General sheep thread

Dickie10

christ, id love to pick your brains, lads like you have probably seen everything to do with sheep. my neighbiur runs 1100 ewes hes great for advice

stantheman1979

razor8 wrote: »

Fair going. Is that what’s out in the field?

What breed are the majority of them?

That’s what’s in the fields. 2395 from ewes and 380 from hoggets. Ewes are majority belclare, good few Lleyn and texal X, few mules and horny crosses. I’d say 95% of the ewes are white faced. We’ve tried a lot of different breeds these do what they’re supposed to.

stantheman1979

Dickie10 wrote: »

christ, id love to pick your brains, lads like you have probably seen everything to do with sheep. my neighbiur runs 1100 ewes hes great for advice

I’m not doing anything special or different to any one else. I’ve the same problems as everyone on here. I’m sure there are fellas with 50 sheep who know more than me. I’m completely ruthless with culling. Prolapse, bad feet, no milk,bad mother’s, had singles twice I just wave them out the gate. I haven’t time to be sucking or tubing a lot of lambs or waiting for ewes in adoption units to take lambs.

Green farmer

Had a ewe start lambing outside in the last 20 minutes as I passed by. She got tired midway and stood up. But what I noticed was the even though she wasn't there long, the minute the lambs head was out and two legs still half back, the bag was drying and going hard from the sun. I burst the bag but if it had been another minute the lamb would have suffocated. Someone was asking last week, why the bags were hard, the answer in my case anyway, was the sun was drying it out.

Kevhog1988

stantheman1979 wrote: »

I’m not doing anything special or different to any one else. I’ve the same problems as everyone on here. I’m sure there are fellas with 50 sheep who know more than me. I’m completely ruthless with culling. Prolapse, bad feet, no milk,bad mother’s, had singles twice I just wave them out the gate. I haven’t time to be sucking or tubing a lot of lambs or waiting for ewes in adoption units to take lambs.

What ewe would you think are the best mothers and what ram mixed with that throws a lamb that will get up and suck straight away?.

Dickie10

theemigrant wrote: »

What ewe would you think are the best mothers and what ram mixed with that throws a lamb that will get up and suck straight away?.

yeah love to hear your answer here? I find llynn and HD great lambs to get going, especially the Llynn

Dickie10

Dickie10 wrote: »

yeah love to hear your answer here? I find llynn and HD great lambs to get going, especially the Llynn

I found texel and charolais very good to get up and suck.....nothing worse than a big dopey lamb,that deosnt want to live

Dickie10

are suffolk still as bad as ever when born/? havent had them in 6 or 7 years

stantheman1979

theemigrant wrote: »

What ewe would you think are the best mothers and what ram mixed with that throws a lamb that will get up and suck straight away?.

The best mothers are horned ewes by far followed by mules. But lleyn/ belclare ewes do a good job for us. I’m thinking of trying to get my hands on one of the innovis rams aberfield or highlander somehow to see how they would go. The best lambs to get up are charollais then Hampshire and lleyn in my experience. Worst by far Suffolk but when they get going grow well. Just my opinion lads

stantheman1979

Green farmer wrote: »

Had a ewe start lambing outside in the last 20 minutes as I passed by. She got tired midway and stood up. But what I noticed was the even though she wasn't there long, the minute the lambs head was out and two legs still half back, the bag was drying and going hard from the sun. I burst the bag but if it had been another minute the lamb would have suffocated. Someone was asking last week, why the bags were hard, the answer in my case anyway, was the sun was drying it out.

I find that when it comes into April the sheets over lambs heads gets a bit thicker and stronger than usual. Probably no reason just what I notice

razor8

stantheman1979 wrote: »

That’s what’s in the fields. 2395 from ewes and 380 from hoggets. Ewes are majority belclare, good few Lleyn and texal X, few mules and horny crosses. I’d say 95% of the ewes are white faced. We’ve tried a lot of different breeds these do what they’re supposed to.

Mostly mule & Romney here that do most of work themselves

Do you breed your own replacements? What do you do with triplets?

razor8

stantheman1979 wrote: »

That’s what’s in the fields. 2395 from ewes and 380 from hoggets. Ewes are majority belclare, good few Lleyn and texal X, few mules and horny crosses. I’d say 95% of the ewes are white faced. We’ve tried a lot of different breeds these do what they’re supposed to.

