Managing ewes and lambs at weaning time

Weaning is one of the most important management events of the sheep year, and getting it right has a direct bearing on how well your lambs finish and how your ewes bounce back for tupping.

It is easy to focus entirely on the lambs at this stage, but the condition of the ewe going into the autumn is just as important. A ewe that goes to the ram in poor condition will have lower conception rates and a lighter lamb crop the following spring.

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What age should you wean lambs?

Research from Tegasc points to 12 weeks as the optimum weaning age for most systems. At this stage, a lamb’s rumen is well developed and the contribution of milk to its diet is relatively small. The lamb is increasingly able to meet its nutritional needs from grass and forage.

That said, 12 weeks is a guide, not a rule. There are situations where early weaning makes good practical and economic sense. If ewes are losing condition due to high milk demand, if grass covers are low, or if lamb growth rates are suffering because of competition between ewes and lambs on the same sward, earlier weaning can benefit both.

In these cases, separating ewes and lambs sooner gives each group the chance to be managed according to their own nutritional needs.

Breed also matters. Hill ewes, for example, are generally weaned earlier because grass quality on hill ground declines quickly as summer progresses.

Waiting until 12 weeks on a hill farm could mean both ewe and lamb going into autumn in poorer condition than is ideal.

Body condition scoring your ewes at weaning

Weaning is the ideal time to body condition score (BCS) your entire flock. You have the ewes in hand anyway, and scoring at this point gives you six to eight weeks depending on your tupping date to address any condition issues before the ram goes in.

The target BCS for tupping is 3.0 to 3.5 for lowland ewes and 2.5 for hill ewes. Ewes that are over-fat or under-condition will both underperform at mating. Over-fat ewes can have reduced ovulation rates, while thin ewes are more prone to embryo loss and produce weaker lambs.

Sort your ewes into three groups at weaning: thin (BCS below target), fit (at or close to target), and fat (above target). Thin ewes should be moved onto your best quality grazing where they can gain condition quickly. Fat ewes can go onto poorer pasture to tighten up.

As a rough guide, it takes six to eight weeks of good-quality grazing to gain 1.0 BCS, so the sooner you identify and act on problems, the better.

Investigating thin ewes

If you have a significant number of thin ewes at weaning, it is worth investigating the underlying cause rather than simply putting them on better grass and hoping for the best. Some of the more common reasons include:

High worm burden: Carry out faecal egg counts (FECs) to assess the level of infection and whether treatment is needed
Liver fluke: Particularly relevant in wetter parts of the country; fluke burdens can cause significant condition loss
Johne’s disease: A chronic wasting condition that can be confused with other causes of poor condition
Maedi Visna: A progressive viral condition that tends to cause gradual weight loss in older ewes
Dentition problems: Ewes with poor teeth struggle to hold condition no matter how good the grazing

If you are unsure of the cause, discuss the situation with your vet or your local Teagasc advisor, who can help you interpret test results and put an appropriate action plan in place.

Vaccinations and treatments to consider at weaning

Weaning is also a useful trigger point for a range of health interventions, both for ewes and lambs. It is a natural gathering point in the year when you have both groups through the handling system.

For ewes:

Vaccinate against clostridial diseases and Pasteurella: the first dose two weeks pre-weaning and the second dose four weeks later
Administer trace element supplements if soil or blood tests indicate deficiencies: selenium, cobalt and copper are most commonly implicated in Irish flocks
Check teeth, teats and toes on each ewe and mark any that need culling or further attention

For lambs:

Reserve your best aftermath grazing for weaned lambs, they need the highest quality nutrition to maintain growth rates
Carry out faecal egg counts to assess worm burden but only dose if the FEC indicates a genuine need, and use the correct product at the correct dose, weighed to the heaviest lamb in the group
Check that any lambs not already vaccinated for clostridial diseases are brought up to date

Managing lambs through to finishing

After weaning, the focus shifts to getting lambs finished efficiently. Grass quality is the most important driver of lamb growth rates at this time of year. Lambs should be getting the first bite of any fresh grazing, with ewes following behind as cleaners.

Monitor lamb weights regularly and keep an eye on condition. Lambs that are falling behind may need supplementary concentrates, a change of grazing, or a closer look at health issues.

Bord Bia’s quality assurance requirements mean that good flock records need to be maintained in any case, so keeping up with records as you go saves a lot of time come inspection time.

How Herdwatch can help

Keeping track of which ewes were treated, when they were vaccinated, and how individual lambs are performing can quickly become unmanageable without a reliable recording system.

Herdwatch lets you log treatments, weights, breeding records and health events against individual animals, all from your phone.

At weaning, that means you can quickly pull up an ewe’s full history, check when she was last vaccinated, and flag any animals that need follow-up attention without rummaging through a notebook or trying to remember what you did six weeks ago.

It is a practical tool that fits the way farmers actually work, and it keeps your records compliant with DAFM traceability requirements without adding to your workload.

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