Ok, I know I have asked many times before about milk issues and general issues. But this year is affecting me badly. Maybe a brief startinf post but I shall add to it all as time comes. Issues this year so far are, ewes milking really badly, which resulted in low colostrum. Thst in turn resulted in jointill, no watery mouth this year tho. Have had a awful amount off lambs not sucking again, lamb breeds are Charolais texel Suffolk and meatlinc, all off which have been affected. Ewe lambs have done extremely poor condition wise and that’s affected their lambings to. I just want to know what on Earth am I doing wrong. Sheep houses early cause off lack off winter grazing. Fed accordingly with meal at appropriate times. Last 2 years I thought I cracked it feedinf wise as lambs lambed great and lots Milk and very little joint issues. This year just dropped like a stone and back to square one. I have 24 ewes rearing singles in ewe batch and only lambed 60 ewes. Rest are twins
Sheep issues
- Thread starter will6910
- Start date
M-J-G
Member
Blood profiles and FEC would be worth while otherwise you're fighting an enemy that you don't know.
What are they getting fed and how much?
What has the fluke and or worm control been?
What minerals are they getting?
What are they getting fed and how much?
What has the fluke and or worm control been?
What minerals are they getting?
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Wishful Thinker
Member
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Have you read the TexX thread? If not, start. Everyone has problems, it’s natural it’s livestock. That thread is reality, the good bad and ugly is in it. Too often people only tell the good because everyone wants to forget the bad.
You’ve 1.6lambs per ewe focus on that. Selling 96 lambs at £100 is better than selling 108 lambs at £80. Get your grass and dosing right no reason why it can’t be done, focus on the basics rather than get lost in the complicated
You’ve 1.6lambs per ewe focus on that. Selling 96 lambs at £100 is better than selling 108 lambs at £80. Get your grass and dosing right no reason why it can’t be done, focus on the basics rather than get lost in the complicated
Done bloods pre lambing last year and pre tupping last year and levels all were good after getting bolus. Fluked when got their booster heptavac. Have not done FEC for worms on the nature ewes before. Twins got around kg a head a day, triplets slightly more and singles just a handful. 20% ewe mix and bale silage
Didn’t get silage tested. Was using same meal supplier as last time and got bad milk and issues from the start. Wasn’t happy about the ingredient list so changed to a stronger mix that’s proven
Been following it all along yeah. Everyone has issues, I’m feeling mind has to be able to be fixed some how. Been a trend for good few years off issues but can never find the cause
- Location
- North Wales
Lack of colostrum has to be down to nutrition.
That could be due to illness i.e. worms/fluke or feeding an unbalanced diet.
What was the colostrum they had like? Were they lacking colostrum, was it thick and yellow?
That could be due to illness i.e. worms/fluke or feeding an unbalanced diet.
What was the colostrum they had like? Were they lacking colostrum, was it thick and yellow?
Ewes roughly a 3 and some ewe lambs are poor about 2.5 if that
It was yellow but wasn’t many off them I’d have classed as having good thick colostrum this year
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Thank you.
It's a bit strange stumbling across someone talking about the thread without tagging me
farmerm
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
I find no two seasons are the same. Last year we lost a lot at lambing due to campylobacter, I think I must have picked up or pulled, mostly pulled, at least 20 lambs before having one that survived longer than a few days. The year before it was a different abortion problem but multiple post mortem failed to give any definitive answer. In comparision this year has been a breeze, ewes in good condition, I can count lamb losses on one hand, no doubt that means a dozen will have to drop dead at some point, either in the next few weeks or wait until Autumn. The only thing I find consistent with sheep is their ability to be consistently disappointing. 
Definitely always something to crop up. Mine seems to be constantly the same issuesI find no two seasons are the same. Last year we lost a lot at lambing due to campylobacter, I think I must have picked up or pulled, mostly pulled, at least 20 lambs before having one that survived longer than a few days. The year before it was a different abortion problem but multiple post mortem failed to give any definitive answer. In comparision this year has been a breeze, ewes in good condition, I can count lamb losses on one hand, no doubt that means a dozen will have to drop dead at some point, either in the next few weeks or wait until Autumn. The only thing I find consistent with sheep is their ability to be consistently disappointing.
- Location
- North Wales
You don't want thick colostrum, you want udders full of thin colostrum like single cream with a slight yellow tinge.
I'd say your issue is with the feed. Not enough of the right kind of protein. Over feeding rumen degradable protein and not enough undegradable digestible protein. That is if they were treated properly for fluke and had no issues there. That's usually the problem, the ewes have used all the available protein to grow the lambs, cover them in wool and there isn't enough to develop the udder and fill it with high quality colostrum full of antibodies.
Northeastfarmer
Member
- Location
- Cleveland
Unfortunately Imo nothing puts good quality milk on a ewe like quality grass….whenever I’ve had to house ewes early they never milk like they do when they’ve been grazing no matter what feed you give them
Unfortunately I have no other option but to house. Couldn’t keep a quarter off the sheep I have if I had to keep them outside all winter
Exactly this, I have 500 ewes housed from 1st Jan until now, they have been fed on dairy quality silage, nuts and feed blocks, they are in very good condition but don't milk half as well as the accidents that have lambed outside in the last couple of weeks, my dad always said a handful of grass a day is worth 2kg of cake. But like @will6910 I have no option to house these ewes (very wet flooding farm).
My ewes were on grass (and not particularly good quality) until a week before due date. Fed them hay and very little nuts when they came in. No prolapses and generally a good milk supply, the worst being the handful of twins that lambed a few days before their due date. Mostly mules that definitely weren't fat.
daithi
Member
I am going to stop lambing ewe lambs after this year. I think they are more hassle than they are worth, I will just run them dry next year.