LAMB CRECHE
possible we will be trying to maintain ewe body condition at its current levels until lambing time. This fat reserve is of much more value in early lactation. Knowledge of the forage quality on offer to the ewes is a very basic starting point as making good quality silage continues to be a struggle for many reasons.
It still surprises me how many farmers do not test silage quality. It costs around €40 to do so! Testing silage quality, will inform us as to the energy content of the forage, the protein content of the forage, the intake capacity and any undesirable attributes of the forage also. This then allows for appropriate supplementation with concentrates and other feeds as required.
As energy is the key driver of all animal performance this is the first attribute we must look at.
Nationally we place an over-emphasis on the dietary protein content, and while protein content is extremely import, we must first correct the energy nutrition.
With the pregnant ewe we see dramatic increases in energy requirements from around seven to eight weeks before lambing.
The big increase in demand for protein comes in the final three to four weeks.
I will outline our feeding regime in more detail in the coming articles.
Over the coming months we will be preparing for lambing.
For us this includes organising labour to deal with all the research activity and data that is to be collected around lambing time, welcoming a number of discussion groups to the farm, vaccinating the ewes and ewe lambs against clostridial diseases and assembling the various supplies and equipment for lambing.