Best sheep selection during drought
From the June 2007 edition of Agriculture Today.
Until drought ends, the availability of water and/or cash to fund a long-term feeding program will drive the next round of tough decisions about how many and which classes of stock to keep.
When enough rain finally comes and sheep producers can begin restocking, stock selection decisions made during the drought will govern how well and how quickly producers can rebuild their flocks.
Keeping the most productive animals will have maximised producer’s incomes through the drought and retaining the best genetics will drive their flock-building process after the drought.
If sheep producers have individual or group measured information they are in a position now to select the best sheep to retain for both short and longer-term benefits by making decisions based on variation within a flock.
In all flocks, the top 25 per cent of ewes are three times more profitable than the bottom 25pc.
If the average value of the flock is $30/head, then the bottom sheep are worth around $15 whilst others are worth $45.
The measurements producers might have recorded include micron, fleece weight and body weight.
They may be current or measurements taken at an earlier age, which can be reused.
The tables show how flock averages will move as producers cull various percentages of their poorer performing sheep.
Seriously consider the sheep on the basis of their performance – not their age alone – as fleece weight and fibre diameter performance of selected groups are repeatable across an age group’s lifetime performance.
Making selections at a young age, re-using young age measurements for late age decisions and using young age fibre measurements for adult decisions are all reliable and cost-effective systems to use in commercial wool production flocks.
Other information producers might consider for culling purposes is pregnancy scanning history.
Data from the Lifetime Wool Project in NSW has revealed that for maiden ewes, the probability of being dry is driven by body weight, therefore a dry maiden should be given a second chance and retained for mating as a 2.5 year old.
For adult ewes, being dry appears not to be related to body condition at joining – they are dry for other reasons, so they should receive priority in culling decisions.
Contact Cheryl Pope, Orange, (02) 6391 3948, Phil Graham, Yass, (02) 6226 2199.
