Maximising the 2022 lamb crop

_{Different lambing systems will come under the spotlight at three online events.}

Farmers can learn how to minimise losses at lambing time at a series of virtual meetings organised by sheep specialists at SAC Consulting – part of SRUC.

Poppy Frater and Kirsten Williams will be joined by award-winning farmers and leading SRUC researchers at three webinars which will cover different lambing systems including indoor, the hard hill environment and lambing in the uplands. 

The first event on 16 February will look at ‘Indoor lambing - Optimising live lambs’.  Graham Lofthouse, of Bankhouse Farm, will explain how he achieves his exceptionally low lamb losses and high rearing rate, and SAC Consulting’s Veterinary Investigation Officer Heather Stevenson will give an update on the latest findings on Joint Ill and Watery mouth prevention.

This will be followed by the ‘Maximise lamb crop in the hard hill environment’ event on 23 February, with presentations by SRUC PhD student Fiona Mcauliffe on investigating the causes of unexplained lamb loss on Highland farms and crofts, along with Bobby Lennox, from Shantron Farm, on Blackface sheep: genetics and management for rearing success.

The final event on 2 March will look at ‘Outdoor lambing in the Uplands’. Sheep breeder and Nuffield Scholar Neil McGowan, of Incheoch Farm, will cover how he achieves cost-effective rearing success outdoors, and Animal Behaviour and Welfare Researcher Cathy Dwyer will discuss considering ewe behaviour outdoors for a positive lambing season.

Each of the events will be held on Zoom and will run from 7:30-9pm.

For more information and to register for the events, visit Zoom.

Posted by SRUC on 13/01/2022