How a focus on ewe BCS lifted this Sligo farmer's scanning rate to 1.96

Irish Independent

24-04-2025

Francis, who farms at Ballinorley, Colga, on the outskirts of Sligo town, attributes this performance to a greater focus on body condition score of his ewes since joining the Teagasc BETTER sheep programme.
The key, he says, is ongoing monitoring of BCS – identifying thinner ewes in time and taking corrective action to build them up.
At scanning, average BCS for the 115-ewe lowland flock at that stage was 3.3, with only 7pc at or below 3.0.
Any problem or poorly performing ewes at lambing or at any stage during the year have a cull tag inserted and are culled before the next mating.
This has a positive impact on overall flock performance over time.
Along with the excellent scanning rate and 100pc pregnancy rate we estimate that 90pc of lowland ewes lambed in the first cycle, completing a very positive story on ewe fertility.
The strategic closing up of paddocks on the home grazing block last autumn has built grass covers over the winter, allowing most ewes to be turned out to grass with little or no concentrate supplementation post-turnout.
The main ewe and lamb grazing group has been formed to facilitate getting into a rotational grazing system as soon as is practical.
When grass growth rates increase, the bulk of next winter's silage supplies will be harvested as high-feed-value baled silage taken from paddocks that have got ahead of the flock.
The lambs are being closely monitored for signs of scouring which could be indicative of nematodirus infection. Based on the age of lambs and the Department's nematodirus forecast, treatment with a white drench will be required mid to late April, or sooner if clinical signs are observed.
Francis does not routinely treat lambs for coccidia infection but again will watch closely and act where symptoms are seen.
He will put all ewes and lambs through his batch footbath as soon as there are any signs of scald in lambs. This is often combined with other routine tasks such as dosing – he finds standing sheep in a 10pc zinc sulphate solution very effective in the treatment/prevention of scald.
Meanwhile, the hill ewes – almost 200 Scottish Blackfaces – came down from the hill in February for scanning, and again Francis was very pleased with the results: 1.29 lambs per ewe to the ram and only a 3.9pc barren rate.
Soon after scanning a small cohort of thinner ewes as well as any twin-bearers were drafted off and taken indoors for supplementary feeding.
The single-bearing ewes in good body condition remained on the enclosed part of the hill farm and mainly lambed outdoors.
The plan is that single-rearing ewes in good body condition will go to the hill once lambs are 6-7 weeks of age, with any thinner ewes and those rearing twins remaining on the enclosed ground at the hill farm up to weaning.
As a participant in the Teagasc Signpost programme, all Francis's straight nitrogen applications are now in the form of protected urea.
He closely follows his nutrient management plan to address phosphorus and potassium requirements.
As of mid-April the home farm block has received 35-40 units per acre of N applied in two splits – one of 20 units/ac of protected urea and the other a compound including low levels of P & K.