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Reduce lamb losses by planting trees & hedgerows says the Woodland Trust
Outdoor lambing has become increasingly popular as it reduces labour costs and offers reduced disease build-up compared to housed lambing . Even in areas where outdoor lambing is impractical or indoor lambing is still preferred due to unpredictable weather , early turnout is increasingly common . Whole to be greater than sum of parts as five food and farm enterprises join forces .
G ood shelter is recognised as important for successful outdoor lambing and for young lamb survival as exposure to cold is one of the biggest causes of neonatal loss of lambs .
The Woodland Trust is working with a number of UK farmers to increase the number of trees and hedgerows on their land to protect their flock .
Senior Farming Adviser Helen Chesshire said :
“ Studies have shown that in cold , wet and windy weather , lamb losses can be reduced by up to 30 per cent if good shelter is provided .
“ Sheltered , well-drained fields provide the best physical conditions for lambing and good mothering . By creating the right conditions for ewes and young lambs , lamb mortality can actually be reduced compared to housed lambing .”
One farmer who knows from bitter experience that wind chill can decimate lambs
10 | Farming Monthly | February 2017 is David Noble , who farms at over 1,000 feet at the northern foot of the Lake District ’ s Skiddaw range .
With a flock of 400 ewes and no artificial shelter , protection for newborn lambs is critical to the farm ’ s economic success . David said : “ Hypothermia is a real risk in the first two to three days . It can take as many as 10 newborn lambs in a single night and that ’ s a real economic loss . Improving the welfare of the flock and protecting these hill-bred lambs by planting trees has been a real positive for the farm .”
Working with the Woodland Trust , David planted a small strip of non-productive land with a mix of native trees and shrubs . Goat willow , hawthorn , hazel , oak , blackthorn and rowan were chosen to reflect the altitude and soil type and provide levels of shelter .
The trust has also funded a Masters of Research at Harper Adams University , “ Trees in the Farmed Environment ”.
As part of her thesis “ Trees for shelter and other functional benefits in sheep and beef farming systems : An evaluation of the operational experiences and economic effects on a sample of farms in England and Wales ”, student Rachel Glover interviewed a number of farmers about the role of trees on their land .
The owners of a 60 hectare farm in Kent explained that following a lambing season with harsh weather conditions in an exposed field , they had decided to lamb from a lower , more tree sheltered field the following season and experienced a higher lamb survival rate . This success was partly attributed to the shelter , with the farmer estimating the associated economic gain through higher survival rates . The farmer told Rachel : “ The first year we lambed outside … it was bitterly cold and we didn ’ t really have much hedge so we did have a lot of loss . We lambed on a higher field and lost a lot of lambs so this year we have lambed down in the bottom fields where there is less wind and a lot more trees so we have had less loss . Economically we have probably saved 2 or 3 hundred pounds in dead
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