Level II Agricultural Business Operations

 Appropriate management and nutrition to achieve optimum performance from  The pregnant ewe  Lactating ewe  Overview of feeding properties of a range of feedstuffs  Identify the most suitable feed options/levels for the pregnant/lactating ewe

 Proper nutrition is central to ◦ Productivity ◦ Health ◦ Welfare  Based on ◦ Body condition score ◦ Pregnancy scanning  Influences future production

 Ewes are very sensitive to stress caused by handling, poor weather or health  Maintain body condition score in early pregnancy to maximise embryo viability  Maintain a level plane of nutrition  Ewes above target BCS (4.0+) can afford to lose some condition

 Placenta development occurs  Placenta size and development is critical to Lamb birth weight  Ewes should not gain or lose more than half a BCS or 5% bodyweight

 70% of foetal growth takes place in the last weeks  Energy demand goes up dramatically  Ewes appetite drops 30% in the last 6 weeks due to increasing foetal growth. POSSIBLE NEED FOR CONCENTRATED ENERGY

 Ensure viable even-sized lambs at birth  Adequate colostrum  Prevent metabolic disorders  Minimise cost by maximising use of suitable forage

Under feedingOver feeding More twin lamb diseaseCostly Low lamb birth weight, vigour and survivability Increased lamb size & difficult lambing Little/no colostrum, poor subsequent milk yield Adequate colostrum Poor maternal bonding with lambs Good maternal bonding with lambs Slow finishing lambsFast growing lambs

 Majority of lamb losses happen within 48 hours of birth Deaths during lambing Hypothermia (exposure) Hypothermia (starvation) Abortion Poor nutrition Stress Infectious disease

Deaths before lambing 10-20% Deaths during lambing 10-20% Hypothermia (exposure) 15-25% * Hypothermia (starvation) 20-30% Infectious disease 10-15% ** Abnormalities 5% Other causes 5% *Very small lambs are more prone to hypothermia ** Lambs which have had insufficient colostrum are more prone to infectious disease e.g. Scours, watery mouth etc

Litter sizeLamb Size 14.5 – 6.0kg kg kg

Size of lamb Colostrum Requirement Large single lamb (5kg)250 ml/feed 4 X daily Medium lamb (4kg)200 ml/feed 4 X daily Small lamb (3kg)150 ml/feed 4 X daily

BreedNutrition No of lambs Total lamb weight (kg) Colostrum Production (ml) 1 hour post lambing Total after 18 hrs BlackfaceWell fed BlackfaceUnderfed

 Selenium  Vitamin E  Iodine  Copper (breed dependent) ◦ Essential for hill breeds ◦ Toxic in excess to breeds such as Suffolk/Texel ◦ Never feed cattle mineral to sheep

 Pockets of NI are very low in selenium ◦ 50% hill ewes sampled had inadequate selenium (Se) status  Assess mineral status of ewes ◦ Blood sample 6-8 weeks before mating (Selenium, Cobalt, Iodine)  Methods of supplementation ◦ Injectable, boluses, drenches and feed additives

 Supplemented ewes ◦ Needed less assistance at lambing ◦ Ewe body weight and condition maintained more efficiently ◦ Higher lamb output  Lambs from supplemented ewes had ◦ Lower mortality at lambing ◦ Higher growth rates avg. 2kg heavier at weaning

WhySource EnergyMaintenance requirements Growth Lamb development & birth weight Carbohydrates Starch ProteinUdder development & colostrum Lamb development & birth weight Adequate brown fat FibreHealthy rumen function Vit & MinsFunctional immune system

Meal is concentrated energy ConcentrateForage eg. Silage 73% moisture27% Dry matter14% Moisture86% Dry matter

Feed (Average) Dry Matter ( %) Energy (MJ/Kg DM) Protein (% in DM) Spring grass Clamp silage Baled silage Hay Wheat straw Forages; especially silage must be good quality

Protein ££Energy ££Fibre £ Soya bean mealBarleyOats Rapeseed mealWheatBeet pulp Peas & BeansMaize glutenCitrus pulp LinseedMaize (yellow meal) Soya hulls Vegetable/fish oilStraw  Do not give sheep cattle feed or cattle minerals  Be aware of distillers present in rations as they may increase copper levels above desired threshold

