Lambing staff

[ollie989898]

Disgrace to the industry really, imagine if the great GP latched on to that one, farming’s been getting a bit of positive press coverage recently, we don’t want bad husbandry jeopardising that. We all get tarred with the same brush whenever something like that is publicised

I agree, the industry needs to be careful how this sort of thing is presented to the public, even though such systems worldwide may well be commonplace.

 

[ollie989898]

They're not always willing. And can be clueless. Remember it's compulsory for even the ones that never intend going anywhere near large animals again.
That said, there are some really good ones.

I would make it clear to any would-be helper that they will be expected to pull their weight, not pretend they went lambing. Worth emphasising to them that this is one placement where they will be given a lot of autonomy and a chance to use their skills and nous- they wouldn't get much of that in regular small animal situations. If they are going to make a fudge up or something, this is the situation where the consequences are far less compared to over-anaesthetising young snoopy.

I used to love lambing as a kid, would have days off school and the lot. It was fun doing such a range of jobs. Even had a chance to take quad bike out on my own, work with the dog etc. Learn a lot about basic animal husbandry, you'd think student Vets would be all over this.

 

[Estate fencing.]

I agree, the industry needs to be careful how this sort of thing is presented to the public, even though such systems worldwide may well be commonplace.

Fair better for stock the extensive lambing system than so useless wannabe farmer (the kind that frequents Facebook) ripping out every lamb because they don’t know what there doing. We lamb very very few sheep even inside, I bet we didn’t have our hands in more than 20 ewes out of 1250.

 

[ollie989898]

Fair better for stock the extensive lambing system than so useless wannabe farmer (the kind that frequents Facebook) ripping out every lamb because they don’t know what there doing. We lamb very very few sheep even inside, I bet we didn’t have our hands in more than 20 ewes out of 1250.

I'm not arguing that- I'm describing the perception the public might glean from it all. Livestock farming/meat doesn't need bad PR- a single dose of it affects you all.

 

[Lynemorebf]

Hello just read your post please could you explain hirsel

A hirsel is the area of ground the sheep belong to, open hill ground. So we have 2 seperate hirsels, others will have more than 2. The ewes go back to their hirsel with lambs at foot and the ewe lambs then know that area of ground and will go back to that area as ewes and so on. They become familiar with where the better grazing and shelter is around their area.
In our case one hill/hirsel is fenced so sheep are contained but one is open with neighbours however neighbouring sheep will act as a fence to one another in open hill ground..most of the time!
In big hill places where sheep are coming off hills if there’s no neighbouring sheep to stop your own then they’ll rake for miles. Needle in a haystack job!

 

[Wood field]

A hirsel is the area of ground the sheep belong to, open hill ground. So we have 2 seperate hirsels, others will have more than 2. The ewes go back to their hirsel with lambs at foot and the ewe lambs then know that area of ground and will go back to that area as ewes and so on. They become familiar with where the better grazing and shelter is around their area.
In our case one hill/hirsel is fenced so sheep are contained but one is open with neighbours however neighbouring sheep will act as a fence to one another in open hill ground..most of the time!

What we call a heft

 

[Lynemorebf]

What we call a heft

Yep. Hirsel is a Scottish term I should have mentioned

 

[Fat Lamb]

Yep. Hirsel is a Scottish term I should have mentioned

Is a hirsel not a collective term for several hefts?

 

[Optimus]

Fair better for stock the extensive lambing system than so useless wannabe farmer (the kind that frequents Facebook) ripping out every lamb because they don’t know what there doing. We lamb very very few sheep even inside, I bet we didn’t have our hands in more than 20 ewes out of 1250.

I agree but they need to learn somehow.i happy to pull some.an more than happy for them to lamb the rotten ones

 

[glasshouse]

Heft is scottish

 

[Kentishfarmer]

Quite lot of posts about lambing systems and low labour methods here so thought I'd hijack the thread
What are peoples top outdoor lambing hacks? Efficiencies and improvements?
As our lambing draws to a close I'm thinking of improvements for next year. We lambed just over 500 this year outdoors at our farm over about 3 weeks. But it feels a bit like I'm at capacity but I have more sheep to add in future years and think there must be some efficiency savings to be made. I've run a kind of drift lambing systems moving the unlambed ewes onto a fresh field daily or twice daily depending how fast they are lambing. Leaving ewes and lambs behind to be rung, tagged and numbered the next day. Then loaded up off to summer pasture the following day. Aside from stopping using any terminal rams or not ringing & numbering lambs any suggestions?

