Outdoor lambing- who's first??

[farmeronecow]

As the title suggests, whats the earliest you have lambed outside, successfully/unsuccessfully, pro's cons etc?

 

[ford4000]

We start last week in February, mostly mule ewes about 800ft high. It's matter of luck weatherwise , seen terrible weather in April many a time when neighbours are lambing. Main disadvantage is all the bloody ravens target us till others start lambing outside as well

 

[romneymarsh]

Lots of variables on this one. Breed, topography, local climate, numbers stocking rate etc etc .

You can't really chop and change your sheep management if in it for the long term you have to do what's best suited to your farm in the average year and is therefore sustainable. Lambing date should fit in with maximum grass growth later on for ' the crop' . Lambing too early with no grub later on means, high cost. In my part of the country mid March is the earliest weather wise in my experience. Although I am below sea level we have had weather like the picture above in mid April( local climate might suggest we live half way up a mountain at times) . But on the law of averages we go early April.

 

[farmeronecow]

Lots of variables on this one. Breed, topography, local climate, numbers stocking rate etc etc .

You can't really chop and change your sheep management if in it for the long term you have to do what's best suited to your farm in the average year and is therefore sustainable. Lambing date should fit in with maximum grass growth later on for ' the crop' . Lambing too early with no grub later on means, high cost. In my part of the country mid March is the earliest weather wise in my experience. Although I am below sea level we have had weather like the picture above in mid April( local climate might suggest we live half way up a mountain at times) . But on the law of averages we go early April.

Im quite happy with lambing my main flock early april, was just toying with some ideas on early lambing a flying flock next year and selling as couples as i have plenty of winter grass....

 

[romneymarsh]

Im quite happy with lambing my main flock early april, was just toying with some ideas on early lambing a flying flock next year and selling as couples as i have plenty of winter grass....

It's just a gamble then .

Will the weather play ?We can have nice settled periods as well as complete rubbish at any time of year. Will the market take the extra costs of , maybe the creep needed to get lambs away before the inevitable dip. But then you might be a niche box seller ?

 

[farmeronecow]

I wouldn't be looking to finish them, i would sell them with lambs at foot at 4 weeks old. We are only at 60ft here, and have got a shed to lamb them in if the weather was really bad!

 

[romneymarsh]

I wouldn't be looking to finish them, i would sell them with lambs at foot at 4 weeks old. We are only at 60ft here, and have got a shed to lamb them in if the weather was really bad!

Ok I don't think you want to go too early then, but it depends on your area, round heer people don't stat looking for couples until end April,May when they have grass and not sure what to do with it.

 

[Joe]

Have lambed in January outside here yrs ago when dad did about 50 early ones, always did ok but always brought in if bad forecast.
Wouldnt really be willing to lamb from end of Jan to mid March here for 2 reasons, 1. Grass and 2. Wind & rain, worst weather for wet and wind here tends to be from mid Jan to mid March. Never found frost or cold an issue for lambing out, but wet and wind the real killer. Rams out Saturday here hopefully for next years lambing...

 

[Jop]

I am lambing dorsets outside now! But I guess that's not what you mean by early. I think you could get away with early March outside but it all depends on your farm.

Not sure you would gain enough by selling couples a few weeks older compared to lambing them in April and selling in May when most people are looking for them.

 

[Bones]

one year lambed out side starting 15 april. all the ground got a good covering of hens dung late february and it was a good growing spring. sheep had to go in to shed lambs were getting massive , udders traling the ground . some times you cant win

 

[JohnGalway]

Lambing indoors now, but earliest I've been outside has started March 15th. It can go really well in a kind Spring, and really badly in a drawn out cold one. It's fine to say go with grass growth but I've seen no growth until May, and remembered draining in February in 19 degrees. That makes it a fingers crossed situation once you let the rams out.

 

[neilo]

Lambed pedigree Charollais outside in early December in mid-Wales two years ago. I didn't lose a single lamb and had 200% lambs born alive in that flock.

It was only one that lambed before I could get them in though.

 

[Keepers]

Lambed pedigree Charmoise outside end of December, they were scanned to 150% and lambed down and reared 150%

They did fine in the frost and snow and reared the lambs well

All two of those ewes got very fat over the summer


Outside lambing from beginning of March with no issues but mostly from mid March

 

[taff]

Just finishing 1st lambing now we lamb out in the day and in at night ewes do really well outside but its nice just to be able to leave them in if the weather is crap especially as we get to the end of October.

 

[notorious]

@neilo would anyone lamb charollais outside in say march/April? ?

 

[neilo]

@neilo would anyone lamb charollais outside in say march/April? ?

You'd have to be mad to do such a thing (@Tim W ).

Personally, I would have no issues doing it from the hardiness point of view, the females just lack the maternal qualities to make it easy though. Selecting for those maternal abilities would dilute any selection on terminal traits IMO, leading you to a jack of all trades, master of none type scenario (or 'dual purpose' in marketing speak).

 

[Tim W]

We have lambed outside for 25 yrs here I guess and have started on 1st March through to 5th May
I think that there are two factors, the greatest is the grass /food supply (no point lambing if they don't have grub ahead of them)
2nd is the weather but I think that if they have shelter (hedges/hollows in the fields etc) that this is greatly mitigated ---having said that both sheep and I obviously prefer it to be mild & sunny
Charollais lambing outside ----in most years around here 1st April is no problem

The only maternal trait that the Charollais ewes really lack is the milk as they tend to dry up a lot earlier than maternal breeds , they are a bit scatty as mums but if you leave them alone (golden rule of lambing outdoors) they seem ok---all this after just 3 years of keeping Charollais so I may change my opinion yet

Breeding for more milk = diluting terminal traits? Not sure about that
I think that the number 1 trait for any lamb regardless of terminal or maternal is survivability , it's got to live to be worth anything

 

[General-Lee]

Only the singles but they'll be lambing outside in a few weeks.

 

[Joe]

@neilo would anyone lamb charollais outside in say march/April? ?

Lambed pedigree Charollais outside here few years ago in April. Weather was good and it went really well, only issue is exactly what @neilo said maternal instincts. Few ewes I needed to catch were real issue, and made it not worth while imo.

 

[Bones]

did any one ever use a rouge ram on mule or mule cross ewes lambing outside /