FOO (Feed on offer) targets of 1000 to 1500 kg DM/ha for lambing ewes are out the window for many locations.

“Successful lambing on paddocks with poor feed can occur, but you need to try and replicate all the same things you normally provide for ewes at lambing. Shelter, shade, privacy and available feed.”

These were words of wisdom from Deb Scammell, Talking Livestock who recently spoke at the Dry times event at Lismore funded by Australian government drought hub. Deb provides advice to producers in the mid North of SA who experience these poor or non-existent breaks on a frequent basis, particularly in places as ominous sounding as Worlds end!

Deb is an advocate of using containment areas for pasture recovery and preservation, but not for lambing in. Therefore pregnant ewes have to be carefully moved out into lambing paddocks and readjusted onto short green feed.

Below are important messages from Deb.

Condition Scores

“Condition scores are the report card for the ewe’s reproductive reserves. Targets for merinos are 3 or 3.3 for a merino ewe. Drafting into fat and skinny and splitting into singles and multiples to manage their nutritional requirements is one of the best tools in the toolbox we have.”

Containment areas

Deb advocates getting stock off paddocks and into containment or into sacrifice paddocks(about 7 acres).  This is because of the pasture recovery benefits for the rest of the farm and because these small areas are not as costly to resow compared to larger paddocks.

“It’s amazing what a month of spelling does for pasture growth. They don’t need to be expensive; they just have to work.  In containment areas, trough headspace of 35cm for 60kg ewes is needed to avoid creating skinny ewes.”

Deb mentioned stock can overfeed with self-feeders and producers must be pedantic to make them work.

Moving stock out of containment

“There are more issues with moving stock from grain feeding onto short green feed than if they go onto dry pastures. They will chase the green pick, ignore the supplementary feed and rapidly lose weight. A 60kg pregnant ewe would need to eat 15kg of green pick with 10% dry matter to get the 1.5kg of dry matter to maintain her condition.”

Decisions on time of release for lambing ewes is determined by distance to be travelled, stress on the ewe and with consideration of rumen adjustment.

“If ewes are going onto green feed, the rumen needs 2 weeks to adjust. If going onto dry feed, put twinning ewes out 3 weeks before lambing to lamb and take the supplementary feed with them. If they must be trucked out, go early because of risks of pregnancy toxicity or hypocalcaemia. Singles can go out 4-5 days before lambing if the feed is dry and they do not need any rumen adjustment.”

Management tips with lambing

“Do not lamb in containment. Create lambing areas with shelter, shade, privacy for lambing ewes and available feed.”

In the past, SA producers when faced with lambing in bare paddocks have set up small areas(5 acres) containing trees to protect ewes from wind chill. Stock stayed in these areas for 4 weeks during lambing, before opening the gate or when conditions allowed for them to move into better areas.

“Mob size is critical, no more than 100. Ewe and lamb need about 6 hours bonding time together. To avoid mismothering, ewes need to spread out and be well fed. Otherwise they will leave lambs and chase the feed cart.

Keep them well fed, put out large quantities of feed every two days, so they feel secure in the feed available and so they don’t rush at the cart. This could involve self-feeders in the paddock’s centre, two silage points 100 metres apart.”

“To encourage them to spread out, have multiple feeding points and multiple watering points to avoid ewes mixing too much.”

Deb has done an informal trial where 3 weeks of beans where broadcast across paddocks with results of marking an additional 5% of lambs where this occurred.

A cheap feeding station used by one producer was upside down ring lock fenced into a circle using steel posts, where round bales of hay were placed in the centre, so the stock could put their heads into access the hay. The same set up has been used with large square rio mesh.

Help is available

It is a daunting time to lamb without the safety net of feed on offer. It is not a common occurrence and so experience is in short supply. Do not be afraid to contact trusted advisors or SFS if you need additional guidance.

Dry Times Presentations and resources can be found here…

By Lisa Miller, Specialist Research & Extension Officer