Lleyn ideal for synchronised lambing

A north country Lleyn breeder, who sold some of the highest priced shearlings at last year's society sales, believes AI not only concentrates stockmanship skills over a tight lambing period but brings long-term management benefits by producing a lamb crop of even age.

For Simon Kavanagh, who saw over 400 lambs born in five days this year, AI is a necessity. He is stockman on a sow breeding and finishing unit at Cockerham, near Lancaster but keeps most of his flock 65 miles away at his home in Bingley, West Yorks where ewes are run on LFA land up to 800ft. Although Simon gets home at weekends the day to day running of the flock is the responsibility of his father John But lambing time means a two-week action-packed holiday when Simon works round the clock to lamb nearly 260 Lleyn ewes

The flock, which is MV accredited and scrapie-monitored, was established in 2000 and also carries around 140 ewe hoggs. Simon's aim is to eventually farm in his own right and when the time comes he's made sure he's going to have a ready-made flock of top quality Lleyns.

"I wanted a breed capable of earning me a premium price for breeding stock. Lleyn are very easy sheep to manage, they do well on all types of grazing and are prolific, good mothers and good milkers - that's why I chose the Lleyn," says Simon whose first experience of the breed came when he worked for John Geldard at Levens, Cumbria after leaving Harper Adams College.

But getting involved in a breed that could be self-sufficient in flock replacements was also a big attraction. "There's a lot to be said for knowing exactly what's behind your sheep apart from the obvious health advantages of a closed flock, "says Simon.

Producing gimmer lambs and shearlings for sale as breeding sheep is regarded as the main source of income although Simon has enjoyed a good trade for Lleyn wethers taken up to 42kg liveweight and sold from mid-summer through to prime hoggets in spring.

His foundation females were selected from society sales and the flock's first two stock tups came from the Geldard family. Another ram that has bred well came from the flock of Tony Clarke, Yealand, Carnforth, Lancs. Simon says he's strict about what he wants in a Lleyn:

"Good conformation, good feet and tight skins. The head must be typical and I like sheep with plenty of stretch. There's always going to be the debate about how big an ideal Lleyn should be but I'm aiming for a Lleyn of medium size - big enough to suit the modern sheep producer but not too big that we risk losing the qualities that have led to the breed's popularity. It's about achieving the right balance.

"You can keep more Lleyns to the acre than you can Mules. If we get them too big we could lose that advantage."

Simon's Lleyn wether lambs have attracted a good following among buyers. He sells liveweight and finishes the later lambs on lowland winter grazing close to his week-day base at Cockerham on the north west Lancashire coast.

"I wean all the lambs - both ewes and wethers - on the same day and transport them over to Cockerham. We start drawing the wether lambs in mid-summer selling through Lancaster Auction Mart. Some lambs have been sold direct to freezer customers and the feedback on quality and taste has been tremendous."

All ewes are sponged and AI'd in late October. Fresh semen is collected from the flock's team of stud rams and an 85% conception rate is being achieved. Last year's lambing percentage was around 185%.

"Opting for AI enables me to lamb the flock over a very short period. It's very intense and even though it's ideal for me because of working away from home it's also an excellent aid to management. I know exactly when lambing will start so we can feed more accurately beforehand. The Lleyn adapts well to AI," says Simon.

But there are long term advantages too: "I have an even batch of lambs of the same age. They look likes peas in a pod so my dosings and vaccinations are accurate and it's easier to sort out evenly matched pens for selling either breeding females or prime lambs."

Ewes are flushed on better ground for two weeks before sponges are inserted but the breed's natural prolificacy has kicked-in with a large number of threes, fours and even fives. Less Pregnant Mare's Serum was used last autumn to try and reduce the level of high-number multiple births this year.

Following AI the ewe flock remains at grass until early January when the twins and triplet bearing ewes are housed. They are fed haylage and 0.5lbs sugar beet nuts until six-weeks prior to lambing when 19% concentrate is introduced and continued for two-weeks after turn-out with the lambs.

"Although the Lleyn is a very productive ewe she's a great laster. I reckon you can get another three or four lambings out of a Lleyn compared with other commercial ewes. We have to be hard on them after weaning to make sure we dry them off quickly."

Simon Kavanagh is convinced that the Lleyn will continue to make its mark on the sheep sector as more commercial producers recognise its economic advantages. No other breed is achieving that level of popularity - and it's based purely on the Lleyn's ease of management and ability to deliver more top quality lambs from fewer acres."