At Seccombe Farm, nutrition is a key driver of flock performance. The family business, run by Rob, Gail and Jake, manage 1,700 ewes alongside 220 head of beef cattle, producing high-quality lambs that finish early and achieve premium market specifications.
The flock consists predominantly of Suffolk Mule ewes, chosen for their maternal ability and milk production. To maximise lamb vigour and carcass quality, they are put to Charolais, Charolais x Texel and Suffolk x Charolais rams, producing fast-growing lambs with excellent finishing potential.
The lambing system is designed to spread workload while targeting early market opportunities. Around 550 ewes are synchronised using progesterone sponges before tupping, to start lambing indoors from early January, with returners being lambed at the end of the month. A further 350 ewes are tupped naturally to lamb indoors in early March, while the remaining 800 ewes and any empty ewes identified at scanning are lambed outdoors during April.
Despite experiencing an exceptionally dry summer, the business maintained excellent flock performance through proactive nutritional management. To support conception rates and ewe body condition, the early lambing ewes received 0.5kg of Lamb Finisher Nuts per head per day, 3 weeks prior and throughout tupping. The April lambing flock was flushed using high-energy feed buckets, ensuring ewes entered the breeding season in optimum condition.
Maximising lamb performance
The results of supplement feeding were clear, with the early lambing flock achieving an average scanning percentage of 172%, an excellent result for progesterone-synchronised ewes, particularly in a dry year. This provided the foundation for a productive lamb crop and demonstrates the value of target feeding during challenging conditions.
The early lambing flock is housed 2–3 weeks before lambing, depending on weather, ground conditions and number of lambs being carried. Supplement feeding of Harpers 18% Super Ewe Rolls and Lifeline Lamb and Ewe buckets starts four weeks before lambing, with triplets receiving 0.75kg and doubles 0.5kg per day. Singles receive only Lifeline Lamb and Ewe buckets until housing. Once housed, ewes are fed high quality haylage and compound feed is gradually stepped up to 1.5kg for triplets, 1kg for doubles and 0.5kg for singles.
Post lambing, ewes and lambs are turned to grass as soon as 24 hours, weather permitting. Once lambs reach three weeks of age, Rapid Lamb 18% Pellets + Yeast are introduced through creep feeders to encourage early feed intake and maximise growth. The highly palatable ration supports rumen development while providing the energy and protein needed for early performance. The aim is to wean the January and February born lambs at around ten weeks of age, with a target liveweight of over 30kg.
Following weaning, lambs are housed on an ad-lib ration of Rapid Lamb 18% Pellets + Yeast and straw. This simple but effective finishing system allows the lambs to achieve their growth potential, regularly recording daily liveweight gains of up to 500g.
Lamb Market
Early finishing is fundamental to the farm’s business strategy. The first lambs are marketed from just 12 weeks of age, with weekly consignments sent to Dunbia Jaspers abattoir near Launceston throughout the season.
By the end of June, an impressive 837 lambs had been finished, averaging a 21kg deadweight carcass at E, U and R grades. Strong demand meant that 646 of those lambs achieved prices of more than £9.00 per kilo, rewarding the investment made in nutrition and flock management earlier in the year.
Finishing large numbers of lambs before summer delivers significant grazing advantages. Reducing stocking pressure before grass growth declines leaves more grazing for breeding ewes, replacement stock and the beef enterprise, reducing reliance on purchased forage and improving overall grassland management.
At Seccombe Farm, targeted nutrition is seen as an investment rather than a cost. Combining carefully selected genetics with strategic ewe supplementation and early lamb creep feeding has enabled the business to consistently achieve high scanning percentages, exceptional lamb growth rates and premium market returns.
For more information on our range of lamb feeds, speak to your Harpers Feeds Specialist.
