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General sheep thread

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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭mcgiggles


    wrangler wrote:
    That's unbelievable, are they in or out, Only get mastitis here when they;re a month lambed and even then maybe less than 1%

    They are in.. We've not seen it this early before, we've only had one or two cases out of 30 or so sheep in the last 2 years.. Up to 50 this year but with all that's happened and a handful of emptys only lambing about 35 or so this year..
    Lano Lynn wrote:
    texel x ?

    One that hasn't lambed yet is def a texel x, the others look more like suffolk llyn crosses, narrower longer speckled or light brown faces, (himself would know off the bat, I'm just trying to remember which ones they are)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,321 ✭✭✭razor8


    I’m finding it very hard to keep bedding clean this year. Putting down straw twice a day when usually every second day was enough other years. I wonder if bedding was dirty/wet would they be picking up mastitis from this?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭AntrimGlens


    mcgiggles wrote: »
    5 ewes lambed since sunday.. 3 of those have mastitis in one side and another one yet to lamb has a hard bag also.. FFS

    Are they well bedded and dry? I had a mastitis problem in a pen of ewes a few years back, it was the first pen in the house and open to the weather on one side. The rain constantly blew in to that pen and i couldn't keep the straw dry, so they must have picked it up from the wet, cold and dirty bedding, despite me bedding and liming it regularly. I'd be inclined to say its a bacterial mastitis pre-lambing rather than the mastitis you'd see when a ewes sucking triplets or the like.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,324 ✭✭✭arctictree


    Have week old lambs out in this weather. 7c and pissing rain/wind. Do ye think they'll be OK? The small field they are in doesn't have great shelter. I have an option to move them to a much larger area with more shelter but am afraid some of the twins might get lost.


  • Registered Users Posts: 193 ✭✭Ashill5


    I have a texel x hoggot that lambed last night. Hadn't any milk, dug seemed a bit hard but she wasn't sore, gave here 2ml of Oxytoxin.
    Still has very little, gave lamb cow Beastings.
    Anything else that I can give the ewe to bring on the milk.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 359 ✭✭Oldira


    I have a couple of questions on tagging:

    A few of the ewes have lost their tags but I know the numbers. I presume I can just order replacements?

    I am keeping a few ewe lambs as replacements. What am I supposed to tag them with? Is the Mart tag enough or do I have to order special eid tags? Also will there be a number allocated to them?


  • Registered Users Posts: 201 ✭✭cattle man


    razor8 wrote: »
    I’m finding it very hard to keep bedding clean this year. Putting down straw twice a day when usually every second day was enough other years. I wonder if bedding was dirty/wet would they be picking up mastitis from this?

    Exact same problem here can’t keep them clean.

    Few ewes lambing down with one spin could be part of the reason.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,748 ✭✭✭ganmo


    Oldira wrote: »
    I have a couple of questions on tagging:

    A few of the ewes have lost their tags but I know the numbers. I presume I can just order replacements?

    I am keeping a few ewe lambs as replacements. What am I supposed to tag them with? Is the Mart tag enough or do I have to order special eid tags? Also will there be a number allocated to them?

    for the ewes you've 2 options, order the matching number or giving her a new set and record the number of the old number

    lambs should be double tagged from December on up till then they don't need to be tagged


  • Registered Users Posts: 359 ✭✭Oldira


    ganmo wrote: »
    for the ewes you've 2 options, order the matching number or giving her a new set and record the number of the old number

    lambs should be double tagged from December on up till then they don't need to be tagged

    Thanks. Double tagged how? A Mart tag and an eid?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,001 ✭✭✭roosky


    razor8 wrote: »
    I’m finding it very hard to keep bedding clean this year. Putting down straw twice a day when usually every second day was enough other years. I wonder if bedding was dirty/wet would they be picking up mastitis from this?

    Ya I have the same issue never seen bedding to get dirty so quick, you would think it was for nothing!!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭mcgiggles


    Are they well bedded and dry? I had a mastitis problem in a pen of ewes a few years back, it was the first pen in the house and open to the weather on one side. The rain constantly blew in to that pen and i couldn't keep the straw dry, so they must have picked it up from the wet, cold and dirty bedding, despite me bedding and liming it regularly. I'd be inclined to say its a bacterial mastitis pre-lambing rather than the mastitis you'd see when a ewes sucking triplets or the like.


