crystalix

What do people do with there sheep if housing is not an option ? Lots of fields I’ve seen with sheep in are looking really messed up it must be a nightmare in this weather . If winters keep on getting wetter will people give up keeping them ?

Hi, got some tup lambs that I want to keep growing on over winter, grass is getting short now so wanting to know what everyone feeds their tup lambs over winter without stuffing them. thanks

OK, that time of year again when I am pricing up buckets. What is everyone getting priced for Crystalyx, Optilyx from Downland and Rumenco Maxx, and how did everyone get on with them last year. Hearing that Rumenco are a fair bit cheaper but are they as good and as hard as the other two...

Where did the bug eyed, big horned, little things come from?

Thinking of trying to free up some time for fencing in jan/Feb this year and looking at puting out feed blocks rather than a daily feed of sugar beet pulp pellets. How does the consumption of the blocks compare? Obviously you can’t really regulate how much they consume…..so how much do they...

Hi we are looking at bringing in 10/12 store cattle for this winter. I am sorted for straw and silage. we are looking for some form of storage for pellet mix that we can then load into a borrow to put into the troughs. Any cost effect ideas that are not hard work? Thanks

Do these buckets make any difference or just marketing ploy.

I've been thinking I should sort something out to store the oil jugs to prevent them getting dust in when not in use. What do other people do please? I've considered keeping them in a big plastic box, and I'm sure I've also seen people with a can drainer type stand to store them upside down...

Does anyone have any experience of these, ideally several years to get an idea of longevity? I’m contemplating replacing an ageing bike and inevitably the price of these is appealing with a lot apparently being sold lately but my gut feeling is to avoid them having seen people caught with cheap...

I know this has proberly been done before but were thinking of tupping our ewe lambs for the first time there a mix of north of england mules and texel crosses. What waight would you tup? And what tup would you use ?

Must be time for an updated discussion on feeding in lamb ewes through the winter and lambing. Firstly hard feed is not being considered here due to system change. Not needing the time, disturbance and cost of fuel and wear and tear in ATVs and Snackers. When you add it all in to the...

This is a thread for those who feel guilty about cluttering up dear old GUTH’s beloved price tracker with the chit chat that stop us all being that miserable our families would throw us all out to sit with the dog in the porch. All are welcome, you can even post prices if you want. The only rule...

Had a heatwave for two years now. Generally think it's a very good thing. I just wondered if anyone had "hacked" it to improve it? The pumping-through system could surely be improved somehow. I found the weights supplied for the end of the pipes annoying and now jubilee clip a nut and bolt on...

'Twas always thus - that 10-14 days in the run up to the start of lambing heralds the onslaught of TLD, prolapses, blown guts, abortions and the 1001 other things that can go wrong with sheep :banghead: Many moons ago, when I was young and keen, an old bloke once told me, "A farm or a piece...

Just wondering how people are getting on with these this season, I have just bought my ewes home on Thursday and put out 4 80kg tubs out with them (260 ewes) . According to my calculations with the recommended daily intake they should have lasted about 2 weeks. They were pretty much gone by...

We’ve had a very bad run up and start to lambing, about 30 out of 150 yearlings have aborted, none of the other ewes. Sent some lambs away to be tested and they have come back with the results that they both lambs had toxo. They have had both toxo and enzo vaccinations, as we had it very bad...

Just started lambing but not going very well, seem to have a lot of twin lamb this year, feeding nuts and good haylage, had a ewe have twins this morning, ewe did,t show signs of twin lamb, had the 1st one ok, left her half hour, when i came back she had just lambed the 2nd, cleaned air and...

Hi, we tried a mineral block last winter that the sheep, or deer, just didn’t take to. We’re newbie farmers, but getting some advice from an experienced man who works for a family member. Were recommended a Lachlan Macgregor product and bought 2 1/4 pallets to see them through the winter. Got 1...

I am thinking of getting 4 acres of old grass land Direct drilled with turnips after second cut silage. Winters are wet here and land wouldn’t be the lightest but this would be one of my driest fields in winter. Never grazed a forage crop over winter here before. I am wondering would I get...

Another sheep conundrum! 10 days ago we gathered a ewe up that had been out with her lamb 4/5 days, walking round in circles, star gazing and stumbling. Caught it up and its mouth was rammed with un-swallowed grass. Within 15mins of fetching it in and ringing the vet she had filled her gob...