Sheep in !

[Wood field]

Our place is now utterly saturated, so much so the tractor slithers about on what flat ground we have whilst feeding bales.
I moved the boss ladies cows and am now setting the big shed up ready for housing the in bye flock , typically the forecast looks a little more settled next week.
Anyone else thinking of housing early?

 

[sticky]

My ewes will start coming in this week ready for scanning and they will stay in but it’s normal time for me. Usually don’t have any grass left and or it’s just too wet on my heavy clay ground this time of the year.
My ewe lambs will have finished their keep ground very soon, about 6 weeks early, and will have to be spread about and some come in.

 

[Wood field]

My ewes will start coming in this week ready for scanning and they will stay in but it’s normal time for me. Usually don’t have any grass left and or it’s just too wet on my heavy clay ground this time of the year.
My ewe lambs will have finished their keep ground very soon, about 6 weeks early, and will have to be spread about and some come in.

I usually wait for scanning, only another three weeks, but our ground is clay as well , it’s a hell of a mess.
Bringing them in early at least ( hopefully) lets things recover

 

[andyt87]

Normally bring in 10 days before due date. That's Feb 3rd but might bring the earliest 50% in this week. Bales aren't lasting out the field so if I can reduce marking as much as possible as well as pushing around feeders so much the better. Will eek out the grass & dry laying that bit longer for what's left as well

 

[ford4000]

Can't bring them all in and don't want to till their due date end of February ... But Have had to put new tyres on the quad as the bugger was struggling to get around!

 

[neilo]

Our place is now utterly saturated, so much so the tractor slithers about on what flat ground we have whilst feeding bales.
I moved the boss ladies cows and am now setting the big shed up ready for housing the in bye flock , typically the forecast looks a little more settled next week.
Anyone else thinking of housing early?

My March lambing pedigree ewes started on beet a fortnight ago. At the present rate of knots they will have that field cleared by the end of Jan. I’ll scan before then, with the twins likely getting housed from then, rather than just before lambing.

If I was set up to house all my sheep for any length of time then I would certainly be contemplating housing them early, even if it meant finding some more silage. Miserable out just now, and no fun for sheep or shepherd.

It was pretty dire here this time last year too, then almost tropical through February. Here’s hoping for a repeat.

 

[Wood field]

My March lambing pedigree ewes started on beet a fortnight ago. At the present rate of knots they will have that field cleared by the end of Jan. I’ll scan before then, with the twins likely getting housed from then, rather than just before lambing.

If I was set up to house all my sheep for any length of time then I would certainly be contemplating housing them early, even if it meant finding some more silage. Miserable out just now, and no fun for sheep or shepherd.

It was pretty dire here this time last year too, then almost tropical through February. Here’s hoping for a repeat.

Housed ours at scanning last year, then ended up with all the shed doors open as it went warm and dry
It can be my gift to you all , I’ll bring them in and watch the weather change

 

[neilo]

Housed ours at scanning last year, then ended up with all the shed doors open as it went warm and dry
It can be my gift to you all , I’ll bring them in and watch the weather change

Hurry up and get them in then.

 

[AftonShepherd]

Housed ours at scanning last year, then ended up with all the shed doors open as it went warm and dry
It can be my gift to you all , I’ll bring them in and watch the weather change

Legend

 

[Wood field]

Legend

Here you go ..

 

[aangus]

Brought my march lambers in 10 days before christmas, earliest ever but I'm glad there in. I've 100 away on winter keep until supposedly the end of feb and I'm waiting on that phone call any day now

 

[Estate fencing.]

I housed 600 ewes and the tups on Wednesday and will bring another 300 in this Tuesday, still leaves a fair few out. They don’t cost anymore to us being in really as they eat less and the straw they uses is the bales that can’t be put on a waggon (missing strings or wet tops/bottoms). The only problem is that I can only get 12 hous food in front of them so have to be fed silage twice a day, but it only takes 25mins to feed round and it’s far more enjoyable than wheel spinning a loader to the top of the farm to put food in feeders.

 

[Wood field]

I housed 600 ewes and the tups on Wednesday and will bring another 300 in this Tuesday, still leaves a fair few out. They don’t cost anymore to us being in really as they eat less and the straw they uses is the bales that can’t be put on a waggon (missing strings or wet tops/bottoms). The only problem is that I can only get 12 hous food in front of them so have to be fed silage twice a day, but it only takes 25mins to feed round and it’s far more enjoyable than wheel spinning a loader to the top of the farm to put food in feeders.

Said to my mrs, if we had shed space I would bring the lot in ! Moor ewes are going back to the moor on Tuesday , there’s more for them than their on in bye

Ewes on outlying ground are on crap ground but at least there’s a good track for the feeders to sit on
Been a shite spell of weather that’s for sure

 

[Estate fencing.]

Said to my mrs, if we had shed space I would bring the lot in ! Moor ewes are going back to the moor on Tuesday , there’s more for them than their on in bye

Ewes on outlying ground are on crap ground but at least there’s a good track for the feeders to sit on
Been a shite spell of weather that’s for sure

I have got another shed that can house 120 ewes but it’s an old grain store with concrete floor so have to be careful that they don’t get bad feet in there, I won’t use that until mid feb, also can house a couple of hundred in our handling shed but don’t set that up until all ewes are vaccinated. The ewes out have all the top bales (kids riding a bike across the stack ) because they can’t be fed though a chopper.

 

[Wood field]

I have got another shed that can house 120 ewes but it’s an old grain store with concrete floor so have to be careful that they don’t get bad feet in there, I won’t use that until mid feb, also can house a couple of hundred in our handling shed but don’t set that up until all ewes are vaccinated. The ewes out have all the top bales (kids riding a bike across the stack ) because they can’t be fed though a chopper.

Trying to convince the boss lady we need another shed , even if it’s a pole barn

 

[Estate fencing.]

Tups far better for being in and dry

all fed on the outside and cake in the inside (haven’t started that yet)

each pen holds 42 ewes (not quite enough feed space so have chuck a bit on floor) 8 pens a shed and 3 shed. Just about 1000 ewes. Don’t think anyone would spend the money on shed now a days.

 

[Wood field]

View attachment 1156090Tups far better for being in and dry View attachment 1156091all fed on the outside and cake in the inside (haven’t started that yet) View attachment 1156093each pen holds 42 ewes (not quite enough feed space so have chuck a bit on floor) 8 pens a shed and 3 shed. Just about 1000 ewes. Don’t think anyone would spend the money on shed now a days.

That’s a good set up

 

[aangus]

View attachment 1156090Tups far better for being in and dry View attachment 1156091all fed on the outside and cake in the inside (haven’t started that yet) View attachment 1156093each pen holds 42 ewes (not quite enough feed space so have chuck a bit on floor) 8 pens a shed and 3 shed. Just about 1000 ewes. Don’t think anyone would spend the money on shed now a days.

Do you use a straw chopper to bed up?

 

[Estate fencing.]

Do you use a straw chopper to bed up?

Yea and feed with it. It’s quite tight to drive down the centre passage especially this week with being hungover.

 

[Wood field]

@Estate fencing. what size pens are they, our layout is similar but our shed is “only 105 x 50 , we rebuilt a lean too that gives another 90x30’
Pens in main shed are 30x20 I can get 45 ewes in a pen ( smaller hill ewes) and the lean too is 3 pens of 30 x 15 ‘
Problem we have is bedding by hand ! And the feed passage is to narrow for tractors so we also feed out by standing the bale at one end and hand balling it