 

[Troward]

Quite lot of posts about lambing systems and low labour methods here so thought I'd hijack the thread
What are peoples top outdoor lambing hacks? Efficiencies and improvements?
As our lambing draws to a close I'm thinking of improvements for next year. We lambed just over 500 this year outdoors at our farm over about 3 weeks. But it feels a bit like I'm at capacity but I have more sheep to add in future years and think there must be some efficiency savings to be made. I've run a kind of drift lambing systems moving the unlambed ewes onto a fresh field daily or twice daily depending how fast they are lambing. Leaving ewes and lambs behind to be rung, tagged and numbered the next day. Then loaded up off to summer pasture the following day. Aside from stopping using any terminal rams or not ringing & numbering lambs any suggestions?

All depends how much grass you have, and how much you can space out your ewes, but I've stopped any drift lambing as I personally found it caused problems in those that hadn't yet lambed. If you could set stock for the whole of lambing that just saves another job.

 

[Bob the beef]

Set stock for 20 days then drift out unlambed ewes.

 

[Stw88]

We (previous generations) used to lamb in 1 field then walk out the twins into the meadows and some batches the singles as well into a different field. This was when 2 people were lambing 600 ewes between them. I’m lambing 1000 outside on my own now, plus looking the 300 that were lambed inside early once they’re out. Haven’t the time to be walking or drifting sheep out so everything is set stocked to which cycle and singles or twins and just leave them to get on as quietly as possible. Think the key is to have things well spread out, this year the twins have been too tight and had a hell of a lot of miss mothering. Find lambs born outside mother up better than those born inside and turned out.

 

[Hilly]

I just shed off unlambed ewes into another field as each filed gets to busy with lambs then go back first filed and double up …..

 

[puppet]

We do it the other way, leaving unlambed and moving lambed through pens into other fields while ringing them at 2-3 days old.
When I see how many folk are lambing and how few interventions they do I must have bred the wrong sheep. 220 this year, twins only fed 3 weeks, outside all winter and through lambing, 35 hoggs which can be some work. Don't interfere too much but watch regularly to check on progress 3 or 4 times a day and if none and all I can feel is a head not sure how many would have had a live lamb.
Home bred and select from twin lambs only.

 

[Troward]

Quite lot of posts about lambing systems and low labour methods here so thought I'd hijack the thread
What are peoples top outdoor lambing hacks? Efficiencies and improvements?
As our lambing draws to a close I'm thinking of improvements for next year. We lambed just over 500 this year outdoors at our farm over about 3 weeks. But it feels a bit like I'm at capacity but I have more sheep to add in future years and think there must be some efficiency savings to be made. I've run a kind of drift lambing systems moving the unlambed ewes onto a fresh field daily or twice daily depending how fast they are lambing. Leaving ewes and lambs behind to be rung, tagged and numbered the next day. Then loaded up off to summer pasture the following day. Aside from stopping using any terminal rams or not ringing & numbering lambs any suggestions?

Also...your last 2 points will make the biggest difference if you've not done that before. To the point you may be wondering what to do with yourself.

 

[Kentishfarmer]

All depends how much grass you have, and how much you can space out your ewes, but I've stopped any drift lambing as I personally found it caused problems in those that hadn't yet lambed. If you could set stock for the whole of lambing that just saves another job.

What problems did you think the drifting caused in the unlambed ewes? A lot of my interventions in the first 10days was lambing thieves that were trying to take fresh lambs. Do you think moving them regularly could be increasing this? I was thinking I'm seeing more thieving as I'm breeding more maternal sheep, very rarely have rejections these days especially compared to indoors a few years ago

 

[puppet]

. We lamb very very few sheep even inside, I bet we didn’t have our hands in more than 20 ewes out of 1250.

If you lamb 1 in 60 I should only lamb 4!! If that were the case then begs the question if it is worth checking sheep at all.
Saw this an hour ago so came back as dirty yellow water bag. Everything there but needed a gentle pull. Not sure how many that colour would survive?

 

[Kentishfarmer]

Also...your last 2 points will make the biggest difference if you've not done that before. To the point you may be wondering what to do with yourself.

Selling the lambs as hoggets through the live ring long tailed non terminal types is a bridge too far unfortunately