Plastic lamb jackets

[cpsf]

Getting mixed reviews about the plastic macs to put on lambs if weather is against them...some say they cause mis - mothering and others say they are a lifeline. Does it make a difference how old they are if they are put on to avoid mis-mothering? Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[Anonymous...]

Getting mixed reviews about the plastic macs to put on lambs if weather is against them...some say they cause mis - mothering and others say they are a lifeline. Does it make a difference how old they are if they are put on to avoid mis-mothering? Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Trying some for 1st time as weathers' shoit
We're lambing inside but have no room left so chucked a bunch out.
Last bunch out we put the jackets on as it's really turned bad
Was worried about miss mothering so put jacket on an hour before chucking them out
So far no problem

 

[cpsf]

Glad they are working well for you... I'm sure that allowing time for them to get used to them whilst in the shed first before turnout will have made a difference.

 

[Anonymous...]

Glad they are working well for you... I'm sure that allowing time for them to get used to them whilst in the shed first before turnout will have made a difference.

We put them on then pop back in mothering pen, the ewe does snff at the lamb for a while to make sure but, so far so good
As an aside the first group we put out without jackets had two reasonable days of weather and have coped with the last two days of cold and rain better than I could have hoped

 

[spin cycle]

mrs spin started putting some on small lambs during beast from the east....i thought she was soft (we lamb inside).....but i reckon they get the lamb on about 3 days quicker...put on when lambs dry... ewe sniffs bot

 

[cpsf]

we have 3 week old lambs that were turned out a week ago....although they should be ok but it's still concerning as the field they are on is waterlogged today...this weather is a nightmare!

 

[Downtrodden Dad]

Used them for years with great results buying us an extra day outside in catchy weather. This year though the macs seem a lot thinner and rip very easily and are falling off to easily. Is anyone else thinking the same?

 

[cpsf]

Used them for years with great results buying us an extra day outside in catchy weather. This year though the macs seem a lot thinner and rip very easily and are falling off to easily. Is anyone else thinking the same?

Did you buy them from the same place too?

 

[hally]

Used them for 30 yrs great help in shite weather
Never seen mismothering in them yet but always put them on and leave in pen for a hour
Can't remember ever losing one in a jacket but would rather keep them in tbh, so use them when mired up and need to get some out

 

[aangus]

What's the best plastic mac

 

[hinchy]

If they’re indoors penned up, crack on, give the ewe some time to get used to it.
Outside lambers had mixed fortunes.
Some transparent ones were decent, but a pack of blue ones we used once really didn’t work!

 

[hubbahubba]

I put jackets on all mine, for tge last 5 years i think. Put them on just before going in the trailer and makes no miss mothering. The clear ones are best. Some last on for weeks. Others are off in less than a day. Did have one that cut into a lambs arm pit as it was on for that long.

 

[Downtrodden Dad]

Did you buy them from the same place too?

Yes same store same brand of mac lammac

 

[twizzel]

Used shearwell macs on my handful of lambs as needed to turn out in catchy weather as needed the space for cows calving. Depending on lamb size stayed on for 3-10 days and definitely helped, put them on in mothering pen about an hour before they went out

 

[Girlfarmer]

We use the shearwell ones with a lot of success. Any iffy ewes, we just turn up the flap over the tail, so the ewe can freely sniff the bum!

 

[Sierra Lama]

L

What's the best plastic mac

Lammac

 

[Longlowdog]

I believe the instructions on the box I bought said ' use at birth or after 8 hours' so the ewe either thinks her lambs were born that way or they have bonded in the mean time.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

thought the zeitgeist was to try to use less plastic!

 

[twizzel]

thought the zeitgeist was to try to use less plastic!

I’d rather use a bit of plastic than have a lamb die!

 

[Longlowdog]

If you clean it from the fields and dispose of properly what's the problem. The islands of plastic on David Attenborough's programme come from countries discharging waste into the sea, that ain't us. First world scientists guilt tripping us rather than tackling the source.
There isn't a sheep farm in the land that could generate 0.1% of the plastic used by a carrot grower.