General sheep thread

tomwaterford

roosky wrote: »

Im trying to get the last of my lambs gone before Christmas but just wondering does anyone know will the factorys be killing the week before Christmas as in Monday 18th or Tuesday 19th

Also when do lambs become hoggets in the factory's eyes like if i carried these lambs into January are they worth less per kg

Think it's to do with teeth when they become hoggets??

Willfarman

Yes it's teeth. But it won't be a problem.

Apparently the the department are very concerned that hoggets could be pushing up their front teeth in April may and those pesky criminal farmers could be defrauding the processors.. so sometimes at that time of year they are checking. Which can put your prime tender hogget at old ewe price. Stinks of corruption but maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps there's stringent checking of the boxed meat to ensure non of this this meat winds up labelled and sold as lamb like it comrades which could be identical in age size stature and quality .. strangely it wasn't a problem them 'this spring. altough they fleeced us with price in any case.

Green farmer

Sold hoggets mid to end of may this year without issue. Had one pet lamb / hogget that I sold in July and still paid, at that stage trade had dried up, but factories were still killing the odd one. It was only then the money was dropping and I got a reduced price per kg, but was stil above cull ewe price.

DJ98

How much nuts do the big white bags hold, is it a tonne or six hundred kg?

Willfarman

5 to 800 kgs

DJ98

Whats the best way to supply water to housed ewes troughs or bowls, 12 ewes per pen?

Westernrock

DJ98 wrote: »

Whats the best way to supply water to housed ewes troughs or bowls, 12 ewes per pen?

Bowls, keep them up high enough so ewes can just reach into them or even that they have to stand on a block to get at them. Keeps the water clean.
Had one pen with a trough in it here last year and a pedigree hogget managed to lamb one of her twins into it 🙄🙈

DJ98

Westernrock wrote: »

Bowls, keep them up high enough so ewes can just reach into them or even that they have to stand on a block to get at them. Keeps the water clean.
Had one pen with a trough in it here last year and a pedigree hogget managed to lamb one of her twins into it ����

Would one like that be suitable?

Willfarman

Yes I use them. Work fine.

Westernrock

DJ98 wrote: »

Would one like that be suitable?

Yea there a good job, is that the one with the rubber bung in the bottom? Very easy to clean and last well

Willfarman

Yes they have the old butt plug..

roosky

Need lads opinions:

Need to kit out and existing shed with barriers

I am going with one of the following options as I need access gates and I dont have time to do a home made version.

https://www.donedeal.ie/sheep-for-sale/sheep-mesh-slats-8x4-sheep-feed-barriers/10934840

https://www.donedeal.ie/sheep-for-sale/sheep-feed-barriers-walk-through-feeders-/16890783

https://www.donedeal.ie/sheep-for-sale/feed-barriers-rollover-crate-scales/10450128


My prices are for three barriers ex vat:

Louth: €891
Sligo: €809
Fermanagh: € getting a price today

The louth ones also have the option for drop down gates to stop lambs jumping in and out for €60 a barrier

The shed will be used for penning and handling sheep for rest of year so need something to block the space but I could always cable tie mesh to it for the summer

Westernrock

roosky wrote: »

Need lads opinions:

Need to kit out and existing shed with barriers

I am going with one of the following options as I need access gates and I dont have time to do a home made version.


https://www.donedeal.ie/sheep-for-sale/sheep-mesh-slats-8x4-sheep-feed-barriers/10934840

https://www.donedeal.ie/sheep-for-sale/sheep-feed-barriers-walk-through-feeders-/16890783

https://www.donedeal.ie/sheep-for-sale/feed-barriers-rollover-crate-scales/10450128


My prices are for three barriers ex vat:

Louth: €891
Sligo: €809
Fermanagh: € getting a price today

The louth ones also have the option for drop down gates to stop lambs jumping in and out for €60 a barrier

The shed will be used for penning and handling sheep for rest of year so need something to block the space but I could always cable tie mesh to it for the summer

Couldn't find a nicer company to work with than Lockhart, not much difference in the barriers above, all would be good job. I'm sure they would make up a section that would hook on to block the lambs if you need it

Green farmer

Ear notchers...... looking to get one for notching lambs at birth. Any recommendations, seen v shaped ones and semicircle ones, any one better then Another ? Or any particular brands ?

