General sheep thread

White Clover

arctictree wrote: »

Lads, I have a 4 week old pet lamb that is going on its back regularly and then kicking like mad to get back up. This happens every few minutes. It has a very rounded belly but I don't think it's bloat as last feed was 8 hours ago. Any ideas? Is it fecked? It has no interest in feeding.

A couple of weeks ago I had a handy twin from a ewe lamb with the same thing. I gave him 4ml liquid parifin about 4 times a day and only left him suck the ewe for short periods at a time. He was fine after 3 or 4 days and has caught up to his twin in size now.

arctictree

wrangler wrote: »

probably is, try some liquid parafin.....5ml and see how it goes.
Pet lambs are very prone to do that, it's probably gas from fermenting milk.
We don't seem to get it and I put it down to adlib feeding the petlambs, little and often seems to suit lambs better than big amounts three and four times a day

Gave him 20ml of vegetable oil and he got better. I'm feeding 3 times a day and they tend to gorge themselves, which is a recipe for bloat. Next year I'll be getting an automatic feeder.

J.O. Farmer

arctictree wrote: »

Gave him 20ml of vegetable oil and he got better. I'm feeding 3 times a day and they tend to gorge themselves, which is a recipe for bloat. Next year I'll be getting an automatic feeder.

What about the buckets with teats and fill with cold milk. You could start the process moving to adlib milk tomorrow.

wrangler

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

What about the buckets with teats and fill with cold milk. You could start the process moving to adlib milk tomorrow.

This is the one we use, it comes with a bracket that screws to the wall

https://www.agridirect.ie/product/lamb-feeding-bucket-3-teat

arctictree

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

What about the buckets with teats and fill with cold milk. You could start the process moving to adlib milk tomorrow.

I'm using a bucket feeder and feeding 7 of them 3 times a day. (It has 6 teets so I am using a bottle as well). You mean leave cold milk out in the bucket?

wrangler

arctictree wrote: »

I'm using a bucket feeder and feeding 7 of them 3 times a day. (It has 6 teets so I am using a bottle as well). You mean leave cold milk out in the bucket?

we've three lambs on a bucket, cold milk, one teat in the bucket.
I hasten to add that these have been on it since three days old, so are well used to it so I don't know how changing over to adlib at four weeks would work.

DJ98

wrangler wrote: »

we've three lambs on a bucket, cold milk, one teat in the bucket.
I hasten to add that these have been on it since three days old, so are well used to it so I don't know how changing over to adlib at four weeks would work.

Whats the mixing rate to fill the bucket?

wrangler

DJ98 wrote: »

Whats the mixing rate to fill the bucket?

I think it's 200gms to the ltr and 7ltrs in the bucket. bucket hold s 8ltrs but if they puck it full they spill it.
It has to be mixed really well, no powder lumps, with a hand whisk or a those small electraic kitchen whisks

Kevhog1988

White Clover wrote: »

Anyone here with just one ram? What do you do with him for the summer? Will probably need a second ram this autumn, should I buy one now?

Mines in a shed and grazing about half an acre

MeTheMan

Have a ewe that must have been a cross off shergar. She can jump anything. Four foot with barb is no problem to her. I'm feeding three separate fields of ewes and lambs and she has a bit to eat in all three fields. Is there anyway to stop her without refencing the whole place. Someone mention to me about "tying her ears" never got to ask more at the time. Was thinking about a stick hanging from her neck might break her stride. Don't want to strangle her though. Any ideas?

IH784man

Next lorry to Camolin,there enough hassle with out that

MeTheMan

She's a great ewe with great lambs every year. Probably because she's getting more feeding then any of them but still. Just thinking about it. I don't think I've ever give her an injection for any problem or a spray, I don't even think I've turned her over and she's here awhile. I wouldn't be a perfection or it gone type.

IH784man

MeTheMan wrote: »

I wouldn't be a perfection or it gone type.

I'm not either to be honest
But even selling her with her lambs at foot in the mart would be a better option than that hassel everyday

Lambman

Never heard the ear thing but a horse won't jump as high if there ears are pricked back.

charolais0153

Just tie two legs together. We do it to any ewe that gets adopted to give the lambs a chance cos she wont move as quick on them

mcgiggles

MeTheMan wrote:

Have a ewe that must have been a cross off shergar. She can jump anything. Four foot with barb is no problem to her. I'm feeding three separate fields of ewes and lambs and she has a bit to eat in all three fields. Is there anyway to stop her without refencing the whole place. Someone mention to me about "tying her ears" never got to ask more at the time. Was thinking about a stick hanging from her neck might break her stride. Don't want to strangle her though. Any ideas?

