17 Mr Williams says lambs have more get and go than with previous terminal sires. “The lambs are up and sucked by themselves and have plenty of vigour.” Once ewes and lambs have spent 24 hours in mothering up pens they are turned out and next spring will graze stubble turnips planted as part of the farm’s Glastir environmental scheme. “Creep feeders will be put out once lambs are about 10 days old and lambs will be offered creep pellets adlib.”
With ewes dosed with a long acting wormer at turn out the worm burden is lessened in the early weeks of the lambs’ lives, but later on Mr Williams relies of faecal egg counting to assess the need to drench. “In most cases when we’re handling lambs every week to draw them for market we can see when they begin to stop thriving, but using a faecal egg count is a good way of checking we’re on the right lines.”
lambing flocks are sold live through Ludlow Market, with the aim to draw them at 36-38kg. “When lambs are taking a lot of creep this is an ideal weight to draw them as they kill out well and waiting for that extra 2kg of weight can cost more than it gains.”
This article first appeared in the Winter 2011 issue of Sheep & Beef Producer
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STOCK RAMS all ARR/ARR XCA 8003 GLYNCOCH IVANHOE Sire ZKT 8025 Galtres Dominator Ivanhoe was 2nd prize Ram Lamb Royal Welsh 2008 His ET sisters were 2nd & 3rd in the Ewe Lamb Class. ZNN 8125 - LOGIE DURNO JEEVES Sire AB 7003 Crogham Hannibal II Jeeves was Purchased for 3000gns at the Worcester Premier Sale in 2010
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