DESPITE inclement weather in past weeks welcomed by many as crop-saving, the dangers of a cold, wet snap at a time when lambs are dropping or ewes are ready to drop puts a different spin on weather reports.
But farmers The Land encountered on a recent tour down south have planned for such events in myriad, successful ways.
Forewarned of the chance of steady rain, which might have been accompanied by cold wind, Bruce Harris, “Connorton”, Uranquinty, ensured his lambing ewes were provided with sufficient protection to minimise potential losses.
With tree lines along fence lines, and other areas to shelter sheep against driving rain, the paddocks on “Connorton”, are ideal for lambing.
Mr Harris said he always lambs his March-shorn Dohne ewes this time of year, so is well aware of possible weather changes, and during the recent rain, he hadn’t lost any sheep. With a high proportion of twins on the ground, and his ewes in good condition for lambing, Mr Harris said the rain was very welcome and didn’t cause him a lot of trouble. “We have supplementary fed the ewes to maintain their body score, so they are are in good condition, and because they are short wool, the ewes look for shelter for their lambs in cold weather,” Mr Harris said. “We had a weekend of steady rain, but we didn’t really have any losses.”
In the traditionally cold country on the central tablelands, Brian Seaman, Dunkeld via Bathurst, said he organises his lambing away from known cold periods, to reduce potential loss.
“I tend to time my lambing so the lambs are dropped during periods of warm weather,” he said. “I know it can get very cold here so it is easy to plan.” Mr Seaman has an early autumn lambing and therefore his lambs are well enough grown by the onset of late autumn or early winter cold breaks, and his main lambing at the end of September coincides with the ewes being off-shears so they move young lambs to protected areas.
Mr Seaman said he has plenty of shelter belts around paddocks in which he lambs, which provide useful shelter in case of quick cold snaps.
He pointed out he is always prepared to supplement their paddock feed, so his ewes are always in good condition.
“I’m not backward in feeding my ewes,” he said.
“This year I will probably be feeding through the winter to keep their condition.”
Lindsay Picker, at Binda, splits his lambing in May and September to spread the risk of loss. “It works well, if we get a bad season we don’t lose as many,” he said.
His May lambing ewes are a month off-shears in paddocks with good shelter, and the ewes will find shelter of their own accord.