We had a mountainy ram like that, we were holding onto him for a bit to bring him to the mart, so in the mean time the mother in law told us to tie what she called a side-lang or side-line or something.. Basically tie rope from front right hoof to back left and that's supposed to curb the jumping.. Our b*llix managed to get out of that too but it worked while it was on him!

Green farmer

IH784man wrote: »

Next lorry to Camolin,there enough hassle with out that

Have two like that here at the moment. One jumps fences and the other is worse, goes underneath them and recks the fence. Drive rest of flock mad and both are a pain. I though having lambs would quieter them down, but hasn’t. Anyway both have lovely cull tags in them and will be going on a factory trip next August. Buy in nice new replacements and start again.

ganmo

We had a visitor one year, she had 2 lambs but would jump out of any field as soon as we walked in. after weaning she jumped out into a neighbours place so i made sure i had ever possible jumping spot blocked never saw her again

DJ98

Anyone any suggestions as to how to keep ewes and lambs in with electric fence, have 3 strands, two poly wire and a white tape, lambs just go straight through it and then ewes follow!

charolais0153

DJ98 wrote: »

Anyone any suggestions as to how to keep ewes and lambs in with electric fence, have 3 strands, two poly wire and a white tape, lambs just go straight through it and then ewes follow!

Is there power in it

wrangler

charolais0153 wrote: »

Is there power in it

,

I was about to ask that too, I always needed 3000+ volts to stop sheep.... even at that I always needed 4 strands at the start.
Once they're trained and the lambs are older you'd get away with two strands.
I use electrified sheep netting here as I have a lot of it from blockgrazing winterage years ago

charolais0153

wrangler wrote: »

,

I was about to ask that too, I always needed 3000+ volts to stop sheep.... even at that I always needed 4 strands at the start.
Once they're trained and the lambs are older you'd get away with two strands.
I use electrified sheep netting here as I have a lot of it from blockgrazing winterage years ago

Dont know how many volts are in it but lambs at the start are inquisitive and get a fair shock through there nose . wire is better especially away from mains because the net draws a fair current through it

DJ98

charolais0153 wrote: »

Dont know how many volts are in it but lambs at the start are inquisitive and get a fair shock through there nose . wire is better especially away from mains because the net draws a fair current through it

Good enough shock in it that the ones that do hit stay back from it. Forcefield B50 fencer

wrangler

charolais0153 wrote: »

Dont know how many volts are in it but lambs at the start are inquisitive and get a fair shock through there nose . wire is better especially away from mains because the net draws a fair current through it

Al the permanant fences here used to be 4 strands electrified wire and never could put two batches ewes and lambs next to each other without confusion so changed it all to ordinary sheep wire over the years.
The electrified sheep wire needs plenty of earth bars to keep it right, I'm splitting paddocks at the moment and using the electrified sheep wire, Paddocks are grazed in two days and rested for sixteen

charolais0153

wrangler wrote: »

Al the permanant fences here used to be 4 strands electrified wire and never could put two batches ewes and lambs next to each other without confusion so changed it all to ordinary sheep wire over the years.
The electrified sheep wire needs plenty of earth bars to keep it right, I'm splitting paddocks at the moment and using the electrified sheep wire, Paddocks are grazed in two days and rested for sixteen

Much N out?

wrangler

charolais0153 wrote: »

Much N out?

Half a bag urea end of Feb, and One and a half bags 18 6 12/acre end march and one and a half bags 18 6 12/ acre going out monday.
Ewes are getting .5kg corby rock cubes until they run out in ten days
Way overstocked for the year that's in it, definitely thirty ewes will go the day they're weaned

DJ98

Lads that buy in the mountain sheep, do you buy ewe lambs, hoggets or older ewes for lowland grazing.

IH784man

But ewe lambs or hoggets if you want to keep for ewes, I buy older ewes and graze them and kill them,some get to the ram too but I'd rather hoggets for the ram.

Lambman

Bought in old ewes this year for keeping replacements from but thinking on buying a few hoggets next year as they didn't scan all that well but there fierce handy looked after and lambed great mothers aswell.

DJ98

Lambman wrote: »

Bought in old ewes this year for keeping replacements from but thinking on buying a few hoggets next year as they didn't scan all that well but there fierce handy looked after and lambed great mothers aswell.

Can I ask where you buy the ewes or hoggets?