General sheep thread

Jimbo789

Anybody notice increase in lice recently?

Just in the last couple of weeks, since weather has gotten warmer, I’ve noticed hoggets scratching. A few have started to lose a small bit of wool around their tails. The hoggets are kept separate from the rest of the flock. I’ve never seen them scratching as much before shearing as this year.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Young95 wrote: »

Anyone here dairy farming and keeping sheep ? Would the two together during the spring just be disaster? Thinking of going milking 60 or 70 cows and try lamb anywhere from 500 to 700 ewes around end of March ? Is it manageable? Thoughts would be seriously appreciated.

Doing it here with years, Ormond doing it as well.

Have your cow area and your sheep area and manage both for each type of animal would be my advice.

You might have a few areas where you can swap around at different times but I prefer to keep them separate and cut surpluses and feed out when short in each area. Going running the calves with the sheep this year, running them ahead of the ewes with the lambs eating the same sections as the calves through creep gates.

Should make the summer a bit more interesting anyway.:)

Young95

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

Doing it here with years, Ormond doing it as well.

Have your cow area and your sheep area and manage both for each type of animal would be my advice.

You might have a few areas where you can swap around at different times but I prefer to keep them separate and cut surpluses and feed out when short in each area. Going running the calves with the sheep this year, running them ahead of the ewes with the lambs eating the same sections as the calves through creep gates.

Should make the summer a bit more interesting anyway.:)

Thanks for reply . So you actually just run the two as separate enterprises on there own set fields for them ? How is your spring workload with milking in mornings and ewes and cows calving ?

Buford T. Justice XIX

Young95 wrote: »

Thanks for reply . So you actually just run the two as separate enterprises on there own set fields for them ? How is your spring workload with milking in mornings and ewes and cows calving ?

I lamb the ewes in January and start the cows in February. I wouldn't try to do both together again on my own, 18 hour days are no fun.

If you have help, it can be done but it's one man fulltime for 80 cows with good facilities and you'd be looking at 2 or more for 700 ewes with good facilities.

It's possible until something goes wrong, like weather, scour, orf, TB, and then the wheels start falling off big time. I calved and lambed in February once on my own and I'm not going doing that again.

kk.man

I don't lamb sheep anymore but 4 of my ewe hoggets are in lamb. This evening the 2nd one needed help lambing so I brought her in. Took the lamb from her. At first she she didn't want it or knew of its existence so I thought of a you tube clip I saw of a Scottish farmer in the 70s.

I got some cleanings off the lamb aput it in her mouth holding the string like cleanings on both sides of her mouth. I let her nibble on it for a few seconds and it was a joy to see her take to the helpless lamb. It made my day!

The little things in nature eh!

DJ98

Have a lamb here' 3 weeks old, lame on front leg, not putting any weight on it when walking, shoulder seems swollen. What would the problem here be, at first I thought it might of twisted it playing

ganmo

Could it be joint ill?
Injections of antibiotics for a few days

Lambman

Spent a day yesterday giving a fella a hand till dose lambs and heptavac them seen some things done that I never seen before or really want till again. 1. He dosed all the ewes with the same white worker as the lambs. (Never dosed a ewe for worms in my life). 2. He injected the heptavac under the skin between back legs ( says on it under skin at neck) 3. He dabbed jeyes fluid on injection site afterwards. 4.He only lambed from paddys day on and ewes were done pre lambing ( I think lambs were 2 young. 5. You couldn't tell him nothing

arctictree

Lads have a pet lamb here that I think I caught late for joint I'll. Been injecting it now with penstrep for 12 days and doesn't seem to be getting better. It can barely walk. Any advice? It does suck like mad when it gets to the teat...

wrangler

arctictree wrote: »

Lads have a pet lamb here that I think I caught late for joint I'll. Been injecting it now with penstrep for 12 days and doesn't seem to be getting better. It can barely walk. Any advice? It does suck like mad when it gets to the teat...

