John Fagan: Using the ram effect to achieve compact lambing

‘They can look but they can’t touch’ – the majority of your ewes should be served within a week

Planning: 14 days before you intend to let them out, place the rams in a field adjacent to the ewes without allowing them to come into contact with their prospective partners

John Fagan

September 24 2021 07:03 AM

If you want compact lambing, use the ram effect — but you’ve got to do it right. This is what I am working towards over the coming weeks as the breeding season approaches.

I used it last year and it really tightened up the lambing period. It has also meant that the majority of lambs have been drafted and grazed at the same time, as they are all similar weights.

For the ram effect to work, you need to keep the rams out of sight and smell of the ewes at least a month before the breeding starts.

Then 14 days before you intend to let them out, place the rams in a field adjacent to the ewes without allowing them to come into contact with their prospective partners.

They can look but they can’t touch.

This kick-starts the ewes’ reproductive system, and the majority of your ewes, provided you have plenty of ram power, should be served within a week.

It means you can organise your lambing a lot better in terms of labour and it doesn’t drag on for weeks if not months. It’s well worth doing.

Right now my attention is firmly focused on getting the ewes into good shape for breeding.

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I constantly condition-score, foot-bath and separate out any ewes that are thin or lame, allowing them access to good grass.

I have decided, after consultation with my vet, to vaccinate the entire flock for lameness, but I won’t do it until the breeding season is finished in November.

The foot vaccination has worked really well with my pedigree rams — they are thriving really well.

It is evident that lameness affects thrive, and although the vaccination does not mean an absolute end to lameness — you still will have to routinely foot-bath — it will reduce its overall effect on the flock.

Vaccination for lameness could well be a requirement under the new sheep welfare scheme — it’s clearly in the sheep’s and the farmer’s interest.

I also plan to bolus the entire flock prior to breeding. I use a bolus that lasts in the sheep for six months, so it complies with the post-breeding mineral supplementation element of the sheep welfare grant.

In preparation for the breeding season, I have selected and shorn my breeding ewe lamb replacements.

These are mostly Suffolk and Belclare lambs that are daughters of my mule ewes. I pick them as replacements for their prolificacy, mothering ability and production of milk.

I find that shearing them helps them to thrive better and also has the advantage of stopping them from going on their backs next spring. I find it also helps improve conception rates, and I plan to let the ram with them next November.

I also gave them a one-shot vaccination against enzootic abortion. This has been a problem for me over the years, but since I started vaccinating I haven’t had any issues.

I have learnt over the years that with flock health, prevention is far better than cure and where possible it’s better to vaccinate.

I sold ewes that were old but otherwise good for breeding in Ballyjamesduff Mart, and I was happy enough with how they went.

A few people mentioned to me that older ewes, capable of breeding, were better value than store lambs as they are good mothers and you would get a good bunch of lambs from them. They’re suitable for a farmer who isn’t heavily stocked and wants to maybe get a year out of them.

Any ewes that weren’t good enough for breeding were sent to the factory.

I recently completed my Bord Bia audit for the farm, all online. It was a new experience for me but it was really well organised. I take a lot of pride in being a Bord Bia-approved farmer.

We can see Bord Bia’s work every day we go to the mart or factory, and at last we have access to the Chinese market for lamb.

It’s now payback time for the expensive investment sheep farmers have made in EID tagging since 2018 and it’s about time that lamb prices reflected this investment.

The average price of €130 for mid-season lamb needs to be maintained and improved upon.

We’re in the midst of a massive moment of price inflation: the cost of living is going up and up and the price of food will have to follow, especially as governments pursue the drastic changes to CAP, which is becoming a giant ‘REPs’ payment.

John Fagan farms at Gartlandstown, Co Westmeath