I believe that lamb survival is one of our greatest responsibilities within the sheep industry.
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Anyone managing a lambing ewe flock has a responsibility to do everything they can to reduce lamb losses.
It is a moral responsibility, and one that our consumers and the general public take a serious interest in.
Not only that, but it happens to also provide a great opportunity to produce more sale lambs, or allow greater selection pressure to be applied within a self replacing flock.
You have done the work, and spent the money, to get the lambs conceived, so keeping them alive is a no brainer.
Achieving better lamb survival is a complex juggling act, with ewe condition score, nutrition, genetics, mob size and shelter all playing a role.
So how much of a priority is it for you each year?
From a business point of view, it makes sense to put in the effort and planning required to give you the best possible chance to improve every year. But perhaps more importantly, it also happens to be the right thing to do.
If you aren’t confident with condition scoring, then get the training you need to make yourself confident. If pasture assessments aren’t your strong point, then get yourself skilled up on that. The Lifetime Ewe Management course does a great job of both of those things.
How much time do you spend planning lambing paddocks? It is a big job, and almost solely the reason I am rapidly losing hair each year. Because every year, with every client we work even harder to get it better than last year.
Every year we are looking for smaller mob sizes for twins and triplets. I was recently asked what the ideal mob size is for twins. My answer; “One. Anything bigger than that comes with compromises.”
So clearly, we are juggling practicality and the ideal situation. In combination with mob size we are also looking for the right stocking rates for each paddock. In recent years that has seen a big increase in the use of temporary electric fencing to allow smaller mobs, but keep stocking rates up per hectare. Also in the mix is the best sheltered paddocks, which ideally go to the most vulnerable mobs such as maiden twins.
And while all of that planning happens in the immediate lead up to lambing, much of the heavy lifting actually started back at weaning the previous year. Managing condition score from weaning through to joining, selecting appropriate genetics in the rams to be used, scanning for multiples, and managing nutrition specifically for each class of stock, all contribute to making lambing a stress-free and successful event.
Getting everything right for lambing is extremely difficult, but we get the pleasure of seeing producers achieve higher lamb survival each year. And all the while, looking for things to do differently next year. If you keep doing the same things, you will keep getting the same results. The only way to be better is to change. To do something different.
So, how much planning have you done for lambing this year? What can you do differently next year to ensure that you are always improving?
One of the most exciting things in our industry is the opportunity to continually improve lamb survival. From both a business, and moral point of view, it just makes sense. So what’s your plan?
Be the future you want.
*Nathan Scott, Achieve Ag Solutions