General sheep thread

Siamsa Sessions

DJ98 wrote: »

How many ewes would a ram lamb cover?

Bought our current Charollais ram as a January-born lamb from a breeder on here and he tipped 40 mature ewes in the September/October of that year. And another 8 ewe lambs in November when we weren't looking!

Can't say they'll all hit the ground running like that but it's possible anyway.

Buford T. Justice XIX

DJ98 wrote: »

How many ewes would a ram lamb cover?

The rule of thumb seems to be 25 ewes for a ram lamb and 50 for a mature ram.

Saying that, the more ram power you have, the more compact your lambing will be, there's a lot of walking needed to serve more than 2 ewes a day.

charolais0153

DJ98 wrote: »

How many ewes would a ram lamb cover?

Best use mature ewes with a ram lamb, hoggetts or ewe lambs might t seek out the ram as much

Cran

DJ98 wrote: »

How many ewes would a ram lamb cover?

Would expect lambs here to cover 40/50 ewes and proper fit hogget up to 100

Western Pomise

Another relevant thing if you are going buying a ram regardless of his age is if he is likely to be fertile or not?

The only way to know this for sure is to get him checked, the nearest large vets practice to me charges 30 euro a ram to check them....but if you get a few done they charge less.
.
In my eyes its the best money you will spend all year as for whatever reason a ram that worked perfectly last season can be subfertile or infertile this year!

Also bear in mind that a ram actually produces the sperm he will use in 6 weeks from now today iykwim.So it is important to look after rams from now on imo.

razor8

ran a 2 year old texel last year for first cycle with 120 ewes. he didnt miss many. ewes were lining up for him rather than him chasing after them

Siamsa Sessions

Anyone know how to catch a feral cat?

There’s one hanging around the shed and our house, and I’m afraid it’ll spread toxo when we put the ewes in to lamb.

I’d be happy to send the dirty article to its maker but herself is feeding it and I might get the door myself if I did.

It takes off when I appear so I can’t catch it. And herself is not aggressive enough to throw a towel over it and bundle it into a cat-box.

So, any ideas how we might catch it?

ganmo

https://www.amazon.co.uk/STV-International-STV072-Trap-Medium-60x19x19cm/dp/B003U9T1T4
One of them and a tin of sardines

gazahayes

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Anyone know how to catch a feral cat?

There’s one hanging around the shed and our house, and I’m afraid it’ll spread toxo when we put the ewes in to lamb.

I’d be happy to send the dirty article to its maker but herself is feeding it and I might get the door myself if I did.

It takes off when I appear so I can’t catch it. And herself is not aggressive enough to throw a towel over it and bundle it into a cat-box.

So, any ideas how we might catch it?

Think it's usually only young cats that carry it. Talk to your local vets about catch neuter and release programme they have one around here. Just have to make a donation.

Ard_MC

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Anyone know how to catch a feral cat?

There’s one hanging around the shed and our house, and I’m afraid it’ll spread toxo when we put the ewes in to lamb.

I’d be happy to send the dirty article to its maker but herself is feeding it and I might get the door myself if I
It takes off when I appear so I can’t catch it. And herself is not aggressive enough to throw a towel over it and bundle it into a cat-box.

So, any ideas how we might catch it?

A mink trap would do the trick. Funny i just ended up with a kitten here by default. Whats your plan for stoppin toxo risk?

Lambman

Western Pomise wrote: »

Another relevant thing if you are going buying a ram regardless of his age is if he is likely to be fertile or not?

The only way to know this for sure is to get him checked, the nearest large vets practice to me charges 30 euro a ram to check them....but if you get a few done they charge less.
.
In my eyes its the best money you will spend all year as for whatever reason a ram that worked perfectly last season can be subfertile or infertile this year!

Also bear in mind that a ram actually produces the sperm he will use in 6 weeks from now today iykwim.So it is important to look after rams from now on imo.

Not happy with one off my older rams badly failed this past 2 weeks must get him blood tested as he is well dosed and on good grass and the rest of the rams in good shape. Probably my best ram aswell always the way.

