Our Organisation Search
Quick Links
Toggle: Topics

Increase profitability of March-lambing flocks by shearing at housing

Increase profitability of March-lambing flocks by shearing at housing

Dr. Tim Keady advises that shearing March-lambing ewes at housing in December improves subsequent animal performance by increasing lamb birth weight, enhances lamb weaning weight, reduces lamb age at slaughter by approximately two weeks, and offers additional benefits.

Many producers house their March lambing ewes in December. Producers are currently receiving approximately 20c/kg wool, which is equivalent to approximately 15% of the cost of shearing and wool handling. To recoup the cost of shearing producers need to be prudent and shear at the most opportune time for their particular system of production. The aim of this article is to present results from studies at Athenry on how shearing at housing affects subsequent animal performance.

Shearing at housing

At Athenry three studies have been undertaken which evaluated the effects of shearing March-lambing ewes, at housing in December, on their subsequent performance and the performance of their lambs from birth until weaning.  In each of these studies ewes were housed either unshorn, or shorn. The ewes were offered grass silage ad libitum and received concentrate during the final weeks prior to lambing.

Shearing at housing reduced heat stress in late pregnancy and resulted in an increase in silage intake which explained the increase in lamb birth weight. Lambs born from ewes that had been shorn at housing were 0.6 kg heavier at birth and 1.9 kg heavier at weaning (Table 1). Whilst shearing at housing increased lamb birth weight, it did not affect the incidence of lambing difficulty or lamb mortality.  The increase in lamb weight at birth (0.6 kg) was trebled (1.9 kg) at weaning at 14 weeks of age which resulted in the lambs been drafted approximately 2 weeks earlier for slaughter.

Table 1. Effect of shearing ewes at housing on subsequent lamb performance

 

Shearing date

 

May

Mid December

Ewe condition score at lambing

3.5

3.4

Lamb birth weight (kg)

4.1

4.7

Lamb weaning weight (kg)

31.5

33.4

(Keady and Hanrahan 2008, 2009a; Keady et al. 2007)

The increase in lamb weight at weaning obtained due to shearing ewes at housing is the same response as would be expected from providing 19 kg of creep concentrate to each lamb prior to weaning, which is equivalent to a cost of approximately €8/lamb.  Shearing at housing (cost €3.00/ewe) is equivalent to a saving in creep concentrate of approximately €13/ewe for ewes rearing 1.7 lambs.

Other advantages of shearing at housing

  • Ewes shorn at housing are easier to monitor during late pregnancy and post lambing.
  • Shearing ewes at housing occurs during a period of low labour demand for flock management and consequently spreads the annual workload more evenly.

Conclusions

Shearing ewes at housing:

  • Increases lamb birth weight by 0.6 kg
  • Has no impact on lambing difficulty
  • Increases lamb weaning weight by 1.9 kg
  • Reduces lamb age at slaughter by approximately 2 weeks