Indoor lambing set up costs

[S J H]

There’s some strange opinions on this thread. Is everyone lacking sleep?

 

[Jim75]

Why don't people lamb in May?

Is it to do with weaning weights, or market time of year, amount of grass?

You can still get crap weather. Last yr had 1 rough day in the whole of May lost a couple but you get that. 3rd yr lambing in May for us on our small scale (100 ewes) Works well, don’t generally feed them much, bit of haylage through February and a Couple tonnes of neeps. Ewes scanned at 170 this yr which is almost a bit much but high twin rate helped this yr. No discernible difference come selling time but mainly using beltex and nz Suffolk tups something that will sell well. As said holding of grass till December is a challenge when it’s there staring at you. Plus it’s usually shorts/t-shirts weather

 

[Estate fencing.]

What problem is that?

To be honest I’d lamb outside if I didn’t have too lamb early because I work full time and it fits in best with work, I did intend too lamb singles outside this year but started snowing for a week the week they started so brought them in in a panic

I’m not going to say. But when you get it in your indoor ewes you know about it. Got a skip coming today to fill with dead ewes and have sent 40 ewes out with not lambs because they have bad bags

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

It takes a proper shepherd to have a successful outside lambing, but any muppet can lamb some ewes in a shed. The skill of lambing out is knowing when to intervene, like frank said they left them at 6.30pm, that is better than keep disturbing them couple of hours.

You've rather torpedoed your argument by saying any muppet can lamb inside and then saying there's a major disease problem with your indoor lambers.

 

[Optimus]

If your going to house any animals.its pretty obvious the chances of disease are going to increase.

Lambing in doors suits me.I don't mind putting in the hard graft.

We also have 3 vet students here.they are doing most the work.if we all lambed outside how would they gain any experience?

 

[Estate fencing.]

You've rather torpedoed your argument by saying any muppet can lamb inside and then saying there's a major disease problem with your indoor lambers.

I didn’t use the right term. I meant anyone can help but outside not anyone can help. Sorry for the offense but tired and ready to pack the bloody lot in!

 

[hally]

Very pretty this morning but rather chilly

 

[CopperBeech]

Missed off £140 for a C section too...
First time Iv wrote it all out this year normally I just get on with it... I fed a lot more corn than I needed too this year because last year I struggled with no milk and this year struggled with big lambs... can’t be perfect all the time the only real place I can see too save money is the corn and the medical bills.. hay and straw will always fluctuate also

Why don't people lamb in May?

Is it to do with weaning weights, or market time of year, amount of grass?

Lots do. I have for years. Match lambing to your farm.

 

[Shep1]

Nor me...must be some deaths

I think i had about 20 out of 400 ewes lamb between 11pm and 5 30am this year. Didnt loose any of them. It made up for the ones lost during the day

 

[Agrivator]

Folk lambing sheep indoors normally have many more helpers than outdoor lambers.

If the same amount of help was spent on lambing them outdoors, there would be far fewer losses - with enough folk to catch problem sheep and ferry them indoors.

But a number of helpers would soon get cheesed off or jack it in after spending days or nights in pissing cold conditions with wet clothes and raw hands.

 

[Woolless]

Folk lambing sheep indoors normally have many more helpers than outdoor lambers.

If the same amount of help was spent on lambing them outdoors, there would be far fewer losses - with enough folk to catch problem sheep and ferry them indoors.

But a number of helpers would soon get cheesed off or jack it in after spending days or nights in pissing cold conditions with wet clothes and raw hands.

It should be easy enough getting folks to carry buckets and muck out pens. More difficult finding help capable of dealing with outside problems. They'll probably need a good dog and be skilled on a quad for a start.

 

[Nithsdale]

Farmers... typically men, statistically old... only lamb indoors so they can get a posse of pretty young social media obsessed lassies to come in and pee about bent over in their tight leggings





F**king pervs.





In other news, i'm lambing 5000 inside next year!

 

[deere 6600]

Folk lambing sheep indoors normally have many more helpers than outdoor lambers.

If the same amount of help was spent on lambing them outdoors, there would be far fewer losses - with enough folk to catch problem sheep and ferry them indoors.

But a number of helpers would soon get cheesed off or jack it in after spending days or nights in pissing cold conditions with wet clothes and raw hands.

We've lambed indoors for about 25 years now yes it's a lot of work but you get through a lot coz it's all handy ? And yes don't need to be skilled to feed and bed pens and if the weather is crap which it will be its easier plus I'm to old to jump of a quad in a field and catch a ewe plus if you lamb a wee bit earlier lambs can eat good grass in June and really motor as far as I'm concerned the quicker there up the float door and of to mart the better however we've lambed some outside this year and they have been fine

 

[S J H]

Folk lambing sheep indoors normally have many more helpers than outdoor lambers.

If the same amount of help was spent on lambing them outdoors, there would be far fewer losses - with enough folk to catch problem sheep and ferry them indoors.

But a number of helpers would soon get cheesed off or jack it in after spending days or nights in pissing cold conditions with wet clothes and raw hands.

Are you telling my wife that I’ve got to turn the heating off and sell her car, so I can employ some female vet students, or shall I?

 

[ISCO]

We Lambed everything inside for 35 years and could not imagine lambing outside until we tried it about 5 years ago. We still lamb about 200 inside early march as we have some rented grass that needs stocking by end march and also helps cash flow.
We all now much prefer the outside lambing. Advantages are it is much easier; less disease and much cheaper as no cake and much less antibiotics. There is a lot of work in those small pens.
I do not think we lose any more outside. What surprised me most when we started outdoor lambing was when we go round pre dusk there is rarely anything lambing but at first light there are loads of new born lambs.
The biggest labour saver is lambing hoggs outside, just so.much easier.
It does, of course, entirely depend on the individual farm circumstances and type of sheep you want to produce.

 

[neilo]

What would you want to lamb indoors for, on a fine morning like today....

 

[Woolless]

We Lambed everything inside for 35 years and could not imagine lambing outside until we tried it about 5 years ago. We still lamb about 200 inside early march as we have some rented grass that needs stocking by end march and also helps cash flow.
We all now much prefer the outside lambing. Advantages are it is much easier; less disease and much cheaper as no cake and much less antibiotics. There is a lot of work in those small pens.
I do not think we lose any more outside. What surprised me most when we started outdoor lambing was when we go round pre dusk there is rarely anything lambing but at first light there are loads of new born lambs.
The biggest labour saver is lambing hoggs outside, just so.much easier.
It does, of course, entirely depend on the individual farm circumstances and type of sheep you want to produce.

'Small pens are black holes for time', a little nugget courtesy of @JohnGalway.

 

[Nithsdale]

What would you want to lamb indoors for, on a fine morning like today....

View attachment 953880

Perfect lambing weather

 

[Nithsdale]

I wasn't joking @neilo

Ewes are usually pretty content in that weather and newborn lambs are a hell of a lot more resilient than most people seem to give them credit for! You've plenty shelter in around the trees - as long as there's no strong winds I'd have no fear lambing in that.

 

[neilo]

I wasn't joking @neilo

Ewes are usually pretty content in that weather and newborn lambs are a hell of a lot more resilient than most people seem to give them credit for! You've plenty shelter in around the trees - as long as there's no strong winds I'd have no fear lambing in that.

but I’d get my hands cold ringing lambs!

Thankfully, my ladies had more sense and must have crossed their legs last night. There have been 20-25 lambing at first light most mornings, but this morning only five.
Very handy as I was itching to get off to market with some woolly gold.

It’s been cold and dry for most of lambing here, which is fine by me.