Winter feeding - changing labour requirements and productivity

Abstract

Current winter feeding practice using a daily grazing duration to ration feed is based on the sheep industry of the 1960s to the 1980s when per head performance was much lower than today. This study investigated the impact of changing from a 1-day grazing duration to a 4-day grazing duration during winter on subsequent productivity. Ewe condition score and liveweight, tailing percentages, and tailing and weaning weights of lambs, as well as the incidence of vaginal prolapse in ewes at lambing were recorded over several years on a total of seven farms. Spring pasture growth and botanical composition was measured on one farm. Results suggest 4-day shifting had little impact on vaginal prolapse but did result in more settled sheep, easier winter shifting regime, and less pasture damage, leading to improved pasture production in early spring (P<0.01). Changing to a 4-day shifting regimen also decreased labour requirements. Keywords: body condition score, ewe, grazing duration, lamb growth, liveweight, spring pasture production, stolons, tillers, winter.