Lambing outdoors- catching ewe and lambs

[Purli R]

It amazes me people dream of keeping sheep without dogs. They are more important to me than most people, mine would die for me and are my best mates! Had to gather some ewes for shearing once for some people, the idiots couldn’t get them in with 2 quads. Dogs got them in on first attempt, one of mine likes people and went over to the bloke to say hello and he kicked the dog away. Well that was it I saw red, let’s just say the bloke had a bad noise after and the sheep where unshorn!

Aye,cant beat a good dog or 2 about. Kick my dog, kick me.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Aye,cant beat a good dog or 2 about. Kick my dog, better be a fast runner.

I think that’s more appropriate

 

[garfield89]

In that case, walking the ewe and her lambs as a group is probably your best bet. Flightier singles that you're late to get may need the quad. But as suggested, I would be setting up some funnels into the pens. Do both and your life should be easier.
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What breeding is there in the ewes?

I don’t feed concentrates, so no cupboard love but I could read every single Highlander ewe’s tag with a Psion handheld while I was processing their lambs this year. They would have followed me wherever I’d taken the lambs.

On the same system, in the same fields, there wasn’t a hope in hell of doing that with any one of the Exlana ewes, not one. There wouldn’t have been a hope in hell of getting them into a trailer to move to another paddock, without dogs to catch them, with the extra stress that entailed.

Charollais ewes and their crosses are somewhere in between.

If my system/layout necessitated catching everything up then temperament & maternal abilities would be very high up my list.

They're easycares, so may well be same as the Exlanas. I also dont feed concentrate, an EID stick/reader would be great, Im keeping my ears open for when grants become available again for them.

 

[garfield89]

You need a stick and look on YouTube best technique to catch them, no good running in trying to hook them you’ll never catch them. Also you usually get one shot then they get wise and takes a lot longer to catch. Best thing to do is walk them to the dyke or fence, stand close to the lambs and hold stick our next to the and as the sheep runs in past hook them with the stick. Black Ritchie ones are best

Sounds good, any good youtube channels youd recommend?

 

[LTH]

Sounds good, any good youtube channels youd recommend?

Just put it in I learnt by watching dad, Swaley man? If you put in how to catch a sheep with a Shepherds crook something will come up