Bedding in the shed

Tommy_T

Member
I have a small shed for lambing. One side is free range for expectant ewes and the other is pens for when they’ve lambed. It has a concrete floor so I lime it and then straw it out. I pick up what poop I can and restraw over the top as needed.
What do you do when you have an empty pen after it’s been used? Currently I am liming over the old straw and then laying new straw on top to make more of a cushion. Plus if I totally clean them out there’s a lot of wastage. The.only thing is when a new ewe goes in she can paw it up, including the manky bits underneath. I can’t see a way of stopping this from happening.
How do you manage the bedding in your shed?
 

Timbo

Member
Location
Gods County
Clean out each pen after each ewe. Use lime or limsol. Leave the pen in this state until the next resident then straw it down. Neat iodine on the lambs navels at least once, twice if you can. You cannot be considering "wastage" with new born lambs if you want them to live.
 
Clean out sweep out let dry then disinfectant in the knapsack on floor and gates etc

if pen has to be used before floor has dried I lime the concrete to cleanse and dry it up

muck is strawy but it’s better than disease.
If you are getting tight on budget for straw lamb outside.
 

hill shepherd

Member
Livestock Farmer
No time to muck pens out, often have to turn one sheep out because another new lambed one is waiting for a pen, just make sure the pens are bedded again if theyve got dirty or damp, never have any bother .
Good nutrition = good colostrum = healthy lambs, more important than mucking every pen out every time, however, we do try to keep on top of mucking out and use dry disinfectant between each family, but like you say, when busy and under pressure its not always possible
 

Timbo

Member
Location
Gods County
How do you all find the time to clean each pen out after each ewe has been in? We just put plenty of lime down an fresh straw.
Takes no time really, just have to be organised.

Short handled fork & short handled brush, and wheelbarrow. two good fork fulls, brush out and its done. We have the limsol at various spots in the shed so its no more than afew steps to get it.
 

muleman

Member
Glad you posted this because this is what happens here. I was beginning to feel a bit inadequate:cry:
Im sure most farms wont be able to clean out between each ewe.
Its textbook farming out of college to clean, dry and disinfect each pen between use, yes its good practice but on a busy farm it wont always happen.
As mentioned above, good nutrition through winter and plentiful colostrum is the key to the job.
 

hill shepherd

Member
Livestock Farmer
Maybe a good place to ask what people are using instead of spectam this year as it is no longer available?
We used to give spectam to every lamb then last two years vet said try to lessen usage, sold us two bottles told us just give to triplets or anything short of colostrum, only used one bottle and never noticed any problems, once again good colostrum is key. Makes you wonder what else we've been paying for that we could do without
 

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