Mostly mule & Romney here that do most of work themselves

Do you breed your own replacements? What do you do with triplets?

stantheman1979

Dickie10 wrote: »

are suffolk still as bad as ever when born/? havent had them in 6 or 7 years

They’re still hard work especially a big soft single. The blacker the ewe or lambs are the more trouble you will have. I’d still use them on big scopey older white ewes(not texel)and keep a few speckled ewe lambs though

stantheman1979

razor8 wrote: »

Mostly mule & Romney here that do most of work themselves

Do you breed your own replacements? What do you do with triplets?

I’ve a few Romney ewes here. They do a great job without much fuss. Yeah we breed most of our replacements except for mules we get from the same man for last few years. Triplets get fostered on. I try to get as many ewes as possible rearing two. A man buys about 50 at a few days old for €20. The rest I rear on an automatic machine. Think we’ve about 50-60 on it now.

Kevhog1988

stantheman1979 wrote: »

I’ve a few Romney ewes here. They do a great job without much fuss. Yeah we breed most of our replacements except for mules we get from the same man for last few years. Triplets get fostered on. I try to get as many ewes as possible rearing two. A man buys about 50 at a few days old for €20. The rest I rear on an automatic machine. Think we’ve about 50-60 on it now.

Buying 50 pet lambs is inviting hardship on yourself. Weve 2 here at the moment and im lucky that the young lad is home from school.

theemigrant

theemigrant wrote: »

Buying 50 pet lambs is inviting hardship on yourself. Weve 2 here at the moment and im lucky that the young lad is home from school.

Tbf its nearly as easy to rear 50 as 5,on the feeder

I made one last year,(still have to mix myself) and its a great job,nearly match the performance of lambs on the ewe

stantheman1979

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Tbf its nearly as easy to rear 50 as 5,on the feeder

I made one last year,(still have to mix myself) and its a great job,nearly match the performance of lambs on the ewe

Exactly I’m just doing things on a slightly different scale. When you’re set up right it’s as easy to have 1000 sheep as it is 10. I still gotta get up and put my boots on and go do it like everyone else but instead of having a ewe lambing I might have a dozen. If I’m organised right ie good set up and sheep who do their job I’ll be done before the fella chasing around after a sheep or sucking/tubing lambs.
Same with pet lambs I don’t want the fookers but I have the machine soI just make sure it has plenty of powder and they have creep and leave them to it. I find some of the pets are fit before lambs with their mothers most years provided you never let them outside.

Kevhog1988

Deleted User wrote: »

Tbf its nearly as easy to rear 50 as 5,on the feeder

I made one last year,(still have to mix myself) and its a great job,nearly match the performance of lambs on the ewe

Is yours heated or cold?. I have the tubes and the plate with the teat on it to feed them out of a bottle but the young lad is loving bottle feeding them so i never bothered.

Kevhog1988

stantheman1979 wrote: »

Exactly I’m just doing things on a slightly different scale. When you’re set up right it’s as easy to have 1000 sheep as it is 10. I still gotta get up and put my boots on and go do it like everyone else but instead of having a ewe lambing I might have a dozen. If I’m organised right ie good set up and sheep who do their job I’ll be done before the fella chasing around after a sheep or sucking/tubing lambs.
Same with pet lambs I don’t want the fookers but I have the machine soI just make sure it has plenty of powder and they have creep and leave them to it. I find some of the pets are fit before lambs with their mothers most years provided you never let them outside.

How long would you have them pets indoors for?.

Green farmer

stantheman1979 wrote: »

Exactly I’m just doing things on a slightly different scale. When you’re set up right it’s as easy to have 1000 sheep as it is 10.
.

I always say my job is whatever the ewes dont do. Get the ewes and setup right and it takes alot of the work out of it. I'm trigger happy here with the cull tags as well. Lifes to short to let them drive you mad.

stantheman1979

theemigrant wrote: »

How long would you have them pets indoors for?.

For their lifetime. I find they go down hill get coccidiosis or something else when let out. I wean them at 6 weeks and leave them inside on creep and straw until they are fat

theemigrant

theemigrant wrote: »

Is yours heated or cold?. I have the tubes and the plate with the teat on it to feed them out of a bottle but the young lad is loving bottle feeding them so i never bothered.

