Out door lambing

[Al R]

I’m not looking forward to the weekend forecast. Looks like we could take up to 20mm of rain.

Hopefully it’ll wash the salt in so the grass doesn’t keep burning off, I was going to cut the lawn yesterday after I cut it 3 weeks ago and the salt has levelled it to nothing

 

[Jerry]

Hopefully it’ll wash the salt in so the grass doesn’t keep burning off, I was going to cut the lawn yesterday after I cut it 3 weeks ago and the salt has levelled it to nothing

luckily I have a hill between me and the coast. Stops the salt way before me.

but the wind funnels up the estuary right into mine at times.

 

[neilo]

I measured well over 3,200kg/dm/ha on some fields that were grazed until January 6th.. the winds have taken 5-800kg/dm/ha off most of the farm in 2 days now mind. Ewes will be going on them from next Monday.

This picture was Sunday afternoon on Turnip ground during a “storm”
View attachment 857976

Oh FFS, I am struggling to scrabble along with a quad on chunky tyres in our root fields just now. If I took a telehandler out there, I’d likely have to leave it there for a couple of weeks.

 

[Nithsdale]

I’m not looking forward to the weekend forecast. Looks like we could take up to 20mm of rain.

Can't speak for other parts of the country, but here the local weather station says the average rainfall for the month of February is around 100mm... as of 5pm today (11th) it is reading 97.4mm rainfall so far this month.

Lots of yellow warnings for rain and floods for this coming weekend, starting on Thursday ?

 

[Jerry]

Can't speak for other parts of the country, but here the local weather station says the average rainfall for the month of February is around 100mm... as of 5pm today (11th) it is reading 97.4mm rainfall so far this month.

Lots of yellow warnings for rain and floods for this coming weekend, starting on Thursday ?

overnight the forecast has changed for here. Now showing up to 70mm of rain Friday through to Monday.

Lovely!!

 

[Sheep92]

Oh FFS, I am struggling to scrabble along with a quad on chunky tyres in our root fields just now. If I took a telehandler out there, I’d likely have to leave it there for a couple of weeks.

Same although the hard weather this morning helped getting some hay out to ewe lambs on stubbles

 

[Bones]

At what height above sea level is the cutting of point for lambing outside ,

 

[Hilly]

Mid April here.

 

[cotswoldcs]

At what height above sea level is the cutting of point for lambing outside ,

We are nearly 900 feet above sea level and I'm sure many more lamb outside higher than this. It's more about other factors.

 

[Bones]

We are nearly 900 feet above sea level and I'm sure many more lamb outside higher than this. It's more about other factors.

What's your ground conditions like, I'm at 800 feet , but it's wet and soft ,turns to scitter very fast,

 

[cotswoldcs]

Brashy, thin limestone soil. Good for drainage. We have our fair share of wind which is a downside. Wet and windy is not much fun at lambing. Also seems to take forever to warm up and for grass to grow.

 

[Bones]

Brashy, thin limestone soil. Good for drainage. We have our fair share of wind which is a downside. Wet and windy is not much fun at lambing. Also seems to take forever to warm up and for grass to grow.

Only good side with my type of ground is that on a very dry summer the grass still grows like mad,

 

[spark_28]

Mid April here. View attachment 858131

id be over the moon with that in July

 

[neilo]

At what height above sea level is the cutting of point for lambing outside ,

Don’t most ‘proper’ hill flocks lamb outside? They just don’t try to do it in February.

 

[Devil's advocate]

At what height above sea level is the cutting of point for lambing outside ,

To be fair, it is often those with low lying land that lamb early, inside.

Those on the high pennines will lamb outside 20 th April on the hardest ground 1st May.

More shelter on a moor than, the flat ground of Lincolnshire.

 

[Northern territory]

Don’t most ‘proper’ hill flocks lamb outside? They just don’t try to do it in February.

When you said you had given your ewes blocks for a couple of days for bad weather last weekend, presume you meant fodder beet. I tend to give ours some every day or they paddle it in when wet. How do you find it?

 

[unlacedgecko]

At what height above sea level is the cutting of point for lambing outside ,

2 years ago I wintered some cull ewes at 1000ft. Once the grass ran out they had silage and ab lib barley/oats through a 3in1.

Approx 30% turned out to be in lamb. They lambed on a low input system Feb/Mar during the snow.

 

[neilo]

When you said you had given your ewes blocks for a couple of days for bad weather last weekend, presume you meant fodder beet. I tend to give ours some every day or they paddle it in when wet. How do you find it?

In terms of yield of fodder off an acre, it really is unbeatable ime. However, it’s nowhere near as good a ration as swedes or turnips imo, needing blocks no bigger than 2-3 days so that they get enough protein & mins (from the tops) to balance things out. Still learning to get the best from it, despite grazing it for several years.

As the weather is so horrendous currently (and all winter), I’ve been giving them bigger blocks than normal and accepting higher wastage. I was hoping they’d go back and tidy it up when the weather dried up a bit, but rapidly coming round to a ‘holistic’ way of thinking, in that it’s not really waste, just recycling. Just trying to ensure they have full bellies to face each storm currently tbh.

3 day block today, but planning on moving fence again on Friday, ahead of Dennis:

Note how deep the quad bike ruts are, just from running down with the RAPPA winder on.

 

[Northern territory]

In terms of yield of fodder off an acre, it really is unbeatable ime. However, it’s nowhere near as good a ration as swedes or turnips imo, needing blocks no bigger than 2-3 days so that they get enough protein & mins (from the tops) to balance things out. Still learning to get the best from it, despite grazing it for several years.

As the weather is so horrendous currently (and all winter), I’ve been giving them bigger blocks than normal and accepting higher wastage. I was hoping they’d go back and tidy it up when the weather dried up a bit, but rapidly coming round to a ‘holistic’ way of thinking, in that it’s not really waste, just recycling. Just trying to ensure they have full bellies to face each storm currently tbh.

3 day block today, but planning on moving fence again on Friday, ahead of Dennis:
View attachment 858148

Note how deep the quad bike ruts are, just from running down with the RAPPA winder on.

I agree with you not really wastage. Quite a bit is always left in the ground anyway which am sure is a benefit to the soil in following crops. I must say ours do seem to feed well on it. Swedes are great but can never get away from drought, flea beetle and weeds up here.

 

[jed]

Lamb half in and half out wish they were out when the suns shinning and in when it’s pissing down .
At least I’m half way there.
Got a black lab who’s awesome at catching anything woolly on four legs makes life a hell of a lot easier.