Producing large numbers of quality prime lambs on a regular basis is the main goal of upland sheep farmers Glen and Jen Wilson who manage three units in the Scottish Borders near Bonchester Bridge.
The couple attend to 2200 commercial ewes between Wauchope and Hawthronside with Westerhouses being contract farmed. In all, they run a combined 1300 acres and run several breeds and crosses including Cheviot Mules, North Country Cheviots, Texel crosses and two small pedigree flocks of 10 Beltex and 30 Texel.
Wauchope is overseen by Jen in partnership with her parents Alastair and Anne McAulay, with Jen managing the sheep enterprise.
This farm is home to 250 Cheviot Mules that are put to Texel rams to produce home-bred replacement females, along with 550 Texel cross ewes that are tupped by Beltex tups to produce quality prime lambs. This year, the sheep scanned at 196% and are due to lamb from April 1, in straw bedded courts.
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Jen also purchased 10 pedigree Beltex ewes at the Clary flock dispersal which are due at the end of February.
“Beltex sheep are a favourite of mine due to their superior carcase and they produce the quality lamb most buyers are looking for.
“Lambing indoors is far more labour intensive, however, I am fortunate to have two hard working self-employed staff – George Harper and Sophie Smith – to cover two to three weeks over the busy period. My mum Anne also helps and is essential for the system to work well,” comments Jen.
Ewes are bedded on straw with Biodry from Carrs Billington used as a disinfectant. Initially, they are grouped in large pens able to take up to 50 ewes and are transferred to individual pens once they have lambed.
Newborn lambs have their navels dipped in iodine and once dry and ‘sooked’ are castrated and marked and moved into open pens of around 10 ewes with their lambs, where they remain for 24 hours when they are then turned out to grass.
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“This is more work initially but it works as it makes mothering up in the field so much easier,” said Jen.
Any ewes requiring assistance during lambing are vaccinated with Pen Strep to prevent infection.
“All ewes across the three farm units are vaccinated for footrot with Footvax and are on the Covexin system, with the exception of the two pedigree flocks which are on the Heptavac P system for added protection.
Ewes are also dung sampled and dosed for fluke if necessary, when they come inside seven weeks pre lambing. This gives the fields a break and allows the ewes to convert into the total mixed ration (TMR).
Pit silage is analysed and a Davidson soya-based blend is made up to balance the silage analysis and the nutritional requirements of the ewes on a kg per head basis. The TMR is reduced once they lamb.
“We have a far more efficient system since we set up the sheds to feed a TMR through a Keenan feed wagon as the ewes can be fed by one person, instead of feeding with bags of ewe rolls. The blend works well here and, the ewes have lots of colostrum and milk to give the lambs the best start.”
Hawthornside Farm which comprises 150 North Country Cheviots 450 Cheviot Mules and Texel cross ewes is managed by Glen who lambs outdoors from May 1 and aims for a 170% scan.
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Cheviots are crossed with a traditional-type Bluefaced Leicester tup to produce Cheviot Mule replacements, which are then put to a Texel ram
Glen said: “Lambing outdoors works here as there isn’t the shed space. It’s also a lot cheaper and healthier lambing outside and therefore is a good way of managing costs.
“However, outdoor lambing means you have to adapt to whatever the weather is.”
Another concern lambing outdoors is vermin. “We have had bother with foxes and crows in previous years, taking away dead and live lambs which we try to manage pre-lambing, however, foxes are always prevalent.”
Glen also has 30 pedigree Texels that lamb inside at the end of February.
“This year is our first year of trialling artificial insemination (AI) within our pedigrees, so we are excited to see the results. We’ve set up lambing cameras in the shed linked to our phones so we can monitor them 24 hours a day, that are a huge asset too.
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The couple breed the Texels and Beltex to allow them to use their own tups as lambs and then sell them the following year as shearlings.
Texel shearlings are sold at Kelso in Ring 18 through the Border Livestock Exchange.
Westerhouses is a contract farm which Glen and Jen took on in 2019.
Jen said: “The farm holds significant importance to us as it provided an opportunity for us to go into business together. It’s also allowed us to expand sheep numbers.
“Previously Glen worked during the summer months shearing sheep and I worked for other local farmers. Taking on Westerhouses enabled us to give these other work commitments up and focus on our own business.”
The farm runs 450 Texel cross ewes and 300 Cheviot Mules which normally produce a scanning percentage of 190 with lambing due to start on April 15.
These ewes are housed two months before with the couple feeding quality haylage made on the farm.
After scanning, ewes are separated into their groups – triplets, twins and singles, meaning feed requirements can be dished up accordingly.
Ewes are fed an 18% protein ewe roll from Davidsons with twin bearing ewes given 1lb per head per day and triplet mothers, 2lb per head, six weeks before lambing. Singles are fed hay and high energy blocks only.
Ten days before lambing all feeding is stopped and ewes are set stocked and let out to grass.
It’s a critical time as Glen has to make sure that ewes have enough grass to meet their nutritional requirements without feeding which could lead to prolapses and hung lambs, while overstocked fields with insufficient grass could lead to mastitis.
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Both outdoor lambing systems rely on ewes being housed pre lambing to maximise grass growth for when lambs are due.
Glen said: “This system is also in place due to the breed choice, as we still wanted to be able to produce a quality article. A Texel cross ewe wouldn’t be many people’s first choice to lamb outdoors but with careful feed management we have found it possible.”
The Wilsons aim to finish lambs on grass initially, then move onto kale in October, when 60 acres of green crop is also grown.
Collectively around 3000 lambs are sold finished either through St Boswells or sold store at Bentham or Longtown.
Some 600 ewe lambs are kept as replacements, and 200 Cheviot Mule gimmers if needed are bought from a regular supplier.
Glen added: “We have found a cobalt and selenium mineral drench once a month for the lambs is crucial to keep them thriving and for weight gain. Zolvix has been hugely beneficial too, for a late summer worm drench in the lambs.”
Moving forward the Wilsons aim to have a closed flock over the three farms, with each business complementing one another. And by breeding quality home-bred stock they can successfully show and sell, they hope to be able to maintain a sustainable business with a good work/life balance.
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