Lamb Macs

[Jackson4]

I'd call that personal experience my self

Ah good.. i just wondered as you then said you'd never owned any so it was a tattle confusing you see no need to be evasive. I bought my sheep from a guy that regularily pays the top money, best mules etc from the same guy up here in thousands.. but the offspring from these sheep could be improved, as i think you can see from my experience, much like nearly every breed in the country (lleyn included)by taking a more focused use of selection, testing and culling.

 

[TelesnaAg]

These are available in AUS...never seen them before!...

Can I get metallica emblem on them so my lambs are cool?...

$1.50 each...probably not a bad investment for the smaller ones...that and stack some large square bales in the paddock when bad weather coming...

I like it...

Ant..

 

[bobajob]

@Nithsdale Farmer , you are just down the road from me, but it seems everything you do is the right way!! Have you ever worked off the home farm and seen other systems?!

I think we do it all wrong, you could come and advise here!!

Usually use a couple of hundred lamb macs here, quite good we find. Yes another cost but not a lot.

 

[Jerry]

Well been on for a couple weeks and starting to get a bit tatty but lambs have done well in them. Not seen a hunched up cold looking lamb so think they do a decent job.

 

[Robertollie]

They're great in crisis situation, I pick them up, wash them and reuse the next year!

What part of Scotland are you from

 

[Nithsdale]

@Nithsdale Farmer , you are just down the road from me, but it seems everything you do is the right way!! Have you ever worked off the home farm and seen other systems?!

I think we do it all wrong, you could come and advise here!!

Usually use a couple of hundred lamb macs here, quite good we find. Yes another cost but not a lot.

I wish!! But cheers for the vote of confidence.

Doesn't every farm do things the right way? Even if that way flies in the face of your neighbours??


I tried them... I didn't see any benefit... I stopped. Is that a crime?

I left the lambs till they were licked clean - seems you can put them on before that? Maybe I did wrong... there's some in the back of the medicine cabinet. I might try them again, but I'm not expecting miracles

 

[GreenerGrass]

Used a handful in Feb/March (only using on newborns before prolonged heavy rain forecast). All have come through some pretty relentless and at times cold rain with no shelter other than the ewe. Would they have survived anyway - perhaps? But the dry/warm back under the mac has to be good for them, I will certainly continue targeted use next year. Don't seem to stay on long, and not inclined to use routinely.

 

[JohnGalway]

Used a handful in Feb/March (only using on newborns before prolonged heavy rain forecast). All have come through some pretty relentless and at times cold rain with no shelter other than the ewe. Would they have survived anyway - perhaps? But the dry/warm back under the mac has to be good for them, I will certainly continue targeted use next year. Don't seem to stay on long, and not inclined to use routinely.

There's always perhaps, we all have to make decisions, but picking up dead lambs would you be kicking yourself or not?

I haven't names to hand at the moment but I've tried two different brands and sizes of macs. One was an orange colour and medium, stayed on great, too well in some cases. Now I had large macs at the back of a shelf that were in a word sh!t, they were too big, but that wasn't the problem. There had very delicate seams in them that split soon as they were looked at. One even split open as I was putting it on the lamb.

I put some of those macs on some lambs the night before I was going to let them out, for the ewes to get used to them, just didn't want a problem the next morning. Less than half stayed on inside, and by the next evening outside only one lamb had a mac on.

Moral being, not all brands are equal, try a different one and see if it works better.

 

[Bury the Trash]

some clear ones on lambs next door littering the field and seem not very strong (brittle) /or last v long - i tried some orange one s ages ago - they seemed fairly durable - like a better quality supermarket bag...

 

[hally]

Realistically after 3 or 4 days do lambs really still need them

 

[Downtrodden Dad]

I don't like the coloured ones simply because i cant see the numbers on the lambs. In a dodgy year I put them on nearly every lamb as they go out better safe than sorry.

 

[Al R]

Anyone had lamb macs before?

Are some makes better than others?

How long do they generally last on a lamb?

From how many hours old is it safe to put it on the lamb - once it's been licked and dry or 6hrs etc?

What happens to the mac after? No one likes to see crisp packets blowing across their fields do they?

http://www.shearwell.co.uk/p/119/protective-slip-on-lamb-macs

 

[PFH]

Further to @Ysgythans thread on the bad weather and being able to turn lambs out, how are you getting on with the macs @Jerry? How long do they stay on roughly?

 

[Northeastfarmer]

@Al R this may be of interest to you

 

[Al R]

@Al R this may be of interest to you

Cheers mate, i started my own thread on it 10 mins ago but can't delete it now that this is here..

 

[tr250]

All this makes me think that outdoor lambing could be harder work than indoor

 

[jemski]

I put them on anything a bit thin skinned or not full to the brim with milk. I think they help. I haven't got time to put them on everything though.
They do look a mess when they come off and blow across the field...

 

[Jerry]

Further to @Ysgythans thread on the bad weather and being able to turn lambs out, how are you getting on with the macs @Jerry? How long do they stay on roughly?

Depends a bit. Some manage to rip them of in a matter of hours. But they csn last abiutv2 to 3 weeks mostly. I use the Shearwell ones mainly as they biodegrade.

I am convinced they work very well. Stops that tucked up lamb look.