Management of ewe lambs pre-breeding
Date published:
With a strong trade at hogget sales and a perceived lower availability this year, there is a renewed interest in breeding ewe lambs.
College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Beef and Sheep Adviser, Nigel Gould states: “Breeding ewe lambs may offer an opportunity to increase output within a flock” and outlines key considerations to make to increase the chances of success.
Ewe lamb selection
Good records allow ewe lambs to be selected at birth based on their parents’ genetics and the maternal characteristics of the ewe. Select from ewes which lamb easily, have lively lambs, good feet/udders, have good mothering instinct, have successfully reared twins and have never prolapsed.
Where practical, further selection can include selecting from ewes giving birth to their first cycle, which have good temperament, can hold body condition without requiring additional feed and are at their target mature weight.
Weight targets
Ewe lambs need to be 60% of their mature weight at time of mating (7 months). Hitting this target will be key to achieving 70-80% of ewes in-lamb after a four-to-five-week mating period. If your average mature ewe weight is 75kg, you will be targeting a mating weight of 45kg.
Research has shown no adverse effects on future productivity once these ewes are managed to reach 75%, 80% and 90% of mature ewe weight by first lambing, second mating and second lambing, respectively.
A key figure towards achieving these targets is the 20% higher energy requirement of a pregnant ewe lamb compared to a mature ewe of the same weight. This additional energy is required for growth. Ewes typically don’t reach mature weight until three years of age.
Breeding
Focus on lambing ease when selecting a suitable ram. Allow at least 1 mature ram per 40 ewe lambs and this ratio should be increased to 1 ram per 30 ewe lambs where a teaser ram has been used to synchronise them pre-breeding.
Ewe lambs have shorter standing heat times and are less likely to seek out the ram, hence why extra ram power is required compared to mature ewes. Mating ewe lambs in smaller areas may also help. Where a teaser is used, introduce him for approximately 14 days prior to the breeding period.
Traditionally, ‘flushing’ ewes on high quality grass pre- and during breeding has been used with a perception that it increases pregnancy and scanning rates. However, in ewe lambs, if nutrition level is too high during the breeding season, it can increase the number of ewe lambs being empty at scanning time.
Purchased ewe lambs
For practical reasons, some prefer to purchase ewe lambs as opposed to breeding their own. This is sometimes preferred as it allows for terminal type rams to be used on all ewes. If this is your chosen option, try to find out as much as possible about the lambs pre purchase and choose those with as many of the criteria outlined earlier. These lambs should be quarantined for at least 21 days.
Be aware that purchased lambs can be more naïve to diseases compared to those bred on the farm. Find out their vaccination/treatment history, if possible. Speak to your vet and refer to SCOPS guidance on external and internal parasite control in purchased sheep. More information can be found on the SCOPS website.
Other considerations post-lambing
Before putting the ram to ewe lambs, consider how they will be managed the following year and how to achieve all performance targets. Although not always practical, ideally, they will be managed separately to the rest of the flock. Either way, extra monitoring and management is essential.
The target is for ewe lambs to only rear one lamb. If she is rearing two lambs, she needs to be treated the same way as a mature ewe rearing three lambs: offer 300-500g/day of a suitable concentrate feed for the first six weeks post-lambing and creep feed their lambs 300g/day up to weaning.
These ewes also need to be monitored more closely for mastitis as lower milk yield may result in lambs being rougher at feeding and leave ewes more prone to mastitis. Wean by twelve weeks and even consider earlier weaning at ten weeks if ewe condition or lamb performance becomes an issue.
For more information on ewe lamb management contact your local CAFRE Beef and Sheep Adviser.
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