The Hillsborough Management Recording Scheme is a simple recording
scheme to help commercial sheep producers make breeding and management decisions.
The scheme helps to:
- identify ewes in commercial flocks suited to easier-care systems
- breed replacement sheep that will require less intervention at lambing in future easier-care
systems
A cost-effective and sustainable solution to improve ewe productivity
and reduce labour requirements is through strategic breeding; a firm culling and replacement policy.
The advantage of any improvement through breeding is that it is permanent, cumulative, sustainable and
cost‑effective. Selection for “easier management” should be based on performance and not on appearance.
Key traits for “easier management” are lambing ease; lamb viability and mothering ability. Key traits
for productivity are number of lambs reared and lamb weight.
The Hillsborough Management Recording Scheme is based on simple recording of these
key traits and then ranks the ewes in order of performance, removing effects of sire of lambs and age
of ewe. An index is calculated on a scale from 0 – 100 within each flock; a ewe with an index of 100,
lambed without help, had good mothering ability and reared good lambs (lamb weaning weight) compared
to other ewes in the flock.
1 |
Lambed without help |
Follows whatever |
Up and sucks |
2 |
Little help |
Stands well back |
Slow to suck |
3 |
Manual delivery - OK |
Leaves lamb |
Help to suck |
4 |
Manual delivery - difficult |
- |
-
|
The benefits of recording:
- Produces performance records at lambing and weaning for each flock (e.g.
output per ewe)
- Performance index of ewes allows for a firm culling and strategic breeding regime through:
- Highlighting unproductive ewes for culling
- Allocating ewes to appropriate sires according to their performance
- Allows selection of replacement ewes from the flock based on the ewe and lamb records
For
further information or to register for this free service contact::
Dr. Marijntje Speijers
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
Large
Park, Hillsborough
Co. Down, BT26 6DR
