Spring-time grazing management

MID March to early April is a key stage in the grazing season for sheep. It is vital to set up the grazing rotation at this time to maximise grass utilisation.

Before ewes and lambs can be turned out to grass, it is important to have adequate covers so as to avoid feeding high levels of concentrates.

Grassland management goes back to the previous autumn, when paddocks should have been closed in good time and in rotation from late October onwards, as the late closing has a significant bearing on the amount of grass available in spring. Ideally, fields should be closed to allow a rest period of approximately 120 days over the winter. Protracted Urea or CAN should have been spread, weather permitting, from early to mid-February at a rate of 23 units per acre, and increasing depending on stocking rate and weather.

The aim should be to have the average farm cover of five to six centimetres when you start to turn out sheep after lambing.

If a farmer has inadequate grass supply this spring, they must review grassland management and make changes so it doesn’t happen the following year.

Factors to review include resting the ground in time the previous autumn, fertiliser application and soil sample analysis.

However, each spring is different; so far this year, we have had a very tough spring with incessant rain and relatively poor grass-growth rates over the late autumn and winter period.

Teagasc research suggests that farmers should target to have 20 per cent of the ground grazed by mid-March; 40 per cent by the end of March; and the remaining 60 per cent will be grazed during the first two weeks of April, when demand from ewes and lambs are increasing rapidly in line with peak milk yields.

Supplement ewes with additional magnesium during the months of March, April and May to prevent grass tetany.

Grazing paddocks tightly to 3.5cm to four centimetres will remove any dead material that has accumulated over winter and ensures a quality regrowth for subsequent grazing rotations. Ewes that have lambed two weeks or more should be batched into larger grazing groups.

This increases the grazing pressure and reduces the residency period in each paddock. By grazing paddocks out quicker, it also has the added benefit of increasing the rest period of that paddock to allow increased grass growth.

Once sheep have grazed out a paddock, it is important to go with a second round of fertiliser application of a half bag of protected urea to keep grass supplies going.

Farmers should aim to have a minimum of five permanent grazing divisions per group of sheep, with an average residency time of five days per field or paddock in April, May and June.

If grass supplies are tight, continue to supplement ewes with some concentrates, or graze part of the silage ground and close a few weeks later than usual. Equally, if there is surplus grass, remove a paddock for baled silage and for reseeding to reduce cover down closer to target.

Farmers with early lambing flocks may consider weaning lambs if grass is scarce. Lambs can be weaned onto good grass from 12 weeks of age without any loss in performance. Post-weaning, a leader follower system can be practised with lambs having first access to grass, and the dry ewes grazing out paddocks.