DASHING IN PINK
offer supplementary concentrates. The ewes are expected to produce milk from an all grass diet.
Recent work at UCD shows that ewes which have inadequate energy intake during late pregnancy — resulting in a lower body condition score at lambing — support lamb growth rates which are 50g per day lower than ewes which had the correct energy intake and higher body condition during late pregnancy.
A second challenge to ewes on an all grass diet during early lactation is the impact of rainfall or low grass dry matter content.
It is common for grass dry matter content to be low in March and April as rainfall can be heavy.
Previous work at Lyons clearly shows that when grass dry matter content falls, so too does grass dry matter intake.
In this situation it is essential that the ewe has adequate body reserves to make up for the loss of energy intake when the grass dry matter content is low.
The focus between now and lambing will switch to preparation of the lambing shed, construction of the lambing pens and assembly of the lambing kit, which I discussed last week.
We are also drawing up the protocols for the lambing students and printing signs for display in the lambing shed highlighting the key points and processes.
The week of lambing will also see approximately 750 secondary school students visit the farm and lambing shed as part of the Agri Aware farm walk and talk programme.