By Rebecca Stuart, ECV Nutritionist
Running a prosperous flock of 250 commercial sheep requires hard work and dedication throughout the year. For the Smith Family, attention to detail around lambing time is really paying off. Over Foulzie Farm, King Edward, is home to Scott and Dianne Smith. The mixed lowland unit is four miles from the Banffshire coast and is run with the help of their family; Mariah, Callum and Brodie.
At Over Foulzie, Scotch Mule ewes are used because they are hardy, powerful and have a great mothering ability. Ewes are crossed with the Suffolk ram which produce top grading, fleshy lambs. These are ready for the start of the new season prime lamb market and are regularly the first prime lambs to be ready in Aberdeenshire. All lambs are sold direct to Woodhead Brothers, Turriff. The Smith Family works closely with East Coast Viners. Silage analysis is carried out. Using the results, a feeding plan is calculated thus tailoring minerals and selecting the best compound feeds to maximise lambing and killing out percentages. Over Foulzie are at the forefront of data recording. All lambs are EID tagged at birth and then regularly weighed to ensure they are at peak performance right through the spring months, making the most of the fresh grass and ECV Lamb Creep.
Rams are put to the ewes on the 25th of August. Ewes and replacement gimmers are dosed with wormer and given a trace element bolus before being vaccinated against abortion. Rams run beside the ewes prior to tupping as a form of teasering to ensure the ewes are cycling. Ram lambs are purchased at the Suffolk Society national sale at Lanark in July. Brodie has started a flock of pure Suffolk ewes with the intention of breeding their own rams going forward. Pure ewes lamb in early January and Mule ewes lamb late January/February. Scott likes to complete lambing early which enables him to make a start to arable work. This also allows them to have lambs ready to catch the early new season lamb market.
Prior to lambing the flock is scanned and split up into groups. Ewes have free access to Rumenco’s Lifeline Lamb & Ewe buckets and fed accordingly using ECV XL Ewe 18% Rolls. Triplet bearing ewes are introduced to feed two weeks before the rest of the flock in order to keep them in prime condition ahead of lambing. All ewes are fed silage ad-lib. Scott aims to make top quality silage from white clover leys which fit into the arable rotation around the spring cropping. The business rents out land for potatoes. Turnips are grown on the flat and lifted to be fed to ewes after they have lambed. Scott reports that the turnips keep the ewes content and milking well.
Ewes are individually penned off once they have lambed. They stay there for two days before being moved into a nursery pen where the lambs have access to ECV Lamb Creep Pellets. Lamb Creep aids growth and frame development. The pellets contain a flavouring; this encourages intake and progress to eating hard feed as soon as possible. The addition of Safmannan MOS aids gut health, increases feed conversion and reduces the risk of scour. The ewes receive 1kg per head of XL Ewe 18% Rolls to keep them at peak lactation for as long as possible. “Top quality feed and forage is key to a successful lambing. The XL Rolls ensure our ewes thrive and they fit well with our feeding regime” says Dianne.
XL Ewe 18% Rolls are high energy (13ME) and contain the best quality protein sources – Hi pro Soya and Amino 39. They help with milk let down and improve the quality and quantity of both milk and colostrum. The rolls include 150iu/kg Vitamin E and 0.5mg/kg Selenium. This boosts lamb vigour and improves ewe and lamb immunity.
After the lambs have been on Lamb Creep for three weeks, they transition to ECV Lamb Finisher Pellets. The Smiths run their lambs through a Ritchie Draft Pro handling system every week as the lambs approach sellable weight. Lambs are drawn out for slaughter when they weigh approximately 44.5kg. By monitoring weight gain, slaughter dates can be predicted. Last year, the lambs at Over Foulzie averaged 111 days from birth to slaughter with the majority of lambs graded out at U3L.
In this well-run sheep enterprise, the Smith Family embraces new technology. With the help and enthusiasm of their family, coupled with advice and support from East Coast Viners, Scott and Dianne are well placed to drive their business forward.