Preparing for lambing with Oliver O'Hara

Oliver O’Hara farms full-time with help from his children Shane and Karen in Leckaun, Co. Leitrim. He also runs a contracting business. Future Beef Programme advisor Gabriel Trayers provides an update on the preparation for lambing in this article.

The ewes have been housed in the new sheep shed since December 1^st. Pre-lambing care is very important to reduce mortality when lambing starts in March. With a scanned litter size of 1.99 from 131 ewes, nutrition and pre-lambing care is paramount. Luckily, Oliver has great family help when it comes to these tasks.

Scanning results:

• 21 singles;
• 78 doubles;
• 28 triplets;
• 4 dry ewes.

Nutrition

80% of foetal growth takes place in the last 6-8 weeks pre lambing, resulting in the ewe’s energy requirement being at its highest when her intake capacity is at its lowest. This makes formulating a suitable diet challenging, particularly for multiple-bearing ewes. There are four key factors that will determine the amount of concentrates that should be fed to ewes in the run up to lambing. These are:

• The number of lambs the ewe is carrying;
• Stage of pregnancy – number of weeks before lambing;
• Body condition score of the ewe;
• The quality of the forage being fed.

Table 1: Concentrate feeding to ewes in late pregnancy

*Typical meal feeding programme - ewes on good quality silage (70% DMD), body condition score of 3.0

It is also important to consider the ingredients that make up concentrate rations. Good quality ingredients are essential. High quality protein sources, such as soya bean meal, will increase colostrum / milk quality and production. Good quality cereals, such as barley, wheat and maize, will maximise energy intakes. Generally a 18-19% crude protein ration will suffice. For high litter size flocks, a 20-21% protein nut may be required. It is also essential that a suitable vitamin and mineral mixture is included, as this will help prevent any deficiencies and reduce the risk of issues, such as milk fever and grass tetany post lambing.

Other management factors

Adequate trough space is vital to ensure that all ewes get access to their fair share of the concentrates and also to prevent any bullying at the feed face. A general guide is that you can feed ten 70kg ewes in a standard 4.8m wide pen in late pregnancy.

Table 2: Trough space required by different size of ewes

Water supply and quality is another vital component to ensure that a successful lambing occurs. In late pregnancy, a ewe can consume up to 6L/day of water - especially where high levels of concentrates are being consumed. Water will be available at all times and water troughs should be checked regularly to make sure that they are not contaminated.

In the final 4 to 6 weeks pre lambing, ewes will be vaccinated with their annual clostridial booster vaccine. This will allow for the antibodies to pass over to the lamb through the ewes colostrum and also avoids having to vaccinate lambs after birth. If farms have previously had issues with watery mouth at lambing time, ewes can also be vaccinated for certain strains of the causative E-coli bacteria 2 to 4 weeks pre lambing.

Key points to note:

• High quality concentrates must be fed to multiple-bearing ewes in the final two months before lambing;
• The amount of concentrates fed depends on the litter size of the ewe, the body condition of the ewe and the quality of silage being fed;
• Ensure that ewes have adequate trough space and a clean fresh supply of water at all times.

For more information on the Future Beef Programme, click here. If you are interested in similar articles to this, technical advice and Future Beef Farmer updates, please subscribe to the Future Beef Programme Newsletter.