Michael Flanagan Testimonial: Shine Ewe-reka helps replacement lambs reach their targets in the milking herd

At Rockfield Dairy in Claremorris, Co. Mayo, in the West of Ireland, Michael Flanagan is currently milking 200 ewes and successfully rearing his replacements on Shine Ewe-reka milk replacer.

The business is a true family effort, run by Michael, his wife Aisling, their children, and farm worker Nicky. Michael’s flock is made up of Friesland and Lacaune ewes, two leading dairy breeds known for their extended lactation period. At peak time, his ewes produce an average of 1.8 litres per day and yield around 300 litres per lactation.

On-farm, the milk is transformed into Velvet Cloud sheep’s milk yogurt and cheese, which are sold in shops and restaurants nationwide.

Year-round lambing for consistent milk supply

Lambing at Rockfield Dairy runs three times a year – in February, July, and October – ensuring a continuous supply of milk for yogurt production. With a lambing percentage of 180%, all lambs are Friesland, Lacaune, or a cross of both breeds.

“I always look for hardiness and fast growth in a lamb. Feeding and breeding are the two main things to get right when it comes to producing good replacement lambs for the milking herd”, explains Michael.

Dr Amanda Dunn of Bonanza Calf Nutrition agrees, commenting, “What better way to feed replacement lambs than with a lamb milk replacer made from ewe’s milk? It’s the next best thing to their mothers!”

Feeding strategy with Shine Ewe-reka

The average birth weight of the lambs is around 3.5kg. Michael follows a clear routine to his lambs off to the best start:

• Colostrum feeding: Each lamb receives 250 – 300ml of its own mother’s colostrum, tube-fed 3 – 4 times in the first 24 hours. Pooled colostrum is then fed for 3 – 4 days after lambing.
• Milk replacer: After colostrum, all replacement lambs are fed ad-lib Shine Ewe-reka milk replacer on a Forster Technik automatic feeder.

Michael found, “Getting lambs off to a good start reaps benefits for the lambs health and performance. That’s why I feed lambs well for the first week or so at a higher concentration of 30-35% milk solids and then reduce to 25% once they are a couple of weeks old.”

Once the lambs are 4 or 5 days of age, a good quality creep feed and water is available to the lambs at all time.

Supporting lamb health

One of the main reasons Michael uses Shine Ewe-reka is for its health benefits:

“With the help of Shine Ewe-reka I can help keep my pre-weaned replacement lambs healthy at the stage when they are most prone to scours and bloat, because the ewe’s milk in Shine Ewe-reka contains specific antibodies against sheep diseases.”

Weaning and performance

Weaning is carried out abruptly at around 30 days of age, but only when lambs are eating a minimum of 250 – 300g of creep feed for three consecutive days. This helps avoid setbacks once milk is withdrawn.

At weaning, lambs typically weigh 10 – 12 kg, and the most recent batch of lambs consumed an average of 11.3kg of Shine Ewe-reka before weaning.