    Inside and on raised slats so no straw.. It doesn't feel the same as the mastitis I've felt before, its not as lumpy and solid as the bag is just harder than the other.. Would ye give a shot of antibiotics for it?


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,748 ✭✭✭ganmo


    Oldira wrote: »
    Thanks. Double tagged how? A Mart tag and an eid?

    ya mart in the left and Eid in the right


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,937 ✭✭✭farawaygrass


    I have a few sheep with hard bags too, but I’m putting it down to flagging. One sheep had a triplet, and only tiny bit of milk one side, but it’s slowly coming back to her


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,324 ✭✭✭arctictree


    Lads, I have a ewe that just lambed that prolapsed about a month ago. I took off the harness for lambing. Do ye put the harness back on after she has lambed and how long for?


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,166 ✭✭✭✭wrangler


    arctictree wrote: »
    Lads, I have a ewe that just lambed that prolapsed about a month ago. I took off the harness for lambing. Do ye put the harness back on after she has lambed and how long for?

    We always leave them off here, a minute percentage will prolapse again, in which case you put it back on for a couple of weeks.
    I heard my shearer saying that he often takes out a few spoons at the shearing...yuck


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,324 ✭✭✭arctictree


    wrangler wrote: »
    We always leave them off here, a minute percentage will prolapse again, in which case you put it back on for a couple of weeks.
    I heard my shearer saying that he often takes out a few spoons at the shearing...yuck

    Sounds, will probably do that. Shame that she prolapsed. She's a lovely Hoggets with two nice lambs and plenty of milk.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,064 ✭✭✭tom_k


    Had a 2nd crop ewe prolapse 2 days ago, she's 10+ days from lambing. All should work out as long as we're watching her when she lambs. She's home bred, we have her twin here too and three of her half sisters as breeding ewes. All were bred from a particularly outstanding ewe who had 5 crops of great lambs here.

    Makes me wonder about the wisdom of keeping any from this line in future but maybe it's just a random occurrence.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,166 ✭✭✭✭wrangler


    tom_k wrote: »
    Had a 2nd crop ewe prolapse 2 days ago, she's 10+ days from lambing. All should work out as long as we're watching her when she lambs. She's home bred, we have her twin here too and three of her half sisters as breeding ewes. All were bred from a particularly outstanding ewe who had 5 crops of great lambs here.

    Makes me wonder about the wisdom of keeping any from this line in future but maybe it's just a random occurrence.

    Since the advent of the harness I don't see prolapse as a mortal sin, If i like the ewe I keep her, if not she goes, If the one that's reprieved does it the next year she goes.
    The harness doesn't seem to stop them lambing, but the lamb can get his back legs caught in it going out


  • Registered Users Posts: 491 ✭✭Lano Lynn


    wrangler wrote: »
    Since the advent of the harness I don't see prolapse as a mortal sin, If i like the ewe I keep her, if not she goes, If the one that's reprieved does it the next year she goes.
    The harness doesn't seem to stop them lambing, but the lamb can get his back legs caught in it going out


    i got to disagree completely with you on this one since the advent of the harness prolapse has got more common because imo breeders take a lax attitude to culling them out .there is far to many AVOIDABLE problems being bred into the national flock creating EXTRA NON PRODUCTIVE WORKLOAD.

    breeders and in particular breeders of 'maternal breeds' should have the highest husbandry standards and that includes culling hard.

    zero tolerance for mastitis,prolapse,big teats/udder conformation

    these conditions all more hereditable than a lot of bullsh1t 'top'breeders fixate about.

    200+ ewes here had one prolapse two years ago none last year only a few ewes with mastitis,but have a few with big teats out of a ram i bought in


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,166 ✭✭✭✭wrangler


    Lano Lynn wrote: »
    i got to disagree completely with you on this one since the advent of the harness prolapse has got more common because imo breeders take a lax attitude to culling them out .there is far to many AVOIDABLE problems being bred into the national flock creating EXTRA NON PRODUCTIVE WORKLOAD.

    breeders and in particular breeders of 'maternal breeds' should have the highest husbandry standards and that includes culling hard.

    zero tolerance for mastitis,prolapse,big teats/udder conformation

    these conditions all more hereditable than a lot of bullsh1t 'top'breeders fixate about.

