f**king weather mun
- Thread starter Ysgythan
- Start date
- Location
- West Wales
Haven't had as much as we thought here. I'll tell you tomorrow how much we had! - raingauge.
Northeastfarmer
Member
- Location
- Cleveland
Anyone for indoor lambing
Been turning day olds out, turned them all back in tonight. Hope we can turn out tomorrow as we've run out of hurdles and room and half the ewes have lambed today. The little buggers are tough and most would survive, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice them on some populist altar.
I've got serious sympathy for anybody lambing out in what we had today. Constant rain all day and started blowing a gale as it got dark.
Northeastfarmer
Member
- Location
- Cleveland
Me too, I got it last April, if it's the same this year then it'll be a bank loan for some indoor lambing
- Location
- West Wales
Why not try old wedding marquees? A spring calving herd by me has 1 just for the calf rearing.
Had 2 sets of triplets born out today, both a week early and both lost the smallest lamb before dad got there. Bought them in as we've only got 8 out of 120 pens occupied. Hopefully this is the last horrendous weather for a few weeks!
The 4x 72hr BFL lambs turned out yesterday are good though!!
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Similar dilemma here. Pens getting full. Some turned out earlier doing OK with shelters in the field made of a couple of sheets of corrugated resting on a U shape of small straw bales held down with concrete blocks. Long side open so they don't suffocate. They soon learn to use the shelters. 5 shelters for 80 lambs. A fresh coat of straw on floor each day to keep bellies dry then take them up as soon as lambs strong enough. Disease risk but better than losing a load on a stormy night.
Northeastfarmer
Member
- Location
- Cleveland
If I put a wedding marquee up where I am then the next day my neighbour would be diversifying! I need something that's anchored down!
Lambing indoors doesn't solve the problem unless you have a big enough area to house them after lambing. Huge disease challenge if you manage that by leaving them in fixed pens, and then there's the check when they do go out. Seriously, if you're lambing out I'd consider field shelters, probably polytunnels, as loose housing for anything that needed it before putting up a shed.
sherg
Member
- Location
- shropshire
Its a good insurance policy if nothing else, and you could always fatten cattle in it until march
Northeastfarmer
Member
- Location
- Cleveland
Plan is to put a big straw shed up then lamb in it come April
- Location
- West Wales
Considering their only a few hundred metres from the sea but are sheltered a bit from that side their only 2-3mile from the west coast of Wales.
I know someone with hundreds of thousands of outside turkeys who has shelters for them which have a couple round bales on the roofs to keep them down. And still they quite often take off!
Northeastfarmer
Member
- Location
- Cleveland
I'm flatter than a witches tit...when it's windy you don't want to be wearing a syrup
- Location
- South east scotland
Ive just got a 30 ft storage container to put out in my most exposed lambing paddock lost 32 lambs in a day in april last year with cold driving sleet snow little bugger never had a chance. If it turn sh!t this year i can put them in there as they are born for a few hours keep them dry and save carting them all back home as they are born. Took some pics of it today but cant get them to upload.
Are these lamb macs any good? I've never tried them but on a day like today could probably save a few lives? How long do they stay on?
- Location
- West Wales
So 24 hours and they fall off? Are some makes better than others?
- Location
- Ceredigion, wales
We haven't started lambing luckily. I really feel sorry for those who are hard at it in this weather. As said, lambing inside is only half the battle. They still have to go out at some point and all need feeding, watering and bedding until then.