The Ins And Outs Of On-Farm Lambing Pens

There are two prominent schools of thought in sheep farming: One is in favour of the use of lambing pens and the other believes that ewes must lamb in the veld without human intervention.

- Koos du Pisanie

However, circumstances have changed so much that producers can no longer afford to lose any lambs. On some farms up to 30% of the lamb crop can be lost to jackals. When this is converted into a monetary value, the damages can amount to several thousand rand.

Giepie Calldo, technical manager at BKB, was one of the first producers in South Africa to utilise lambing pens. He says the current economic climate forces producers to wean more lambs to cover additional on-farm expenses. Although there are several factors that can be controlled, a number of other factors are beyond a producer’s control, such as mortalities, abnormal weather conditions, predators, and labour. For this reason, producers should rather alter their methods.

Some producers believe that utilising lambing pens increases labour, but from experience Giepie knows this not to be the case. With good planning, the workload is almost similar to that experienced during the lambing season on an extensive farm.

Use of temporary facilities

Su-Maré Groenewald, technical advisor at Veekos, conducted a thorough study of lambing pens. She says sheep producers in the Northern Cape have been utilising lambing pens for years, mainly for two reasons: producing more lambs and speeding up genetic progress because it affords them more control over their flocks.

According to her, some producers use open storage areas in which to erect lambing pens; once the lambing season is over, the pens are dismantled and the area cleaned so that it can be utilised for other purposes. Producers erect pens in sheltered areas such as this, as it provides protection against wind, cold weather and predators, thus keeping both ewes and lambs out of harm’s way.