For improvement in lamb weights and survival, some farmers have mastered the art of shearing their Ewes before lambing.
The indoor lambing flock of 1,050 Lleyn ewes are shorn in mid-January at the point of housing, eight weeks before lambing starts. Once indoors the ewes quickly settle as they don’t struggle with varying temperatures in the building. Feed intakes don’t drop in warmer weather, as the ewes don’t suffer from heat stress and when it’s cold they eat the same amount as the unshorn ewes did, but produce lambs with about 25% higher eight-week weights.
Shearing benefits
When lambing begins in mid-March, early shearing helps improve lamb health and reduces diseases such as watery mouth.There are no long strands of wool for the lambs to accidentally suckle. They go straight on to the teats, getting antibodies straight away, which helps build their immunity.
There is no increase in the number of abortions since shearing ewes.
The advantages of early shearing also continue once the ewes and lambs are turned out 36 hours post-lambing, even if the weather is cold and wet. In these harsher conditions, ewes will look for shelter to protect themselves and naturally draw the lambs with them. Instead of lambs huddled up in the hedge and unshorn ewes happily out grazing, the lambs are mothered, which increases lamb weights.
Housing the ewes on a set date also helps with grassland management as remaining grass can be left to grow without sheep damaging the sward.
The benefits can also be seen in the spring. If fly strike becomes a concern, early shorn ewes have sufficient wool growth to apply preventative or treatment products immediately, removing the uncertainty of when to treat if they’ve not yet been shorn.
Contact Jaguza Support