- Location
- Bedfordshire
Who‘s idea? I expect old season hoggs will have far less inputs than the new season lambs. Just because they’ve been around longer, doesn’t mean they’ve cost a lot more.
Indoor lambing set up costs
- Thread starter Andy84
- Start date
- Location
- Bedfordshire
If they can afford to do it, what’s the problem?
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Compare the physical exhaustion on display of the 2-3 people after lambing 1000 ewes indoors, compared to the lack of exhaustion shown by 1 shepherd lambing 1000 ewes outdoors...
Then ask yourself who is really making things easier
"If you work for a living, why kill yourself working?"
Then ask yourself who is really making things easier
"If you work for a living, why kill yourself working?"
But anyone system doesn’t fit everyone. If I was purely sheep then I would probably look at outdoor but I would have to lamb in May and probably tie a lot more acres up.
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
I was replying to the comment suggesting indoor lambing automatically makes lambing 'easier'. It doesn't, it is a lot of work - sometimes for no gain.
You're right, you've got to do what's best for you and your farm to tie in with other jobs. That's why I've just finished my (outdoor) lambing...
Indoor lambing is tough I don’t deny it, horses for courses I suppose.
Why don't people lamb in May?
Is it to do with weaning weights, or market time of year, amount of grass?
Northeastfarmer
Member
- Location
- Cleveland
Hard to get the percentage then and ewes are too fat to lamb
The lambing percentage would be different in May vs March?
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
You've missed the flushing/cycling peak of most ewes by mid/late December so lambing % dropping.
Too many flies in May bothering the ewes and rubber bands on the lambs
Too much grass - ewes too big/fat, lambs too big causing more birth problems...
Typically the weather is too good (as daft as that sounds). Ewes get lazy in the heat, as do the lambs
Northeastfarmer
Member
- Location
- Cleveland
In my experience
That’s right. Just finishing lambing 500 on my own inside and I am f**ked. I’m not saying I would want to be lambing outside last night but the other 16 days of lambing would have been easy. I’m just about to start 400 outside and I can do that as well as other jobs and have a beer in the evening.
To someone inexperienced, too good weather, too much grass and too fat animals just sounds counterintuitive.
I suppose you run out of grass in winter or something if you increase numbers?
If there's so much grass they get over fat, isn't that just solved by stocking more animals, or the same number in a smaller paddock so they are left without as much to eat per sheep? It probably sound like I'm being facetious. I'm not.
I suppose you run out of grass in winter or something if you increase numbers?
If there's so much grass they get over fat, isn't that just solved by stocking more animals, or the same number in a smaller paddock so they are left without as much to eat per sheep? It probably sound like I'm being facetious. I'm not.
I suppose this is due to their nutrition declining as the winter progresses, or daylight hormones?
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
If you're sticking with Cheviots, surely they would be better lambed outside? They would lend themselves to a later lambing when the weather is, in theory, better.
I can see two main reasons for indoor lambing. Lambing early to catch the good trade or if you have different parcels of land and they need trailered to several places. Other than that, for a mid-season lambing, you're just incurring extra work and expense. BUT you need the sheep for the job, which with Cheviots you have. Of course the outdoor job isn't without its challenges.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Day length and natural breeding season.
If you stock at higher rates over lambing then you get more mismothering.
Peak milk yield ideally wants to coincide with the best grass, and lambing coincide with things starting to warm up. Every region will have a different ‘ideal’ time, in whatever a normal year is.
Here, I wouldn’t want to be lambing outdoors in March a lot of years. On the South coast, I’d likely want to be finishing up in March.
Bit more work inside but once lambed and sucking well out they go, fudge running after the problem ones in a field nowadays. Last week of snow/sleet and biting cold wind im well glad there inside. Easier being all at one place too rather than different places. Good light too, simply dont believe claims from old neighbours of going in at night for sleep and not coming out again till morning.
Some sheep farmers can’t even be honest with themselves never mind anyone else...