Lamb percent twins

DB67

Member

Location

Scotland

• May 14, 2015

• #1

What would folk say is a good/bad/indifferent percent of lambs on the ground at marking time from twin lambs.

Outside lambing btw.

Say 100 ewes carrying twins go into a field, what be everyone's aim at lambings end?

200% (lol)

150? 180?

Everyone will have different perceptions I'm sure.

Remembering to factor in ewe mortality aswell.

 

Northumberland

Member

• May 14, 2015

• #2

1st dose in the twin fields at 6weeks on avrg 198
But all the major problems will have been led out through lambing time to shed

 

S

sheepwise

Member

Location

SW Scotland

• May 14, 2015

• #3

With my hill ewes scanning at 120%(115 twins from 500 ewes), I'm happy to have 60 twins running at marking time considering most of the gimmers twins will have been lifted for twinning.

 

sherg

Member

Location

shropshire

• May 14, 2015

• #4

If you had 180 lambs left that would be 10% losses by most peoples standards that would be very good our twins did that this year which I'm extremely happy about, I seem to recall the average scanning to weaning losses being around 15%, If we only had 150 lambs left that would be 25% losses unless it was a freak weather year or you had a severe abortion problem I think I would be asking serious questions of myself and the sheep this is on Lfa ground though with ewes that are designed to cope with twins maybe out and out hill ewes would be different

 

CopperBeech

Member

Location

A Welsh man lost in England

• May 15, 2015

• #5

Exactly that. 10 % is good, 15% is ok, 20% is about the limit, anything over is a serious problem!

 

NZDan

Member

Location

Broomfield, New Zealand

• May 15, 2015

• #6

I saw some results from a big survey, average survival in twins was 85%, so from 100 twin scanned ewes, 170 lambs survived to sale or replacement.
95% for singles and 65% for triplets, with a 6kg difference in weaning weight between each of the three birth ranks.

 

Northumberland

Member

• May 15, 2015

• #7

NZDan said:

I saw some results from a big survey, average survival in twins was 85%, so from 100 twin scanned ewes, 170 lambs survived to sale or replacement.
95% for singles and 65% for triplets, with a 6kg difference in weaning weight between each of the three birth ranks.

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Is that unsupervised nz lambing or u.k moly codling?

 

NZDan

Member

Location

Broomfield, New Zealand

• May 15, 2015

• #8

Northumberland said:

Is that unsupervised nz lambing or u.k moly codling?

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It was an NZ survey, but a mixture of lambing systems from very intensive shepherding to unshepherded hill ewes. Interestingly there was no correlation between lamb survival and intensity of lambing shepherding/management, there were good and bad in both. Weaning weight difference was pretty constant.

 

NZDan

Member

Location

Broomfield, New Zealand

• May 15, 2015

• #9

Northumberland said:

Is that unsupervised nz lambing or u.k moly codling?

Click to expand...

Just saw a UK article, lamb losses ranged from 7% to 23% in that study.

 

Nithsdale

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

Dumfries & Galloway

• May 15, 2015

• #10

sherg said:

If you had 180 lambs left that would be 10% losses by most peoples standards that would be very good our twins did that this year which I'm extremely happy about, I seem to recall the average scanning to weaning losses being around 15%, If we only had 150 lambs left that would be 25% losses unless it was a freak weather year or you had a severe abortion problem I think I would be asking serious questions of myself and the sheep this is on Lfa ground though with ewes that are designed to cope with twins maybe out and out hill ewes would be different

Click to expand...

Pretty much spot on IMO.

 

cotswoldcs

Member

Location

Bang In the heart of the Cotswolds

• May 15, 2015

• #11

Can't answer your question specifically but average over 5 years we've lost just over 3% from end of lambing to end of sales and just over 11% in total to end of sales (lambs sold or retained by ewes to tup). I strive to keep this figure low but despite all my efforts I probably should be more focused on gross margin per ewe as that's what really matters. The accountant never asks low many lambs died!

 

S

Six Dogs

Member

Location

Wiltshire

• May 15, 2015

• #12

We are tailing now most of our twin paddocks are tailing at 187% and above,the "hidden" loss is the wet drys,and lambs lost from dead ewes etc,these are the losses never actually put in a bag!