Now is a good time to think about weaning. I do realise that it's only September, but there are some things you can be thinking about now that will benefit post-weaning growth rates for your lambs. While you won’t be able to do this for all of them, you might be able to for some… 

In an ideal world, we would wean lambs onto pasture that has not had ewes lambing on it.  These pastures would have lower parasite challenge, and we know that is a big factor in achieving good lamb growth rates. “Avoid the parasites” is what we are targeting.

Do you have dry hoggets on the farm? They could be preparing pastures for lambs in the pre-wean period, as could cattle or deer.

Areas where single ewes have been will likely have a lower parasite challenge than twin and triplet paddocks. For some, these may be suitable for weaned lambs.

Now is also the time for planning lamb fattening crops. Make sure you are asking the right questions of your agronomist so that you invest in a crop that will perform well in your location, within your farming system, and under your management.

Any steps you can take in this direction are worthwhile. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good – do what you can and invest a bit of time in pondering these options.