Ard_MC

Lambman wrote: »

Not happy with one off my older rams badly failed this past 2 weeks must get him blood tested as he is well dosed and on good grass and the rest of the rams in good shape. Probably my best ram aswell always the way.

Funny i have a ram the exact same.

Country lad

Keep around sixty ewes myself and always have two rams running with them in October as one probably do the job but be afraid one of them might get Hurt or become infertile so the second ram is well worth it

wrangler

Ard_MC wrote: »

A mink trap would do the trick. Funny i just ended up with a kitten here by default. Whats your plan for stoppin toxo risk?

Vaccination of the new ewes every year is the only job for toxo, every flock succumbs to it eventually.........likewise with enzootic abortion

Siamsa Sessions

wrangler wrote: »

Vaccination of the new ewes every year is the only job for toxo, every flock succumbs to it eventually.........likewise with enzootic abortion

New homebred ewe lambs joining the flock? Or just bought-in ones?

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

New homebred ewe lambs joining the flock? Or just bought-in ones?

Both, it's expensive but it's only once in their lifetime.
for both Toxovax and enzovax it's about €8/hd and has to be done at least 30 days before mating.
It takes about a fortnight to get toxovax and must be used within a week or ten days.
They have to be got from the vet and supplies can be limited

Siamsa Sessions

Anyone ever get summer mastitis in a dry ewe?

She’s weaned since early July and dried up no problems. But noticed her apparently lame this morning. When I went for a look, one side of the dug/udder is swollen and it’s when she rubs her leg off it she’s lame. I’m guessing it’s sensitive and she’s trying to avoid rubbing the leg off it.

Is it a case of trying to milk her out and penicillin? Or will she need antibiotics?

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Anyone ever get summer mastitis in a dry ewe?

She’s weaned since early July and dried up no problems. But noticed her apparently lame this morning. When I went for a look, one side of the dug/udder is swollen and it’s when she rubs her leg off it she’s lame. I’m guessing it’s sensitive and she’s trying to avoid rubbing the leg off it.

Is it a case of trying to milk her out and penicillin? Or will she need antibiotics?

Penicillin works here, we don't usually mlk them out, Udder is always fecked,
You'll be only saving the ewe.
Lameness is a common symptom

Siamsa Sessions

wrangler wrote: »

Penicillin works here, we don't usually mlk them out, Udder is always fecked,
You'll be only saving the ewe.
Lameness is a common symptom

Thanks as ever.

Bringing them in this morning so will treat her then. She’s a good ewe (too good) so we left her rear her own triplets this year as a bit of a trial.

Worst thing we ever did!

Every ounce of her went into milk and her 3 lambs were a credit to her but she was shook after weaning. Got maggots, BCS of around 2 (maybe less), and now this.

I know some lads leave ewes rear 3 lambs and feed them while rearing them. But with our small numbers, it’s not worth having a separate group of triplet-rearing ewes.

Definitely lesson learned and won’t be making the same mistake again. Instead of “best practise” advice from exerts to maximise output, I’ll be trying to remember what fellas did 30 years ago!

Country lad

I always inject a ewe with noroclav here find it very good as penicillin very seldom works for me

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Thanks as ever.

Bringing them in this morning so will treat her then. She’s a good ewe (too good) so we left her rear her own triplets this year as a bit of a trial.

Worst thing we ever did!

Every ounce of her went into milk and her 3 lambs were a credit to her but she was shook after weaning. Got maggots, BCS of around 2 (maybe less), and now this.

I know some lads leave ewes rear 3 lambs and feed them while rearing them. But with our small numbers, it’s not worth having a separate group of triplet-rearing ewes.

Definitely lesson learned and won’t be making the same mistake again. Instead of “best practise” advice from exerts to maximise output, I’ll be trying to remember what fellas did 30 years ago!

