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Know How / Sheep / Feed and nutrition

Careful feed and nutrition management in the flock is essential to control a ewe’s body condition score and ensure she produces adequate colostrum for her lambs. See the latest in grazing management and advice on rations formulated from a balance of protein, energy and supplements.

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Case studies

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GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why simple herbal ley mix benefits Durham mixed farm

Government clarification that growing one herb, one legume, and one grass together qualifies as a herbal ley under the Sustainable Farming Incentive is grist to the mill of a County…

LIVESTOCK

How feeding maize silage has cut ration cost by £10 a ewe

Switching the winter housing ration from conserved grass to maize silage was an unplanned change at Wern Ddu near Newtown in Montgomeryshire. Ten years on, and its financial and health…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How mineral blood test helps cut barren rates

Analysis of ewe bloods for minerals in late gestation prompted a change in supplementation that has cut barren rates from 5% to 1.6% for an Aultbea-based sheep breeder. Ryan MacLean…

SHEEP

Forage crop nets £20 a ewe saving for Lothian flock

A West Lothian farm is increasing its forage acreage this autumn after saving more than £16,000 by finishing lambs and wintering ewes on a brassica last winter. Farmer Richard McCulloch…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How an upland farm is adapting to unpredictable seasons

Flexible grazing, stores of good-quality silage and better ewe body condition are among measures used to mitigate against increasingly unseasonal weather at a research farm in the Grampian foothills. Glensaugh…

SHEEP

What a Carmarthenshire farm did to lift profits by 52% a ewe

Monitoring ewes and managing their body condition score (BCS) has helped reduce the rate of barren and aborted ewes by 6.4% in a Welsh flock, helping to lift profit margin…

Practical advice

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FEED AND NUTRITION

Adviser warns against three silage inoculant claims

An independent silage specialist has sparked industry debate by raising concern over information given to farmers about silage additives, which he claims are ruining forages. Dr Dave Davies of Silage…

SHEEP

5 things to consider before ditching sheep supplements

Use of concentrate feeds has had a major influence on sheep farming in the UK. However, the shifting sands of both input and commodity prices mean even if feeding supplements…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Advice on sampling fresh grass for this season’s silage

A pre-cut grass sample, analysed for crude protein content and nitrate nitrogen levels, should be used as a gauge to time all silage cuts this season and review fertiliser inputs.…

LAMBING

Advice on planning for triplet lambs and options for rearing

Sheep farmers considering increasing the prolificacy of their flocks have the potential to increase sales by €15 (£12.80) a ewe for every 0.1 additional lamb reared successfully, according to Teagasc…

SHEEP

Why and when farmers should weigh sheep

There is a whole heap of reasons to weigh sheep regularly. In fact, the benefits are four-fold: for health, nutrition, management, and genetic purposes, says Peter Stoker, marketing manager from…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

What to do when worm reinfection limits lamb growth rates

In the latest in our series, Ben Strugnell of Farm Post Mortems, County Durham, discusses a tough late summer season of parasite challenge in youngstock at grass. Good-quality grass is…

Insights

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HEALTH AND WELFARE

Why keeping ewes in good condition can help save on wormers

Keeping ewes at a good body condition score (BCS) in the weeks before and after lambing minimises worming requirements at a key point in the year, a new Welsh study…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Winter grazing crop outperforms brassicas in sheep trial

A winter grazing crop of Italian ryegrass, berseem clover and forage rape can finish more than twice as many lambs as an equivalent acreage of brassicas, a farm trial has…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Multispecies leys show seasonal advantage in Welsh uplands

Multispecies leys can perform as well as traditional ryegrass in upland regions, a three-year study by the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Wales has found. Seed mixes incorporating meadow fescue, Timothy…

LIVESTOCK

Better silage allows for soya strategy at lambing

Producing an 11ME silage can allow ewes to be fed a sixth of the amount of feed three weeks pre-lambing through supplementing rumen-protected soya, saving £3-£12 a ewe. This is…

Alternative ewe protein offers cost-effective solution

Sheep farmers looking to top up protein in late-pregnancy ewe diets can use alternatives to soya without affecting animal performance. According to a project funded by Eblex, HCC, Adas and…

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