Challenging weather has made it difficult for many farmers to finish lambs - Dinas Island Farm in Pembrokeshire is no exception.The Perkins always aim to get all lambs sold before Christmas but there were still 320 on farm as the new year dawned. In total 600 lambs had to be finished indoors on creep feed, something not done since the system was changed six years ago. Due to lowgrass dry matter (DM), housing the lambs and feeding them 1kg a head a day of coarse mixture with ad-lib silage was the only answer. Lambs also needed to be off the fields to ensure adequate grazing for the ewes. Surplus lambs coming on to the market affected the price when they were ready to sell "This means we have been averaging 60 a head instead of die 70 we were paid for last year's lamb crop," said Neil, who runs the business with his father, Roger, and wife, Lynda. Housing was available for theselater finishing lambs in the shed, which accommodates the heifer calves arriving on the farm in February.
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