Outdoor lambing location

[Man_in_black]

Only my second year outdoor. Have one (well sheltered) field I've earmarked for multiples, been closed since end September.

When is latest/closest to lambing you'd move the ewes in there? Have been told that best to leave them settle couple weeks in a paddock so they can know way around before lambing etc?

 

[reverand]

I suppose it depends how many sheep are going in it .
I would move them in a week or four days before

 

[Woolless]

Ideally a week or more before. But an interesting take on this by kiwi sheep expert Trevor Cook was that giving the ewe sufficient feed was more important than time to settle. I would guess there's plenty of grass, depends how heavily you stock it?

 

[George from SJM Planning]

I move mine in a week before.

 

[neilo]

I would like to move them in a week before they are due to start, but I think I've only ever managed that once since we started outdoor lambing in 2008. Usually they get there when the first lambs have been dropped in the root fields.

 

[Tim W]

I have moved them to lambing site from 2 weeks before right up to when the first lambs have dropped
My conclusion is that available feed is the most important factor with time to settle being a way behind this --- you want ewes to have grub right in front of them when they have very young lambs at foot so there is less chance of mis-mothering

 

[rhuvid]

@JHT

 

[CopperBeech]

Our one lot are moved daily, so often moved into a lambing field and within mins drop a lamb. . . . but for that lot, no ewe has more than 24 hours. . . .

It seems way down the list of things which cause problems!

 

[M-J-G]

There isn't really a straight answer, a lot will depend on the sheep and what she is used to, a typical lowland ewe is a lot more likely to settle in a new field than the likes of a hill ewe brought into the confines of lower fields.

 

[ford4000]

We trailer our ewes home to lamb a couple of days before first ones are due ( like @neilo though can be a bit late) never seen any need to bring them home earlier to settle

 

[cotswold shooter.]

worked on one unit. pens set up in middle of grass field . no bedding after they lambed before next batch pens dragged to new clean area of grass field .

 

[Tim W]

worked on one unit. pens set up in middle of grass field . no bedding after they lambed before next batch pens dragged to new clean area of grass field .

Worst of both worlds?

 

[Man_in_black]

worked on one unit. pens set up in middle of grass field . no bedding after they lambed before next batch pens dragged to new clean area of grass field .

Why???

 

[Pasty]

Yeah, why so Tim? I thought that sounded like a good idea. Not challenging as I don't have a clue! Maybe it depends what the definition of a 'pen' is? ie. a little standard indoor style pen or a paddock where they can move around more.

 

[Man_in_black]

Yeah, why so Tim? I thought that sounded like a good idea. Not challenging as I don't have a clue! Maybe it depends what the definition of a 'pen' is? ie. a little standard indoor style pen or a paddock where they can move around more.

If you gonna lamb out then just leave them be. Hands off approach. I was apprehensive last year about it but wouldn't go back indoors now. So much easier & cleaner.

A pen in field with a ewe & two lambs is gonna get churned up pretty quickly, wet dirty lambs.

 

[CopperBeech]

Its almost as bad as those weird people who lamb everything out side . . . . but catch and drag every lambed ewe into the shed as soon as she has lambed . . . to 'mother up' etc.

Some people I just don't understand . . . .

 

[neilo]

Its almost as bad as those weird people who lamb everything out side . . . . but catch and drag every lambed ewe into the shed as soon as she has lambed . . . to 'mother up' etc.

Some people I just don't understand . . . .

That was the only 'outdoor' lambing we ever did at home when I was a wee laddie. Put me off the idea for many years as truly the worst of both worlds.

 

[CopperBeech]

That was the only 'outdoor' lambing we ever did at home when I was a wee laddie. Put me off the idea for many years as truly the worst of both worlds.

I bet. . . . .

And I really struggle to understand how someone sat down, and worked out that it was a good idea!?!?

 

[neilo]

I bet. . . . .

And I really struggle to understand how someone sat down, and worked out that it was a good idea!?!?

We were lambing lots indoors, in weekly mobs as not enough room to get more than that in. We were glad to get some out of the shed at the end of it, usually ewe lambs of various descriptions. As the thinking then was that everything had to go into a pen to bond, they all had to come in once they'd lambed. Some of them even followed their lambs.

 

[Pasty]

So the message is...for outdoor, you let them get on with it and deal with the downsides eg. weather, predators etc? Not try to combine the 2?