    200+ ewes here had one prolapse two years ago none last year only a few ewes with mastitis,but have a few with big teats out of a ram i bought in

    Tom k has listed more than a dozen lambings linked to that sheep and none seem to have been trouble some, so is it really that hereditable.
    It'll cost the most of €100 to replace her with another hogget if you factory her,.... of course you could sell here on as a breeding ewe either :rolleyes:
    Sheep are indoors here so harnesses are not a chore to put on, I heard Tim keady saying the same thing regarding prolapses, any way people can work out there own system for prolapses


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,225 ✭✭✭charolais0153


    wrangler wrote: »
    Tom k has listed more than a dozen lambings linked to that sheep and none seem to have been trouble some, so is it really that hereditable.
    It'll cost the most of €100 to replace her with another hogget if you factory her,.... of course you could sell here on as a breeding ewe either :rolleyes:
    Sheep are indoors here so harnesses are not a chore to put on, I heard Tim keady saying the same thing regarding prolapses, any way people can work out there own system for prolapses
    Got 130 avg for a few ewes there last week. Pay on average 180 for hoggets in September


  • Registered Users Posts: 491 ✭✭Lano Lynn


    like me you have a few lambing seasons notched up:D....was prolapse more or less common thirty plus years ago..


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,225 ✭✭✭charolais0153


    Lano Lynn wrote: »
    like me you have a few lambing seasons notched up:D....was prolapse more or less common thirty plus years ago..

    Was there more or less multiple lambings 30 plus years ago


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,005 ✭✭✭Green farmer


    tom_k wrote: »

    Makes me wonder about the wisdom of keeping any from this line in future but maybe it's just a random occurrence.

    I Suppose the good news is all the trouble things like prolapse show up before lambing begins. It like getting the bad news out of the way first. Stick a cull tag in her and make sure she ain’t around next year. The others might be fine. If they were prone to prolapse you would have seen it in them by now. Funny I never really find much trouble from their genes. They usually die out early to have much blood left in the flock


  • Registered Users Posts: 491 ✭✭Lano Lynn


    wasn't there a comment on some thread that litter size hadn't increased over the years.

    my observations are based over several flocks other than my own and getting called to put them back in. it used to be a vet job and that costs money......so there was a greater incentive to cull or pay again next year:D:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,225 ✭✭✭charolais0153


    Lano Lynn wrote: »
    wasn't there a comment on some thread that litter size hadn't increased over the years.

    my observations are based over several flocks other than my own and getting called to put them back in. it used to be a vet job and that costs money......so there was a greater incentive to cull or pay again next year:D:D

    Well, uncle asked me how many trebles we had and couldnt believe when i said 28 , he said that a treble when he was young was the talk of the parish


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,166 ✭✭✭✭wrangler


    Got 130 avg for a few ewes there last week. Pay on average 180 for hoggets in September

    to change a 2 year old for a hogget in September will cost the most of €100
    You kept the ewe till february to get that, that wasn't cheap. keeping cull ewes on till february only robs the breeding ewes
    A two year old wont make €100 after rearing lambs.


  • Registered Users Posts: 491 ✭✭Lano Lynn


    Well, uncle asked me how many trebles we had and couldnt believe when i said 28 , he said that a treble when he was young was the talk of the parish

    fair comment .............but they didn't have dancing with the stars to distract them:(...........


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,166 ✭✭✭✭wrangler


    Lano Lynn wrote: »
    fair comment .............but they didn't have dancing with the stars to distract them:(...........

    The sky is the limit now, introduce reseeding and Belclares and you'll even be disappointed with a scan of 2.25.
    Our group coordinator gets 2.5 -2.7 in his adults now and over 2 in the ewe lambs, he reared 180 pet lambs last year.
    Whatever floats our boat I suppose.
    I don't know where the national average of 1.3 lambs/ewe comes from


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,064 ✭✭✭tom_k


    First proper day of lambing here and all going well so far. I'm glad to see my prolapsing ewe got conversation going. I'll be culling her in keeping with my zero tolerance culling policy that I adopted two years ago. Assuming her lambs live I won't keep them for breeding purposes either.

    I'll wait and see what happens with her family line, as wrangler said there's no sign of heredity there.

    I once kept a hogget that prolapsed because she was a good sheep. She prolapsed again the following year - the day after scanning! Had the harness on her for two months but she lambed OK. Needless to say I got rid of her then.


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