November, 80% by mid-December, and the remainder closed by late December or early January.

Read the Teagasc Sheep Newsletter