19 December, 2024 | By By Laura Law

Improving Ewe Performance

By Laura Law, dsm-firmenich

Lambs rely entirely on their mothers for milk during the early stages of life, making ewe milk yield crucial for meeting growth targets before weaning. Reflecting on your flock's performance last year — what was the average weight of your lambs at weaning?

Proven Milk Yield Results

In a recent trial, Rumi-Lac was fed to dairy ewes to measure the effect on milk production during the first five months of lactation. Supplementing ewes with Rumi-Lac increased their milk yield by 35% as shown in Figure 1. Notably, this lift in milk yield occurred without any rise

Figure 1. The effects of Rum-Lac on the milk production of dairy ewes.

Supporting Body Condition

Despite increased milk production, there was no change in body condition score of ewes in the study. This indicates that Rumi-Lac supported the energy balance of the ewes and helped to reduce negative energy balance commonly seen after lambing.

Enhancing Lamb Growth Rates

The growth rate achieved by lambs has a big influence on the overall performance of flocks. Higher ewe milk yields mean faster-growing lambs and heavier lambs at weaning. Consequently, lambs born to ewes fed Rumi-Lac had over 9% faster growth rates and were 1.3kg heavier by 12 weeks of age.

Economic Benefits

With a smaller lamb crop forecast for 2025/26, lamb prices are expected to be supported for the coming year. Early lambs usually achieve higher prices and require a shorter grazing period to finish, ultimately improving the performance of the flock.

Why Rumi-Lac?

Rumi-Lac is a phytogenic feed supplement that optimises the rumen microbe population to boost the proportion of high-quality bypass protein and a key energy source - propionate. It also helps to maintain a higher rumen pH, reducing the risk of acidosis, and promoting rumen health.

Rumi-Lac therefore offers a positive opportunity to enhance ewe milk production, accelerate lamb growth rates and improve flock performance. For more information about Rumi-Lac, please contact your Account Manager:

Email: info@galloway-macleod.co.uk

Telephone: 01698 791919

Discover solutions to improve the performance of your flock at our Ewe Feed section.