There is a close positive correlation between the economic success of sheep farming and the reproduction rate of breeding ewes. Reproduction success is expressed in a number of ways, including pregnancy rate and lambing percentage. However, the best measure is ewe productivity, where the kilograms of lamb produced by the breeding herd is expressed in terms of the total live weight of the flock.
This measure of ewe productivity combines all the contributing factors (conception rate, lambing percentage, weaning percentage, weaning weight, marketing percentage and marketing weight) into one single productivity figure.
MAKE EWE PRODUCTIVITY THE PRIORITY
The Pareto principle states that about 80% of outcomes (or outputs) result from 20% of all causes (or inputs) for any given event. In business, the goal should therefore always be to identify those inputs that are potentially the most productive, and prioritise them. Considering that 75% of a sheep enterprise’s profitability can be directly linked to ewe productivity, it makes sense for sheep producers to prioritise the management factors that affect ewe productivity the most.
US author and entrepreneur Jim Rohn once said: “To be successful, you don’t need to do extraordinary things. You just need to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
BODY CONDITION SCORE
There is a link between a ewe’s productivity and her condition at crucial points in her reproduction cycle. Monitoring the flock’s body condition score (BCS) at certain critical stages is thus one of those basic, non-negotiable management principles (see Table 1 for a breakdown of target BCSs at the key stages of the reproduction cycle).
CONCEPTION
This story is from the February 05, 2021 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 05, 2021 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
R17m donation of tractors, bulls and infrastructure
Small-scale farmers in KwaZulu-Natal have been given an opportunity to grow into sustainable commercial businesses through a holistic integrated programme that will provide mechanisation, infrastructure and sector expertise.
Top dairy products revealed
Lactalis South Africa has won the South African Dairy Product of the Year Award for six of the past eight years. This year it won with a 10-month-old Gouda made especially for Woolworths.
Poor waste management highlighted on Earth Day
Most of South Africa’s waste ends up in dumps, if not strewn across open spaces or littering streams and oceans.
Kenya hosts soil health summit
The health of African soil was discussed at length by gathering of experts, writes Jeff Kapembwa.
Report shows the impact that heat has on agricultural workers
The UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) recently released a report showing the impact of climate change on the health of workers.
Factors to bear in mind when dipping livestock
It is important to consider the intervals at which you dip livestock in relation to the specific season in which ticks become more or less, writes Shane Brody.
Good outlook for pome fruit
Varieties of fruit could be the key in growing the pome fruit sector, writes Glenneis Kriel.
Building a sustainable agriculture sector in the Western Cape
Technology, research, financial mentorship and more will be required, writes Marinda Louw Coetzee.
PwC research shows food crisis impact
A new report details how the looming food crisis will affect Africa, writes Jyothi Laldas.
Braaied meat and soft-boiled egg Thai salad
This salad with maize, peanuts and eggs will turn leftover braai meat into a completely different meal. Recipe and photo: South African Poultry Association.
