Lamb Vigour is a trait that is often overlooked on sheep farms. Farmers already have enough work on their hands besides having extra lambs to put sucking.
Sheep Ireland have been recording Lamb Vigour (Up & Suck) on CPT Flocks since 2015 and have collected a significant amount of data on all bloodlines that have been through the CPT Program. Pedigree breeders have been given the ability to also record this trait since 2018.
The collection of more data will be key in producing an accurate index for this trait in the future. The trait is recorded on a 5 point scale. See Table below and watch the video.
Lamb Vigour | Description |
---|---|
1. Very Poor | Lamb still not standing after 60 minutes |
2. Poor | Standing within 60 minutes |
3. Average | Standing within 30 minutes |
4. Good | Standing within 10 minutes |
5. Very Good | Standing within 5 minutes |