Feeding and managing your triplet ewes before lambing by Thompsons’ Dr. Ronald Annett

With one udder and two teats, sheep are not exactly designed to rear three or more lambs.  However, triplet-bearing ewes are a feature of modern sheep systems, and in some cases, they can represent 30-40% of the breeding flock. Managing triplet ewes and their lambs is a challenge, but with the right approach to nutrition, lambing can run smoothly for these ewes and a healthy crop of lambs will be your reward.

All ewes face a degree of nutritional stress in the weeks before lambing, with a spurt in foetal growth and enlargement of the mammary system, but these stresses are greatly exacerbated in triplet ewes. Any shortcomings in a flock’s nutrition will be evident first and most severely in the triplets, so if you regularly experience high rates of twin lamb disease or issues with colostrum supply, then it is worth considering what you can do differently this year.    

First and foremost, you need to be able to identify which ewes are carrying triplets so they can be fed and managed accordingly. This is where pregnancy scanning is a very useful management tool.  Scanning is also an ideal time to check on the body condition score of your ewes in preparation for lambing. Triplet ewes will lose around 0.5 units of body condition before lambing, so body reserves need to be built up well in advance of housing.

Plan to house your triplet ewes one week ahead of the main flock, ideally seven weeks before lambing if ewes are in good body condition. They won’t require supplementary feeding at this stage, but the extra time in the house allows the rumen to adapt to the change from a grass-based a hay or grass silage-based diet, before concentrates are introduced a week later.

When housing ewes, keep in mind that triplet ewes will need more feed space than the recommended allowance of 400-450mm. For at least the final 2-3 weeks before lambing, triplets should have 500-550mm trough space to reduce the risk of injuries and non-infectious abortion.  Access to adequate clean drinking water is also vital, given that triplets could be consuming >1kg/day concentrates before lambing. 

A silage analysis is critical to help to determine the level of concentrate feeding your ewes require, so contact your Thompson Sales Rep to avail of this service. Where there is a selection of silages available, make sure to offer the best quality silage possible to your triplet ewes. Also, if you have precision chop or bale silage of similar nutritive value, feeding the precision chop silage to your triplets will help maximize intake. Silage quality this year is below the long-term average on many farms, so you may need to feed 0.1-0.2 kg/ewe/day more than usual to ensure ewes are not underfed. The normal rule of thumb is that once the feeding level exceeds 0.5kg/ewe/day, it is best split the daily concentrate allocation into two feeds to minimise the risk of acidosis.   

Given the nutritional stresses they face, triplet ewes require an energy dense, high protein supplement, so the composition of the concentrates is important. Starch (from cereals) is the most efficient energy source for pregnant ewes, followed by digestible fibre (from sugarbeet and soya hulls). Protein intake in late pregnancy, particularly bypass protein, is a key driver of colostrum production, so triplets will benefit from a high protein ration containing a high level of soyabean meal or rumen-protected protein.    

Thompsons have developed Super Hi-Lamb Ewe Nuts with these criteria in mind. This 20% high energy ewe nut is formulated to supply high levels of bypass energy and protein to help support lamb development and milk production. This nut also provides 150 IU/kg vitamin E and 0.5 mg/kg selenium, both of which are important for muscle tone and a functional immune system, to help ensure triplet-born lambs get off to the best possible start in life.

Once triplet ewes and lambs go to grass after lambing, they will still require 0.50-0.75 kg/day concentrates to help support milk production and avoid excessive loss of body condition. Because grass is typically high in protein, a lower protein ration such as Thompsons’ Ewelac Nuts or Sheep Nuts will be adequate to sustain high levels of milk production from your triplet ewes, and ensure your lambs never look back!   

Posted 20,01,25 by allison.