Best way to skin a lamb and put on for fostering

[hillman]

suggestions please tried last year and failed with this method ?
Thanks

 

[llamedos]

You failed to skin, or you failed to get it adopted?

 

[Jackson4]

I'm sure theres better ways but i use a stanley blade cut round the neck, pinch the skin under the throat and cut it so that you dont cut the veins and get blood everywhere, cut the skin round all 4 legs about an inch down then cut from neck right down to arse, then cut up all legs till you get to were youve cut round the legs (sounds slow but doesnt take long with practice)
Then peel skin from around the neck, put your boots on front legs and kneck and just keep pulling. The skin will come right off with tail and all. Put skin on lamb and cable tie it under its chin and twice under its belly. If she takes it take it off before it begins to smell. Good luck cause sheep can be obstinate b*st%rds!

 

[Wooly]

Put a little hole in the skin..........insert air compressor hose........turn on compressor..............skin separates from rest of body ( lamb the size of the ewe by this time).........then easy to skin!!

 

[hillman]

Got skin off failed on adopted part

It's not something we do a lot so not as such up to speed on technique, when doing my placement the old guy threw me a lamb and told me to skin it I looked at him as if he had fifty heads as I had never done it before , got no help but muffled through and it worked and any time thereafter on the placement it worked but on the odd times I try it here it always seems to fail ??

Thanks for replies I'd warm up the compressor later

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Single or double?
Never had much success with skinning double lambs. Don't bother trying now.

 

[Nithsdale]

Every which way you can...

...aslong as its in 1 peice, with no holes (except for head and legs).


I cut into the loose skin on inner thigh, running down inside of leg. Use fingers to prise skin off the body and cut at hok, same other back leg. Pull off the back and cut through tail head. Run the cut from top of rear legs forward to front of navel on both sides then pull all skin forwards. Front half comes off in one, keep pulling/working with your fingers till your up the neck, and down the front legs. Then just run knife round neck and above knees. That gives you a ready made neck and front leg holes. Cut a slit in the rear flanks and feed rear legs through. Simples.

Stick the lamb in with the ewe, and leave for a day or two... then cut the skin in half leaving the front half on the lamb for a farther day. Remove all skin the next day and 99% of the time the job is a good one!

 

[shearerlad]

Many ways to skin a cat. Oops a lamb.

I start with back legs. Cut round at both hamstrings then up inside of back legs and round the crutch. Peel off and take the whole tail off. Then it's a simple pull to the neck and front legs. I tie the lamb up by hocks once back legs are skinned. Gives me both hands to work with, plus I'm a wee lad so can't stand on back legs and pull!

As @Nithsdale Farmer says, small hole in each flank for back legs. Front legs and head have "original holes". Saves trying to tie the skin on with cable ties or string. Before putting skin on give the foster lamb a good rub around the head and ears with the skin so that some of the smell transfers. Last thing is to present lamb to the suspect ewe so she sees and sniffs the skin 1st.
I only leave the skin on for 24 hours and usually that's enough.

 

[Nithsdale]

We do it the same way i think... but you muse be right wee @shearerlad - iv a board i lay across 2 hurdles to make a table. I just grab back legs in one hand, skin in the other and pull!

Id be finished twinning on and away for a cuppa by the time youve got yours tied up

 

[JD-Kid]

toss lamb in pit or out for slink lamb spray ewe and lamb with smelly stuff job done less touching of lamb you can do the better your smell is not one she needs to over come as well

if the lambs still born and not cleaned just rub lambs together

also make sure yer not makeing work just for the sake of it don't go around getting lambs just to mother on if a ewes handleing 3 lambs let her keep them guy i used to work for did that spent hours going no were .. infact thats the feeling i get on here at times much like NZ farming in the mid 80's
seems to be alot of un needed stock work , ram's just brought for the sake of a ram , etc etc

 

[shearerlad]

Aye just shy of 9 stone fully clothed and tackets in my boots!!!

Loop of string from top bar of cattle hurdle does the trick. Got a few dotted around the shed. They have a loop curled into them from being used too much

 

[jemski]

Many ways to skin a cat. Oops a lamb.

I start with back legs. Cut round at both hamstrings then up inside of back legs and round the crutch. Peel off and take the whole tail off. Then it's a simple pull to the neck and front legs. I tie the lamb up by hocks once back legs are skinned. Gives me both hands to work with, plus I'm a wee lad so can't stand on back legs and pull!

As @Nithsdale Farmer says, small hole in each flank for back legs. Front legs and head have "original holes". Saves trying to tie the skin on with cable ties or string. Before putting skin on give the foster lamb a good rub around the head and ears with the skin so that some of the smell transfers. Last thing is to present lamb to the suspect ewe so she sees and sniffs the skin 1st.
I only leave the skin on for 24 hours and usually that's enough.

