Earliest lambing outside

[jemski]

When do people start lambing outside (and I mean with no option of bringing them all in if the weather turns)?

I'm really considering lambing them all out next year. The homebred ewes haven't really needed touching at all, they pop them out and get on with it, so I trust them outside! It's just so much work and so expensive having them in. I know, you all know this already.
I realised how much I trust them to just do it by themselves. It's what I've been aiming to breed and there's no reason why they can't do it outside. I had to really urge the night lamber to be patient and leave them alone, as soon as they started her was in there checking them. The last place he was at, he said they had to lamb at least a third of them. So it's just got me really thinking.
I might change my mind after lambing the Cheviots outside in April, or it might just make my mind up totally!

 

[GTB]

The weather can sometimes be better in February than it is in April but generally the later you leave it the better your chances and of course you do need the grass to be growing ideally. There's nothing worse than having hungry 4/6 wk old lambs and no grass. Bought in feed just isn't as good IMO.

Be prepared for those bad days when you wish you were lambing inside. It's usually best to leave well alone in really bad weather.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Start on April 8th outside here...as @GTB says weather can sometimes be better in Feb than April...last year being a prime example...the worst weather I've ever known in April and hated every minute of it

 

[GTB]

Couple of old boys near here never take the rams out from the ewes. They mainly lamb late Jan to early March, pure Welsh mountain and rarely have a rush, have any mis-mothering or lose many to weather. I think they are far luckier with lambing most years than those of us who try to manage the timing.

 

[MF 135 Man]

March 15th here all outside no option to come in at about 900 feet, but i am lambing welsh ewes or welsh crosses in a well sheltered field. Since we started we have lambed out door in march.some days when you wake up and the rains driving in you wonder if its a massacre scene outside but (touch wood) no real problems. I would say choose the correct field carefully you want a well covered field but you also want easy access to ever nook and cranny as thats where the best ewes will go to lamb. In my opinion lambing outside you dont want to get to involved, we leave ares to it most the time only getting involved when there is a problem during birthing. after the lambs up and away they get moved in to another field watched for the first 24hrs and then released in with the other ewes and lambs. Although with that being said i buy in half my ewes from a hill flock that lambs all of them outside, the other half is home bred and all born and raised outside in these fields. so that probably helps them nicely having never been cuddled up in a shed. never tried taking what id call shed ewes and lamb them outside.

 

[GrannyAching]

You could get technical and go back over weather figures for the last ten years for your local area and pick a window from that. I lamb to the Easter holidays so have been as early as mid March and this year is about the latest being mid April. The weather will be awful whenever you pick! Especially when there is one that needs help. I guess we are more exposed than you and all fields face north. I try to use the ones with the best hedges but ewe lambs will always pick the coldest windiest spot.

Our feral hebs used to start in February but that was way too early most years.

 

[DevonTaff]

Have always started first week in April, one year didn't have a drop of rain and was high teens temperature by 10 am, the following year it rained, snowed and everything else.

 

[Tim W]

To me it's about timing birth with grass growth
I want a bit of grass ahead of them when they lamb, for me this means 10th April is right most years.

 

[DB67]

A few year ago it was t shirts for early April and hats and gloves for the end. Snowing etc.

But mid march onwards is probably safe enough to take a chance. Even if it does snow it's more likely to get warmer quickly.

 

[Woolless]

Start on April 8th outside here...as @GTB says weather can sometimes be better in Feb than April...last year being a prime example...the worst weather I've ever known in April and hated every minute of it

I've liked that but I also hated it, if you see what I mean. Late April/early May has been ropy last couple of years but how long do you wait?

 

[Bill dog]

15th march here on the flats beside the river. Will bring the first lot down next week, got a fair bit of cover for them to go into, managed to get 124 acre covered with 1 cwt/ ac 2 weeks ago. Temp was 11 degrees so hoping it did more good that covering it in slurry ! Will keep the slurry for pre silage growth.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I've liked that but I also hated it, if you see what I mean. Late April/early May has been ropy last couple of years but how long do you wait?

We used to lamb from the 22nd April into may outside and it was worse, couldn't get the percentage and ewes getting too fat off fresh grass and lambs getting stuck, the amount singles with swollen heads was a pain in the arse so set them back to early April and much better but last year was suicidal with the weather...absolutely sickened me

 

[Al R]

Whenever your grass starts growing in a normal year. We're march 5th main flock. Early 70 (terminals) are out in the day Jan and Feb and in at night. Half lamb outside and sometimes stay out. Turned 5 per BFL out today at only 2 days old. They can be in 7-10days this time of year mind!
The commercials in march, twins out and left out unless a problem. Triplets and singles in at night out in the day. 40% of singles are to big and need help so their in plus can adopt triplets easier inside. Most that are born inside in march weather permitting will be out that day or next.

This winter we're heavier stocked and have gone through 45 bales of haylage so far. 2015 was so mild we used 15 bales (for the shed and always 45-60 in shed at night from jan 1st till April 1st) all year!

 

[Mutch]

Have to agree with @Tim W it has to coincide with your grass growth curve - you'll never be able to predict the weather pattern/ weather extremes but I'd say grass growth is a bit more reliable and those milking ewes need ALOT of it to perform to their genetic potential - and feeding ewes with lambs is a total pain.

 

[Nithsdale]

1st March.


I think that (so far) makes me the earliest, and most farthest North.

 

[Man_in_black]

1st March.


I think that (so far) makes me the earliest, and most farthest North.

And using suffolks......what do they say, two out of three ain't bad!!

 

[Jerry]

Mid Feb but I do have the option to put them inside if needed. Not been needed for the last few years.

Grass is growing, and been growing for s good few weeks but I'm almost on the S coast.

Good couple of inches fresh grass on the fields the lambs go onto to start with.

 

[Al R]

And using suffolks......what do they say, two out of three ain't bad!!

The north but must be the good bit then
When we had them as pedigree for terminals they'd lamb in gateways or the middle of fields in winds and storms a lot worse than Doris was!

 

[MJT]

Work out when your grass really starts to move and lamb a week or so after that. As others have said the last thing you want is the grass to run out when lambs are 3/4 weeks old, stalls them badly, been there done that ! Yes you may get bad weather late March early April but at least you aren't thinking "there may be another couple of months like this" , like you would be end of Feb early March.

 

[Nithsdale]

And using suffolks......what do they say, two out of three ain't bad!!

Isn't that a hat-trick I've scored?

The north but must be the good bit then
When we had them as pedigree for terminals they'd lamb in gateways or the middle of fields in winds and storms a lot worse than Doris was!

Just Suffolk tips, not ewes