Shedding lambs, or not?

[Woolless]

Morning all,

I'm planning to give the lambs their first vaccination over the weekend. I usually shed them off from their mothers first but I'm just wondering whether to bother doing that and save a job. Either way, they'll be done in a 3ft x 16ft dosing race. What are folks' thoughts? Youngest lambs will be three weeks old, average five weeks.

Also, if lambs require to be shed, I have the option of removing the panel from the gate and having a railed shedding gate. Never bothered doing that before. Do they draw through better?

Looks like getting blown away will be more of an issue rather than getting wet @Nithsdale Farmer, winds up to 49mph forecast Friday/Saturday and we sit fairly high and exposed.

 

[J428TGS]

shed off the ewes before the drench race, fill it then does them and let go then repete, its much easyer to get through the lambs then

 

[M-J-G]

I always shed them as one can get missed amongst the ewes, and splitting them only takes a few minutes.

How many are you doing?

 

[neilo]

I never shed off young lambs as I think they run far better with their mums. I usually want their mums in for Clik when I do the first drench anyway though.

 

[Agrivator]

Morning all,

I'm planning to give the lambs their first vaccination over the weekend. I usually shed them off from their mothers first but I'm just wondering whether to bother doing that and save a job. Either way, they'll be done in a 3ft x 16ft dosing race. What are folks' thoughts? Youngest lambs will be three weeks old, average five weeks.

Also, if lambs require to be shed, I have the option of removing the panel from the gate and having a railed shedding gate. Never bothered doing that before. Do they draw through better?

Looks like getting blown away will be more of an issue rather than getting wet @Nithsdale Farmer, winds up to 49mph forecast Friday/Saturday and we sit fairly high and exposed.

Don't bother shedding if you are sure you can differentiate between the lambs and their mothers.

 

[Woolless]

I always shed them as one can get missed amongst the ewes, and splitting them only takes a few minutes.

How many are you doing?

The bigger mob is roughly 180 ewes, most running with twins. It always seems to take ages shedding a group that size, what with lambs sticking etc.

 

[Woolless]

Don't bother shedding if you are sure you can differentiate between the lambs and their mothers.

Ha, I should manage that! Another advantage of not shedding is not being bent over for so long at one time. I'm tall and if I fill a dosing race with young lambs where I need to stoop right over, it can be a job straightening up at the end of the race!

 

[Sheep92]

I used to always shed them herelack of dog power this year and I didn't bother, had them dosed far quicker, bit harder to get through the race but didnt pack it, takes a bit of time to shed them and i found they're more inclined to jump out to the ewes, have 3 mobs of 300 ewes and their lambs done this way

 

[Nithsdale]

The lambs run through the pens much easier following the ewes - especially if it's their first time in.

The time you save dosing, only having a race full of lambs, you more than lose trying to shed the lambs off in the first place.



A sheeted shedding gate is better than railed.

 

[Woolless]

I used to always shed them herelack of dog power this year and I didn't bother, had them dosed far quicker, bit harder to get through the race but didnt pack it, takes a bit of time to shed them and i found they're more inclined to jump out to the ewes, have 3 mobs of 300 ewes and their lambs done this way

I've got two dogs that love working in the pens but the job goes better if I concentrate on shedding and someone is at the back chanelling/curbing their enthusiam! This in turn needs a bit more skilled labour. Doing them with the ewes means that ideally I just need a body in the race with me.

 

[Woolless]

The lambs run through the pens much easier following the ewes - especially if it's their first time in.

The time you save dosing, only having a race full of lambs, you more than lose trying to shed the lambs off in the first place.



A sheeted shedding gate is better than railed.

Why do you say a sheeted shedding gate is better? I've sometimes found that the black-clad gate opening in front of the lambs seems to startle them. Never actually tried it with the sheet off, admittedly.

 

[Nithsdale]

Why do you say a sheeted shedding gate is better? I've sometimes found that the black-clad gate opening in front of the lambs seems to startle them. Never actually tried it with the sheet off, admittedly.

Using my mobile yard, the race is sheeted and gates are railed... if the ewes go straight ahead, the lambs try to push through the gate to follow straight on instead of slipping out the side of the race. If lambs are going straight on, they stall at the shedding gate as they see ewes or other lambs out to the side.

I'm pretty sure if it was sheeted, they would flow better.

 

[Sheep92]

I've got two dogs that love working in the pens but the job goes better if I concentrate on shedding and someone is at the back chanelling/curbing their enthusiam! This in turn needs a bit more skilled labour. Doing them with the ewes means that ideally I just need a body in the race with me.

Yea I can do them on my own now easily with no shedding, cant get help with sheep over here all lads want to do is drive tractors or milk cows

 

[Woolless]

Yea I can do them on my own now easily with no shedding, cant get help with sheep over here all lads want to do is drive tractors or milk cows

My Dad helps but he is shielding against covid at the moment. My eldest daughter is capable with stock and can work the dogs but getting her motivated and out of bed before 1100 is the problem!

 

[Al R]

Never drafted lambs off unless for weighing/weaning. 35x3ft race, works brilliantly and the ewes stop the lambs moving so much. Bolused my January/feb born lambs a few weeks ago when I selected the ones to be retained for breeding and decided to draft them from their mothers, they were clambering everywhere and it was a nightmare, it was easier to clikzin them all though.

 

[Northern territory]

Don’t bother shedding. Only for shearing.

 

[Cvx1170]

Hello i'l disagree. Lambs need shedding out from large numbers of ewes, at best they will be squashed against the pen, small lambs will be killed

 

[Woolless]

Hello i'l disagree. Lambs need shedding out from large numbers of ewes, at best they will be squashed against the pen, small lambs will be killed

That's partly what I was worried about. Think I'll do the smaller group first and see how I get on.

 

[Northern territory]

Never squashed any. Don’t handle until ovivac at 6 weeks. As long as you don’t run them to tight. Certainly run better with their mothers.

 

[CollCrofter]

I always shed first and when I'm done I leave them in a small field to mother up again. Too easy to miss a lamb under a ewe and don't notice it till they're all storming out the race. I had plenty lambs go down and trampled when I thought not shedding would save time