Quality of forage and self-consumed cereals in meat sheep

The farm of Christophe Lalloue in Isse, Loire-Atlantique, manages 320 Red West ewes across 72 hectares, with 22 ha of permanent grassland and 51 ha of arable land producing 70 tonnes of self-consumed crops annually. The farm uses a rotational system with 27 ha of soft wheat, 8.7 ha of triticale, 9.5 ha of maize grain, 5.5 ha of rape, 21.7 ha of temporary pastures (RGA-TB), and 7 ha of stubble crops, yielding 85 quintals of cereals. Ewes are managed with a 112% lambing rate across four lambing periods, and lactation is supported by 260 kg of concentrates per ewe, 80% produced on-farm. Productivity reaches 1.7 lambs per ewe and 36.6 kg of carcass per ewe, with labor productivity at 13,600 kg of carcass per UMO. High-quality silage is produced by cutting at optimal stages (end of growth or budding), ensuring 45–50% moisture via pre-wilting, cutting at 7–8 cm height, and using dense baling with wide (75 cm) films and at least four layers for airtight conservation. The farm achieves 89% overall feed autonomy (72% in concentrates, 100% in forages), with 2,769 kg of external feed. Economic results show a gross product of 136,000 € per UMO, EBE of 37,600 € (27.5%), and a cost per kg of carcass of 1.75 SMIC.