Outdoor lambing

[tinsheet]

I have read farming connect (I think) booklets about drift lambing, and I remember it said one person can look after 400 ewes outside using drift lambing.

Neighbour does 1500+, never lambed in doors!
Does have a shed setup for any problem cases though.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Trouble is shed's make soft lambs, when you do get that bad weather on 3 day old lambs that have lambed inside you loose a load of them, where as outside born lambs are much stronger and fitter.

If the weather is that bad try using lamb macs

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Fodder Beet

 

[neilo]

A couple of my friends who lamb BIG numbers outside think it’s great. Until they get snow or extreme rain in early April. I’ve seen the bags of dead lambs afterwards, 1 of them has spent a lot this last few years putting massive sheep sheds up. He reckons he’s not getting younger and he can’t take the stress of picking up piles of dead lambs out of the snow when it does come. Can’t say I blame him. He’s on a good farm but the weather can be terrible right into May on a bad year.

To be fair, I’ve been to visit several big indoor lambing flocks at lambing time too. Most of those have equally big bags of dead lambs, but usually for reasons other than the weather.

Anyone that claims not to lose any (which includes one of those mentioned above), whatever the system, is either daft, pulling your leg or a liar.

 

[Estate fencing.]

To be fair, I’ve been to visit several big indoor lambing flocks at lambing time too. Most of those have equally big bags of dead lambs, but usually for reasons other than the weather.

Anyone that claims not to lose any (which includes one of those mentioned above), whatever the system, is either daft, pulling your leg or a liar.

For the last 5 year I have lost a slightly higher percentage on my indoor lamberts, but the do have I haigher percentage of triplets. But as you say deaths are from other things.

 

[Dry Rot]

I never lose a lamb.
But then I've done the sensible thing and got rid of the sheep.
Joking apart, I asked my elderly neighbour in the Outer Isles how he managed at lambing. He told me he didn't put the tups out, just collected the ewe subsidy. Problem solved. (True!).

 

[Anymulewilldo]

To be fair, I’ve been to visit several big indoor lambing flocks at lambing time too. Most of those have equally big bags of dead lambs, but usually for reasons other than the weather.

Anyone that claims not to lose any (which includes one of those mentioned above), whatever the system, is either daft, pulling your leg or a liar.

Generally I find them too be liars! “We never lose a lamb” what about those born dead? Or those that just won’t get going? Some folk think we’re stupid

 

[unlacedgecko]

There are some exceptional operators that lamb outside. Most recent Pasture Pod (Graham Lofthouse) has a record of losses from scanning to sale/retention of less than 5%. Or listen to the Head Shepherd podcast Precision Lambing episode.

I lamb outside, but I am mediocre in the extreme. But I take the view that lambing is the ewe's job. My job is to ensure she's of the right breed, in the right nutrition, to the right ram, lambing in the right field.

I see the ewes 1hr after sunrise and won't bother them later than 1hr before dusk. I like to give them plenty of time to settle and bed down. I believe interfering with them during the dark will increase mismothering.

 

[sheepwise]

Trouble is shed's make soft lambs, when you do get that bad weather on 3 day old lambs that have lambed inside you loose a load of them, where as outside born lambs are much stronger and fitter.

100% Ewes know where the shelter is too

 

[CopperBeech]

Having a quiet year next year. Got about 1100 to lamb outside all together. Will probably be one mob singles and two mobs of twins and any trips in with them. What a find a godsend is to have someone about to faff about with the problems in the shed. Or maybe I just don’t have enough patience

 

[Six Dogs]

I’m always intrigued by such low losses,if you have a ewe mortality of 1% between scanning and lambing there is the equivalent in lamb losses straight away,plus a few abortion or wet/drys.....
Class report for me is must do better!

 

[CopperBeech]

I’m always intrigued by such low losses,if you have a ewe mortality of 1% between scanning and lambing there is the equivalent in lamb losses straight away,plus a few abortion or wet/drys.....
Class report for me is must do better!

we tend to sit around 10% on average with everything taken into account. Had it lower and had it closer to 15%.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

My job is to ensure she's of the right breed, in the right nutrition, to the right ram, lambing in the right field.

The problem is if you get a week of drifting snow and freezing temperatures, and that can happen in April. I guess a lot depends which part of the country you are in

 

[CopperBeech]

The problem is if you get a week of drifting snow and freezing temperatures, and that can happen in April. I guess a lot depends which part of the country you are in

there wouldn’t be that many parts of the country that get freezing temps in late april or drifting snow.

 

[unlacedgecko]

The problem is if you get a week of drifting snow and freezing temperatures, and that can happen in April. I guess a lot depends which part of the country you are in

I'm near Doncaster, farm is -1m to +1m ASL. Start lambing 15 Apr.

 

[Skintagain]

if you are going and stirring them up in midddle of the night you may as well lamb inside. All that uproar leads to problems I don’t care what anyone says. If you are round them outside day and night all the time you will have just as many issues as outside as they aren’t settling right. Outdoor lambing is a totally different mindset to indoor and you can’t micromanage the sheep to hell

 

[Estate fencing.]

there wouldn’t be that many parts of the country that get freezing temps in late april or drifting snow.

I'm near Doncaster, farm is -1m to +1m ASL. Start lambing 15 Apr.

I think mid April is perfect to start outside lambing, days start getting longer very quickly by then and you should have had a couple of weeks of good grass growth for the twins.

 

[Woolless]

There are some exceptional operators that lamb outside. Most recent Pasture Pod (Graham Lofthouse) has a record of losses from scanning to sale/retention of less than 5%. Or listen to the Head Shepherd podcast Precision Lambing episode.

I lamb outside, but I am mediocre in the extreme. But I take the view that lambing is the ewe's job. My job is to ensure she's of the right breed, in the right nutrition, to the right ram, lambing in the right field.

I see the ewes 1hr after sunrise and won't bother them later than 1hr before dusk. I like to give them plenty of time to settle and bed down. I believe interfering with them during the dark will increase mismothering.

I listened to that last night and have the pleasure of knowing him personally. He does a phenomenal job.

 

[Bwcho]

I listened to that last night and have the pleasure of knowing him personally. He does a phenomenal job.

Where did you listen/download it?

 

[Woolless]

Where did you listen/download it?

Just Google pasture pod' podcast