He probably has it too long now to be cured.
If the antibiotic is going to work, improvement comes quick, but if you don't do 8 or ten days antibiotic it comes back.
I'd always look for advice from the vet, because the same antibiotic doesn't work every year, we also give an anti inflammatory every day as well to take down the swelling.
WE've no cases this year but used alamycin last year

arctictree

wrangler wrote: »

He probably has it too long now to be cured.
If the antibiotic is going to work, improvement comes quick, but if you don't do 8 or ten days antibiotic it comes back.
I'd always look for advice from the vet, because the same antibiotic doesn't work every year, we also give an anti inflammatory every day as well to take down the swelling.
WE've no cases this year but used alamycin last year

Yeah, I was thinking am I wasting my time now. He can't really get up on his own. I'll give him a few more days and see...

stantheman1979

Lambman wrote: »

Spent a day yesterday giving a fella a hand till dose lambs and heptavac them seen some things done that I never seen before or really want till again. 1. He dosed all the ewes with the same white worker as the lambs. (Never dosed a ewe for worms in my life). 2. He injected the heptavac under the skin between back legs ( says on it under skin at neck) 3. He dabbed jeyes fluid on injection site afterwards. 4.He only lambed from paddys day on and ewes were done pre lambing ( I think lambs were 2 young. 5. You couldn't tell him nothing

I do the same for a man in his 70s down from us. He’s a pure bruiser. If he’s to catch a sheep he’ll use a leg crook to catch her( no problem with that, he’s old etc ) but then he’ll drag her across the yard with her leg still in the crook across the yard through the sh1te. If there’s a hard or awkward way to do something he’ll do it. Lifting sheep over gates instead of opening the gate etc. You can’t talk to him he knows best so I just say nothing and do it his way. Usually go home like a bear after working with him. Ps I never dose ewes for worms either

serfspup

arctictree wrote: »

Yeah, I was thinking am I wasting my time now. He can't really get up on his own. I'll give him a few more days and see...

quite possibly u are using the wrong antibiotic ,talk to vet,
anti inflammatory and pain killer very important
and heat use heat lamp or similar.

razor8

arctictree wrote: »

Yeah, I was thinking am I wasting my time now. He can't really get up on his own. I'll give him a few more days and see...

I have one that got bad. Using synulux and vet gave me linspec to give him over 5 days. It’s working well

arctictree

razor8 wrote: »

I have one that got bad. Using synulux and vet gave me linspec to give him over 5 days. It’s working well

Thanks, I'll call the Vet Monday. Would be a shame to lose him now since he's sucking well when he is up.

DJ98

What do people make of the crossbreed rams such as chartex and sufftex? Had a couple of ewes break into neighbours ram, chartex and lambs seem to be doing really well after him. Suppose with hybrid vigor you'd be getting the best of both worlds.

Hard Knocks

DJ98 wrote: »

What do people make of the crossbreed rams such as chartex and sufftex? Had a couple of ewes break into neighbours ram, chartex and lambs seem to be doing really well after him. Suppose with hybrid vigor you'd be getting the best of both worlds.

Have a CharTex (PB Tex x PB Char)
Super ram, easy lambed, no issue with outdoor lambing
Great thrive
I think the lambs are too terminal to be kept for replacement
Fantastic cross on Suffolk ewes especially SuffxBelcare

Siamsa Sessions

DJ98 wrote: »

What do people make of the crossbreed rams such as chartex and sufftex? Had a couple of ewes break into neighbours ram, chartex and lambs seem to be doing really well after him. Suppose with hybrid vigor you'd be getting the best of both worlds.

Used CharTex rams this year and very pleased with the lambs. Would use them again

Lambman

Breed my own chartex but think maybe its opposite way around mother was purebred texel father was purebred charollais whatever that makes him. Ran him and the charrlois ram with the hoggets last year never raddled him but seems be few lambs with bit more cover on them than usual outta the charollais so must a been working. I've singles here flying it would even be tempted till creep them as I'd say I'd get a good few out the gate in 3 weeks off the ewes with creep. Knowing my luck that's when spring lamb would collapse.

therunaround

Can I ask for some advice on breeding please?

I keep Suffolk Cross ewes ( majority black heads) and breed them to Charolais rams.
The last 3 years they've scanned at 1.95 and weaning rate of 1.8 per ewe joined. Been lucky with few lambing problems, plenty milk and decent lambs.

I normally buy hoggets in (only at sheep 5/6 years) but I want to expand and hogget prices might be prohibitive. Also afraid of buying in toxoplasmosis which I've escaped so far.

I think I should be keeping my Ewe lambs for breeding but have read that the Charolais breeding can reduce their mothering ability.

What would be the best breed ram to use this autumn to produce my own replacements or can I stick with charollais? (Have major doubts about Leicesters/ belclares etc as I don't want narrow ram lambs and loads of triplets/pets.).

Thanks.

DJ98

therunaround wrote: »

Can I ask for some advice on breeding please?

