f**k Up Fortnight

[Wood field]

Lost a battle today.
Older lady, last year to be tupped, scanned for triplets just what she didn't need. Brought in last week to keep an eye, she was getting weaker by the day. And huge, just massive, but not due until mid April. Further declining once in, in spite of TLD, calciject, AB, offered every sort of feed, best hay, grass. Having to help her get up these last few days. Not drinking much either, then shouted at me yesterday and drank several litres a bit at a time. Dead this morning. At least she had her last week on a clean dry bed. You just keep trying even when you know what's coming.

My favourite ( I know we shouldn’t) a texel ewe with horns
Born and raised here, just had cracking twins, vet students were astonished at the size, then I caught a glimpse of the ewes mouth , just broken. She will be away after the lambs have reared

 

[Jonp]

My favourite ( I know we shouldn’t) a texel ewe with horns
Born and raised here, just had cracking twins, vet students were astonished at the size, then I caught a glimpse of the ewes mouth , just broken. She will be away after the lambs have reared

Caught my oldest ewe today in one of the horse fields... having waded across a big reed bed/swamp with her lamb and some one elses' lamb. Covered in mud but obviously still fit as she managed to outmanoeuvre the two horses that were chasing her around.
Opened the gate and she soon darted back to where she was supposed to be.
Got to love the old girl, I'm sure she does it to wind me up.

 

[Jerry]

Im into a long tail it seems. 11 ewes left. Only had 2 lamb since Friday.

Weather looks shite tonight so bet they all drop.

 

[steveR]

After a really busy day with lambs coming steady , both Girls just said , can they come at the weekend as well. Who am I to argue
Just had a monster hail storm and it’s now turning to snow

This winter has a few bites left in it still

Horribly cold and raw.Thought I had lost (eaten) 3 lambs this morning when walking the 17ac field looking for them, then found the little beggars, 250m from ther Mum's, warm as toast, lying on some straw under the old inverted diesel tank shelter. Phew!

 

[steveR]

Lost a battle today.
Older lady, last year to be tupped, scanned for triplets just what she didn't need. Brought in last week to keep an eye, she was getting weaker by the day. And huge, just massive, but not due until mid April. Further declining once in, in spite of TLD, calciject, AB, offered every sort of feed, best hay, grass. Having to help her get up these last few days. Not drinking much either, then shouted at me yesterday and drank several litres a bit at a time. Dead this morning. At least she had her last week on a clean dry bed. You just keep trying even when you know what's coming.

Damn.

 

[Jerry]

Lost a battle today.
Older lady, last year to be tupped, scanned for triplets just what she didn't need. Brought in last week to keep an eye, she was getting weaker by the day. And huge, just massive, but not due until mid April. Further declining once in, in spite of TLD, calciject, AB, offered every sort of feed, best hay, grass. Having to help her get up these last few days. Not drinking much either, then shouted at me yesterday and drank several litres a bit at a time. Dead this morning. At least she had her last week on a clean dry bed. You just keep trying even when you know what's coming.

Theres a chap on Facebook who’s selling “support/chair” for ewes of their feet.

Basically a camp bead for sheep that makes them comfortable, takes the weight of their legs, leaves the udder accessible.

 

[copse]

Theres a chap on Facebook who’s selling “support/chair” for ewes of their feet.

Basically a camp bead for sheep that makes them comfortable, takes the weight of their legs, leaves the udder accessible.

I would say the best answer is to not keep any old ewes as they more often than not end up in a state or not enough milk feed a mouse.

 

[Jerry]

I would say the best answer is to not keep any old ewes as they more often than not end up in a state or not enough milk feed a mouse.

agreed. But you can also get the odd younger one that needs help.

 

[ladycrofter]

I would say the best answer is to not keep any old ewes as they more often than not end up in a state or not enough milk feed a mouse.

That's the idea. This was her 5th crop and last. Probably would have been fine with a single but nature can be cruel.

