New webinar series focuses on lamb nutrition to aid growth

The importance of the correct nutrition to maximise lamb growth during early lactation has been highlighted by SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College, in a new webinar series.

Sheep specialist Daniel Stout highlighted industry targets for lambs to reach +20kg by eight weeks should be easily achievable in twins on pasture alone under good stock and pasture management.

He advised farmers to ensure ewes are lambing down at body condition score of 3 to 3.5 through good nutrition.

Research by Beef and Lamb NZ has shown that every 0.5 BCS below 3 at lambing results in a 6% decrease in weaning weight.

He added that with ewe energy requirements rising by 60% and protein requirement by 40% from lambing to peak lactation at 3-4 weeks, ensuring sufficient high quality leafy pasture - maintained at 4-6cm under set stocking - is essential to maximise ewe intakes and so milk yield.

Meanwhile, studies such as the SmartGrass project have highlighted the opportunity to promote performance and better support priority ewes through incorporating multispecies swards and high clover leys.

SRUC sheep geneticist Joanne Conington also presented at the webinar, warning that as lamb performance was enhanced through genetics selection for terminal traits and high lactation in ewes this leads to an increase in susceptibility to mastitis.

She has led research with the British Texel Sheep Society on mastitis using the California Milk Test (CMT), a simple test well correlated to somatic cell count (SCC), with a high count meaning poor quality milk, and the ability to identify sub clinical mastitis.

She said CMT was a cheap and easy method to use and was a good management tool for farmers.

Ewes with poorer quality milk typically result in lambs with lower growth rates. The effects of sub clinical mastitis was well pronounced in the study with worst scores ewes (sub clinical only) producing 3.8kg less lamb live weight than ewes with a perfect score.

High profile farmer Duncan Nelless, from Thistleyhaugh Farm, told the webinar about his ambitions to finish lambs early to generate cash flow and avoid the need for castration/docking, fewer treatments and preserve pasture for the ewe flock.

He grazes ewes and lambs on red clover leys within an arable rotation in collaboration with arable farmers to promote lamb performance, while feeding arable land.

Mr Nelless advised that others should look to tag and weigh lambs at birth to monitor performance of the flock and make data driven decisions.

He said the well above target 25kg average eight-week weight achieved on his farm was largely driven by ewe and lamb nutrition and the quality of forage being offered to them.