The Devonshire Bloke!
Member
Does anyone dock there ewes before lambing to keep the back ends cleaner? Not that my ewes are dirty just it'd be a lot easier to see when one is lambing?!
Docking before lambing?
- Thread starter The Devonshire Bloke!
- Start date
Downton_shep
Member
- Location
- Leintwardine
Doing them all this year through the combi clamp when they have there heptavac.
CharcoalWally
Member
- Location
- West of Scotland
No.
You lambing in or out? I lamb outside and I wouldn't dream of wasting time gathering heavy in lamb ewes to be given even a little extra stress by clipping their tails.
Even on outdoor lambing it's the easiest thing in the world to spot a ewe that's thinking on lambing. Just watch their behaviour and body language to spot the signs. Looking round at her sides, bleating all the time, scraping at the ground to bed themselves down, spending a couple of days standing quietly in a little hidden spot where you don't normally see them.
All these things tell you she's thinking of lambing long before you see a water bag.
Downton_shep
Member
- Location
- Leintwardine
It’s not just for lambing though, keeps them clean till shearing so no need to worry about bloody maggots!
CharcoalWally
Member
- Location
- West of Scotland
True for your part of the world @_sheptastic , but it's different in our climate up here. I wouldn't be particularly worried about a fly challenge until after lambing. I'm further North, but I'm also on the coast, so there's plenty of coastal cool airs in the Spring.
exmoor dave
Member
- Location
- exmoor, uk
Yep
Our feb lambing ewes going out on to saved grass then grazing though the spring flush would get terrible dirty if I didn't dock pre-lambing.
Suffolk cross ewes mind
Made the mistake of thinking I could get away with it one year.....what a nightmare!
- Location
- Ceredigion, wales
Traditionally around here all ewes were dagged in late April or early May when the lambs were marked. It was a big job requiring lots of staff. These days nearly everyone dag their ewes before lambing when vaccinating. Far less stressful for all concerned. We don't dag ours at all though because we have the ultimate sheep breed, Easycares
- Location
- Lancashire
I clip them out every year, as said easy to see if outs starting to lamb and keeps um clean after they've Lambed
beardface
Member
- Location
- East Yorkshire
I do them pre tupping seems to tighten it up. I know if I was a ram I’d rather have a clean one to go at rather than one covered in klinker. Less stress as there not in lamb and combine it with a jab of footvax and a min French or mini bolus
Castle Farm
Member
Ewes could get udder problems leave till after lambing.
- Location
- Ceredigion, wales
Old wives tale.
- Location
- Mendips Somerset
I do dec/ jan ewes at first gather for lamb vax in about march , easier for us then
No you wouldn't want a bare arse here in.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I crutched them out before lambing for a couple of years and certainly ended up with more Mastitis (Texel X ewes). I stopped, and mastitis levels dropped back. I haven't done it since.
I don't crutch the crossbred ewes pre-tupping or pre-lambing, just maybe the dozen or so that get dirty pre-shearing. Noticeably less daggy sheep since we've been on Highlanders, and I really don't like recreational work.
What colour are the sheep's heads @The Devonshire Bloke! ?
beardface
Member
- Location
- East Yorkshire
@neilo Do your highlander ewes have a snow line type bum, in that there’s less wool around the tail. Just I’ve started crossing to romney from lleyn sand it’s reduced that characteristic I found with lleyns. It’s opened the fleece on the back though (our main strike area) and increased fleece weight. Thinking a highlander ram with a more romney type fleece could be good, but wondered if they have a more snow line backend.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
No, they have a full fleece behind, they're just rarely daggy. Nothing magical about that, just that the kiwis have selected hard against it. No reason any UK breeders couldn't do just the same if they wanted to.
I have a crop of Highlander x Lleyn lambs this time, which look to be doing quite well and with tighter fleeces. I bought 10 pure Lleyn ewe lambs last year, to assess the breed on my system, and I have to say that they are disappointing next to the others in most respects. I'm of the view that one cross into a Highlander might be useful, but I'd be loathe to put any more Lleyn blood than that in, based on them. I might even keep a Highlander x Lleyn ram lamb next year, to replace his father and dilute the influence further.
The Devonshire Bloke!
Member
I lamb indoors and yea I could tell when a ewe was about to lamb soon since I was 11!
But there's things like if a lambs backwards and the tail pops out you're not gonna see it through the wool/sh!t or a nose with no legs!
The Devonshire Bloke!
Member
I crutched them out before lambing for a couple of years and certainly ended up with more Mastitis (Texel X ewes). I stopped, and mastitis levels dropped back. I haven't done it since.
I don't crutch the crossbred ewes pre-tupping or pre-lambing, just maybe the dozen or so that get dirty pre-shearing. Noticeably less daggy sheep since we've been on Highlanders, and I really don't like recreational work.
What colour are the sheep's heads @The Devonshire Bloke! ?
I've got pure Suffolks so it'd be quite a lot better not to have to dock em after lambing more stress on ewes and handling for the lambs!
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
There's your problem. If you had sheep with heads and tails that were a different colour to the dags, you'd have no trouble.
If you're going to have to crutch them all anyway, you may as well do them pre-lambing. It's not going to bother heavily pregnant ewes unless you're rough with them.
At least that way there will be less to take off when you dag them again later, or the next time, or.......
You muddle the lambs if you tip them to dag them within a fortnight of lambing and get no end of malpresentaions. So do them at least month before or buy one of those divan bed contraptions or dag them as you turn them away.