I keep Suffolk Cross ewes ( majority black heads) and breed them to Charolais rams.
The last 3 years they've scanned at 1.95 and weaning rate of 1.8 per ewe joined. Been lucky with few lambing problems, plenty milk and decent lambs.

I normally buy hoggets in (only at sheep 5/6 years) but I want to expand and hogget prices might be prohibitive. Also afraid of buying in toxoplasmosis which I've escaped so far.

I think I should be keeping my Ewe lambs for breeding but have read that the Charolais breeding can reduce their mothering ability.

What would be the best breed ram to use this autumn to produce my own replacements or can I stick with charollais? (Have major doubts about Leicesters/ belclares etc as I don't want narrow ram lambs and loads of triplets/pets.).

Thanks.

Would a cheviot ram put on a black head ewe give the same quality offspring as the Suffolk ram on the cheviot ewe which is known as the Borris or tullow ewe and achieves top price at hogget sales

charolais0153

therunaround wrote: »

Can I ask for some advice on breeding please?

I keep Suffolk Cross ewes ( majority black heads) and breed them to Charolais rams.
The last 3 years they've scanned at 1.95 and weaning rate of 1.8 per ewe joined. Been lucky with few lambing problems, plenty milk and decent lambs.

I normally buy hoggets in (only at sheep 5/6 years) but I want to expand and hogget prices might be prohibitive. Also afraid of buying in toxoplasmosis which I've escaped so far.

I think I should be keeping my Ewe lambs for breeding but have read that the Charolais breeding can reduce their mothering ability.

What would be the best breed ram to use this autumn to produce my own replacements or can I stick with charollais? (Have major doubts about Leicesters/ belclares etc as I don't want narrow ram lambs and loads of triplets/pets.).

Thanks.

Texel,

farawaygrass

DJ98 wrote: »

Would a cheviot ram put on a black head ewe give the same quality offspring as the Suffolk ram on the cheviot ewe which is known as the Borris or tullow ewe and achieves top price at hogget sales

I had a Cheviot ram on sufflock ewes a few years ago. Kept a lot of daughters off him cause I was building up the flock at the time. Found them great sheep, great mothers and v milky. Grew to to very big sheep. Used to sell a few ewe lambs for breeding and they always sold well, had lovely heads on them

Kevhog1988

Weve used a romney here for the past 2 years that a neighbour lent us. Lambs off him seem to be excellent. Am going to have to buy my own this year and was thinking of a cheviot.

Dickie10

Im breeding my own repacments the last 7 years, use a Llynn found them excellent,
- very roomy in back so very few lambing difficulties.
- plenty of milk
- prolific with having twins over triplets

the only negative might be they are not real big sheep so might not have huge lambs that reach 50 + kg. i put HD on them as there the quickest growing lambs and so try to hit the late may market when price is good. i only need 20.5 kg carcass at that time so it dosent bother me if there small and short, just need lamb to do 10-44kg liveweight in as quick a time as posssible. if i were lambing late march/early april i would go for cheviot/ borris ewe as you will have a bigger lamb frame which you can get up to 23kg carcass weight which you need to make up for the traditional arse falling out of the market from mid july to november

Hard Knocks

charolais0153 wrote: »

Texel,

Agree
I use to change the ram every year as I kept earliest twin ewe lambs for replacement
This is an excellent cross

Another option is the Belcare, bought a belcare ewe lamb off a neighbour, her Suffolk daughter is just gone 2 and has had twins & triple

Green farmer

I moved away from texel rams in outdoor lambing. Wasnt so bad for twins, but anything scanned singles had very difficult lambing. If you want good lambs that the ewes would pop out unassisted, lleyn or belclare. The belclare will be softer sheep then the lleyn , not as good feet, but quieter overall.

DJ98

Green farmer wrote: »

I moved away from texel rams in outdoor lambing. Wasnt so bad for twins, but anything scanned singles had very difficult lambing. If you want good lambs that the ewes would pop out unassisted, lleyn or belclare. The belclare will be softer sheep then the lleyn , not as good feet, but quieter overall.

Majority of ewes here are belclare x and are a joy to work with at lambing, don't require much assistance, plenty of milk and easy handled

Lambman

Looking at lambs I heptavaced on Wednesday last and I see swelling at the site I give it till them like fluid build up. Will it go away or do I need drain it? Only about less than 5% was same automatic syringe done them all.

390kid

Has anyone on here done a shearing course? I wouldn’t mind picking up the proper technique of it other than the rooting I do be at