Confessions of the Sheep/Beef Cattle/Pig Addicts

[livestock 1]

Most days are the same problem it was cold with a fret yesterday the rain got gradually heavier we gave up turning ewes and lambs out around 4pm it turned too cold and the rain was heavy. Nearly every day is similar in that respect

 

[hendrebc]

Night shift for me tonight we have a system of one night on one night off hitting around the 3 week mark feels like being separated or divorced or something

Forgot to reply to this.
When we lambed inside and dad was still able to help we used to do every other night lambing for a bit. It was miserable for everyone because we were both always tired especially me because i was the only one that could do a lot of the harder jobs especially outside. What we did instead was I'd go out in the morning for 5ish and stay out till everything was sorted and it was just checking that needed doing. Some days it would be midnight and some days that would be a lot earlier but I usually stayed out till about 9pm just to make it easier on his dodgy hip.
He wouldn't come out till just before mid day most days my dinner would be his breakfast. But he would be up and about till 3-4am ish at the latest knowing I'd be out again at 5am to take over and the ewes wouldn't be left for long.
It worked a lot better than every other.

 

[Estate fencing.]

Sorting my lambing failures. Fit ones and ones that look like dead bin models going, lean models that will feed are out to grass with the hoggs

That’s what I’m doing. Got some big decent ewes this week to go, a few are still in the shed not lambed so a bit wobbly now. Don’t think our cull trade is a good as it was down here sadly.

 

[Estate fencing.]

View attachment 1177811
dont come much more rural than @livestock 1 ….

@neilo commented.

 

[hill farmer]

Forgot to reply to this.
When we lambed inside and dad was still able to help we used to do every other night lambing for a bit. It was miserable for everyone because we were both always tired especially me because i was the only one that could do a lot of the harder jobs especially outside. What we did instead was I'd go out in the morning for 5ish and stay out till everything was sorted and it was just checking that needed doing. Some days it would be midnight and some days that would be a lot earlier but I usually stayed out till about 9pm just to make it easier on his dodgy hip.
He wouldn't come out till just before mid day most days my dinner would be his breakfast. But he would be up and about till 3-4am ish at the latest knowing I'd be out again at 5am to take over and the ewes wouldn't be left for long.
It worked a lot better than every other.

This is very similar to what we do, I'm up at night till 4 or 5 ish - later if it's very busy , son then gets up at 7. I go to bed till lunchtime and can then both be out till 11/12 at night when v busy

 

[hendrebc]

This is very similar to what we do, I'm up at night till 4 or 5 ish - later if it's very busy , son then gets up at 7. I go to bed till lunchtime and can then both be out till 11/12 at night when v busy

We started because we would spend half the day arguing whoever had been out all night was in a very bad mood the next day especially me because if there was anything that involved manhandling sheep I would have to do it and it would just be 'do this, do this, do this' all bloody day you can imagine how that went down....
Dad could limp about and pen up lambed ewes and run the odd one into a catching pen he made all night if he had to though so it made sense for him to do it so I could sort problems and feed all day.
Wouldn't be quite so straightforward if we were both able to do everything but i think I would still pick someone to do nights if it came to it again. It was easier on everyone.

 

[livestock 1]

Forgot to reply to this.
When we lambed inside and dad was still able to help we used to do every other night lambing for a bit. It was miserable for everyone because we were both always tired especially me because i was the only one that could do a lot of the harder jobs especially outside. What we did instead was I'd go out in the morning for 5ish and stay out till everything was sorted and it was just checking that needed doing. Some days it would be midnight and some days that would be a lot earlier but I usually stayed out till about 9pm just to make it easier on his dodgy hip.
He wouldn't come out till just before mid day most days my dinner would be his breakfast. But he would be up and about till 3-4am ish at the latest knowing I'd be out again at 5am to take over and the ewes wouldn't be left for long.
It worked a lot better than every other.

It was/is a good idea the only problem is the plan was the next day the one that had done night shift would get some rest and that hasn’t happened yet
And there’s things like last night when it was my night off and I was up calving but it’s only a few weeks so will sharp be over
I think the main problem here is we are lambing inside and outside which don’t agree with lol

 

[hendrebc]

What festival is there in June? Worth keeping cull ewes till mid May for that?

 

[Gedd]

View attachment 1177811
dont come much more rural than @livestock 1 ….

