General sheep thread

Lambman

Chanatol and antibiotics calciject, glucose,electrolyte solution, also forgot till mention lubricant and shoulder length gloves.

farawaygrass

wrangler wrote: »

Do you think you've improved the grass with your management so far

Not for the first couple of years but big improvement last year. Hopefully will kick on this year. One initial mistake I made was not spreading enough nitrogen. I was concentrating too much on p and k. Last year I finish majority of lambs without creep with was a first, and all gone by October.
I mentioned how impressed I was with the question text in last night, and I did use it. I asked about mixed grazing and do you have to compromise on grass covers for cattle If grazing both sheep and cattle together, as ideally the pre grazing covers are higher for cattle.
Last year was the first year where I focussed on grazing for sheep ahead of cattle, as we don’t typically sell Weanlings.

White Clover

farawaygrass wrote: »

Not for the first couple of years but big improvement last year. Hopefully will kick on this year. One initial mistake I made was not spreading enough nitrogen. I was concentrating too much on p and k. Last year I finish majority of lambs without creep with was a first, and all gone by October.
I mentioned how impressed I was with the question text in last night, and I did use it. I asked about mixed grazing and do you have to compromise on grass covers for cattle If grazing both sheep and cattle together, as ideally the pre grazing covers are higher for cattle.
Last year was the first year where I focussed on grazing for sheep ahead of cattle, as we don’t typically sell Weanlings.

Did you graze the sheep and cattle together in the same paddocks, moving them all together to the next one?

charolais0153

farawaygrass wrote: »

Not for the first couple of years but big improvement last year. Hopefully will kick on this year. One initial mistake I made was not spreading enough nitrogen. I was concentrating too much on p and k. Last year I finish majority of lambs without creep with was a first, and all gone by October.
I mentioned how impressed I was with the question text in last night, and I did use it. I asked about mixed grazing and do you have to compromise on grass covers for cattle If grazing both sheep and cattle together, as ideally the pre grazing covers are higher for cattle.
Last year was the first year where I focussed on grazing for sheep ahead of cattle, as we don’t typically sell Weanlings.

You fed no concentrates to lambs ?

Birdnuts

On my place in North Mayo atm and you have to feel sorry for early lambers being pounded with endless hail and sleet:(

wrangler

farawaygrass wrote: »

Not for the first couple of years but big improvement last year. Hopefully will kick on this year. One initial mistake I made was not spreading enough nitrogen. I was concentrating too much on p and k. Last year I finish majority of lambs without creep with was a first, and all gone by October.
I mentioned how impressed I was with the question text in last night, and I did use it. I asked about mixed grazing and do you have to compromise on grass covers for cattle If grazing both sheep and cattle together, as ideally the pre grazing covers are higher for cattle.
Last year was the first year where I focussed on grazing for sheep ahead of cattle, as we don’t typically sell Weanlings.

I never fed concentrates to lambs when I had the sucklers, I always prioritised the sheep over the cattle, ie if the next paddock was too strong for the ewes I'd put them into a paddock that was at the right stage for them and put the cows into the stronger paddock.....90% of the lambs would be gone by august, whereas now I'm only starting to sell in august.
Far less challenge from worms as well in the mixed stocking.
Like you I didn't sell weanlings, but probably should have, or at least as yearlings,

Hard Knocks

farawaygrass wrote: »

Not for the first couple of years but big improvement last year. Hopefully will kick on this year. One initial mistake I made was not spreading enough nitrogen. I was concentrating too much on p and k. Last year I finish majority of lambs without creep with was a first, and all gone by October.
I mentioned how impressed I was with the question text in last night, and I did use it. I asked about mixed grazing and do you have to compromise on grass covers for cattle If grazing both sheep and cattle together, as ideally the pre grazing covers are higher for cattle.
Last year was the first year where I focussed on grazing for sheep ahead of cattle, as we don’t typically sell Weanlings.

Starting this route myself, what way did you go about fixing the indexes

farawaygrass

White Clover wrote: »

Did you graze the sheep and cattle together in the same paddocks, moving them all together to the next one?

Last year I let the sheep in a day or so before the cows. Went sheep, yearling cattle then cows mixed with non bred hoggets. After weaning, there was a nice field of after grass coming along that I divided into 3 for the lambs and ran only the lambs in this. Hoggets went with sheep after weaning too

farawaygrass

charolais0153 wrote: »

You fed no concentrates to lambs ?

I better clarify as to say that would be wrong. The ewes got meal for a couple of weeks after lambing. I don’t plan on doing this this year, hopefully, as last year the sheep weren’t Housed until lambing, so the farm was skint bare. It’s different this year. Also last year, I left all triplets with the ewes and gave them good grass and I did feed them well with concentrates, they were fit early though. Probably won’t do it again this year as it’s another group and don’t think the cost justifies it. Otherwise there was no concentrates fed to the main flock and they were finished entirely of grass. Overall though we ate only moderately stocked.
I guess I was wrong in my statement earlier, only when I wrote it down realised there is a lot of ifs and buts
Edit:after reading my post you quoted and I did say I didn’t feed concentrates to majority of lambs so I stand by that.

farawaygrass

wrangler wrote: »

I never fed concentrates to lambs when I had the sucklers, I always prioritised the sheep over the cattle, ie if the next paddock was too strong for the ewes I'd put them into a paddock that was at the right stage for them and put the cows into the stronger paddock.....90% of the lambs would be gone by august, whereas now I'm only starting to sell in august.
Far less challenge from worms as well in the mixed stocking.
Like you I didn't sell weanlings, but probably should have, or at least as yearlings,