And . . . just for some diversion while I'm contemplating starting making dinner earlier, a dripping wet OH pops in to ask if there's another spoon. And not the soup kind . Clobber on, spoon string needles syringe warm water long glove off to the field. At least it had stopped snowing. Madam is resting comfortably inside tonight. Black cable tie going in the ear tag, and back out to the elements tomorrow.

 

[spin cycle]

That's the idea. This was her 5th crop and last. Probably would have been fine with a single but nature can be cruel.

And . . . just for some diversion while I'm contemplating starting making dinner earlier, a dripping wet OH pops in to ask if there's another spoon. And not the soup kind . Clobber on, spoon string needles syringe warm water long glove off to the field. At least it had stopped snowing. Madam is resting comfortably inside tonight. Black cable tie going in the ear tag, and back out to the elements tomorrow.

cable tie in ear tag.....what a brilliant idea

 

[ladycrofter]

Bought a pack of 100 little black ones a few years ago . They are on the quad, in the shed, in the lambing kit and in my pocket also during lambing. Come casting time, the decision was already made.
We've since expanded to green for twitchy gimmers to see how they behave 2nd lambing. I have about 10 minutes patience with them and would black tag. Texas Law, shoot first then ask questions. OH negotiated a year's probation

 

[Jerry]

cable tie in ear tag.....what a brilliant idea

Enough?

Cable Tie 1000 Packs

www.cableties-online.co.uk

 

[Wood field]

 

[AftonShepherd]

Enough?

Cable Tie 1000 Packs

www.cableties-online.co.uk

Enough that I could put one in every ewe, and cut them out if they don't pee me off in any way!

 

[BAF]

Last checks at 11, bleary eyed and not looking forward to the pissing rain. Got out the truck and heard a fresh lamb looking for its mum. 1 wet, muddy and very yellow lamb stood out in the pouring rain on her own. Thought it must have come out of a hogg. No! Second timer shearling mule. Stood staring at her other lamb that looked pretty much dead as I walked up to her. Think she lambed the dead looking one first, ran off, farted out the 2nd lamb and then ran off again back to the first one to stand and look at it. Dick head. She's in the shed with the sprightly lamb and the cold one is in my footwell with the heaters on, he's wriggling a bit now so hopefully another 10 minutes and he'll be warm enough to go back to her. She's sealed her fate to go to market with lambs at foot and be someone else's problem! When I've got hoggs so obsessed with their lambs they'll chase other ewes away from them I can't be doing with errant mothers!

 

[yellowbelly]

This was her 5th crop and last. Probably would have been fine with a single but nature can be cruel.

I always think it's nature's way of trying to ensure those genes are perpetuated.

Somehow it knows it's that ewe's 'last roll of the dice' and tries to 'stack the odds' in it's favour by shedding loads of eggs to make sure.

In the days when we ran Mules, we used to see it a lot.
This is post #3436 of this thread. If you go back to post #1, you'll see Henry Brewis noticed it too - 4th verse of A Dying Race....

"The fit ones have singles, the worst produce three "

 

[Estate fencing.]

I would say the best answer is to not keep any old ewes as they more often than not end up in a state or not enough milk feed a mouse.

All ewes out after 4 crops here now. Decided to creep all the lambs off 4 crop Suffolk crosses this year so I can get the ewes away in June/July as big culls (probably go back to the Tup for someone else).

 

[copse]

All ewes out after 4 crops here now. Decided to creep all the lambs off 4 crop Suffolk crosses this year so I can get the ewes away in June/July as big culls (probably go back to the Tup for someone else).

I’m doing the same now as the 100 old ewes I kept were more trouble than the other 1100 put together.

 

[firther]

whens this rain gonna stop, its day after day month after month

 

[yellowbelly]

whens this rain gonna stop, its day after day month after month

Weatherman said, last night, there was 'a band' of rain to pass through overnight - must have been a bloody wide band 'cos we've had another great dollop of rain again here