There will be a damp sticky patch somewhere

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

This is a very hungry spring, walking some grass this morning which we take ewes and lambs to and the grass isn’t getting going. It’s yellow and where there is some it’s got that purple tinge to it that means it’s rubbish, also seems a lot more moss and some rushes where there weren’t before. 30 acres of the best ground we have, which normally has 150 ewes on has 95 and it’s bare as a board. Going to move some to hopefully give it a rest to get going. No fields closed up for cows to go out, so goodness knows when that will happen. I think the record is 25th May. Fortunately got plenty of silage because all the meadows have sheep in and tightening them up looks a while off.

 

[Cowpoke82]

There will be a damp sticky patch somewhere

Moist

 

[Estate fencing.]

This is a very hungry spring, walking some grass this morning which we take ewes and lambs to and the grass isn’t getting going. It’s yellow and where there is some it’s got that purple tinge to it that means it’s rubbish, also seems a lot more moss and some rushes where there weren’t before. 30 acres of the best ground we have, which normally has 150 ewes on has 95 and it’s bare as a board. Going to move some to hopefully give it a rest to get going. No fields closed up for cows to go out, so goodness knows when that will happen. I think the record is 25th May. Fortunately got plenty of silage because all the meadows have sheep in and tightening them up looks a while off.

We are baring off fields fast, singles have very little food because horses came away so late. 10 days ago grass was getting a head of twins, it’s cold now though.

 

[Stw88]

Putting first dose on, just a month late. As @Aspiring Peasants said very little growth and hungry. This field is normally away in front of the sheep and getting barred off by the 10 may.

 

[livestock 1]

This is a very hungry spring, walking some grass this morning which we take ewes and lambs to and the grass isn’t getting going. It’s yellow and where there is some it’s got that purple tinge to it that means it’s rubbish, also seems a lot more moss and some rushes where there weren’t before. 30 acres of the best ground we have, which normally has 150 ewes on has 95 and it’s bare as a board. Going to move some to hopefully give it a rest to get going. No fields closed up for cows to go out, so goodness knows when that will happen. I think the record is 25th May. Fortunately got plenty of silage because all the meadows have sheep in and tightening them up looks a while off.

I was wondering about this myself and have been for a while. It’s been wet for a long time now and I seem to remember those wet years rushes appearing in a dramatic fashion. I was thinking that this wet weather won’t have been doing our ground any favours. Even dry ish ground will appear to be wet now and be inclined to grow rushes and moss.
I’m not thinking any cows will be going out to eat anything that grows here for a while. I have maybe 15 or so out with calves they don’t venture far just sit round a ring feeder they aren’t thinking it’s spring. As cold as it was this morning I was more like putting them back in. Put a dozen or so out on another place the rest are still in. What is in is eating a lot more than they were in February/March

 

[livestock 1]

View attachment 1177810

None can resist my highly developed calf muscles. It's why I look so good in a miniskirt

When you develop this is what they are supposed to look like

 

[Estate fencing.]

Culls, what they worth then?

 

[ritchiekirkland]

This is a very hungry spring, walking some grass this morning which we take ewes and lambs to and the grass isn’t getting going. It’s yellow and where there is some it’s got that purple tinge to it that means it’s rubbish, also seems a lot more moss and some rushes where there weren’t before. 30 acres of the best ground we have, which normally has 150 ewes on has 95 and it’s bare as a board. Going to move some to hopefully give it a rest to get going. No fields closed up for cows to go out, so goodness knows when that will happen. I think the record is 25th May. Fortunately got plenty of silage because all the meadows have sheep in and tightening them up looks a while off.

What do you think causes the purple tinge ? I’ve noticed that in my grass this year , not seen that before . Where it’s jot purple it’s going yellow !
Should get on with fert this week the way it’s drying up

 

[Anymulewilldo]

View attachment 1177862View attachment 1177863Culls, what they worth then?View attachment 1177864

Put it this way…. I’d be backing the trailer up ready for Thursday morning

 

[Estate fencing.]

Put it this way…. I’d be backing the trailer up ready for Thursday morning

There’s another load but they have done so well since going out with out lambs I feel I should get them full of meat now in 3 weeks. Might be worth less by then though. Probably try and take a load of culls (and good shape lambs) every 3 weeks throughout the summer.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

There’s another load but they have done so well since going out with out lambs I feel I should get them full of meat now in 3 weeks. Might be worth less by then though. Probably try and take a load of culls (and good shape lambs) every 3 weeks throughout the summer.

Sounds a damn good plan. Once they’re meat, off we go!