Funny you say that, we often sell a few yearling cattle in June for cash reasons and they always sell very well. I think lads pay over the odds to be honest as they have grass, done need to buy to keep numbers up etc. Trying to finish all soon though

farawaygrass

Hard Knocks wrote: »

Starting this route myself, what way did you go about fixing the indexes

I soil tested the whole farm. Only 2 fields were a bit low in like so I was very lucky that way. What I done I probably wouldn’t do again. My adviser drew up a fertiliser plan, to use a lot of 10-10-20 and 18-6-12. I bought a lot of 10-10-20 in January and went spreading by end of the month. Weather was good but got a lot of rain after, so dunno was any washed away. Went with compounds all year, and will do again this year and soil test again next November. I also spread lime on the 2 fields that needed it.

wrangler

farawaygrass wrote: »

Funny you say that, we often sell a few yearling cattle in June for cash reasons and they always sell very well. I think lads pay over the odds to be honest as they have grass, done need to buy to keep numbers up etc. Trying to finish all soon though

There's always a few farmers that'll pay over the odds if they look the part, whereas you won't find too many factories paying too much.
When i changed to all sheep I sold all the yearlings in the mart......it was an eyeopener....should've been doing that for years, there's nothing in feeding them on.

DJ98

Where can you get soils tested and what does it cost?

tabby aspreme

Ias in Bagnalstown Co carlow

DJ98

tabby aspreme wrote: »

Ias in Bagnalstown Co carlow

How does it work and when's the best time of year to do it?

charolais0153

DJ98 wrote: »

How does it work and when's the best time of year to do it?

Do it now.
• Soil test results are of little value if the soil sample taken
is not representative of the field or area being sampled.
• Divide the farm into fields or areas that can be easily
managed separately when applying fertilizers. As a guide,
take one sample to represent between two and four
hectares. If the area is very uniform a sample may be
taken to represent a larger area. For farms with a Nitrates
Derogation, the requirement is that the average soil
sample area is not greater than five hectares.
• Take separate samples from areas that are different in
soil type, previous cropping history, slope, drainage or
persistent poor yields.• Do not sample a field until three to six months after
the last application of P and K. Where lime has been
applied allow a time lag of up to two years before
sampling for soil pH and lime requirements.
• Sampling depth: ensure that soil is sampled to 10cm.
Shallower sampling can give inaccurate results,
particularly for P. Where permanent pasture is ploughed
for reseeding, re-sample the field as soon as possible
after ploughing as the soil ploughed up to the surface
may have a different nutrient status to the soil
ploughed down.
• Avoid sampling under extreme soil conditions e.g.
waterlogged or very dry soils. Sample at the same time of
the year to aid comparisons of soil sample results.
• When taking a sample, avoid walking in the lines
of fertilizer and lime spreading operations on
the field.
• Avoid any unusual spots such as old fences, ditches,
drinking troughs, dung or urine patches or where fertilizer
/manures or lime have been heaped or spilled in the past

Hard Knocks

tabby aspreme wrote: »

Ias in Bagnalstown Co carlow

Found Waterford to be cheapest

roosky

Does anyone on here have cormac feed barriers.

Need to buy three for a shed and the companies are all around the one price but cormacs will deliver saving me a lot of hassle.

Any issues with them or are the worth the money (€360 for a 15 foot 4 barrier)

razor8

roosky wrote: »

Does anyone on here have cormac feed barriers.

Need to buy three for a shed and the companies are all around the one price but cormacs will deliver saving me a lot of hassle.

Any issues with them or are the worth the money (€360 for a 15 foot 4 barrier)

Have them here & no issues. To be honest I think most merchants are selling the same product but a different label

ganmo

roosky wrote: »

Does anyone on here have cormac feed barriers.

Need to buy three for a shed and the companies are all around the one price but cormacs will deliver saving me a lot of hassle.

Any issues with them or are the worth the money (€360 for a 15 foot 4 barrier)

Their delivery man likes delivering very early.

We were waiting for a while for ours turned out they had made them and in the space between that and putting them on the truck someone drove into the yard and bought them(they were an odd size).

But I'd have no bother goin back to them

roosky

my other option was lockheart eng in sligo great stuff but its and hour and twenty mins away so I just dont have time to get down to him

farming93

first single ewe of the year aborted. hopefully it won't be an epidemic of it now was planning on vaccinating against it but stupidly thought I could do it when they were in lamb.

Willfarman

You vaccinated them recently? What did you do them with? A lot of eees are naturally vaccinated against toxo so they might be ok.

Dickie10

does anyone know anywhere in meath or westmeath that stock buffalo steel hay racks?

Dickie10

i only want three or four would they deliver these?

mcgiggles

Willfarman wrote:

You vaccinated them recently? What did you do them with? A lot of eees are naturally vaccinated against toxo so they might be ok.

We vaccinated against toxo this year and set of twins gone last week. Scanner had said the womb looked "watery" and she might drop them alright.. but still annoying!

wrangler

mcgiggles wrote: »

We vaccinated against toxo this year and set of twins gone last week. Scanner had said the womb looked "watery" and she might drop them alright.. but still annoying!

There's half a dozen plus different reasons for abortions in sheep, all you can do vaccinate against the common ones. Toxo wouldn't be the worst one......enzootic is a dirty one and hard to get out of the flock.

farming93

this lamb looked grand but was still six weeks from lambing you'd swear the ewe got a knock or something possibly but I hope to god it's not enzo.

wrangler

farming93 wrote: »

this lamb looked grand but was still six weeks from lambing you'd swear the ewe got a knock or something possibly but I hope to god it's not enzo.

Probably was never a viable pregnancy if it looked bad at the scanning

adam14

Dickie10 wrote: »

i only want three or four would they deliver these?

As far as I know they are sold out of hay racks