Better ewe lamb breeding offers major benefits

Improved breeding from ewe lambs offers lowland flocks the opportunity to more than double their shearling margins while significantly reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions, according to a specialist ADAS review and case study report for EBLEX.

The report highlights a substantial gap between the 30% of English lowland flock replacement females currently being mated in their first autumn and the 55% that could reasonably be managed to give birth at one year of age. It also suggests a large proportion of producers already breeding from ewe lambs could make valuable improvements in their performance through improved husbandry and nutrition.

Despite higher feeding, veterinary and medical costs, costings based on current values and reasonable performance expectations show North Country Mules purchased at six months of age delivering gross margins of just over £61/head at 18 months when bred as yearlings. This compares with less than £26/head if lambed at two years of age.

Allowances will, of course, have to be made for additional labour and management attention at lambing, in particular. Even so, the benefits of ewe lamb breeding appear considerable for many lowland flocks; especially when the calculated greenhouse gas emission reduction of nearly 10% per kg of carcase meat produced is taken into account – not to mention the faster genetic progress possible.

Recognising the importance of management in a number of key areas to success, the report sets out clear, practical guidelines for breeding from ewe lambs.

These include:

- Starting with 25% more ewe lambs than required to allow for lower fertility and increased scope for selection, marketing surplus stock through the winter;

- Ensuring liveweight gains of around 250 g/day from weaning to six weeks after mating for sufficient fertility and mammary development, while minimising multi-births;

- Shearing to alleviate the mild heat stress shown to reduce ewe lamb fertility;

- Choosing rams that minimise the incidence of difficult births;

- Tupping separately from mature ewes and using teaser rams to synchronise heat;

- Scanning effectively to identify non-pregnant and twin-bearing ewes as early as possible for appropriate management;

- Feeding more generously than mature ewes in early and mid-pregnancy to support body growth, while ensuring a body condition of 3.0 six weeks before lambing;

- Providing extra care and attention at lambing for the best ewe and lamb health; and,

- Keeping lactating ewes and lambs separate from main flock to allow more generous feeding, coupled with early weaning for the best ewe recovery for re-breeding.

Specialist advice and case study experiences from a range of flocks on these and other management essentials are provided in the Breeding from ewe lambs report available in the Research and development section of  www.eblex.org.uk or download Improving Ewe Breeding for Better Returns

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