I do it like this too. Then it goes on like a jumper. You have to be gentle along the belly as it can tear. But skins like this rarely fail here. And now I've said that the next one won't take!!!!

 

[Nithsdale]

Aye just shy of 9 stone fully clothed and tackets in my boots!!!

Loop of string from top bar of cattle hurdle does the trick. Got a few dotted around the shed. They have a loop curled into them from being used too much

Enjoy it when you can pal! Im yet to meet a thin, retired shearer... they all pile on the pounds after the handpiece gets hung up

 

[sheepwise]

I cut around all 4 legs just above knees then stand on one back foot and hold other back leg up and place point of knife under skin where cut on back knee and cut along crutch through teats to other back knee.Then with my fingers prize skin from crutch to around tail head and cut out tail. Then simply stand on back legs and pull skin up off body like a jumper, pull out front legs and finally cut off around neck.Takes about 30 seconds and you have a skin to put on orphan lamb like a jumper with no need to tie on or cut leg holes.Importantly the underline and hips of the lamb are completely covered which is where a ewe will smell.
Twinned a ewe last night at 6pm with ewe purring for lamb right away.Skin half off at 6am this morning and completely off and ewe away to field with lamb before lunch.If you have a ewe with plenty milk and a lamb which is a good suckler then they are not hard to twin.

 

[hillman]

Generally manage to wet foster but a 2 day old single got lay on so temped to skin and see what happens at monent in bail unit with a triplet on her

 

[JD-Kid]

it's kinda intresting some ewes will take any thing even out in the paddock one of the aunt's will take a spair lamb seen the odd ewe with twin's take on a 3rd
guy i get rams off had a mix up of in lamb ewes some to black face some to white come tailing a few of the ewes had one of each on them

can't recall but @Global ovine may have the good oil on it but i thought a ewes milking was kinda set before lambing ie a single lambing ewe will milk lower than one going to have twins etc so putting a triple on to a ewe with a single already maynot fully have eneff to feed both fully and you may of held back the single from going away early

i recall in the 80's here alot of the sheep farmers had lambing motels all over the farm wee pens made with gates near the house guys bringing in ewes and lambs all hours of the day mothering on etc etc and would have only been doing 90-110 % lambing

guy i worked for would of had 20 motel units peak lambing all full even then ewes tied to fences some in wool shed pens so maybe 30-40 ewes peak lambing being played with .. thats out of maybe 2000 ewes
alot of the times he rushed in took a twin etc just to mother on ummmmmmmm spooked the rest next day pick up 2 others to mother on due to the ewes takeing off

modern ewes with good mothering skills left to them selfs tend to take lambs alot of breeders of rams have made great gains in eazy care of ewes lambing with better ram shape etc also less flighty sheep so ewes hang around more

guy with all the lambing motels i worked for ewes would stamp feet pig jump away from lambs head up ears back snort run away run back total d**kh**d sheep most of ours walk up to lambs the ewes will walk off calm calling lambs stop watch you once you leave come back .. never realy disstressed about people

 

[Jackson4]

Only thing with using original holes.. neck and legs, is it can be too tight or slack sometimes and a faff to get them in...spose its what you get used to.
Think its twins produce 40% more milk than singles and triplets 10% more than twins on same feed JD. Though i suppose there will be a big difference in milk yield between sheep with the same numbers of lambs and between different breeds.

 

[Global ovine]

can't recall but @Global ovine may have the good oil on it but i thought a ewes milking was kinda set before lambing ie a single lambing ewe will milk lower than one going to have twins etc so putting a triple on to a ewe with a single already maynot fully have eneff to feed both fully and you may of held back the single from going away early

Correct JD. Developed mammary tissue is proportional to the weight of the uterine contents at lambing. In other words, the size of the fuel injectors is matched to the horsepower of the motor.
After lambing, milk production adjusts to demand and feed available, but this takes time to adjust. So any fostered on lamb should not be bigger than the lamb(s) lost, or such lambs will be under fed until the udder can match the demand.

 

[Nithsdale]

Only thing with using original holes.. neck and legs, is it can be too tight or slack sometimes and a faff to get them in...spose its what you get used to.
Think its twins produce 40% more milk than singles and triplets 10% more than twins on same feed JD. Though i suppose there will be a big difference in milk yield between sheep with the same numbers of lambs and between different breeds.

If the skin is tight over the foster lamb... just cut a slit in the holes to make them a wee bit bigger. Always do this on the inside of the leg, and under the chin - where the ewe wont be sniffing about.
Its never been an issue with a skin bigger as the foster lamb... if its huge, just fit it over the front end and trim the rear so its not trailing on the floor.

 

[Razor8]

Do ye leave lambs navel within the skin? Concerned it would be a route for infection