Flock Management
Over the last number of years we have out wintered our ewes on deferred grazing until 1st of feburary. With ewes allocated a fresh area of pasture every day as was done in Knockbeg.
Triplet and thin ewes are the exception and these would get preferential treatment from scanning time on.
One week before lambing commences the twin ewes are turned out to good grass and allowed to lamb at grass with minimal supervision. This system has greatly reduced our workload and disease problems over the last number of years. It is however important to have a contingency plan in the case of very severe weather and to be aware of which breeds are most cold tolerant.
Triplet ewes are let out into a paddock adjacent to the yard by day and housed at night.
Single ewes are kept in to facilitate adoption at lambing time.
Triplet rearing and thinner ewes are run as a separate flock with the ewe lambs rearing lambs and these are the only ewes fed concentrate post lambing . These lambs are also creep fed from 1 week of age.
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