Achieving consistently good results year on year is Rebecca (Becs) Mahoney’s key driver. Currently rearing 2,500 ewe replacements within 6,000 sqm shedding, she and her father Neal have established a fine-tuned system; one founded on trusted products and reliable service.
“To achieve what we do, we need to be able to trust the system” says Becs. “We know our milk replacer, we know our bedding conditioner, we know our rep – and we don’t make changes unless there’s a good reason to.”
2021 was her eighth season working with AgriVantage and rearing her animals on Sprayfo milk replacers ad lib. Her chosen bedding conditioner is Stalosan F and she also uses Launchpad18 colostrum powder.
“Sprayfo is a product we have really enjoyed using because we don’t get bloating and we see minimal health issues” Becs continues. “Also, our results are consistent year on year. We know this because we weigh our animals on entry and again at 4 and 6 weeks.
“Knowing the potential of the AgriVantage range and the science behind their products, we’ve also worked with the team as they have introduced new products over the years.”
Initially rearing lambs on Sprayfo Primo lamb milk replacer, Becs recently added Launchpad18 and Sprayfo Alpha to her rearing system.
“We went through 90kgs of Launchpad18 this season and it really saved us” she says.
“We lambed 1800 very high fertility ewes on a mix of hill country and flat land in the Tararua district in mid-winter” she explains. “Anyone crazy enough to lamb in July must have a backstop. We would have picked up 250 weak but alive lambs in a snow event on one of those days; if we hadn’t had Launchpad18, we’d have lost them all.
“Having reared lambs and calves for a long time, I know when an animal needs a boost. Launchpad18 gives them a good kick! It is an amazing product, and you get what you pay for.”
With the introduction of Sprayfo Alpha three years ago, Becs included it in her programme as a starter. The lambs get Alpha for the first 2 weeks and are then transitioned onto Primo.
The Mahoney’s set-up
Farm type: Lamb rearing
Location: Pahiatua
Lambs reared: 2,500
Products used: Launchpad18, Sprayfo Alpha Lamb, Sprayfo Primo Lamb, Stalosan F
Target weaning weight: 18kgLW, gaining a minimum of 300g/day
“We have achieved really good early growth rates on Alpha and less scouring. I believe it is an excellent starter for the younger animals.
“The transition from Alpha to Primo is seamless. There can be a bit of scouring due to the change but it’s only nutritional and doesn’t last long.
“I think there’s a really cool relationship between Sprayfo milk powder and meal” she adds. “Our lambs start nibbling from day one. They eat a little less on the Alpha but as soon as they transition onto Primo, they are away.”
Neal manages the feed side. Everything is measured so they know exactly how much the lambs are getting.
Rebecca weans her lambs at around six weeks old, at a minimum weight of 18kgLW. The lambs must tick those two boxes and be gaining a minimum of 300g a day consistently. Her aim is to achieve a minimum mating weight of 42kg at 5 months.
“Sprayfo gives our lambs the best start” concludes Becs. “Onto concentrates early, they grow consistently well. Come weaning, they are ready for pasture, and some hit their mating weight target at 4 months.
“Eight years’ experience with both AgriVantage and Sprayfo milk replacers has given us complete confidence in both brands.”
Products used by the Mahoney’s
Sprayfo Alpha
Sprayfo Primo
Launchpad18 Colostrum
