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Lambing 2019

GTB

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
Been thinking a lot about this over the last weeks and I think we need to seriously consider lambing later. I know next year will probably (hopefully) be better but I do think the general trend in recent years has been wet autumn and winter, cold and late spring?

Say we moved to lambing from mid April, what would be the pros and cons? Would there be any resulting problems that we haven't thought about?

Pros.
Better weather. Ok I know it's not guaranteed.
More grass, less feed.
Longer days.
Possibly move to outdoor lambing= less cost, less work.

Cons.
Blowfly at lambing.
Lambs needing to be clicked before they're old enough to gather.
Lambs being sold later.
Both ewes and a lot of lambs on farm throughout the autumn (unless lambs sold store)
Lower lambing % ?

What have I missed?
 

scottish-lleyn

Member
Mixed Farmer
Ive knocked mine back a week this year and will be going to 10th of april start next year more hours of day light hopfully more grass more settled weather. We normally lamb from the 28th of march and and would start marking lambs about the last week in april so would hope to be marking 1st/2nd week in may lambing later if the teasers work well most lambing should be done in the first 2 wks .
 
The weathers so unpredictable I don’t think you can plan lambing at all...just gotta do what you do every year and pray for the best
Exactly. Spring's are so prolonged wet and cold that I'd be struggling to think of a time that would be more likely to work out. It doesn't matter if you do lamb in May , you can still catch atrocious weather.
 

GTB

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
Exactly. Spring's are so prolonged wet and cold that I'd be struggling to think of a time that would be more likely to work out. It doesn't matter if you do lamb in May , you can still catch atrocious weather.
True but generally the later it gets it usually warms up a bit most years.
 
Location
Devon
You should start lambing no later than 10 April.

Lambing too late and its a drought year will mean no grass and very small lambs if you lamb in May etc unless you heavily creep them!

I think a lot of early lambing flocks ( ie those that lamb in Dec/ Jan ) will be having a serious think about putting lambing back thou after this winter!
 

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Webinar: Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer 2024 -26th Sept

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On Thursday 26th September, we’re holding a webinar for farmers to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer. This was planned for end of May, but had to be delayed due to the general election. We apologise about that.

Farming and Countryside Programme Director, Janet Hughes will be joined by policy leads working on SFI, and colleagues from the Rural Payment Agency and Catchment Sensitive Farming.

This webinar will be...
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