Cran

Green farmer wrote: »

Ear notchers...... looking to get one for notching lambs at birth. Any recommendations, seen v shaped ones and semicircle ones, any one better then Another ? Or any particular brands ?

Tag them way cleaner and easier follow, notcher here bottom of box somewhere

charolais0153

Cran wrote: »

Tag them way cleaner and easier follow, notcher here bottom of box somewhere

Do they bleed?

farawaygrass

charolais0153 wrote: »

Do they bleed?

I notches ewes for culling last year and ya they bled a lot, couldn’t believe it. Gonna tag them this year. Didn’t Notch lambs so dunno how they’d fair out

Cran

charolais0153 wrote: »

Do they bleed?

Not if done properly, but middle of lambing and tired a tag is just easier and more consistent.

Westernrock

Cran wrote: »

Not if done properly, but middle of lambing and tired a tag is just easier and more consistent.

I find the notchers easier, always have it in your pocket and it can be done in seconds, if you have to go and get a tag in the middle of lambing it might not be done. Plus no chance of her loosing the notch!

Green farmer

Never really thought of the tags instead. It's for marking potential ewe lambs at birth. Maybe something to consider. Does the notcher cause excessive bleeding ?

Buford T. Justice XIX

Green farmer wrote: »

Never really thought of the tags instead. It's for marking potential ewe lambs at birth. Maybe something to consider. Does the notcher cause excessive bleeding ?

No excess bleeding. I just notch twin ewe lambs once and triplets twice to help pick replacements and then a quick shot of iodine on the ear.

davidk1394

Green farmer wrote: »

Ear notchers...... looking to get one for notching lambs at birth. Any recommendations, seen v shaped ones and semicircle ones, any one better then Another ? Or any particular brands ?

Use both notching and tagging here. Ear notch is for replacement ewe lambs when they are born and a blue tag for any ewe that is giving trouble e.g constantly lame, no milk, poor mother. We have everything in a handy bucket during lambing

Lambman

I tag here aswell but notice a lot of farmers with a lot more stock than me just rubber the tails off the lambs suitable for replacement... does anyone else on here do this? I like till rubber all the lambs tails much cleaner lambs.

roosky

Lambman wrote: »

I tag here aswell but notice a lot of farmers with a lot more stock than me just rubber the tails off the lambs suitable for replacement... does anyone else on here do this? I like till rubber all the lambs tails much cleaner lambs.

I seen a fella that rubber rings the tag to mark culls, as in put the ring in over the tag where it cant come off unless the tag comes off

DJ98

What's the best product to use to treat lameness in ewes?

charolais0153

DJ98 wrote: »

What's the best product to use to treat lameness in ewes?

Alamycin or tylosin

farming93

DJ98 wrote: »

What's the best product to use to treat lameness in ewes?

I'm going vaccinating with footvax tomorrow getting absolutely sickend treating foothrot as soon as it looks like I'm getting on top of it more seem to get it.

Dickie10

are there any small i.d tags you can use for identifying lambs i want to keep for replacements, dont want to use individual tag numbered tags

IH784man

Dickie10 wrote: »

are there any small i.d tags you can use for identifying lambs i want to keep for replacements, dont want to use individual tag numbered tags

Yes you can get coloured ones for management

wrangler

This is what we use from quickttag, you can get a tagger for €7, you should get numbers and reconcile them to their mother....when you find a runt you can identify the mother.
Put a different colour for every year
http://www.tagfaster.com/management-tags-69-c.asp

We have an automatic gun, very handy.it holds and loads about a dozen tags automatic
Only lost one tag from birth to sale on nearly 800 lambs
http://www.tagfaster.com/tagfaster-automatic-sheep-tag-applicator-4-p.asp