Experiences from lambing throughout the year in Finland Internorden 2010 Denmark Milla Alanco Domestic Animal Consultant, sheep ProAgria Southern Ostrobothnia Central Finland Central Ostrobothnia Swedish Ostrobothnia
Numbers of sheep and goats in the area covered by the consultant ProAgria Southern Ostrobothnia/Milla Alanco Sheep Goats ELY Centre Area Ewes farms Does farms Southern Ostrobothnia 3432 90 1013 16 Central Finland 3245 108 71 19 Ostrobothnia 4485 120 117 14 Total 11162 318 1201 49 Source: Uuhet ja kutut, Tike 2007
Presentation outline Why do we want to produce lambs all year round? Different ways of producing lambs throughout the year / production cycle models Suitable breeds Success of the mating Examples from Finland
At Easter there is a shortage of domestic sheep meat 1 In Finland, the consumption of sheep meat is 1,8 million kilos. 1,1 million kilos is imported. There is no Finnish overproduction, and it is possible to increase the amount of sheep meat produced. In autumn, the market for slaughter lambs becomes easily congested, as there are many different kinds of meat on offer on the market. Many producers are aware of the consumption peak at Easter and have started to produce lambs for slaughter for Easter. It s more complicated to produce lambs for the Easter market. It s more expensive to rear lambs for slaughter indoors in winter on harvested feeds than rearing them on pasture.
At Easter there is a shortage of domestic sheep meat 2 The ewes do not become pregnant as easily in spring, but with some breeds it s possible to reach a good percentage of pregnancy (Finnsheep and Dorset). Another alternative to changing the time of mating is to grow the lambs more slowly, for example lambs born in May will be grown for 10-11 months and slaughtered for Easter. With the fast growing breeds, for example Texels, the very fast growth can be taken advantage of: mating in summer, lambing in November-December, efficient feeding and slaughter in April.
Why? - customers The market wants sheep meat all year round. The Finnish consumers want to buy fresh Finnish meat. Frozen meat is not very popular. There are several peak seasons: Easter, barbeque season and Christmas
Why? slaughter houses The slaughter capacity of small slaughterhouses is limited, which means that it is better for their operation if there is an even supply of slaughter lambs throughout the year. The slaughterhouses can not take all the lambs in autumn. The excess are held over until late winter, when the lambs are older and the production costs have increased. Excess fat can be a problem with over-aged slaughter lambs. Some of the slaughterhouses have tried to increase the interest of the producers in the production of lamb meat throughout the year by way of seasonal pricing.
Why? the farmer More lambs per ewe =more efficient production, more lambs from the same number of ewes The need for space for the animals fluctuates greatly on the farm. The farm buildings are used more efficiently when lambs are being produced throughout the year. Dividing the lambing on a big farm into several groups levels out the work peaks. When the lambing and rearing work is done more carefully, the lambs for slaughter will be of a higher and more even quality.
The traditional annual cycle for ewes Lactation 56 days Late pregnancy 42 days Early pregnancy 67 days Maintenance 145 days Mating 55 days
Traditional production cycle in Finland Mating: October Lambing: March-April All of the sheep are out on pasture in June- August Slaughter October- December
Alternatives to the traditional way 1. The ewes lamb once a year, but they are divided into several groups, for example: autumn group/spring group. 2. The ewes lamb 3 times over 2 years = More frequent lambing: three lambings in 2 years with 8 months intervals. After weaning the lambs and drying off of the ewes they are immediately mated again.
Annual cycle plan 1. example No Mating Lambing Slaughter Group 1 35 August January July Group 2 35 November April Nov-Dec Group 3 35 March August February-March Group 4 35 May October April-May note diagnosis of pregnancy note diagnosis of pregnancy May August 140
The normal rearing time to slaughter is six months. Lambs reared according to modern efficient rearing methods should be born in autumn, and therefore the mating should be done in spring. Producing lamb for Easter requires expertise. During the light part of the year the fertility of the ewe decreases. Sheep farms that take part in the ProAgria production monitoring have had quite good mating results in January-February, but March is starting to be more difficult, especially for meat breeds. In April the ability of the ewe to become pregnant is decreased further, but in some cases when Finnsheep were mated in May, the gestation results varied between 40-90%.
Challenges 1 In spring mating the fertility % is lower. In January, February, March there is reasonable fertility. In April, May, June, July it is low. Annual fluctuations occur. There are also big differences between farms. If the lambs are not picked up for slaughter straight away, the premises will be crowded -> it s very important to have a sales agreement with the slaughterhouses. The culling age for the ewes is lowered, because of the higher strain on the body.
Challenges 2 The agricultural support systems do not favour lambing throughout the year (Finland). Only ewes are subject to a ewe premium (C1area EU 14 eur+59 euros national/ewe). The support system is divided into different areas and the sums vary. They are counted at the beginning of June, so ewe lambs born in summer and autumn qualify for the support system only when they are about 1.5 years old. Fertility/lambing is reduced (on the other hand, there will be less bottle fed lambs). Warm housing is needed if lambing in December- March (or more efficient supervision and heat lamps!).
Challenges 3 The cold Finnish climate. Lambs will die, if the lambings are not supervised carefully (in the greatest danger are sibling groups of 3-4 lambs). The higher costs of rearing lambs for slaughter in winter compared to the costs of rearing on pasture.
