Wishful Thinker
Member
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Said to the old boy today, I’m either a sh!t sheep farmer or having a very bad run of luck. He reckons I’m just plain sh!t. Haven’t done well this year through one thing or another.
sh!t lambing
- Thread starter Smokey16
- Start date
Sounds like watery mouth disease to me not colic
- Location
- East Sussex
Why are there so few prolapses this year? We have never known anything like it before.
I put it down to less grass and sheep very fit. By less grass I mean in volume, so there is lower dry matter in what they are eating.
Even those on good Haylage carrying twins and triplets though have not been a problem.
Does make life easier!!
I put it down to less grass and sheep very fit. By less grass I mean in volume, so there is lower dry matter in what they are eating.
Even those on good Haylage carrying twins and triplets though have not been a problem.
Does make life easier!!
Ceri
Member
I can second that I’ve never had so few prolapses - like 3 out of 750 ewes in my main gang 
I think it’s because sheep are leaner this time from the drought…. Fat sheep = problems….! I always think sheep should be fit but on the lean side (but not lean lean
) I would send ewes off on dairy cow wintering & they’d come back looking like bullocks but between rotten lambs, prolapse, staggers, twin lamb they were nothing but hassle to the point where I stopped sending ewes…
I think it’s because sheep are leaner this time from the drought…. Fat sheep = problems….! I always think sheep should be fit but on the lean side (but not lean lean
) I would send ewes off on dairy cow wintering & they’d come back looking like bullocks but between rotten lambs, prolapse, staggers, twin lamb they were nothing but hassle to the point where I stopped sending ewes…
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My ewes scanned as mostly singles. Lambing this year has been relatively easy. No prolapses, TLD, dead ewes or foot problems. Lambing losses have been minimal (none to disease), fox has only had one lamb from a set of twins. Three ewes left to go and I'm done.
Fed good haylage and very little from a bag from scanning in late Dec, lambed indoors and outdoors depending on weather. ewes giving plenty of milk and lambs growing well especially the 20 born at the end of January.
Bit swampy here but the sheep seem to be ok on the moss.
Waiting for the grass now which is slowly coming through.
Fed good haylage and very little from a bag from scanning in late Dec, lambed indoors and outdoors depending on weather. ewes giving plenty of milk and lambs growing well especially the 20 born at the end of January.
Bit swampy here but the sheep seem to be ok on the moss.
Waiting for the grass now which is slowly coming through.
Pistonbroke
Member
Our ewes are leaner than usual but the singles are bringing massive lambs that all need pulling so the younger ewes get spooked from catching them and then won't take the lambs. There's eight adopter pens full with ewes that have.their own damn lambs
Twin lamb
- Location
- Carmarthenshire, West Wales
I put the ewe in something like this in the field, then put the lambs tail in the ewes mouth and leave it for five or ten minutes, the ewe has usually calmed down and started licking the lamb by then and I can sneak up and take the gambrel off, all fine.Our ewes are leaner than usual but the singles are bringing massive lambs that all need pulling so the younger ewes get spooked from catching them and then won't take the lambs. There's eight adopter pens full with ewes that have.their own damn lambs
Gambrel Restrainers
Restrain and control sheep and goats of all sizes. Fits over the animals neck and locks their front legs in place.
Pistonbroke
Member
I have seen them but not tried them. I reckon a ewe that's bursting with milk will take any lamb but these are on the lean side. If we cake them for more milk and condition the lambs are going to get even bigger and it's getting the lamb out that's spooked them into not wanting them. Only a dozen of that bunch left now thank GodI put the ewe in something like this in the field, then put the lambs tail in the ewes mouth and leave it for five or ten minutes, the ewe has usually calmed down and started licking the lamb by then and I can sneak up and take the gambrel off, all fine.
Gambrel Restrainers
Restrain and control sheep and goats of all sizes. Fits over the animals neck and locks their front legs in place.www.premier1supplies.com
- Location
- South Pennines ol14
Our inside lambing went well, usual few dead lambs but no major problem, I just found it dragged on and I was getting to my wits end being In the lambing shed
Outside lambing has started now , a few singles have needed a pull , either leg back or big lambs .
As with @Pistonbroke I find if I have to catch any to help lambing then the buggers want to take off!
Fortunately one of my dogs will do the catching and will also lye about 30’ from the ewe whilst she starts to mother the lamb
I only wish I could get the other dogs to do the same
Outside lambing has started now , a few singles have needed a pull , either leg back or big lambs .
As with @Pistonbroke I find if I have to catch any to help lambing then the buggers want to take off!
Fortunately one of my dogs will do the catching and will also lye about 30’ from the ewe whilst she starts to mother the lamb
I only wish I could get the other dogs to do the same
Ceri
Member
Of course…..
jes I’m thick….
- Location
- South Pennines ol14
Put it down to tiredness from lambingOf course…..
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
I had a couple of gimmers that wouldn't immediately take their lambs this year and I've found that in addition to holding the ewe with her lamb and putting birth fluids around her mouth to stimulate licking that drawing milk from the ewe also seems to calm them.
A few over the years with tight udders and lambs on their feet have really calmed down once their udders have been almost emptied too.
Other little things I've picked up is that anything that looks like it may be a problem only ever gets tubed once. No matter how convenient it is to bung another tube in a 3am they have to suck. After a couple of tubes the suck reflex seems to diminish.
If a lamb will take a teat I back it between my legs and once the teat is centered in the mouth stroking the lambs flanks seems to stimulate them to suck with vigour. Of course you have to master holding the bottle and cupping the lambs head simultaneously with one hand to do this.
The lamb hand held vacuum milk gadget is worth its weight in gold. I don't own one yet but having seen one in action a few times with a friends sheep this year it certainly cuts down the faff of holding a ewe, a jug and fending off a lamb that will invariably try to knock the precious colostrum over. Once mastered the colostrum just flows in a stream from the ewe and it upsets them less than manual milking. It's great for reducing the teat size on older ewes with smaller lambs.
A few over the years with tight udders and lambs on their feet have really calmed down once their udders have been almost emptied too.
Other little things I've picked up is that anything that looks like it may be a problem only ever gets tubed once. No matter how convenient it is to bung another tube in a 3am they have to suck. After a couple of tubes the suck reflex seems to diminish.
If a lamb will take a teat I back it between my legs and once the teat is centered in the mouth stroking the lambs flanks seems to stimulate them to suck with vigour. Of course you have to master holding the bottle and cupping the lambs head simultaneously with one hand to do this.
The lamb hand held vacuum milk gadget is worth its weight in gold. I don't own one yet but having seen one in action a few times with a friends sheep this year it certainly cuts down the faff of holding a ewe, a jug and fending off a lamb that will invariably try to knock the precious colostrum over. Once mastered the colostrum just flows in a stream from the ewe and it upsets them less than manual milking. It's great for reducing the teat size on older ewes with smaller lambs.
Pistonbroke
Member
Total lambing disaster
we seem to get on better if we avoid feeding roots in late pregnancy (something to do with to much calcium means they loose their ability to regulate themselves ), this year no beet availiable or to dear and turnips not very good this year seem to have solved this issue , they have had just grass but the lambs are still to big sometimes .