26 December 2023

Planning for winter housing of sheep

Damian Costello, Sheep Specialist, Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation Programme, Mellows Centre, Athenry, highlights the key factors to consider when housing ewes over the coming weeks.

The high rainfall, particularly in the second half of the year, has made 2023 a difficult year on sheep. With grass dry matter down around 12 or 13% for much of this period, lamb thrive has suffered and left many ewes in lesser body condition at mating than other years.

Poor ground conditions and the consequent grass utilisation issues has seen grass supplies dwindle quicker than normal on many farms. There is possibly a reluctance to house sheep earlier than usual with straw expensive and seemingly in short supply. Do not be tempted to graze areas already closed up for spring grass as a means of shortening the housing period; this grass will be worth far more when ewes and lambs are being turned out. If opting to feed supplementary silage or hay outdoors, ensure you are compliant with relevant Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) regulations.

Gradual approach to housing ewes

If you need to delay housing, at least some of the ewes, it is important to put a plan in place. March-lambing ewes are currently in the mid-pregnancy stage. If body condition gain is to be achieved pre lambing now is the time. Once late pregnancy is reached, most of the energy intake will be directed to the rapidly growing unborn lambs.

The first priority to get housed are ewes that are handling thin for body condition- if left outdoors with the main bunch, they are likely to get thinner. If silage feed value is not sufficient, consider supplementing 300-500g/head/day of concentrates for the thin ewe group only. This will only cost €5-8/head and if body condition can be raised, there will be performance benefits post lambing.

Don’t overfeed concentrates in mid pregnancy, as it will have a negative effect on placental development. Additionally, keep an eye out for condition of older ewes also and they are probably the next group to be put in the shed. If the main bunch remain outdoors until scanning, the next group to house would be the triplet-bearing ewes first, followed by those due to lamb first based on raddle colour.

Sheep housing checks

The following are among the main issues encountered with housed sheep:

• Not enough concentrate feed space causing ewes that are unable to compete for feed to suffer and leading to issues with vaginal prolapse and metabolic conditions. The minimum recommended feed space measurements are outlined in Table 1;
• Overcrowded pens will lead to bullying and thin ewes will get thinner. It also presents a challenge in keeping bedding clean. Floor space requirements are available in Table 2;
• Poorly-ventilated sheds – the guidelines for ventilation are included in Figure 1.

 Table 1: Feeding space requirements

Source: DAFM S146 (2016)

In general, 10 medium-sized ewes will be able to eat meal along the front of a standard 4.8m bay. However with large-framed ewes, the 4.8m bay will only have feed space for 8 ewes. The feed space available in each pen should be measured particularly on farms where there are issues such as non-infectious abortion cases, prolapse or twin lamb disease. Take off 600mm from total feed space available for each corner in sheds where walk through troughs are in place. In many sheep sheds, feed space is more often the limiting factor than floor space. Where this is the case, it is essential to modify the pens to provide additional trough space.

Table 2: Floor space

Source: DAFM S146 (2016)

Where all concentrate feeding is from a feed passage along front of pen, relatively shallow pens of 2.5 to 3.0m will provide enough floor space. If pens are say 6.0m deep from front to back, walk through troughs will be needed to optimise the number of ewes that can be accommodated in these pens to balance floor space and feed space.

 Figure 3: Minimum ventilation requirements 

Source: DAFM S101 (2016)

As with all animal housing, adequate ventilation will help keep fresh air in the shed and remove many airborne pathogens and other harmful bacteria. A poorly-ventilated building leads to a damper environment, increasing the straw requirement in straw-bedded sheds. In a well-ventilated animal house, the heat produced by the livestock rises and exits via the roof outlet. This is then displaced by fresh air coming in from the sides of the building.

A symptom of a poorly-ventilated animal house is a lot of dust and dirt on the underside of the roof sheeting due to particles sticking to condensation. Where ventilation may be compromised, it is important to carry out the necessary modifications to correct the problem. These could include improving inflow of fresh air by increasing inlet spacing or removing sheeting from an adjacent building to improve airflow. To aid the outflow of stale air, space sheeting or raised sheeting are options to be considered.

Management tips at housing:

• Ensure sheep housing is thoroughly cleaned out well in advance of planned housing date;
• Check feed barriers, pen dividers, gates, latches and carry out repairs as necessary;
• Carry out any necessary modifications, such as providing extra trough space, additional pen divisions or measures to improve ventilation;
• Clean out water troughs and check for any leaking pipes and fittings – the optimum height for drinkers is 600mm from floor level;
• If there are any issues with lighting or power sockets have your electrician check them out;
• Avoid housing sheep with wet fleeces – it gives rise to high humidity in the shed that can lead to respiratory problems and it can take a week for a wet fleece to dry out after housing;
• Footbath all ewes before housing.
• Separate and appropriately treat lame ewes and either pen separately or delay housing until infection has cleared up.
• In straw-bedded sheds, ensure adequate straw is used to keep environment clean and dry.

Also read: How good is your silage this winter

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