I wish lamb thrive would move along as quickly as the summer
Tfrom last year’s lambing or older ladies that have served their time. I also cull hard for lameness. I find that it is the best policy. At this stage my ewes are foot-bathed so often that anything that still shows up lame afterwards is better off culled. I brought in the rams for their NCT. I generally keep a good eye on them. You can gauge 99pc of a ram’s fertility from a visual inspection. I culled two already that had lost a lot of condition and one has had a persistent problem with his brisket or chest area. I am fed up trying to clear it up and at this stage it was time to go on the trailer. You need to keep their feet right, with their hind legs the most important. Just by checking them regularly at this time of year you can sort out problems early and they therefore have time to clear up and be fighting fit for breeding in October.
The combines have pulled into the yard to harvest the winter barley. I’ ll be giving the straw the chance to season so that it bales up good and dry. There’s nothing worse than wet straw.
As soon as the field is cleared I plan to reseed it back to grass. I need the grass in spring for both the ewes and contract-reared heifers. I’ ll be in a rush as the clock is ticking on the growing season. Grass growth has already diminished a lot since the boom times in June. I covered the whole farm with a bag of CAN to give it a boost.
I am just disappointed not to get any haylage made as each time the weather picked up I had no grass suitable to cut. There’s still time, so I need to keep an eye on Evelyn Cusack in Met Eireann.
At the end of the month I’ll make my annual trip to the west to pick up some mule ewes in either Ballinrobe or Maam Cross. I find the mule a good ewe to breed with as they have good mothering instincts and produce loads of milk that helps finish lambs as quickly as possible off grass. I also will keep some of my homebred ewe lambs. You could do worse than buy a few mule ewes to start up your flock.
The summer has been a sort of mixed bag for me this year. It sometimes feels like it hasn’t really started, then you look at the calender and we are into August.
This year has some similarities to 2012 when lambs bottled up into the backend of the year and lot of people, including myself, got caught out with the fodder crisis in spring 2013.
So I’m determined to keep lambs moving and get them off the land. The vibrant store trade is always an option. It’s all about getting the house in order well ahead of next spring.