We even get the same with ewe lambs rearing two, when we lambed 100+ ewe lambs, we could have a seperate bunch of ewe lambs rearing doubles and feed them nearly adlib meal, now it's not worth having a seperate bunch and out of six rearing two, there's two gone wrong this year, so we'll let no ewe lambs out with two next year.
If a ewe doesn't have enough milk the lambs will continually suck and suck and damage the udder hence the mastitis
Your ewes udder will probably burst and even fall off but they seem to have no discomfort once the mastitis is cured, the look of it is actually worse than the reality, They seem to thrive on once it's cured

White Clover

wrangler wrote: »

We even get the same with ewe lambs rearing two, when we lambed 100+ ewe lambs, we could have a seperate bunch of ewe lambs rearing doubles and feed them nearly adlib meal, now it's not worth having a seperate bunch and out of six rearing two, there's two gone wrong this year, so we'll let no ewe lambs out with two next year.
If a ewe doesn't have enough milk the lambs will continually suck and suck and damage the udder hence the mastitis
Your ewes udder will probably burst and even fall off but they seem to have no discomfort once the mastitis is cured, the look of it is actually worse than the reality, They seem to thrive on once it's cured

I had a ewe 2 years ago that got mastitis, the udder fell off shortly after and she fleshed up in no time. Have a lady this year whose udder didn't fall off and she isn't fleshing up as much as I'd like, not thin either, but definitely not fat.
I prefer if they fall off.

Lambman

Lads is there such a dosing gun on the market with 2 Chambers 2 triggers and 1 nozzle so can take from 2 bottles say for a fluke drench and a thriver save catching and doing sheep twice?

Cran

Anyone in ballinrobe today?

ganmo

Lambman wrote: »

Lads is there such a dosing gun on the market with 2 Chambers 2 triggers and 1 nozzle so can take from 2 bottles say for a fluke drench and a thriver save catching and doing sheep twice?

Not that I know of
Ya could get 2 separate guns and do it that way

DJ98

What sort of a dosing gun do people use? Have gone through 3 in the last year, find it very to get one that will last

Siamsa Sessions

wrangler wrote: »

We even get the same with ewe lambs rearing two, when we lambed 100+ ewe lambs, we could have a seperate bunch of ewe lambs rearing doubles and feed them nearly adlib meal, now it's not worth having a seperate bunch and out of six rearing two, there's two gone wrong this year, so we'll let no ewe lambs out with two next year.
If a ewe doesn't have enough milk the lambs will continually suck and suck and damage the udder hence the mastitis
Your ewes udder will probably burst and even fall off but they seem to have no discomfort once the mastitis is cured, the look of it is actually worse than the reality, They seem to thrive on once it's cured

I milked her out this morning and gave her penicillin. The stuff that came out was almost like beastings more than what I remember cows mastitis looked like (that was the last time I saw mastitis)

She’s a bit better this evening but still on her own and lying down a lot. I might try the vets office for an antibiotic if she’s not showing much improvement in the morning.

Lambman

Things are that concentrared now it wouldn't take that bulky off a gun all together. Be handy having 2 Chambers 1 gun so it only take putting it in the mouth once

FarmerDougal

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

I milked her out this morning and gave her penicillin. The stuff that came out was almost like beastings more than what I remember cows mastitis looked like (that was the last time I saw mastitis)

She’s a bit better this evening but still on her own and lying down a lot. I might try the vets office for an antibiotic if she’s not showing much improvement in the morning.

Why inject at all? up the ramp is the only cure

tractorporn

Hi all.

Just looking at a bit of advice for breeding this year. Have 90 ewes a mix of Suffolk, Belcare, Charolais and Llynn sheep and we were running a Suffolk, Charolais ram with them with a Llynn hogget ram for hoggets up until this year. The Charolais lad popped his clogs and the Llynn is getting promoted.

Any thoughts on a nice white faced ram for my hoggets. I'm leaning towards a Border Leicester myself but I have very little knowledge of them only that I like the look of them when I have seen them at shows. And they look like they would be easy lambed.

All comments appreciated.

TIA