Lamb killing weather

[Grassman]

Turned a few ewes and lambs out today. Now it's pouring with rain and cold.
And now we have a weather warning for snow on Monday!. Will have to consider bringing them back in. It will be a squeeze or is it best to just leave them out?

 

[Northeastfarmer]

How old are the lambs? Have they got a skin on them?

 

[newbie]

Mine are out. Don't have room to bring them in. Considering putting some trailers and other random shelters out
Not lambing this early again

 

[msheep66]

Same problem here the lambs look very miserable may have to fetch them back in before the forecast snow on Monday.

 

[ratchet spanner]

Turned a few ewes and lambs out today. Now it's pouring with rain and cold.
And now we have a weather warning for snow on Monday!. Will have to consider bringing them back in. It will be a squeeze or is it best to just leave them out?

only you will know the field. Is it sheltered? is it dry ground? What breed? singles or pairs ect. We have some ground free draining and well sheltered ect and lambs would be fine. Other fields they wouldnt last a night with a east wind with snow/sleet.

 

[Grassman]

How old are the lambs? Have they got a skin on them?

3 or 4 days old. With hindsight I should of just put up with the overcrowding!

 

[Grassman]

only you will know the field. Is it sheltered? is it dry ground? What breed? singles or pairs ect. We have some ground free draining and well sheltered ect and lambs would be fine. Other fields they wouldnt last a night with a east wind with snow/sleet.

A bit of shelter under some holly hedge. Rest of hedges are too open to give cover at this time of year. Sheep just tend to sit it out but it's been heavy rain for 4 hours now.

 

[puppet]

They are pretty tough by day 4 unless not enough milk. If some shelter then leave them but early morning check. I put some out last week at day 2 followed by 12 hours lashing rain and wind all night. All alive in the morning.
Old farmers would say that there is nothing like a good storm to keep lamb prices up later in the year. That assumes it affects everyone equally.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

3 or 4 days old. With hindsight I should of just put up with the overcrowding!

Depends how cold it gets, if it’s cold and dry they should be fine, if it’s cold and wet it could be a different story

 

[ratchet spanner]

A bit of shelter under some holly hedge. Rest of hedges are too open to give cover at this time of year. Sheep just tend to sit it out but it's been heavy rain for 4 hours now.

cant do anything tonight. hope all well in the morning

 

[CharcoalWally]

Old farmers would say that there is nothing like a good storm to keep lamb prices up later in the year. .

I sometimes think these old farmers need a damn good clip round the ear.

 

[Nithsdale]

3 or 4 days old. With hindsight I should of just put up with the overcrowding!

Not ideal raining/sleeting the night of turn out, but if they make it through tonight (unless it's BAD they will), they will cope on Monday with the snow.

 

[puppet]

I think it was before the days of so much indoor lambing which is not so long ago so you just took whatever came.
A possible shortage was the only way to convince yourself that there was some good to picking up 20 dead lambs.

 

[Green farmer]

it’s all down to the ewes now and how good a mother they are. A good ewe will make sure the lambs are tucked up well sheltered from the wind with a full belly of milk. Crap ewes usually get caught out and cannt look after their lambs properly.

 

[Grassman]

Had similar weather quite a few years ago. Turned out a few lambs and it poured all day and night. Picked up about 15 dead lambs next morning.

 

[sherg]

The lamb jackets work well for the first day after you turnout if its wet and cold the most important thing is a good belly full of milk

 

[GTB]

Most important thing if it's wet and cold is to leave well alone. Don't go around disturbing them, left alone the ewes will protect the lambs from the rain as best they can. I always find the more I try to help, the more problems I cause.

 

[MJT]

Most important thing if it's wet and cold is to leave well alone. Don't go around disturbing them, left alone the ewes will protect the lambs from the rain as best they can. I always find the more I try to help, the more problems I cause.

This ^^ if you leave them outside don’t disturb them, trust your ewes, they will happily sit tight for hours and keep lambs sheltered and warm. Driving around them to check them and causing them standing up and moving and milling around and losing lambs is counter productive.

 

[AvonValleyFarmer]

Not looking very promising here, due to start on Sunday. Scanned for more singles than last year which turns out may be a stroke of good fortune.

The forecast is just cold rain for days on end

 

[jemski]

I’m currently lambing into this. Standing water everywhere. They have been surprisingly tough, although I am glad I bought a hot box this year!!!!! As long as they get up and get a belly full of milk they are fine.

I also had 100 3-7 day old lambs out when the first beast from the east came. I was bricking it but they were fine. The ewes kept them tucked under a hedge and I didn’t have to bring anything back inside

It’s been a very tough lambing year emotionally and physically here. But on the bad days I just look at how well they are coping and it keeps me going!