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Better Feeding Of Ewes Means More Lambs

Better feeding of ewes means more and better lambs, according to Dr Andrew Thompson, Senior Scientist at DPI Hamilton.

By Department of Primary Industries - 3rd December 2003 - Back to News

Management of ewes to recover liveweight and condition between weaning and joining is a key to achieving a good lambing percentage next year.

However, there is a range of ways that this can be achieved and it is critical to carefully consider the costs of different strategies to improve ewe nutrition to ensure that the improvement in number of lambs weaned actually transfers into additional profit.

The impact of these strategies on the lifetime performance of surviving lambs also needs to be included in the equation.

Ewes should be in body condition score of 3.0 to 3.5 at joining if reproductive performance close to the breed potential is to be achieved and, ideally, they should be gaining, or at least maintaining, liveweight immediately prior to joining.

The overall reproductive performance of the ewe flock hinges on the producer's ability to have the majority of ewes as close as possible to the optimum condition score targets, whilst still achieving other production goals, such as stocking rate.

The consequences of not achieving these condition score targets at joining on lambing percentage (lambs born/100 ewes mated) tend to be greater for late lambing flocks and vary between individual flocks.

The 'rule of thumb' is that lambing percentages increase by 10 to 15 per cent for each additional condition score at joining, but for some flocks the response is possibly as great as 25 to 30 per cent. A condition score equates to 7 to 9 kg in ewe liveweight for most ewe flocks.

Ewe condition score at weaning will impact on your ability to achieve targets at the next joining. Achieving these targets will be more difficult if ewes lose a considerable amount of condition during pregnancy and have not made this up during late lactation. It will also be more difficult for twin-rearing ewes that will be at least one-half of a condition score lighter at weaning.

Allowing ewes to lose too much condition and then re-feeding to achieve targets at joining is not efficient. A better solution is to feed smaller amounts of supplementary feed over longer periods to maintain weight.

If ewes cannot reach a suitable pre-joining weight over summer/autumn, then 'flushing' to increase ovulation rates and lambing percentages is an option. However, 'flushing' is only effective at improving lambing percentages on less than 50 per cent of occasions, and is therefore difficult to justify.

For more information contact your local DPI Sheep Industry Officer.

FARM CHEMICAL INFORMATION SERVICE

The Department of Primary Industries supports the safe and effective use of agricultural and veterinary chemicals. It also encourages the adoption of farm management practices to reduce unnecessary chemical use.

To assist agricultural and horticultural industries to improve farm chemical use, the Department provides, through the Chemical Standards Branch, a Chemical Information Service.

A key function of the service is to provide accurate information about registered agricultural and veterinary products, and the uses for which they are approved in Victoria according to the product label. This information is sourced from the chemical registration database of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, and from current product labels.

The Chemical Information Service uses this database and other information to answer enquires such as:

• What chemicals are appropriate for use on specific hosts and pests, for example: the control of capeweed in a pasture containing clover; or the control of green peach aphids in a canola oilseed crop.
  
• Access to Product label information and copies of labels.
• What chemicals are restricted or prohibited under Victorian legislation, for example: whether an Agricultural Chemical Users Permit is needed for the chemicals that the caller proposes to use; or specific restrictions on chemical use in certain defined areas in Victoria called Chemical Control Areas.
  
• Information on Maximum Residue Limits (Australian and International) for food commodities.
• Information on Victoria's requirements for fertiliser content and labelling.
• Answers to all general inquiries regarding farm chemical use.

The Department of Primary Industries Chemical Information Service:

• Provides accurate information on all farm chemical matters;
• Only cost is the telephone call;
• Direct access to trained operators;
• Calls answered 9.00am to 4.00 pm Monday to Friday.

To contact the Chemical Information Service call (03) 9210 9379, fax (03) 9210 9298, or visit the Website at: www.dpi.vic.gov.au/farming/chemstds/intro.htm

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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