So much of the farming year is about preparing stock to winter well.
We work on crops, supplementary feed and body condition in almost every month of the year to help ensure they can handle whatever the southern winter throws at them.
Crops
Winter fodder crops are variable this season, particularly in Southland where growing conditions have been fickle. Measuring crops and doing some quick calculations is important to assess feed supply.
Don’t forget that sheep need to be introduced to crops gradually. While issues are often less dramatic than in cattle, their rumen still needs time to adjust. A good approach is to fill them up with baleage before offering a new break. Keeping the rumen functioning well is key to maximising production.
Supplementary feed quality also varies. Identify your best silage or baleage now and save it for later in winter, when ewe intake is limited by pregnancy. At that stage, even a small lift in energy offered can make a noticeable difference.
Parasites
Lice control often occurs in the coming months. When using a small volume product, applied to the back line of the sheep, it’s best to do this as soon as possible (within hours) after shearing so that the lanolin can help disperse the product. If using a jetter race, it’s best to have a couple of weeks of wool growth before applying the dip.
Scanning
We’re seeing growing interest in triplet scanning this year. If you’re considering it, make sure you contact your scanner in plenty of time as they’ll need to change your timing around slightly.
Most farmers use the information for pre-lamb feeding and management, then spread the triplets amongst the twins for lambing. If you’re new to it, you could start by either focusing on one age group or identifying the first 100–300 triplets and marking the rest as multiples.
Scanning is also a useful time to body condition score ewes, so consider working this into your plan too.
If you’d like support with winter planning, get in touch with us.
