Page 15 - Commercial Suffolks 2019

The lambs are out as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours if the weather is favour-
able. This means there is a much lower chance of infection if they go out once they
have bonded with the ewe and they’ve benefited from having colostrum.
He added: “If the weather is bad we keep them in for another two or three days. But
we find they are quite hardy and can stand the weather.”
The lambs are creep fed from three or four weeks old. They are then drawn for sale
from 12 weeks on, so that by the end of May 70% to 80% of the lambs will have
gone straight from their mothers. The 350 or so yearling ewes are out on swedes until
the first week of February. They are then housed for the last fortnight before lambing
which is around the 25th of February.
It’s a neat, efficient, system that depends on the good carcass and early lambing
qualities of the Suffolk breed. When crossed with the Suffolk Mule and the Texel the
breed’s capability to adapt to varying market demands is also a plus.
Alan explains: “We take the heavier lambs to market and then the other ones go on
deadweight. This year we had a lot of lambs a little bit heavier because there was a
premium for the 45 kg lambs in the market. We’d normally go for 21 to 22 kg dead-
weight which results in 60 to 70% U grades and the rest will be R.”
He concedes that fluctuating market demands can be frustrating, especially at this
time of year. This is a difficult year to plan ahead with the current political confusion
but they still plan to buy ewes and half a dozen or so rams for next year. The Williams’
have expanded a lot in recent years and despite the uncertainty looking forward, Alan
feels the best option is to continue doing what he does best and what best suits the
farm.

He says: “It’s the best advantage for us here, if we can grow the grass and do the
lambs at 12 weeks of age, then we have the right breed with the right grass. The Suf-
folk cross does very well for us.
“I’m sure things will balance out once the powers that be get their heads around these
tariffs and things. There will always be a market for Welsh lamb. It’s a well known
brand and hopefully things will level out.”

Commercial SUFFOLKS – AUTUMN 2019 13