A good start is half the battle with post-weaning lambs

The end of June is generally the time of year when I finally wean the lambs from their mothers. They have had a good run this year and most of the lambs that remain are between 30kgs and 40kgs. Weaning is best done abruptly. There is no point in dragging it out for too long as you need the lambs to get over the stress as soon as possible to get them back thriving.

Once I wean I tighten the ewes up in a small field with not too much grass, and this helps them to dry off. As for the lambs, they all went onto the new reseeded grass which is ideal.

This year I under-sowed the grass seed with Redstart. I have to say I was a bit nervous about doing this as I was concerned that it could smother the new grass seedlings.

The recent drought didn’t help my nerves either, but thankfully Mother Nature eventually obliged with some rain and the reseeds are all there alive and well, and the Redstart is looking great with the grass coming up underneath it.

I would hope that this will finish the lambs through the remainder of the year without the need to purchase any more meal, as Redstart is full of protein.

Generally, you get two grazings off it before it is eaten out of the sward and the grass takes over.

I have been warned to be sure to finish the lambs off this, as returning the lambs to grass after being on Redstart could result in them losing condition. Once they are on it, they need to stay on it.

Rams

If you are finishing lambs on grass alone I have found that March/April-born ewe lambs can be left alone until September. They are fine as long as they have access to good lush aftergrass and are regularly foot-bathed.

Finishing rams on grass alone can be tricky as they can fail to put on condition. As much as I hate saying it, it’s no harm to give them a 16-18pc protein nut to keep them thriving.

If you are doing this, you need to weigh them and draft them off regularly. Otherwise they can get over fat and you are losing money on meal and giving away free meat.

I have found that giving meal to finish off ram lambs that are already 40kgs plus is a worthwhile investment as, combined with the grass, it means that you can be sure you will be drafting lambs regularly.

Having now weaned, it is also important to segregate the lambs based on gender and weight.

I will take out what I need for replacements right away and they will get access to after grass.

The ewe lambs that I don’t want for breeding will also go on the Redstart although they are not mixed with the ram lambs. It’s not a good idea to mix ram lambs and ewe lambs together as they will cause distractions and in fact the ram lambs can actually end up losing condition.

Finally, there is an old saying that a lamb’s greatest enemy is another lamb as the stronger lambs will bully the smaller lambs for the best bits of grass.

Once weaning is over and things have calmed down, keep your lambs regularly weighed and foot-bathed, drafting them off as they come fit.