This year’s six-week lambing season for Co. Antrim-based, EasyCare sheep farmer Campbell Tweed peaked on April 27.
The day in question saw a total of 324 lambs born within the flock.
Tweed told Agriland: “Lambing kicked off on April 14. The ewes have been specifically selected for their maternal traits, ease of lambing being one of these.
“All sheep farmers will have appreciated the excellent weather conditions that were a feature of the 2025 lambing season.
“And we were no different in this regard. Grass availability has been good subsequent to lambing. As a result, both ewes and lambs have been performing well over recent weeks.
Campbell said all his ewes are pregnancy scanned prior to lambing, with those ewes carrying triplets given access to specific grass paddocks.
He explained: “It is feasible for a ewe to rear triplet lambs, provided she has access to good grass.”
Two cuts of silage are taken on the Tweed farm, with the first of these is already in the clamp.
Meanwhile, demand for EasyCare bloodlines continues to increase throughout the island of Ireland, the UK, and beyond.
Tweed said: “Ease of management is a key driver in this regard. But in our own case we are also getting feedback from customers regarding the entire range of EasyCare performance traits.
“This is confirming EasyCare sheep’s ability to make more efficient use of forages.”
Campbell said the growth in demand for EasyCare sheep is evident.
“Last year, we also had the opportunity of exporting a selection of breeding rams to Switzerland,” he said.
Sheep farmers now recognise the benefits of stock selected on performance when it comes to deciding which new bloodlines best suit their flock development needs.
Campbell Tweed’s Ballycoose enterprise comprises a large number of EasyCare breeding ewes. There is also a Wiltshire Horn flock.
He took the decision of going down the wool-shedding route during the wool price crash of 1999.
The flock is totally self- contained, with all lambs not going for breeding brought through to finishing weights.
Every lamb born within the flock is performance recorded from birth, both within the Signet and Sheep Ireland systems.
The entire enterprise is managed by three full-time staff. This, in itself, is a very powerful illustration of what ‘easy care’ sheep management is all about.
