Joining ewe lambs – the key criteria that influence performance

Dr Tim Keady joins Ciaran Lynch on this episode of OviCast to discuss in detail the subject of joining ewe lambs - a topic of relevance to many sheep producers this year. Tim starts by discussing the increased interest in joining ewe lambs this season as well as some of the common practices observed on farms. Tim presents results from his studies at Athenry on joining ewe lambs. We discuss the influence of ewe genotype and the effect of weight at joining on productivity. Tim outlines key aspects of mating management including, time of joining, duration of the joining period and use of the ram effect. He then discusses the impact of lambing ewe lambs at 1 year old on their performance when lambing at 2 years of age. Finishing up Tim highlights the need to managed ewe lambs correctly to maintain performance. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast/