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What is people’s approach to weaning? Thinking of weaning half the lambs (larger ones) and leaving the smaller ones with the ewes for another few weeks until bigger. Any issues with this, what are people’s approach?
Ewes bags blow up fairly alarmingly when you draw her lambs for killing at 12 weeks.Spoke to a former sheep farmer of the year about this. His contention was that after about 90 days lambs are getting minimal milk but they trail round after their mothers. She gets first bite at everything and craps on the rest. Even if there's no aftermath or whatever, they'll do better if they are getting first chance of what there is. My lambs have grown better following his advice than they did before.
Ewes bags blow up fairly alarmingly when you draw her lambs for killing at 12 weeks.
I always take that to mean they are still getting a fair drop.. interesting what you say though.
I’ve heard this and seen the figures etc that proved it, I sent lambs off yesterday, went through bags today on those fields and had 70 ewes off the lambs grazing platform. Those bags were full, some ewes couldn’t run but had to walk in as bags were full, all ewes had lambed by March 15th in those fields so still plenty of milk in them!Spoke to a former sheep farmer of the year about this. His contention was that after about 90 days lambs are getting minimal milk but they trail round after their mothers. She gets first bite at everything and craps on the rest. Even if there's no aftermath or whatever, they'll do better if they are getting first chance of what there is. My lambs have grown better following his advice than they did before.
I think it all depends on breed. My terminals didn't bag up much at all at 14 weeks. The main flock do a bit, with poor feed after weaning no issue really.Ewes bags blow up fairly alarmingly when you draw her lambs for killing at 12 weeks.
I always take that to mean they are still getting a fair drop.. interesting what you say though.
Spoke to a former sheep farmer of the year about this. His contention was that after about 90 days lambs are getting minimal milk but they trail round after their mothers. She gets first bite at everything and craps on the rest. Even if there's no aftermath or whatever, they'll do better if they are getting first chance of what there is. My lambs have grown better following his advice than they did before.
I wouldn't worry about weaning the smaller lambs. One of the few partly scientific experiments we did here one year was to weigh a sample of lambs 2 weeks before weaning, at weaning and 2 weeks after. They had put most weight in in the 2 weeks after weaning. This was weaning onto a nice bite of after grass though not just taking the ewes away.
a lot depends on age and how rumen is developed and stress , we always gently draft ewes first , leave lambs where they are so they are in familiar surroundings , (a creep gate into another field for a few days is ideal ) then move lambs a few weeks later if needed ,Interesting.
I'd understood that lambs "go back" at weaning from the distress.
I'd do the opposite, as per NeilO's post. Wean scrubbers off, put them on best feed, follow with big lambs & ewes, and clean up with the drying-off ewes. Keeps them 3(+) paddocks apart so they have less chance of unweaning themselves.What is people’s approach to weaning? Thinking of weaning half the lambs (larger ones) and leaving the smaller ones with the ewes for another few weeks until bigger. Any issues with this, what are people’s approach?
Has anybody experimented with restricting lambs on something like straw for a day or two? Although there is that initial separation anxiety, when they are let out they have an appetite and just plough on. I'm not sure about this approach but would be interested to see if others have tried it.
Naturally, I guess putting ewes onto a low energy diet for a day or two may slacken the bags quicker but I'm not sure about housing them as that'd be a mastitis risk surely.
I'd do the opposite, as per NeilO's post. Wean scrubbers off, put them on best feed, follow with big lambs & ewes, and clean up with the drying-off ewes. Keeps them 3(+) paddocks apart so they have less chance of unweaning themselves.
Yes, they seem to worry about feeding their faces first and foremost.I never see much stress when I wean lambs, not from the lambs anyway. If they have a nice bite to go to they seem to forget about their mum’s pretty quickly, ungrateful little soda.
The ewes pine, and make a lot of noise, for a lot longer ime.