It will be important for farmers to maximise returns on this year's lambs as the market continues to strengthen. 

Breeding ewe numbers in the UK continue to decline, with Defra indicating the total sheep and lamb population in the UK fell by 2.5% in the year to June 2024, from 31.8m to 31.0m head. This means there will be fewer lambs available this season. The results also indicate the lamb crop – those aged under one year old - fell by 1.5% to stand at 15.2m head. 

Coupled with mixed scanning results and the impact of Bluetongue and Schmallenberg, a bumper lamb crop is not expected this spring, meaning new season lambs will be valuable.  

With lambing in many areas under way, getting lambs off to the best start is important. This begins with ensuring ewes are in optimum health to prevent problems at lambing. It's also important to analyse forage and body condition score, with lowland ewes lambing at a body condition score of around 3.5 and hill ewes between 2.5 and 3. 

"Lambs are valuable, and you need to protect your investment," says Bryn Hughes, national sheep specialist at Wynnstay. "Having the expense now can pay dividends in the longer term with better lambs, so don't scrimp and save." 

Even where farmers have good grass supplies, cake and additional feed will be required to ensure ewes – particularly those carrying twins and triplets - receive the correct nutrition to maximise colostrum and rear healthy lambs. 

"Colostrum is key to getting lambs off to the best start in life; good colostrum can prevent disease and other issues," says Bryn. "Don't over-rely on grass when you turn them out, as you never know what the spring weather is going to be like. When turning lambs out on to rotational systems the grass must be at least 10cm, and they need to come out when grass height is 4cm.  

"If this is difficult to manage, or grass growth is slow, consider creep feeding. Young lambs on creep systems don't consume huge amounts of creep. Where there is good grass and good milky ewes expect consumption to be around 40kg of creep up to the point of sale, but if conditions are more challenging consumption will be higher.  

"There are real advantages to creep feeding, like higher market returns, heavier and better finished lambs and lambs that leave the farm faster. And ewes in better condition at weaning will have a larger lamb crop next year," adds Bryn. 

"It's important to check the level of feed they have. You're aiming to maximise their performance and value to get them away as quickly as possible." 

• Wynnstay offers a range of quality Lambmaster Creep Feeds in a range of specifications. The Wynnstay Lambmaster range complements a milk and grass diet, helping to maximise high growth rates. The range is scientifically formulated with the optimal balance of energy and protein to achieve high growth rates, ensuring lambs can be finished quickly. For more information visit www.wynnstay.co.uk