Sheep
Teagasc BETTER Sheep Farm – John Joe Fitzgerald
Teagasc BETTER Sheep Farm – John Joe Fitzgerald John Joe Fitzgerald, his wife Karen and children, operate a hill sheep farm in Baile an Lochaig West of Dingle in Kerry. Here Frank Campion, Teagasc, Athenry discusses how outdoor lambing of the hill flock went in 2022, why John Joe is Increasing the […]
11 June 2022
Time to start thinking about weaning
0 Time to start thinking about weaning As we move into June we need to plan for weaning of mid-season flocks. The recommended age to wean lambs at in most grass based systems occurs at 14 weeks or 100 days so as they can transition over to a forage based diet. Ciaran Lynch, […]
7 June 2022
Blowfly Control in Sheep
Blowfly Control in Sheep Flystrike is a production limiting, costly and sometimes fatal condition in sheep. When it comes to Blowfly strike the aim should really be to prevent it from happening in the first place. Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer, Teagasc tells us more. Blowfly strike affects all ages of […]
31 May 2022
Maximising lamb performance
Maximising lamb performance Michael Gottstein, Head of Teagasc Sheep Knowledge Transfer Programme, summarises the five key management tips that sheep farmers should be taking into consideration at this time of year to maximise the performance of their lambs Maximise the performance of your lambs by implementing the following 5 key practices on […]
24 May 2022
Lambing review and planning ahead in the South East
Lambing review and planning ahead in the South East Tim & Richard Sheil farm in partnership with their parents Terry & Olwen at Coolree, near Kiltealy on the Wexford/Carlow border in the shadow of the Blackstairs Mountain. James Doran, Teagasc advisor reviews how lambing went and takes a look at grazing season […]
24 May 2022
Identifying poor performing sheep in your flock
Identifying poor performing sheep in your flock Every year ewes drop out of flocks for a variety reasons including mastitis, prolapse etc. However, invariably some ewes slip through the cracks and despite underperforming are kept on for a further year. Here Teagasc researcher Frank Campion has some advice on identifying underperforming ewes. […]
17 May 2022
Harvest high feed value silage to reduce pre-lambing concentrate costs
0 Harvest high feed value silage to reduce pre-lambing concentrate costs With silage season fast approaching, focusing on producing high quality silage for sheep has many advantages. Dry matter digestibility (DMD) is the key factor influencing silage feed value as Damian Costello, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Mellows Centre, Athenry explains High DMD silage has […]
3 May 2022
Pushing back lambing date
0 Pushing back lambing date Farming in Glenmalure in the Wicklow hills Teagasc BETTER sheep farm participant Patrick Dunne is operating a sheep and suckler beef system. Here Ciaran Lynch and Kevin Sheehan, Teagasc give information on Patrick’s enterprises Sheep The sheep enterprise on Patrick’s farm is split into 2 separate units with […]
1 May 2022
A window into genetics
A window into genetics Teagasc highlights the impacts of its latest research in “Research impact highlights in 2020”. Sheep is one such area, as the highlight of this research in sheep genetics by Nóirín McHugh, Fiona McGovern, Nicola Fetherstone and Henry Walsh shows. Across species, more than 50% of productivity gains can […]
26 April 2022
Over-sowing white clover in sheep swards
Over-sowing white clover in sheep swards White clover has the potential to reduce the amount of chemical nitrogen fertiliser required for grass production and also has been shown to improve lamb performance when included in grazing swards. Philip Creighton, Teagasc Researcher, Athenry discusses over-sowing white clover in sheep swards While incorporating clover […]
19 April 2022