Outdoor lambing routine

[Wood field]

What’s everyone’s routine?
Just about finished the indoor lambers and to be honest it’s gone well, although I am knackered and feel almost down being in a shed day in day out for near on a month ( weather hasn’t helped )
We start outside today, I usually check around 6-30 then l dinner time , tea time and at dusk

 

[toquark]

Check at 6.30ish, go to work, come home and check again at 6ish. My wife is usually home and keeps an eye on anything I’ve picked up in the morning that’s looking likely but other than that, they’re left alone.

 

[Stw88]

What’s everyone’s routine?
Just about finished the indoor lambers and to be honest it’s gone well, although I am knackered and feel almost down being in a shed day in day out for near on a month ( weather hasn’t helped )
We start outside today, I usually check around 6-30 then l dinner time , tea time and at dusk

If the weather is ok twice a day. But it depends how many you’re looking and what type of sheep. If weather is bad they get a check around lunch time. Takes around 2.5 hours to do a round here so twice is plenty if you can get away with it.

 

[tinsheet]

Twice a day, dig the binoculars out if I need to recheck a lambing ewe, have them drifting in the meadows below the house, can see a Lot with the binoculars.

 

[neilo]

Just about to go round now, having had a coffee to wake the shepherd, and a quick look in here whilst drinking it.

Usually another potter round at lunchtime if they’re in the thick of it, then another round before dark. Morning is the busiest round by far. Might sneak slightly earlier as it gets lighter earlier over the next week or two.

Like the OP, just finishing up an indoor mob and on my knees. Glad to start on the easier mob.

 

[sheepdogtrail]

I check a couple hours after sunrise, around 3 pm and again around 7 pm. 85% of our lambs are born around sunrise. About 5% around 3 pm and 10% around dusk. I am usually doing fencing or some other thing during lambing so I will have a peak on things when convenient, but I can also hear things and know when I should go have a closer look.

4 WyzeCam Outdoor units and a 25X optical zoom camera have really changed the way I manage my time during lambing. All run off of 12v battery with a 300 watt (3@100 W) Solar Panel array in series. I don't use a lot of power. Approximately 80 watts is all. But I may not have much sun as well. So 300 watts of solar input usually can keep things going on a 24/7 basis for about 10 days on a 200 Amp/Hr battery.

 

[Wood field]

I’ve three bunches , one due today welsh hill ewes with Cheviot tups , near the house( I’ve just this minute walked them to a meadow with a fresh bite on)
Our moor ewes due in a week or so , they are homebred Cheviot x and a few remaining grit x
I bring these in bye soon
And another group of 100 welsh x Cheviot due in a weeks time , they are 5 mins up the road
It was actually a pleasant change from the lambing shed walking the ewes to the fresh meadow!
Handy now as the boss lady is off for three weeks although she dreads it as catching anything needing attention is a bugger!
The dogs will only work for me !

 

[Bwcho]

As a result of losing the scrum whilst feeding cake to the in-lamb ewes, I've managed to tear a gluteus muscle in my leg, which is now pressing against a nerve and causing sciatica. So my current routine involves around counting down the hours to when I can have the next lot of pain killers and organising cover to check the sheep on my behalf.

Normally though, I would take 3 weeks off work and be around most of the day, checking the maternity ward fields from around 7am and then every couple of hours or so until dusk. I will get shot down for saying this, but I also check during the night at 9pm, midnight and 3am. The 3am check is prompted by catching the tail end of the highlights of the Snooker World Championship on TV. All checks are done on foot, as the sound of the quad disturbs them. I won't disclose the amount of takeaways that's consumed or hours spent on TFF to see how the proper big players are getting on with their lambing.

I bloody love and look forward to lambing though. There's nothing like seeing the culmination of all that work, breeding selection and anticipation, its what makes me tick.

Now, can someone please pass me the co-codamol ‍

 

[Wood field]

As a result of losing the scrum whilst feeding cake to the in-lamb ewes, I've managed to tear a gluteus muscle in my leg, which is now pressing against a nerve and causing sciatica. So my current routine involves around counting down the hours to when I can have the next lot of pain killers and organising cover to check the sheep on my behalf.

Normally though, I would take 3 weeks off work and be around most of the day, checking the maternity ward fields from around 7am and then every couple of hours or so until dusk. I will get shot down for saying this, but I also check during the night at 9pm, midnight and 3am. The 3am check is prompted by catching the tail end of the highlights of the Snooker World Championship on TV. All checks are done on foot, as the sound of the quad disturbs them. I won't disclose the amount of takeaways that's consumed or hours spent on TFF to see how the proper big players are getting on with their lambing.

I bloody love and look forward to lambing though. There's nothing like seeing the culmination of all that work, breeding selection and anticipation, its what makes me tick.

Now, can someone please pass me the co-codamol ‍

Hope you get better soon, it’s a bloody bad time to be struggling in pain !