BREEDS Finnsheep (suomenlammas), Texel, Oxford Down, Rygja, Dorset, crosses
Sheep breeds Distribution of ewes per breed in the production monitoring in 2007 Uuhien rotujakautuma tuotos s eurannas s a vuonna 2007 Muu/erias teis et ris teytyks et R otu puuttuu A hvenanmaan lammas Dors et R ygja Oxford down Texel S uomenlammas
Average characteristics of Finnsheep Ewe weight: 65-70 kg Weight of a newborn: 2.5 3.5 kg Sexual maturity, ram : 4-6 months Sexual maturity, ewe : 5-8 months Oestrous cycle 17 days (14-19 days) Oestrus period 14-60 hours Gestation period 143 +/- 5 days Fertility on average 2.6 lambs Lambing throughout the year is possible Ewes of imported breeds are heavier on average (70 90 kg). The ewes and rams of these breeds reach sexual maturity a little later and of the imported breeds only Dorset ewes can be in season throughout the year.
Farms used as examples (practical experiences) Number of lambs produced/year times of mating (month) Pregnancy % in spring? mating percentage during other seasons? Number of lambs/ewe when bred in spring? And during other seasons? Which special preparations are carried out for spring breeding? Breeds used for spring breeding? Ewes? Ram? Have there been big differences between the different breeds as to number of pregnancies?
Farm example 1 (Texel Finnsheep crosses, about 150 ewes) About 300 lambs/year. Lambing in August and March, Mating at the end of March/ beginning of April and at the end of October/beginning of November. The pregnancy percentage in spring lambing is about 95 % and in autumn about 90 %. All of the ewes are crosses, maybe a few are pure Texels. During the mating period and the period preceding that, ensilage is given freely and no so-called stimulating feed is given. Growth, number of lambs.
Farm example 2 (Finnsheep 100 ewes) Only Finnsheep. Mating dates are 20.3-20.4, 10.8-10.9 and December. The spring mating was transferred from April in order to start 10 days earlier, it clearly improved the fertility percentage. And the mating at the end of the summer was moved forward by 10 days and that also improved the fertility %. In December all" become pregnant, out of 50 there may be 2 or 3 that are empty. In spring usually 12-15 ewes/ 50 will be empty and when breeding at the end of summer about 10 ewes/ 50 will be empty. Based on the data from the production monitoring, on average 3.3 lambs /ewe/year are born and 2.8 survive (the birth rate for the whole country is 2.3 and 2.1 survive). Very early in autumn and spring it is necessary to feed stimulating feed, especially if the ewes only get about a month s break after weaning. Teaser rams are also clearly useful (of the group that waited for mating next to a ram 100% got pregnant in 2010).
Farm example 3 Finnsheep, Dorset ewes, Texel rams Autumn lambing is being trialled. The fertility of Dorsets was tested. - first-time 11 month-old Dorset ewes did not get pregnant in April - SF2 ewes came into season as normally - the same goes for pure Dorsets over a year old. We can note that it is fully possible to use Dorsets in autumn lambing. In Dorsets we did not observe any changes as to the amount of lambs. Which special preparations are used for spring mating? 18.2. Minerals and vitamins were taken away from the ewes, but they got salt. 1.3. Transfer from ensilage to dry hay and restricting the light by putting black plastic over the windows. Animals in a separate building. 15.3. A teaser with a raddle harness goes in with them and the ewes get ensilage + minerals and vitamins. 1.4. Mating began for SS1 and TT1 rams. 21.8 Lambing started 142 days after the mating had begun 21.9. Lambing finished
Tips for successful spring mating careful planning 1. Choices of breeds (Finnsheep or Finnsheep crosses). 2. Small breeding groups (max. 20-30 ewes/ram). 3. The ewes are to be in suitable condition; condition scoring 2,5-3. The ewes have to be scored before mating the skinny ones are moved into the next group, as they will not become pregnant or if they do, the milk production will be low. 4. Limiting the amount of light 8-12 h of darkness, darkening the mating area (daily rhythm) In Finland the nights are very light during the summer season! 5. Flushing period 2 weeks before the mating starts/generally a change of the feeding before mating /also generally a change of feed! 6. The ewes are shorn before mating (if the weather is not too cold). 7. Change of place. 8. Rams on different premises -> are brought to the flock of ewes only when wanting to start the mating. Otherwise they will be kept in a different building. 9. Hormone sponges (the heat cycle can be manipulated). 10. The lambing cycle on the farm and month of mating.
Other issues to be considered When the ewes have been mated in spring, it is usually good to check for gestation using ultrasound, in order to avoid unnecessary feed usage. The check is usually carried out 70-90 days after the ram has been removed. In the more intensive cycling the earlier weaning of the lambs, possibly at the age of 6-8 weeks (depending on growth and how they learn to eat). Short lambing period (especially during the cold season, also helps to remain in the intensive cycle).
Sheep shed 2007 in Korsholm in Ostrobothnia
Sheep shed 2010 in Alavieska in Central Ostrobothnia
Ewes with lambs in an old silage pit in Alahärmä in Southern Ostrobothnia
- 25 C January 2010
- 25 C January 2010
Heat lamps are needed for cold sheep sheds
Lamb feeder and milk bar for sibling groups of 3-4
Ewes grazing in autumn in Äänekoski in Central Finland
Ewes grazing in autumn in Äänekoski in Central Finland
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