ME= 12.8MJ/kgDM Crude protein 19.5% fibre 14% & oil 2% ME= 12.8MJ/Kg DM crude protein 19% fibre 14% & oil 2% Ration 1 Lightly rolled barley 500 Soya bean meal 250 Sugar beet pulp 225 Mins and vits 25 Ration 2 Lightly rolled barley 350 Sugar beet pulp 250 Maize meal/whole 100 Soyabean meal 200 Protected soya 50 Molasses 25 Mins and vits 25

Level of feeding pre lambing depends on…  Season of lambing  Grass supply / stocking rate  Expected lamb numbers / scanning result  Forage quality OR no forage available  Condition score

 To assess feed value  Predicted animal performance and the need for supplementation  To identify early the stability of the silage and possible impacts on waste and animal health

 Dry matter – left after water removal  pH – acidity, fermentation quality  Ammonia N – fermentation, <10  Protein – grass maturity  ME – usable energy  D Value - digestibility

ValueSilage clamp qualityBales HighGoodAveragePoorHigh Metabolisable energy (ME) (MJ/kg DM) > < Crude protein (CP) (%) > – 11< Dry matter (DM) (%) > 3025 – – 25<  Feed value of baled silage will depend on both  Analysis  Characteristics eg. Chop length

 Silage 1  Silage 2

 Silage analysis & attached Feed report based on analysis

Weeks before lambing Precision chop silageBig bale Excellent quality (12 MJ) Average quality (10.4 MJ) Poor quality (9.6 MJ) Excellent quality (11.7 MJ) Total fed kg Post lambing feeding  Ewes with twins -1 kg per day until grass is 5-6 cm  Ewes with singles can be fed 0.4 kg per day

Weeks before lambing Excellent quality (11.7 MJ) Average quality (10.4 MJ) Poor quality (9.6 MJ) p/ewe/day £/6 weeks  Individual costs  Silage £35/tonne good quality £30/tonne poor quality  Concentrate £250/tonne

 Highly stocked sheep only farms - no need for silage  Possibly reduce labour  Release covered silos etc to hold more sheep  Good value concentrates are essential?  0.5m of feed space per ewe required  Water supply essential

Weeks pre lambing (kg/d) 6421 Wheat straw Soya hulls Soya bean Cost pence/ day £/week £ for 6 weeks Straw £100/tonne Soyabean £380/tonne Soya Hulls £166/tonne

 Flat Rate Feeding can be introduced 6-8 weeks pre-lambing  At 0.4kg/day to twin bearing ewes. ◦ (50 days = 20kg fed)  If feeding more than 0.4 kg/day then split over 2 feeds

 6 Weeks prior to lambing 20 kg  6 weeks post lambing 42 kg ◦ 1kg/day/6 weeks  Total 62 kg  Cost £250 per tonne  Cost per ewe £15.5  Cost per % = £10.30

 Feed blocks contain - Energy ( Sugars and fats) - Protein - Vitamins and minerals  Mineral blocks contain - No energy or protein - Minerals and vitamins

 Reduced labour required –remote locations  Useful where moderate lambing % is expected and little concentrate is fed before lambing  Examine the energy and moisture content  Cost ◦ Crystalyx £844 per tonne ◦ Supalyx £755 per tonne  (2014 price)

 A ewe requires 3 x as much energy in early lactation compared to maintenance  Energy supply comes from – ◦ Grass ◦ Silage ◦ Concentrates ◦ Body fat  Restrict energy supply and milk production will drop and lamb growth will suffer

 Lambs are very dependent on ewes milk for up to 6 weeks  Peak milk yield of the ewe is 3 to 4 weeks post-lambing  Appropriate feeding is essential to ensure good lamb growth  If ewe loses a lot of condition it will affect performance

 If sufficient grass is not available ewes and/or lambs may require supplementation  Offer twin bearing ewes up to 1kg/head/day until grass growth reaches potential (least 5cm)  Once grass is above this height, feed levels can be reduced  Be aware with lush spring grass there is a high risk of staggers, provide supplementary magnesium

 Early spring grass ◦ 11MJ/KG DM ◦ 18-22%CP  Potential to support ewes needs without feed  Target swards at 4-5cm  Stocking rate-twin bearing ewes ◦ 12ewes/ha 5ewes/acre

 Grass is approximately ¼ the price of meal. Early spring grass18% CP mix ME (MJ/kg DM) CP (% DM)

 Correct nutrition will ◦ Reduce ewe and lamb mortality ◦ Benefit lamb growth ◦ Result in lambs being sold sooner  Sample your silage  Examine your ewe concentrate  Plan ahead to have early grass