Ewe lamb wintering crop

TheRock

Member
Livestock Farmer
What’s the best fodder crop for wintering ewe lambs on? Ideally to last until April.
How many acres to keep 3-400 on?

I don’t think our land would be good enough for fodder beet.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
What’s the best fodder crop for wintering ewe lambs on? Ideally to last until April.
How many acres to keep 3-400 on?

I don’t think our land would be good enough for fodder beet.

Ewe lambs don’t do well on fodder beet anyway ime, the protein is too low.

Swedes or maincrop turnips would be my choice, or more acres of stubble turnips.
I kept 200 ewe lambs (in-lamb and empty) on 5ac of maincrop turnips for 10 weeks this winter. They’d have lasted longer if they had bales too, but wouldn’t have done as well.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Ewe lambs don’t do well on fodder beet anyway ime, the protein is too low.

Swedes or maincrop turnips would be my choice, or more acres of stubble turnips.
I kept 200 ewe lambs (in-lamb and empty) on 5ac of maincrop turnips for 10 weeks this winter. They’d have lasted longer if they had bales too, but wouldn’t have done as well.
Do dry ewe lambs need to do well? Assuming they're being kept as replacements, compensatory growth in dinner should be sufficient.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Do in-lamb ones need to do well, so they get too fat to maul lambs out of?

I run them both the same, just tickling on.

My in lamb ewe run with the ewes for ease of management. Given my flock is basically cull ewes they're all fed as best I can.

I'm happy to be meaner to dries.
 
I struggle with how to winter my ewe hoggs. Winter grass would be ideal but I certainly don't have any and virtually no dairy grass round here. Wintered on average quality red clover silage last year, hay and 250-300g blend this time. They didn't do much either time but flew on grass when turned out in 2021and seem to be heading the same direction this time.

I'm just wondering how mean I can afford to be to them over the winter before utilising compensatory growth to end up with a decent gimmer at tupping time?
 
For running ewe lambs, we strip grazed a grass field and fed bales in it. Upended bales in the field in august (so then we didn't need a tractor out there in the winter) and just let the grass grow from then on.The field got a bit chewed up but it's gone in fodder beet now, and with not having any dung to spread it gave a good dose of s*it to the field. Don't like giving the drys too go a going as end up with massive shearling then.
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
What’s the best fodder crop for wintering ewe lambs on? Ideally to last until April.
How many acres to keep 3-400 on?

I don’t think our land would be good enough for fodder beet.
As the others say Maincrop Turnips , should be some Massif available mid may Green Globes the other one , don't sow them to thick , , Swedes will crop a bit better but bit harder to grow
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
Ewe lambs don’t do well on fodder beet anyway ime, the protein is too low.

Swedes or maincrop turnips would be my choice, or more acres of stubble turnips.
I kept 200 ewe lambs (in-lamb and empty) on 5ac of maincrop turnips for 10 weeks this winter. They’d have lasted longer if they had bales too, but wouldn’t have done as well.
How do u kill the flea beetle?
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
How do u kill the flea beetle?

The same as OSR growers do, insecticides when needed.:(

One of the reasons for switching from swedes to maincrop turnips here, is that they can be planted a month later, which reduces the challenge normally. Still have to be ready to go with insecticide though, since neonicitinoid seed treatments were foolishly banned.
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
The same as OSR growers do, insecticides when needed.:(

One of the reasons for switching from swedes to maincrop turnips here, is that they can be planted a month later, which reduces the challenge normally. Still have to be ready to go with insecticide though, since neonicitinoid seed treatments were foolishly banned.
What variety!?
When do u sow?
 
I struggle with how to winter my ewe hoggs. Winter grass would be ideal but I certainly don't have any and virtually no dairy grass round here. Wintered on average quality red clover silage last year, hay and 250-300g blend this time. They didn't do much either time but flew on grass when turned out in 2021and seem to be heading the same direction this time.

I'm just wondering how mean I can afford to be to them over the winter before utilising compensatory growth to end up with a decent gimmer at tupping time?
Bit of helpful advice get the wool off them early to take advantage of your compensatory growth
Our ewe lambs don’t do much until they have their coats off
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
What variety!?
When do u sow?

Massif turnips here, DD’ed into sprayed off grassland in mid-July. Green Globe a waste of time ime, lower on yield and utilisation, so I’d rather sow stubble turnips early than those.
Still had to go in with insecticide twice (& again for sawfly later on), even drilling that late, but likely down to a neighbour that grows OSR, harbouring clouds of flea beetle.
 
Bit of helpful advice get the wool off them early to take advantage of your compensatory growth
Our ewe lambs don’t do much until they have their coats off
Thank you. As Easycares, they do that for me once they get into something green! Your comment is interesting though. Just wondering if some sheep 'shut down' over winter and so feeding over maintenance is a waste of time?
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 35.1%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,290
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top