General sheep thread

kk.man

DJ98 wrote: »

How much water would a ewe drink in a day, one of the drinkers stopped working in a pen in the shed, was working this morning but not this evening, anyway when I got it going again there was a rush for water, which got me thinking about how much water sheep actually drink in a day

Not as much as you think because my pipe burst here during the frost. I have 54 lambs in that shed. Last night I gave them 2 bucket of water into the water trough. I did the same this morning. I'll fix it this evening when I get time. These were full sheep lick buckets. Ewes will need more though.

Siamsa Sessions

wrangler wrote: »

Very few problems in sheep that I haven't come across, they don't all work out either, sheep will educate you but it's all relatively simple stuff.
Did she lamb through the harness and spoon, the last one here that lambed through the harness, the lambs back leg got caught in the harness so she was spinning around trying to lick the lamb like a dog chasing his tail when I came on her.... lamb survived

Yeah, she lambed both of them out through the spoon and the harness. Removed them last night and left her inside, but she's gone out again this morning and is picking away again at the grass.

Siamsa Sessions

Had another ewe that had twins yesterday evening and after she allowed both of them to drink, she has now started pucking one of them.

She's not the first one to do it this year and we've had more of them do it in the last few weeks than all other years combined. This is our first year lambing early so I'm wondering if that's affecting the ewes? These would be mature ewes who have had 2-3 crops of lambs each and never did this before.

Anyone else experience a higher percentage of ewes rejecting one of their own lambs when lambing early?

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Had another ewe that had twins yesterday evening and after she allowed both of them to drink, she has now started pucking one of them.

She's not the first one to do it this year and we've had more of them do it in the last few weeks than all other years combined. This is our first year lambing early so I'm wondering if that's affecting the ewes? These would be mature ewes who have had 2-3 crops of lambs each and never did this before.

Anyone else experience a higher percentage of ewes rejecting one of their own lambs when lambing early?

A neighbour here has sworn that he'll never keep another black suffolk ewe for that reason

Lambman

Milking ewes will drink far more water than u think seen a ewe drinking over 5 gallon a day here manys a time will depend alot on what there getting fed. Dry sheep wont take much all the same. Seen ewes like that here before aswell siasma last year had a ewe lambed a lamb had it licked dry and sucking before second lamb arrived as soon as it did she didn't look near first lamb. Did she lamb herself?

Siamsa Sessions

Lambman wrote: »

Milking ewes will drink far more water than u think seen a ewe drinking over 5 gallon a day here manys a time will depend alot on what there getting fed. Dry sheep wont take much all the same. Seen ewes like that here before aswell siasma last year had a ewe lambed a lamb had it licked dry and sucking before second lamb arrived as soon as it did she didn't look near first lamb. Did she lamb herself?

Yeah, this one lambed herself.


I took the second lamb off one of the others as the first was up and drinking but she was making no shape to have the second one. I'm not sure which of the two of them she rejected after that.


The ewes are a mixture - two rejecters were Belclare-Texel crosses and the more recent rejecters were Logie-mule types. All good solid ewes, 3-4 years old, and good mothers previously.


I hope that neighbour is wrong about Suffolk-type ewes - we have 25 replacement ewe lambs off NZ Suffolk rams here! In fairness, only a few have the real black head. Most of them are nice speckled types, out of similar breeds of ewe mentioned above. They look to be turning into smart ewes and I'm looking forward to see how they go with the Char-Tex rams we'll use in July this year.

Thecowboy1981

Lads, yiz need to go for a pint or something.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Had another ewe that had twins yesterday evening and after she allowed both of them to drink, she has now started pucking one of them.

She's not the first one to do it this year and we've had more of them do it in the last few weeks than all other years combined. This is our first year lambing early so I'm wondering if that's affecting the ewes? These would be mature ewes who have had 2-3 crops of lambs each and never did this before.

Anyone else experience a higher percentage of ewes rejecting one of their own lambs when lambing early?

Had a few this year as well, 2 ewes rejected two lambs out of triplets. We would usually have 2 or 3 with the first lambs going away from ewes when they're lambing the second and she rejecting them after. And grand the following year:rolleyes:

Farmer_3650

ganmo wrote: »

Teats, gloves, redbull, lime for the pens

Whats the redbull for? I use it here to keep me awake during the calving/lambing but i remember hearing some other use for it but cant remember what it was

DJ98

https://sheepproducts.ie/collections/lambing/products/lambing-box-100-150-ewes

Would this kit contain everything required and also would it be good value?

wrangler

DJ98 wrote: »

https://sheepproducts.ie/collections/lambing/products/lambing-box-100-150-ewes

Would this kit contain everything required and also would it be good value?

A few extra things we have
prolapse harness, thermometer, (you shouldn't tube a lamb that's under 36 degrees, heat them up first) stomach tube.
I wouldn't have a clue of the value there though

wrangler

We got the teagasc magazine this morning, Gottstein has an article on prolapse.
As for causes he mentioned change of diet causing some , but he also mentioned trough space, shed space, ventilation,
and feeding more than .5kg in a feed, he also stated that they needed 8 hrs between feeds at high rates of ration.
I thought three or four hrs was enough.
Also make sure they have enough fibre.
I wouldn't agree with any of that, I still think it's a one off as if it was any of that you'd have more incidence in a pen where you'd have one case

Siamsa Sessions

wrangler wrote: »

We got the teagasc magazine this morning, Gottstein has an article on prolapse.
As for causes he mentioned change of diet causing some , but he also mentioned trough space, shed space, ventilation,
and feeding more than .5kg in a feed, he also stated that they needed 8 hrs between feeds at high rates of ration.
I thought three or four hrs was enough.
Also make sure they have enough fibre.
I wouldn't agree with any of that, I still think it's a one off as if it was any of that you'd have more incidence in a pen where you'd have one case

I'd say some of what he said might lead to more prolapses, but you're right re expecting more cases if they're all in the same pen. That was always my biggest issue with Teagasc: they talk about theory, albeit from a research farm, but farmers have to deal with reality.

