Sheep
Research update: Aiming to eliminate concentrate supplementation to finish lambs
Research update: Aiming to eliminate concentrate supplementation to finish lambs Philip Creighton, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Athenry, Co. Galway reports on lamb performance across the groups on the Sheep Research Demonstration Farm. Rams were turned out to ewes on October 6. Ewe body condition score going to the […]
12 November 2023
Is it time to house finishing lambs?
0 Is it time to house finishing lambs? Teagasc sheep specialists, Damian Costello and Frank Campion, are on this week’s OviCast to discuss the challenging grazing conditions in recent weeks that has put pressure on farms both in terms of lamb performance and grass utilisation and supply. We discuss the option of housing […]
9 November 2023
Monitoring mating liveweight and body condition score on BETTER sheep farms
0 Monitoring mating liveweight and body condition score on BETTER sheep farms Frank Campion of the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Athenry, reports on mating liveweight and body condition scores on the BETTER sheep farms. Mating liveweight and body condition scores (BCSs) for the mature ewes from the lowland BETTER […]
7 November 2023
Recording Hill Sheep Groups – an opportunity for the hill sector to improve
0 Recording Hill Sheep Groups – an opportunity for the hill sector to improve Ireland, along with other countries, had tried hill sheep breed improvement in the past, but ultimately it failed for several reasons. These include: a lack of market for parentage recorded rams; no short-term gains seen; practical difficulties of recording […]
7 November 2023
Examining the options with store lambs
0 Examining the options with store lambs With the large number of store lambs currently on farms, farmers are considering finishing lambs, selling as stores, or buying store lambs for finishing. Eamonn Dempsey, Drystock Advisor in Tralee, looks at the options available to farmers. The target is to finish store lambs from grazed […]
6 November 2023
Examining the trends in the national ewe flock
0 Examining the trends in the national ewe flock Darren Carty, Sheep and Schemes Editor with the Farmers Journal is on this week’s OviCast episode to look back on the trends in the national ewe flock over the past decade and the implications of this for the sheep industry. Darren discusses the change […]
2 November 2023
Reaping the rewards from sustainability measures in Co. Leitrim
Reaping the rewards from sustainability measures in Co. Leitrim Farming just outside Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, Teagasc Signpost Programme participant John O’Connell is reaping the rewards of implementing sustainability measures on his farm. Operating a mid-season lambing flock and a contract dairy heifer rearing enterprise, this article focuses on the nine steps John […]
27 October 2023
Breeding, grassland and finishing lambs in Ballyhaise College
Breeding, grassland and finishing lambs in Ballyhaise College Fergus O’Rourke and Niall Conaty from Teagasc Ballyhaise Agricultural College in Co. Cavan join the latest OviCast podcast to provide an update on the flock. To start, Fergus gives a background to the farm and flock, while Niall discusses the breeding plan, keeping an […]
25 October 2023
Better management of replacements improves overall flock performance
Better management of replacements improves overall flock performance Andy Ryder, Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Westport, tells us that a lot of the focus and attention on sheep farms at present is on getting lambs finished or away to sales and forming up the flock for another breeding season. This is very important, as […]
21 October 2023
Research update: Lamb growth rates from Athenry
Research update: Lamb growth rates from Athenry Philip Creighton, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Athenry, Co. Galway details the latest news from the Sheep Research Demonstration Farm, Athenry. Lamb growth rates during July and August were well behind normal here in Athenry, averaging only 130g/head/day. A major issue contributing […]
17 October 2023