W9 - Lecture 25 - Grazing for sheep Flashcards
what is a major part of mid season lambing diet
grass - grass based diet
what does well managed grass-based systems supply for lambs
sufficient energy and nutrients to reach target slaughter weight for age
in recent years what has there being an increase in to finish lambs
increase in use of concentrates
what is the total costs per ewe
€98
what is concentrates single largest variable cost
€39/ewe
what does poor grass quality do to sheep
delay drafting
what % deafted by the end of september is the target
70-85%
what are the solutions to sheep challenges
- Increased growth, quality and utilization
– Management of grass - Measuring, budgeting etc.
– PRG varieties and other plant species
– Clovers, herbs, winter and summer forage crops, typhon, chicory etc.
what is the number of ewes/ha
- current
- 2027
- future target
- current: 7.8
- 2027: 9
- future target: 12
- 22% achieved in 2023
how much herbage do we need to grow for 1 ewe and twin lambs
we must grow 1t and utilise 850 kg (85% utilisation)
infrastructure for a 100 ewe flock @ 10 ewes/ha
- 5 paddocks
- 2 ha each
- Permanent or temporary fencing
- Sub divide to provide 10 grazing divisions in
mid season - Aim is to have paddocks grazed out in 5 days in main grazing season
what is the aim (in days) to have the paddocks grazed out by
5-6 days
(average potential rotation 25-30days)
why should sheep graze 2 ha paddocks?
➢ Target pre-grazing cover of 1200kg DM/ha (of 7-8cm )
➢ 100 ewes demand= 400kg DM/day midseason
➢ 1200kg DM/ha divided by 400 = 3 days grass
➢ 2ha paddock= 2400 kg DM/ha = 6 days
➢ Therefore we need to sub-divide these paddocks to
Ideally offered 1ha at a time
= 3 days grazing
what is the target closing AFC IN SHEEP
Target closing AFC = 550-600 kg DM/ha
what should paddock be grazed out to
3.5 – 4.0cm
what is the target opening farm cover
600-700 kg grass DM/h
what has become a limiting factor in for lamb production
Shortage of labour for flock care and attention has emerged as a limiting factor
what practise has the potential for reducing feed, management and labour inputs
Extended grazing for in-lamb ewes as a substitute for winter housing and silage feeding is a practice which has potential for reducing feed management and labour inputs
when is lambing date needed to be near
Lambing date close to the onset of grass growth is critical
Four year major study undertaken to compare the following two systems
1. Grazing, silage, housing
Ewes housed unshorn and offered ad-lib grass silage
for 100 days over winter
* 6 weeks prior to lambing ewe received 21.5kg conc.
* Mean lambing March 20th
* During grazing season ewes grazed on PRG/WC
* SR = 14.1 ewe/ha
* Annual fertiliser input 79 kg/ha
Four year major study undertaken to compare the following two systems:
2. Year round grazing (YRG)
- No housing or forage conservation
- Ewes extended grazed from early December until lambing– grass DM allowance 1kg/day– 1.3 kg from early February until 2 weeks prior to lambing = grass ad lib + conc.
- 6 weeks prior to lambing ewe received 23.1kg conc
- Mean lambing date 30 March
- SR = 10.4 ewes/ha
- Annual fertiliser input 92 kg/ha
Study - 16-20
which grazing system increases birthweight and subsequent lamb performance
year round grazing (YRG)
to facilitate YRG by how much % did stocking rate have to be reduced by
to be reduced by 26%,
reducing lamb carcass output by 26%
