With a 1400 ewe flock and 450 sucklers, Ayrshire farmer James Nisbet has to concentrate on the early lamb market to ensure sufficient grass for his spring-calving herd.
The family farms over three units at Sorn Mains, Orchardton, and on hill ground. Lambing kicks off at the end of January, with 400 Suffolk cross Mules the first to take to the shed. Once lambed, ewes and lambs are put straight back outside, with jackets put on the newborns to keep the rain/snow off of them and to generate a bit more heat.
To maximise grass growth and ensure optimum condition on the ewes, 50kg of urea is spread on the fields in January. Ewes are also supplemented with a Carrs 18% protein Ewelac rolls from the start of the year at 0.5kg per head per day which increases to 0.75kg post lambing for a month.
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Early lambers scanned in at 190%, which is down on the year, but a more manageable number for James.
These ewes are all served to Texel rams with the resultant progeny sold through Ayr Auction Market with the first batch being ready in late April and up to 44kg.
“Aiming for the early market, we want the first lambs away as soon as possible, so last year we put creep feed out to the lambs which worked extremely well when we got them away three weeks earlier and to heavier weights,” said James. He estimated that the creep feed worked out at £4 per lamb, with 1932 lambs in total averaging £131 – up £16 on the year due to them being 2.5kg heavier.
To make lambing more manageable, the second group of 850 Scotch Mules started lambing mid-March to Suffolk rams that were out with the ewes for two cycles. The majority of these (600) lambs are outside on 2000-acre hill ground where there is little shelter. The remainder comes inside to lamb.
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“The Scotch Mule really is the queen of breeding ewes and works well in our system. They have good feet for standing on harsh ground and are a lot fitter than many people think. Scotch Mules have strong maternal traits, with high prolificity and, longevity. They’re also easily lambed and have plenty of milk,” said James, adding that some 120 Blackface ewes also lamb at the same time, with a percentage going to the Blackface tup to breed replacements.
The remainder are tupped with Bluefaced Leicesters, with James also running a flock of 15 pedigree ewes as a hobby.
This year Mule ewes and gimmers produced a scanning percentage of 210% with Mule hoggs and Blackface ewes at 150% – the former which is too high a figure for James.
“A ewe that is rearing twins is rearing money,” said James, pointing out that all pet lambs are rehomed locally, for ease of management.
This year, he is hoping to lamb all triplets from the second batch outside – to reduce disease levels when triplet lambs are more prone to infection – but keep the twin and single-bearing ewes inside.
“Watery mouth can be a bit of an issue, but we find if they are big strong lambs they’re fine, and the majority of singles and twins are. Leaving a ewe to run with three is unfair, so we lift a lamb as required. If you’re good to your ewes, they’ll be good to you,” he said.
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Most years around 240 ewe lambs – 100 Suffolk Mules and 140 Blackface or Scotch Mules – are retained for replacements with the remainder sold for breeding through various auction markets.
Long-term James aims to reduce the number of triplets born by purchasing 180 of the strongest ewe lambs in the market to put to the tup which will hopefully produce a single ewe lamb to retain and breed from instead of retaining twin-born ewe lambs.
“I prefer lambing ewe lambs as opposed to gimmers as I feel they become better mothers and take care of their lambs more,” he added pointing out that 600 head of Mules lamb outside on the hill ground which has little shelter.
As an open flock, sheep are dipped twice a year to reduce the incidence of scab, and all ewes are vaccinated against enzootic and toxoplasmosis abortions.
The flock is wormed once a year, but being fluke resistant to many products, James uses Flukiver and a mineral drench.
“By trying to give sheep a good start we hope the favour is returned, however, we do find our biggest problem lambing outdoors is the weather – it is so unpredictable. However, Mule ewes seem to do well on the hill ground,” said James, who has rented the 2000-acre hill ground for four years now, although it has recently been sold to the Forestry Commission.
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“If the time comes that we can no longer graze this land we will need to look at re-stocking and would like to buy something locally alongside continuing to rent Sorn Mains and Orchardton, although prices are just sky high,” said James, who is hoping to build a new slatted cattle shed next year.
“Straw is getting dearer and it is becoming very costly to house cattle, so hopefully input costs would be reduced with a slatted shed,” he said pointing out that it costs £390-£410 to winter a cow in a shed, whilst those on the hill cost £56 per head when feeding up to 0.5kg of Smellies feed per head per day.
Outwintered cows are brought in for calving and head back to the hills as soon as they have calved, with calves getting warm coats to protect them against the elements for the first three weeks before being brought back to de-horn and castrate, and put straight back to the hill.
Most of the 450 cows calve to a Charolais, with the 90 Aberdeen Angus heifers purchased privately in calf to an Angus or a Charolais. Next year, however, James has decided all breeding cattle will be bulled with a Charolais.
“You really cannot beat the Charolais calf in the store ring. There is a real demand for the orange and white calves,” said James, who sells the majority of his calves through Stirling, with some going to Lanark and Ayr.
Having won the commercial cattle championship at the Royal Highland Show last year and LiveScot for the past two years in succession, the challenge is now to stay at the top.
“It is hard to stay at the top as there are always people coming into the trade and it is never the same people winning as fashions tend to change,” said James, who exhibited at the Royal Highland Show for 22 years before winning it.
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“I had my fair share of standing last in the class and it makes you more ambitious to work your way up. My daughter, Sienna is keen on the cattle and for the first time has a Rally calf I want her to learn the hard way, that it is not all about winning.
“I always want to improve and do better, but keeping up with the fashion can be difficult as you might not always agree with it, but it is what is in demand,” said James.
“The sheep job is good, and long may it continue. More people are eating lamb, although there are still not enough. British lamb might not be available in supermarkets because it’s such an expensive meat, but your local butcher still sells it to customers who want to buy it.
“I think the sheep industry will be fine – such farmers don’t have the same outlays as other sectors. As long as we can make them pay, with different sheep suiting different systems, but it is all about these ewes being able to carry twins, and producing two strong lambs for the job,” concluded James.
FARM FACTS
Involvement: James Nisbet and his wife, Jamie, along with two full-time workers, George Mabon and Martin Lawson; James’ father, Jim also looks over things and runs the butcher business, JM Nisbet full time.
Acreage: Sorn Mains is home to 200 acres, with Orchardton running 530 acres, with a further 200 rented along with running a 2000 acre hill
Livestock numbers: 1400 sheep, along with 450 calving cows.
History: Sorn Mains had been tenanted for 33 years with Orchardton for the past 22 years
ON THE SPOT
Biggest achievement: Being able to farm on such a good farm with good folk around us.
Ambition following 2023 success: Commercial cattle are always changing, it is hard to stay at the top and there is always new blood coming in.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years: Hopefully not too different from now. Always want to be improving and doing better.
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