Sheep

sheep Profit from your surplus lambs in 2023

With UK lamb prices expected to mirror the trend of the last couple of years and remain firm into 2023 due to low domestic supply against solid demand within the EU1, sheep industry commentators believe it will pay Scottish farmers to rear as many healthy lambs as possible come lambing time.

Alan Smith – Volac business manager for Scotland – says that each year every flock will have some lambs that either need to be adopted onto another ewe or be reared off another mother. But deciding which rearing route to take will depend on the availability of a suitable foster mother and the physical condition of the lamb.

“Cross fostering will only be successful if the lamb is fit and healthy, has had adequate colostrum, and is fostered onto a healthy ewe with plenty of milk and good maternal instincts,” he explains.

“However, surplus lambs can be reared very effectively and without all the inherent practical problems of fostering onto an unwilling ewe. With good husbandry, organisation and Lamlac ewe milk replacer, there’s no doubt you can produce good quality lambs to sell in 2023 alongside those reared on any ewe, as well as save hours of effort and hassle.”

How to rear surplus lambs: Choose your feeding system. There are three main options available: bottle feeding, which is very time consuming; or a variety of laboursaving options – for example, ad lib feeding of surplus lambs via a thermostatically controlled milk bucket feeder (such as the Volac Ewe2) or machine feeding using a computerised feeder. The method you choose will often depend on the number of lambs you are rearing and the facilities that you have available.

Ensure all newborn lambs receive adequate colostrum within six hours of birth.

Choose a proven ewe milk replacer. According to the most recent Volac surplus lamb rearing survey (Dec 2021), 95% of sheep farmers say it is important to see positive independent feeding trial data highlighting the performance of proprietary ewe milk replacer products. For example, specially formulated, trial-proven ewe milk replacer such as Lamlac can be mixed cold and is designed to be a complete diet providing the lamb with all the energy and nutrients it needs. Feeding enough Lamlac alongside fresh water, roughage and small amounts of a good quality creep feed refreshed daily is the key to healthy, profitable growth. A single lamb reared artificially to weaning (at an average of 35 days of age) will require a minimum of 9.5kg of Lamlac (equating to 47.5 litres of reconstituted ewe milk replacer).

Ad-lib feeding of surplus lambs Alan Smith explains that with ad lib feeding, milk replacer is fed using a teated bucket such as the Volac Ewe2 (for up to 20 lambs) or the Ewe2 Plus (for up to 40 lambs).

“These bucket feeders are thermostatically controlled. We recommend that newborn lambs be started on milk at 30°C, but once they are trained and drinking well the temperature can be reduced to 18-20°C. The amount of milk replacer used is approximately 11-12kg per lamb. The Ewe2 and Ewe2 Plus bucket feeders sit outside the lamb rearing pen, ensuring optimum safety and avoiding wasteful spillages.”

He suggests starting lambs on restricted warm milk until trained (1 litre spilt into four or five 200-250ml feeds per day). “Training normally takes 1-3 days, after which time you can allow your lambs ad lib access to milk.”

Using a computerised feeder Alternatively, using an automatic computerised feeder such as the Volac ECO Feeder can dramatically cut the time spent mixing milk and feeding lambs.

“However, a high level of management and hygiene is essential,” stresses Mr Smith.

“With computerised feeders, milk is consumed little and often, which means faster lamb growth rates and less risk of digestive upsets. The amount of ewe milk replacer used is approximately 12-13kg per lamb. Milk may be offered warm (39°C) on a restricted basis during the early training period, but once lambs are sucking well from the teat on an ad lib basis the milk temperature should be reduced to 18-20°C to reduce the risk of health problems caused by over consumption. The machine should be cleaned daily and calibrated at least once a week, and between batches of milk powder,” he advises.

FARMING SCOTLAND MAGAZINE Next issue out March 2023 Subscription page 113

sheep UK sheep breeders have access to the US genetics market

Sheep breeders in the UK can now export genetics to the US, in an agreement estimated to be worth over £750,000 in the first year of trade.

A new ovine embryo export health certification has gone live this week, allowing UK sheep breeders access to the allimportant American market – following a 26-year absence.

Various breeds including the Suffolk, Texel, Charollais and many Heritage breeds could benefit from the new agreement with interest in their genetics on the increase in the US.

Sheep breeders in the US have been looking to bring in fresh genetics of some of the UK breeds since the market closed. The resumption of UK ovine semen imports in 2016 has allowed this, but the promise of embryos now ensures purebred sheep to be taken directly to UK flocks as required.

It follows over two decades of collaborative work between AHDB, Defra, the National Sheep Association, the UK Export Certification Partnership and Henry Lewis from the British

AHDB International Market Development Director Dr Phil Hadley said: “This is fantastic news for the UK sheep sector, following the recent announcement that British lamb is back on the menus after more than two decades.

“The importance of this agreement is huge, as many entrepreneurial UK pedigree sheep breeders have had an eye on the US market for some time and now, they are ready to take the next steps to exporting sheep genetics to America.

“The publication of the embryo export certificate not only brings a financial boost to breeders in the UK, but also affords ovine genetic benefit to our American sheep industry colleagues.”

Assume All Incoming Sheep Have Scab, as NI Survey Reveals Scale of Problem

Farmers should assume any incoming sheep are carrying scab mites to curb its spread after a survey of Northern Ireland sheep producers1 revealed sheep movements to be the leading cause of infestation.

Published in August, the survey found widespread cases of scab among flocks, with 36% of farmers indicating they had at least one outbreak of sheep scab in their flock within the previous five years and 39% believing scab was introduced to their flock via a purchased animal. Some farmers also reported their most recent outbreak had cost them over £2500, although costs were variable.

Researcher and vet Paul Crawford said the results highlighted knowledge gaps that needed to be addressed to improve sheep scab control.

“The survey shows there are knowledge gaps concerning parasite biology, disease transmission, prevention and