No doors on houses, Ooop North...
f**k Up Fortnight
- Thread starter yellowbelly
- Start date
The shearer had us booked in for today so obviously it rained all night last night! Rescheduled for tomorrow!
The ladies of the house were frazzling my last nerve so I decided to bring the ewes and lambs down so I don't have to chase them round tomorrow. Then decided as a few had scabby ears I'd worm/bolus/weigh the lambs. Managed to find my favourite drench gun was gummed up solid! Then found the only sharp broken weld on my guillotine gate with the soft part of my middle finger. And topped it off with the little darlings bashing my hand against the scales. But the good news is the weights aren't bad. Mostly beltex X out of ewe lambs, mostly twins and they were all between 22 and 25kg except a runt whi spent a good whike contemplating death and a big single who looks like he killed and ate his twin, which was as near as damn it 30kg. Ages 6 - 9 weeks just off milk and my rubbish sheep sick grass.
And I had a random tradesman who was quoting for a job ask if I do lamb boxes and didn't bat an eye when I said £200/lamb!
The ladies of the house were frazzling my last nerve so I decided to bring the ewes and lambs down so I don't have to chase them round tomorrow. Then decided as a few had scabby ears I'd worm/bolus/weigh the lambs. Managed to find my favourite drench gun was gummed up solid! Then found the only sharp broken weld on my guillotine gate with the soft part of my middle finger. And topped it off with the little darlings bashing my hand against the scales. But the good news is the weights aren't bad. Mostly beltex X out of ewe lambs, mostly twins and they were all between 22 and 25kg except a runt whi spent a good whike contemplating death and a big single who looks like he killed and ate his twin, which was as near as damn it 30kg. Ages 6 - 9 weeks just off milk and my rubbish sheep sick grass.
And I had a random tradesman who was quoting for a job ask if I do lamb boxes and didn't bat an eye when I said £200/lamb!
Aspiring Peasants
Member
- Location
- North Pennines
Why not try fattening some of your own lambs, run some round to now even? May be able to lamb less ewes and have similar margins to keeping more and selling stores. ?
- Location
- N.Lincs
That's what we do with our lambs out of hill bred ewes.
In the last few years the hogg trade has been best from mid March and into April (this year, more by luck than good judgement, we hit the 'bonanza' period).
You need turnips/cover crops/grass to get them through the winter though and maybe finish them in your shed before you need it for lambing.
There's usually always trade for stores at that time of year too if you were running out of time or didn't want to cake them to get them fit.
Needs enough land to make it work with minimal bought in inputs I'd say.
Land has to be able to carry those stores too. Used to fatten 4-500 lambs here, but I had access to a man and dog, both well trained. I have neither these days, just 2 clapped out old fogeys....
I said to Herself, that we are turning into that ancient couple that are on the one Yorkshire Farming program she watches....
- Location
- South Pennines ol14
Steve and Jean green. From the Yarksher vet ?Needs enough land to make it work with minimal bought in inputs I'd say.
Land has to be able to carry those stores too. Used to fatten 4-500 lambs here, but I had access to a man and dog, both well trained. I have neither these days, just 2 clapped out old fogeys....
I said to Herself, that we are turning into that ancient couple that are on the one Yorkshire Farming program she watches....
Got it in one. Going to try the electrician tonight see if he wants one as well. And the stables builder. Got to claw back some of the money I'm paying them!
Aspiring Peasants
Member
- Location
- North Pennines
Pretty much what we do with an increasing number each year. Makes it a bit tight in the spring but I want to lamb less ewes anyway. Broke the £200 barrier last night and last year the best were over £170. These have had no concentrate, just pickings over winter, the odd bale and a bit of chopped fodder beet until grass came
- Location
- South Pennines ol14
My dentist phoned in sick so I had to see the main man , to be fair he was brilliant, two x rays showed a cavity on the tooth’s root, pull it out I said , he grand then £ 95 later no painHad a bit of trouble in the middle of lambing.
Decided I couldn't put up with it anymore - had to resort to a pair of long nosed pliers and a bit of disbudding anaesthetic...
View attachment 1181736
The bu99er had a longer root than I was anticipating and bled a fair bit for a minute or two after 'the extraction' but the instant lack of pain was very rewarding
View attachment 1181737
He told me to put my feet up for the afternoon…. So I am
- Location
- Highland
Same here. Last one lambed Sunday. Monday gathering and hours of ewe dagging, lamb worming, cocci, vax, spot on, notch. Same again today, done now. I have literally lifted every lamb here 
.
Hopefully we'll have some down time before something else starts up.
I have never seen the ewes so shitty. We usually have a few but probably half needed serious attention. No idea why, nothing changed this year.
. Hopefully we'll have some down time before something else starts up.
I have never seen the ewes so shitty. We usually have a few but probably half needed serious attention. No idea why, nothing changed this year.
Probably.... Sounds about right
Even the names sound familiar!
- Location
- N.Lincs
We probably have a couple of years before decrepitude...
Mind, after spotting a couple of ewe lambs with the dreaded maggots in the solar farm at 5p and the buggeration of getting them into a pen and then treating the unfortunate animals and be home for 9pm, after a 5.30 start to get stock into Drayton, I reckon another 12months will see us knackered....
And yes, it was an EC lamb... For some reason the shedding is not going well this time for a lot of the stock...
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What was it like getting into drayton yesterday? I heard there were some good queues! Nearly 4000 sheep sold looking at the report but only 344 lambs averaging 459ppk! Busy day!!!We probably have a couple of years before decrepitude...
Mind, after spotting a couple of ewe lambs with the dreaded maggots in the solar farm at 5p and the buggeration of getting them into a pen and then treating the unfortunate animals and be home for 9pm, after a 5.30 start to get stock into Drayton, I reckon 12months will see us knackered....
And yes, it was an EC lamb... For some reason the shedding is not going well this time for a lot of the stock...
Stupid...!
Massive queues and the trailers were stacked up into the lorry park, to get them off the road. It is basically why we do not sell sheep there... Said it before, they are a victim of their own success these days, helped by other markets closing down. Pens were rammed, with too many animals in some for my liking.