 

[Bwcho]

Hope you get better soon, it’s a bloody bad time to be struggling in pain !

Thank you.

It must be the Downland/Rumenco gods getting their own back on me for trying to save a bit of money by feeding cake instead of paying £27/bucket

 

[JockCroft]

Just started lambing, ewes still on top ground (rougher grass with patches of rashes) so 700yds to gate. Be in close by fields in a few days so can be seen from house.
First round soon after 6am, grain feed between 8 and 9, then they will be walked round at least twice before tea time. Last round about 8pm.
Last night had a big single needed a pull on last round so by time trailered down to sheds was nearer 9.
Every day is different so fit it in as needed, Last year had to help a lot of single's or would be lost in lambing.

Frosty this morning but sun is shining, make it feel so much easier.
All we need now is for grass to grow. (Might help if fert would arrive, but told price is coming down a bit)

 

[Wood field]

Thank you.

It must be the Downland/Rumenco gods getting their own back on me for trying to save a bit of money by feeding cake instead of paying £27/bucket

Get a cheap snacker of eBay
I struggle with arthritis and waiting for a new knee, sheep can hurt !

 

[Hill Ground]

Ive just got in from first check, then breakfast, we've got singles in for twinning on efforts, so next is pens and pet lambs, the mid morning check going round ringing and marking up lambs. Early arvo check, feeding at the same time, then last check after tea.

I find the more checking I do the less problems I get. Often check round and everything getting on with it fine, could have missed the check, as soon as I sneak away to do something else there's a disaster that gets missed!!

We work on 5-7% lamb losses from scanning to week old. I think that's about right for this system.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

I lamb one lot of Beltex/Texels inside and 1 lot of mule and Texel x mule outside. The inside ones start a week before the outside.

They all get checked 6 -6.30 ish, the outside ones are then checked at midday and towards dusk, when they are fed. I always feed everything early evening because I think it reduces night lambs. I don't check outside ones during the night, I don't get up in the night for the inside ones either unless I see something on the camera when get up for a pee and even then I don't look too closely . With the outside ones I try and leave them alone as much as I can, otherwise they may as well be in. I think some people are a bit over keen to interfere. Binoculars are great for saving time and minimising disturbance. I make sure I ring the outdoor lambs in the first 12 hours otherwise you can't catch them. Also I number the ewes before lambing, makes it much easier to identify ewes that need checking or keeping an eye on.

 

[Wood field]

I lamb one lot of Beltex/Texels inside and 1 lot of mule and Texel x mule outside. The inside ones start a week before the outside.

They all get checked 6 -6.30 ish, the outside ones are then checked at midday and towards dusk, when they are fed. I always feed everything early evening because I think it reduces night lambs. I don't check outside ones during the night, I don't get up in the night for the inside ones either unless I see something on the camera when get up for a pee and even then I don't look too closely . With the outside ones I try and leave them alone as much as I can, otherwise they may as well be in. I think some people are a bit over keen to interfere. Binoculars are great for saving time and minimising disturbance. I make sure I ring the outdoor lambs in the first 12 hours otherwise you can't catch them. Also I number the ewes before lambing, makes it much easier to identify ewes that need checking or keeping an eye on.

That’s where I tend to struggle, ringing balls and tails , sometimes if I get behind I have had to gather a bunch up and do the lambs all at once
Maybe getting them sooner is the answer !

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

That’s where I tend to struggle, ringing balls and tails , sometimes if I get behind I have had to gather a bunch up and do the lambs all at once
Maybe getting them sooner is the answer !

As soon as they're dry and have sucked

 

[Spartacus]

First look round at 6.30, usually try to catch up with any born through the night with tags rings and numbers if they are dry then, next look round is feeding at about 10, will go fairly soon after that to make sure any twins are paired up again after the ewes have eaten (for the first couple of days after being born). Then will go after dinner at around 1pm, sort any problems, move things that I want to move, mark up any that are fresh. Last look round at 6.30pm.

I'm trying to wet mother triplets onto singles this year so I'll be round them as often as I can to catch them as they lamb.

 

[Pistonbroke]

We have one bunch of singles that are bringing bigger lambs than expected,nearly every one has to be pulled so they're seen every couple of hours . Driving us nuts.

 

[tinsheet]

Get a cheap snacker of eBay
I struggle with arthritis and waiting for a new knee, sheep can hurt !

B ugger that just have sheep that don't need cake, I feed a bit of hay on rough hill ground a few mineral tubs
Not everyone's cup of tea I realize,
lambing and calving here due to start next week is a pretty relaxed affair.(generally)

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

B ugger that just have sheep that don't need cake, I feed a bit of hay on rough hill ground a few mineral tubs
Not everyone's cup of tea I realize,
lambing and calving here due to start next week is a pretty relaxed affair.(generally)

Ours get cake until they start lambing then I stop