Wool and sheep meat production systems rely on the breeding ewe — how she is managed sets up the efficiency and profitability of the flock.
Getting stocking rate right, weaner management, having the right infrastructure and an efficient use of labour are also big contributors to running an efficient and profitable sheep enterprise. Stocking rate is the primary driver of profit from sheep flocks. However, the nutritional management of breeding ewes and the selection of replacement ewes are also key drivers of profit.
The ewe is the ‘engine room’ for production of both wool and meat from sheep. The way ewes are managed affects the efficiency and profitability of both the ewe and weaner flock.
Decisions on the time of lambing, ewe management, weaner management and preparation for joining must all be optimised if profit is to be maximised. Cost of production and labour efficiency convert those gains into profit per hectare. ections below provide information and advice on how to best manage your sheep enterprise during different times of the year. They also include tactics for different seasons.
Running sheep can be a labour-costly venture but with some planning and small investments in the right technology it can be efficient and rewarding.
The department and the Sheep Cooperative Research Centre (Sheep CRC) produced a book that sets out the most important and labour efficient techniques for sheep enterprises.
‘Sheep the simple guide’ is for farmers wanting to quickly update themselves on the technology and infrastructure they need to get back into the industry or, for those currently in the industry, to lift the efficiency of their system to increase their flock size and/or profitability.
Topics covered in the guide include:
- manage for ease and success
- less droving, more driving
- headache-free husbandry
- healthy sheep save time
- well-fed sheep
- money grows in paddocks.
This publication is available from the digital library or as a free hard copy (A4 65 pages), from the department's Albany office.
To ensure sheep are in the right condition at the right time, they should be frequently monitored and their nutrition adjusted throughout the year. Frequent condition scoring is especially important at times of drought, or at the change of season when paddock condition can change rapidly.
Condition scoring of sheep is a simple, fast and accurate way to assess a sheep’s nutrition or production potential. It can be done whatever the animal’s frame size, in full wool or freshly shorn. It is suitable for any strain or breed of sheep and can be used on weaners and adult sheep.
View this short video to gain an understanding of the process of scoring sheep using the universally accepted scoring system of 1 to 5; 1 being skinny and 5 being over fat. Learn to use the information to quickly work out an average score for the mob.
A condition scoring app is also available on Apple devices to help sheep managers record conditions scores of multiple mobs and score for other traits such as wrinkles and breech score.
Many factors affect a producer's decision to sell or retain sheep, including profitability of other enterprises, changes in prices for meat or wool, increasing or decreasing stocking rates and rebuilding flocks.
These decisions will change the composition of the flock and its ability to maintain the flock over time.
Changing lamb marking rates and shifting the balance between producing Merinos or more cross bred lambs will also have far reaching effects on the flock size and structure in the longer term.
It is important to determine the changes to the flock over many years to understand the impact of those decisions.
The department has developed a Sheep Flock Composition calculator that can assist producers to model the impact of changes to their flock structure.
The calculator can show the impact of changes on the:
- age structure of the breeding flock
- potential number of lambs at a given weaning percentage
- culling or classing percentage
- proportion of wethers retained.
The calculator can be used to compare 2 scenarios side-by-side and also offers the ability to alter stock numbers and sales in any year.
Genetic selection enables both wool and sheep producers to make positive and permanent genetic gains in their flock.
Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBV) describe a particular sheep’s breeding value for a certain trait, such as growth rate, wool, reproduction, internal parasite (worm) resistance, dags and body conformational traits such as wrinkle and breech cover.
ASBV are the most effective tool sheep producers can use to select rams and ewes to genetically improve their flocks.
The first step before using ASBV is to define the breeding objective — where genetic change is to be directed. This will determine the traits that are to be improved and their relative importance.
Read more about how using ASBV can genetically change flocks over time and the genetic and environmental factors to be considered.
Choosing the best time of lambing, and matching paddock feed availability to ewe and weaner needs is important for both productivity and profitability. The ewes' natural breeding season will also affect reproductive rates.
The ewe flock is the key flock on the farm, so it is important to set up a system that matches their needs with the feedbase.
The Lambing Planner is a simple tool that allows you to change a lambing date or a joining date to see the impacts of that on other key times in the reproductive year. It also features a short best-practice guide for lambing. It is available as a hand-held, paper-based tool or as an App in both Android and iOS formats.
Joining is the time when the potential lambing of your flock is set. Key tactical decisions around ewe and ram health and nutrition should be made prior to joining. Preparation of ewes and rams should start 8 weeks prior to joining for the greatest benefit.
The health and nutrition of the pregnant ewe largely determines how successful lambing is in any given year.
Careful monitoring and management of the pregnant ewe during the 5 month foetal development will help her cope with the rigours of birth and lactation, and also influence lamb survival, birthweight and production for life.
DPIRD’s Pregnancy scanning benchmarks tool contains years of data collected from Merino and non-Merino flocks across the Cereal-Sheep and Medium Rainfall Zones of Western Australia. This allows producers to view current season scanning results and benchmark their reproductive rates.
Lambing success is very dependent on the condition of the ewe coming into lambing and the conditions at lambing including feed on offer, shelter and predator control.
The first 48 hours of a lamb’s life are critical – around 90% of lamb mortality from birth to weaning occurs within this period. It is also a critical period of time for the ewe. She is at risk during birth, has her highest demand for food and is vulnerable to sudden changes in diet and conditions.
Lambs should be marked between the ages of 2 and 12 weeks, with the youngest animal in the mob being at least 24 hours old so that a maternal bond can form. If lambing extends for more than 6 weeks, consider having 2 mulesing/marking sessions.
Lambs should be tail docked using a gas-heated knife or rubber rings and mulesing should only be carried out when necessary. The provision of pain relief with routine husbandry procedures benefits animal health and welfare and is now a consumer and community expectation. Producers have access to registered products that can relieve pain associated with mulesing, tail docking and castration.
Animals older than 6 months of age require anaesthetic for tail docking and mulesing.
Follow the link below to read more on best practice marking.
A webinar held by the department in 2022 on pain relief options to use on lambs at marking time, including their modes of action, availability, and costs can be viewed below.
In the webinar, department veterinarian Lee Chester discusses the pain relief options, while Wickepin sheep producer, Audrey Bird, also shares her practical experience and thoughts on using multiple products for short- and longer-term pain relief for lambs at marking time.
Monitoring the health and liveweight of weaners is important to ensure their survival and for producers to maximise profit.
Weaners are more susceptible than adult sheep to a number of health issues, as their immune system is still in development. Vaccination, drenching for worms and flystrike control are important steps at weaning.
Weaners are the most difficult class of sheep to manage effectively, largely because they usually cannot consume enough energy while grazing dry pastures and crop stubbles.
There are a number of techniques you can apply to ensure your weaners are effectively managed, including setting and meeting growth targets, being vigilant on health and disease management and ensuring the weaners have their protein and energy needs met.