Its not heated (i bought them spehardess repair kits and put them onto a board,much cheaper)

,but i mix it warm to give em morning and evening

Have creep and hay ab-lib along side it


But its always good to get kids involved in it

..i gave away one to a young wan,child of a mate,whos pure mad about animals etc,but with being off school etc was stuck indoors on phone,letargic,fighting with siblings etc and now he's delighted as she do be out in morning to feed lamb etc and brings it for walks etc

Kevhog1988

Deleted User wrote: »

Its not heated (i bought them spehardess repair kits and put them onto a board,much cheaper)

,but i mix it warm to give em morning and evening

Have creep and hay ab-lib along side it


But its always good to get kids involved in it

..i gave away one to a young wan,child of a mate,whos pure mad about animals etc,but with being off school etc was stuck indoors on phone,letargic,fighting with siblings etc and now he's delighted as she do be out in morning to feed lamb etc and brings it for walks etc

I have the same kit. ideally would have a bucket with a lid on it too

arctictree

orm0nd wrote: »

It may be orf or as stated from the 3 constantly sucking her.

Keep her milked out. Hold her a few times a day if possible to get the lambs to drink.

I put her in a single pen yesterday and the lambs in a pen beside her. Gave her some of the nipple cream the wife has and she seems to be healing up really well!

One teat though has a big scab and very little milk. It will be destroyed if I put the lambs back. I think I'll just put one lamb back on her. Is there any way I can make the lamb just use one teat? I'm thinking of a bra with a hole for the working one!

Lambman

Had an elderly fella die that fattened cattle near our out farm couple months ago. Left farm till daughter who has since leased it out. Anyways contractor rang me till say he was mixing the tanks in the sheds as she wanted them emptied but the man who leased the land has it closed for silage so he asked would I take a few loads in field next till road about 8.5 acres grazed till ewes came in for scanning so just a bit a cover on it. He messaged till say he put 35,000 gallons on it I'm feard till even go look at it. Long would yous think before I could graze it with sheep?

arctictree

arctictree wrote: »

I put her in a single pen yesterday and the lambs in a pen beside her. Gave her some of the nipple cream the wife has and she seems to be healing up really well!

One teat though has a big scab and very little milk. It will be destroyed if I put the lambs back. I think I'll just put one lamb back on her. Is there any way I can make the lamb just use one teat? I'm thinking of a bra with a hole for the working one!

Imo...if theres little to no milk in it,the lamb wont bother with it

Murang

stantheman1979 wrote: »

I’ve a few Romney ewes here. They do a great job without much fuss. Yeah we breed most of our replacements except for mules we get from the same man for last few years. Triplets get fostered on. I try to get as many ewes as possible rearing two. A man buys about 50 at a few days old for €20. The rest I rear on an automatic machine. Think we’ve about 50-60 on it now.

The mules you get is hoggets or strong ewe lambs you buy

stantheman1979

Lambman wrote: »

Had an elderly fella die that fattened cattle near our out farm couple months ago. Left farm till daughter who has since leased it out. Anyways contractor rang me till say he was mixing the tanks in the sheds as she wanted them emptied but the man who leased the land has it closed for silage so he asked would I take a few loads in field next till road about 8.5 acres grazed till ewes came in for scanning so just a bit a cover on it. He messaged till say he put 35,000 gallons on it I'm feard till even go look at it. Long would yous think before I could graze it with sheep?

What’s the problem. Why are you afraid to look at it. You said that there wasn’t much cover on it so some slurry is exactly what it needs. Although 35,000 gallons is a nice drop on it. Plus I presume it was free so win-win

stantheman1979

Murang wrote: »

The mules you get is hoggets or strong ewe lambs you buy

Ewe lambs, sure you would miss a crop if you bought hoggets

Buford T. Justice XIX

Lambman wrote: »

Had an elderly fella die that fattened cattle near our out farm couple months ago. Left farm till daughter who has since leased it out. Anyways contractor rang me till say he was mixing the tanks in the sheds as she wanted them emptied but the man who leased the land has it closed for silage so he asked would I take a few loads in field next till road about 8.5 acres grazed till ewes came in for scanning so just a bit a cover on it. He messaged till say he put 35,000 gallons on it I'm feard till even go look at it. Long would yous think before I could graze it with sheep?

If you get a good shower of rain, and there's a bit forecast, you can graze it when it's ready.

4k gallons an acre is a good bit stronger than you'd like but it's there now so you'll have to work around it. The liquid is soaked in and the rain will wash the the rest in.