Winter seems to have arrived with a bang this week, with normal seasonal weather for October- wet and windy.

We have been closing paddocks on a rotational basis for the last number of weeks now to allow adequate regrowth for early turnout in spring. Nearly all the beef grazing block have been closed. It has been a good year with regards getting paddocks cleaned out before closing with such dry conditions underfoot.

At present, there is 51% of the farm closed, with estimated average farm cover of 950kg DM/ha. This should allow adequate regrowth for the early turnout of beef animals in spring time. Usually on this farm if it’s a reasonable dry spring, a turnout date of 1 March is achievable. If I hadn’t these paddocks closed now this wouldn’t be possible. I find no amount of feeding over the winter compensates an early turnout.

Finishing diet

The small number of bullocks that I intend feeding in the shed went in on Saturday. Their diet has changed considerably, so I’m monitoring them closely to make sure they don’t receive any setback.

The concentrates diet will change from a 70:30 rolled barley–soya hulls mix that the cattle outside are getting, to a diet which includes a source of protein, in this case it will be distillers grains.

The makeup of the diet will now be 70% rolled barley, 15% soya hulls and 15% distillers grains.

They also have access Ad-Lib to good quality hay as a roughage source. I don’t have a diet feeder to add straw into the mix, so I could never get animals to eat enough straw and this can lead to other issues like acidosis. I find the hay a more reliable source of roughage.

Oestrus synchronisation of ewes

As mentioned in a previous article, I am synchronising the breeding season of my sheep flock. The progesterone sponges went in on Saturday morning. It’s a reasonably straight forward job, however I am meticulous with hygiene. The last thing I want to do is introduce infection as this critical stage.

These sponges will be removed 14 days from the time of insertion. I will then inject with approximately 500 international units of PMSG (pregnant mare serum gonadotropin). I will consult with my vet the exact amount as over usage can lead to a large number of lambs that can prove detrimental to survival rates. The rams will be introduced 30 hours after the injection of PMSG.

I have a ram ratio of 13 ewes to every ram which is on the high side, but with my small numbers it shouldn’t be an issue. I will raddle the rams to identify stages of the breeding season also for lambing dates later on. Yellow for the first five days, then red for the next five days and then blue for the duration the breeding season.