Sheep wintering options

[will6910]

I’m having a bad sort off day and been trying to think of stuff and options for future. Probably been covered befofe but what options are the most achievable for maximising sheep numbers on small farm. I have 38 acres of home farm and then in winter I have anywhere between 30 and 50 acres for winter grazing depending on the year. I have housing for about 150 ewes but needs some renovations and re newing of mesh sections. Have to take sheep off fields around end October start November to have any sort off grass for mid feb lambing. Would leaving a field for sheep and feeding silage in it be worth the less grazing come spring time ? Wet winter fields get very wet here. Just after some ideas that could allow me to have full potential of sheep without having to travel miles and miles for winter grazing for 6 weeks at a max
Thank you

 

[Chris123]

Other than what your doing, your only other options would be grow a crop of turnips to graze over winter and reseed in spring or run less ewes over winter and buy in half or a third of summer numbers as in lamb ewes.

 

[will6910]

Never liked idea of growing something as was a less field for the crop in spring that couldn’t be grazed. Trying to keep closed flock now Iv started into sheep again. At moment I’m under stocked for summer and have enough winter grazing for what I have ewe wise now.just plan when things get back on track that might be able to have few more ewes

 

[Chris123]

If you rotate the root crops round the farm each year the new grass leys will carry more stock and they will do better on them and will more than make up for the area you have out of production with roots on

 

[Chris123]

How many ewes you plan on running on 38 acres 150?

 

[will6910]

I’m not sure what’s a achievable number to run. Have had around 140 in the past. Re seeded 5 acres last summer and plan to do another abit this year when weather as grass suits. I have 15 calves that still to graze this year but they still on milk yet. Il always want maybe 10 or 12 heifers to graze and rear along side ewes so not sure how many ewes could graze

 

[Guiggs]

Renovate your shed,
paddock/ rotational grazing through spring- autumn, make use of the winter grazing to lengthen the grazing season as much as possible then bring your ewes in to the sheds for the worst of winter/ hunger gap..
Turn sheep outside on to the fields with most grass/ longest rest to lamb early April ish, once Lambed and grass is growing bunch the flock up and paddock graze again.
That's my 2 pence for what it's worth!

 

[will6910]

Issue I have is my winter grazing lasts to Christmas, so if I send them away middle October or November to Christmas then bring them home and graze fields off to shorten housing then be no grass at all come spring. I was always in the mindset that ewes having to come inside at Christmas I may as well lamb them inside middle to end off February to hit earlier lamb trade. When they all inside already

 

[unlacedgecko]

Move away from continental breeding pays dividends for Co. Tyrone sheep farmer - Agriland.ie

Isaac and Elizabeth Crilly, a husband and wife team from Castlederg in Co. Tyrone, are some of the best sheep farmers on the island of island.

www.agriland.ie

 

[will6910]

Move away from continental breeding pays dividends for Co. Tyrone sheep farmer - Agriland.ie

Isaac and Elizabeth Crilly, a husband and wife team from Castlederg in Co. Tyrone, are some of the best sheep farmers on the island of island.

www.agriland.ie

Been to his farm a few times in the past. Brilliantly run farm. Tried straw feeding twice but didn’t work to well. Don’t know if was the ewes or the meal I was feeding

 

[unlacedgecko]

Been to his farm a few times in the past. Brilliantly run farm. Tried straw feeding twice but didn’t work to well. Don’t know if was the ewes or the meal I was feeding

Keep with the system and cull any ewes which don’t fit it.

 

[will6910]

Keep with the system and cull any ewes which don’t fit it.

the years I done it they basically all lambed with no milk at all. Could off been the meal being fed tho

 

[Guiggs]

Move away from continental breeding pays dividends for Co. Tyrone sheep farmer - Agriland.ie

Isaac and Elizabeth Crilly, a husband and wife team from Castlederg in Co. Tyrone, are some of the best sheep farmers on the island of island.

www.agriland.ie

Very interesting, lot of ewes on that amount of land but the housing isn't an option for me and the feeding of concs isn't appealing, I'm looking at less costs not more!

 

[unlacedgecko]

Very interesting, lot of ewes on that amount of land but the housing isn't an option for me and the feeding of concs isn't appealing, I'm looking at less costs not more!

No. But will had a secure land base and existing sheds. In his situation, that's the model of follow.

But then, if you've the sheds and are feeding concentrate, why not lamb every 6 months?

 

[Bones]

If you had a hard area , lane or yard you could try fodder beet in ring feeders

 

[will6910]

Very interesting, lot of ewes on that amount of land but the housing isn't an option for me and the feeding of concs isn't appealing, I'm looking at less costs not more!

From what I gather from talking to him in past at one stage he rented more ground in summer and then rented a lot for winter grazing and had many 700 or 800 ewes. Now doesn’t rent anything unless that’s changed since I spoke to him last

 

[will6910]

If you had a hard area , lane or yard you could try fodder beet in ring feeders

Very hard to get beet round here. By time ud find it and pay for it Itl be probably cheaper and easier to feed bale silage and lick bucket

 

[neilo]

Issue I have is my winter grazing lasts to Christmas, so if I send them away middle October or November to Christmas then bring them home and graze fields off to shorten housing then be no grass at all come spring. I was always in the mindset that ewes having to come inside at Christmas I may as well lamb them inside middle to end off February to hit earlier lamb trade. When they all inside already

By grazing what grass you have in December/Jan, you are hugely reducing the amount of growth you will get in the Spring by delaying the growth from removing leaf. Renovate your sheds/slats (it's a system that you know works and you already have the sheds), and house as soon as you fetch them back from tack. If you change to more maternal breeds you could turn out to lamb in March/April, or keep your own (terminal crosses iirc?) and lamb inside in late Feb as you do now. Lambing early to hit higher prices is only worthwhile if it doesn't incur more costs than the extra you make.

I really can't think that a system feeding straw and high levels of concentrates is going to pay where straw and conc prices are now, whatever the articles in the paper might say. It will be interesting to see if Crilly's have changed system by 5 years time.

Whatever you do though, you're not going to earn a full time income just from keeping sheep on 38ac.

 

[Bones]

What about lambing later when grass is growing, that way the ground might stand a bit more tramping over winter, sell store

 

[CopperBeech]

What about contract rearing dairy heifers ?