They don't have skin in the game the same way farmers do, and so they can't look at things with the same critical, life-or-death eyes as farmers whose living depends on getting things (nearly) right

ganmo

Farmer_3650 wrote: »

Whats the redbull for? I use it here to keep me awake during the calving/lambing but i remember hearing some other use for it but cant remember what it was

Exactly, the farmer needs fuel too

ganmo

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

I'd say some of what he said might lead to more prolapses, but you're right re expecting more cases if they're all in the same pen. That was always my biggest issue with Teagasc: they talk about theory, albeit from a research farm, but farmers have to deal with reality.

They don't have skin in the game the same way farmers do, and so they can't look at things with the same critical, life-or-death eyes as farmers whose living depends on getting things (nearly) right

Exactly, probability doesn't play fair.

if theres 10 ewes in one pen and 12 in the other, the 12 in the second pen are overall at a higher risk but there could be individuals in the other pen with higher genetic(or other causes) risks

390kid

Had a ewe lamb 2 dead lambs the other day and she seems to have trouble pi55ing now? She’s eating a bit and drinking

wrangler

390kid wrote: »

Had a ewe lamb 2 dead lambs the other day and she seems to have trouble pi55ing now? She’s eating a bit and drinking

She's probably in pain from an infection, Get an antibiotic from your vet

Edited to say probably better to bring the ewe if you have to get antibiotic.
Abottle of antibiotic is good for the lambing box as infections after lambing is common enough

390kid

wrangler wrote: »

She's probably in pain from an infection, Get an antibiotic from your vet

Edited to say probably better to bring the ewe if you have to get antibiotic.
Abottle of antibiotic is good for the lambing box as infections after lambing is common enough

Aye bought her in there and he says a kidney infection so a shot a betamox, pain killer and a anti inflammatory to see how that works on her

DJ98

Ewes lambing here from March 1st up end 9f April, was going to give them heptavac p jab this week, is it too soon yet?

Sami23

DJ98 wrote: »

Ewes lambing here from March 1st up end 9f April, was going to give them heptavac p jab this week, is it too soon yet?

Bit soon imo.
I'd leave for another 2 weeks as April is long way off yet.
Recommended is 4-6 weeks from lambing

MIKEKC

Sami23 wrote: »

Bit soon imo.
I'd leave for another 2 weeks as April is long way off yet.
Recommended is 4-6 weeks from lambing

Rams let out on 18th Oct removed 1st Dec. Scanned 14th Jan . Would it be possible that those showing empty could have gone in lamb late. How long do they need to be in lamb for scanner to pick them up

wrangler

MIKEKC wrote: »

Rams let out on 18th Oct removed 1st Dec. Scanned 14th Jan . Would it be possible that those showing empty could have gone in lamb late. How long do they need to be in lamb for scanner to pick them up

30 -35 days, some will get them earlier

therunaround

Putting up a sheep shed this year, have a question about using spaced sheeting on the roof, cattle guys I talked to find it good, is it the best option for a sheep shed too? Thanks.

MIKEKC

wrangler wrote: »

30 -35 days, some will get them earlier

Thanks, unlikely any more in lamb so

arctictree

Had a bad experiance last year with a prolapse ewe. She was scanned for 3 and prolapsed a couple of weeks before lambing. Put the harness on, all good. Anyway, I left the shed at midnight and she must have started lambing just after. I came back at 6am. Unlucky for her, the first lamb came breach and its legs got stuck in the harness. Dead. The second lamb was actually alive but the 3rd dead. She was so open at this stage that the lambs just fell out of her. Lucky to have one I suppose...

Lano Lynn

therunaround wrote: »

Putting up a sheep shed this year, have a question about using spaced sheeting on the roof, cattle guys I talked to find it good, is it the best option for a sheep shed too? Thanks.

yes

ganmo

I wouldn't be too fond of spaced sheeting.
It limits what else you can use the shed for too

Buford T. Justice XIX

Lano Lynn wrote: »

yes

What kind of shed would you be using spaced sheeting on?

In a lean-to with a low roof and high numbers, there should be enough airflow to reduce the rain coming in the spaces but I wouldn't be keen on it in a shed with a large airspace and low numbers. I don't think there would be enough upwards pressure to minimise rain coming in.

It would be OK with sheep slats, I imagine, but not so much with straw bedding?

roosky

I have sheep on rented land for the last few winters , I have this land on a yearly rental basis.....take silage in the summer off it and graze sheep on it in the winter...I have a neighbor that set hedging along the boundary of their house now i have it sheep wired and it’s stock proof but the pricks put their heads through the wire and ate the hedging......again this year !! The neighbor is fit to be tied, what are my options I was thinking chicken wire bit it will cost me €200 to do that so that’s not an attractive option !

charolais0153

roosky wrote: »

I have sheep on rented land for the last few winters , I have this land on a yearly rental basis.....take silage in the summer off it and graze sheep on it in the winter...I have a neighbor that set hedging along the boundary of their house now i have it sheep wired and it’s stock proof but the pricks put their heads through the wire and ate the hedging......again this year !! The neighbor is fit to be tied, what are my options I was thinking chicken wire bit it will cost me €200 to do that so that’s not an attractive option !

How much did the hedge cost?