Ewe condition?

[hubbahubba]

Just wondering how folks ewes are holding up? Ours are due to start monday. At scanning time first week in jan they were a bit back on condition on the year but still ok. Started feeding rolls earlier as normal as they wouldnt eat much haylage or silage outside. The girls that came in a few weeks ago are way fitter as the ones that came in last week and my singles that came in at weekend are no good at all, been feeding them too. Always get the odd single we don't try and twin up but there will be plenty this year no fot for 2.

Gave solantal mid jan so i dont expect to be too much of a fluke issue allthough i will send dung away this week and plan to dose as the leave shed, either with flukiver or high white wormer depending how old any fluke is we find.

Thinking if this is whst mine are like lowland ewes outside and hill ewes cant be great. Or its maybe just my lot not performing as normal.

 

[Stewartry hill]

Mine are too lean

 

[cotswoldcs]

We have over a third of the flock that are in poorer condition than I would like. They've been out in this rain every day and it's taken it's toll. Sheep don't like the wet. Neither do I!

 

[Tim W]

Fat as larry here ---going to pull the twins/singles out next week and ease them off the grub a bit

 

[neilo]

I’ve never seen ewe condition fall as far, or as fast, as it has over the last few weeks since the storms started. Most were doing OK until then, but it’s been hard on them these last few weeks.

I took 100 of the thinnest off roots after scanning 3 weeks ago, starting them on a grass rotation. The turnaround has been quite dramatic but no way I could do it with more than 100. Not enough grass and far too wet for anything other than a fast rotation with a small number.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Fat as larry here ---going to pull the twins/singles out next week and ease them off the grub a bit

I've gone off you now, since you wrote that

Oh to have free range of those vast green well drained Wiltshire acres ....

 

[ford4000]

I’ve never seen ewe condition fall as far, or as fast, as it has over the last few weeks since the storms started. Most were doing OK until then, but it’s been hard on them these last few weeks.

I took 100 of the thinnest off roots after scanning 3 weeks ago, starting them on a grass rotation. The turnaround has been quite dramatic but no way I could do it with more than 100. Not enough grass and far too wet for anything other than a fast rotation with a small number.

When I gave ours their heptavac jab I was happy with their condition, pulled about 30 leaner ones out for better treatment, but boy had the fittest ones lost condition over those weeks we had of storms!
Feeding more nuts than ever before now, getting a lot of lambs though to hopefully compensate

 

[livestock 1]

Poorer than I would like but improving slowly. Feeding the weather springs to mind. Can’t really go much further with the diet.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I’ve never seen ewe condition fall as far, or as fast, as it has over the last few weeks since the storms started. Most were doing OK until then, but it’s been hard on them these last few weeks.

Same here...had silage in front of them all winter and been fat as pigs...as soon as the storms struck they melted like a snowball in hell....it’s taken 10 days of hard feed to pull them right

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Our ewes were great at scanning mid Jan. But even on adlib haylage, molasses & 2/3lb nuts a day the multiples just melted into Feb. Been in 3 weeks now as I was convinced the rain was washing the condition away faster than the feed was putting it on. They are putting it back very slowly now so at least I'm not wasting feed keeping them warm. Still leaner than I would like 3 weeks off lambing but they look bright and healthy (apart from the texel who decided that this morning was the perfect time to lie down and die. Must have been something a bit wrong, she was near floating on the yard by lunch!)

 

[livestock 1]

Same here...had silage in front of them all winter and been fat as pigs...as soon as the storms struck they melted like a snowball in hell....it’s taken 10 days of hard feed to pull them right

Mine have been on hard feed since January! Getting ewe rolls, beet (ad lib), silage (ad lib), promol 20 (ad lib)
I think I should just plant our ground with trees instead of farming sheep

 

[Estate fencing.]

One bunch of ewe lambs are the poorest Iv ever had them, iv even put feed block with them to help them out. Ewes housed early because it was to wet have really struggled to hold condition. But had late April twins in yesterday to fluke them, they look dreadful were lovely and fit. Also the nz Suffolk cross ewe lambs that had to put with them because there field disappeared under water at Christmas where fit to kill.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Mine have been on hard feed since January! Getting ewe rolls, beet (ad lib), silage (ad lib), promol 20 (ad lib)
I think I should just plant our ground with trees instead of farming sheep

If I gave ours hard feed for that long I’d never get any lambed... 3/4 weeks is ample for us

 

[livestock 1]

If I gave ours hard feed for that long I’d never get any lambed... 3/4 weeks is ample for us

I would hate to see what would have happened here if I hadn’t fed these sheep the way I have and fluke and wormed them regularly. Just one of those years. Last year looks so easy now. But that’s farming no two years the same. I’m still having bits of problems not too bad. Some folks aren’t carrying all this feed about and are having real bother.

 

[Tim W]

I've gone off you now, since you wrote that

Oh to have free range of those vast green well drained Wiltshire acres ....

Be a different story when we get to August and it hasn't rained for 3 months ----can't have it all ways

 

[unlacedgecko]

I’ll be condition scoring later this week.

 

[hendrebc]

Ewes that came off turnips have altered after going on some overwinter grass pre lambing. Some leaner singles have been put with the twins though. They don't look too bad really considering which is nice but they have eaten a lot of silage and turnips.

Shearlings don't look so good though.... They were on a sacrifice field with silage and some of them didn't know what silage was as they had been wintered on rough grazing last year and refused to eat the silage this year they learnt eventually after I tried giving them some hay but it took them a while and by then it was too late they won't be lambing for another month so hopefully they will be ok once they get some green in them.
In lamb hoggets look better than them but they ate silage straight away having never seen it before ?‍

 

[Herdwick sheep]

Just a novice question. When you read (advice information) it often says the last six weeks goes into building the lamb up . Does sheep still improve also ? Ie. If I gave more nuts ,sheep will improve , not just make a big lamb inside her.

 

[sean m]

Fat as larry here ---going to pull the twins/singles out next week and ease them off the grub a bit

Mine are as fit as I've ever seen them, worried to death

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Mine are as fit as I've ever seen them, worried to death

It’s no wonder when youve got them stocked 1 to the hectare ? It’s a wonder they don’t have scald