The effects of shepherding and nutritional inputs in an extensive hill sheep system

Abstract

There is increasing pressure on hill farmers to reduce stock numbers on the hills. With such a reduction in sheep numbers, farmers would have the option of either maintaining or reducing management and physical inputs. In general, current extensive hill sheep farming systems are characterised by low stocking densities, low inputs and high lamb mortality.The trial was conducted as part of a work programme studying extensive systems. Compared to a system with very low inputs this trial examined the effects of increasing inputs, in terms of supplementary feeding in late pregnancy and shepherding at lambing.Within an extensive hill fanning system (0.66 ewes/ha) two hundred ewes were allocated to one of two nutritional treatments in late pregnancy together with the provision or absence of shepherding at lambing in a 2x2 factorial design. All the ewes were of the Scottish Blackface breed and were mated on the open hill without access to improved grazing. Ewes remained on the hill until mid-pregnancy at which stage they were assigned to either Group H (supplementation with feedblocks, low forage availability) or Group L (minimal supplementation, high forage availability). Group L continued to graze on the open hill whilst Group H were confined to a hill park (approximately 45 ha).