Have You Reviewed Your Sheep Records Lately?
To better manage and evaluate production practices, producers should regularly review their records. This includes not only financial records for filing taxes, but also production records for evaluating the sheep flock.
One of the most important indicators of profitability in a sheep operation is the lambing percentage. There are a couple of figures to consider with the lambing percentage. First, start with the number of lambs produced compared to the number of ewes that lambed. Then, look at the number of live lambs at birth, as well as the live lambs a month after lambing, and the number of live lambs at weaning. Compare this to the number of ewes that lambed to calculate some percentages.
Set a goal to wean a 200% lamb crop, an average of twins, every year, if you have the feed and labor resources to support this production level. The lambing percentage can fluctuate somewhat from one year to the next, but we certainly want ewes to produce twins regularly to maintain profitability. You might also want to take a closer look at the death loss. A good goal is for the lamb death loss to be 5% or less, although the national average is much higher. Good mothering ability, good nutrition so that lambs are healthy and vigorous at birth, and good nutrition to support high quality and quantity of colostrum and milk production are all critical for producing lambs that are more likely to survive to weaning age.
Weaning weight records are excellent evaluation tools for assessing animal performance. Adjust the weights so that you can make a fair comparison between lambs born as singles, twins, and triplets, as well as factor in differences in the sex of the lamb and the age of the ewe. Keep in mind that the highest weaning weights may not necessarily translate into profitability! Why not you ask? Consider the frame size of those lambs and their ability to thrive on pasture. Most production-type operations focus on pasture as their primary, if not sole, source of nutrition for both mature ewes and replacement ewe lambs. Each operation needs to consider what size ewe best meets the nutritional resources on the farm, as well as the markets where those sheep are sold. All producers should set a production benchmark for adjusted weaning weight. Producers can go a step further and set a benchmark for adjusted post-weaning weight. This will help account for both ewe milk production as well as genetic growth potential in the lamb. As you set your goal, consider what your goals are for your operation. What is your target age and weight when you market your lambs? What is an acceptable weaning weight range for your lambs? As you select toward a benchmark, lambs should become more uniform in size and weight.
What other records should you evaluate? Annual cost per ewe can help you achieve a reasonable maintenance cost per sheep, or it could also help you assess the need to maintain the same number of ewes or expand to spread the fixed costs across more ewes. Perhaps you should consider improving the efficiency of feeding sheep. Should you own and maintain hay-making equipment, or would it be more economical to buy all your hay? Perhaps labor is a factor, and you should consider custom harvesters to make all your hay.
Each sheep operation has a unique set of circumstances that makes that operation profitable. Begin by thoroughly reviewing your records to identify areas for improvement in production or efficiency. As you develop your record-keeping system, remember that it should be both easy to use and easily accessible. Records can be handwritten or computer-generated. The key is to collect useful information that will help you make profitable decisions in the future.
