General sheep thread

DJ98

Hill farmers here, when you gather ewes off the hill and there's some missing and the odd one is never found, what do you put in the flock register? Missing a couple here in the hill the past few weeks and have yet to find them but am still hopeful

Bleating Lamb

thelegend1979 wrote: »

Attachment not found.

Milford ewe lamb

Lovely sharp headed lamb,you sometimes see ‘ pure’ Milfords that are quite narrow at the shoulder and very soft ( hard fed).....that is a more solid looking lamb though.

thelegend1979

Ya they do tend to be narrow in front which makes them easy lambed. Ram wasnt as long and narrow as most milford rams and ended up breeding lambs with a bit more conformation.

thelegend1979

Id love to know what advantages a mayo mule ewe would have over a milford ewe?

Lano Lynn

I think the milford is a very interesting breed and I do think they are a breed in their own right ,just as the belclare is a modern composite the milford has evolved and breeds true to type.


what i find really funny is that thirty years ago bluefaced leicesters were blue and had ears on the top of their heads now they are like milfords with curly wool.yet no body says they are not a breed.

Kevhog1988

Ive a lamb with the same markings bred from a cheviot x belclare ewe and by a leicester ram

farming93

I have a few sheep that have lost the use of their legs, they are seemingly healthy otherwise . Anyone idea what this could be ? I've called the vet but it's looking worrying for them

arctictree

DJ98 wrote: »

Hill farmers here, when you gather ewes off the hill and there's some missing and the odd one is never found, what do you put in the flock register? Missing a couple here in the hill the past few weeks and have yet to find them but am still hopeful

Similar situation here. We have an extensive bog area that I lose the odd sheep in. This normally goes unnoticed so nothing goes in the register??

Ard_MC

farming93 wrote: »

I have a few sheep that have lost the use of their legs, they are seemingly healthy otherwise . Anyone idea what this could be ? I've called the vet but it's looking worrying for them

No idea..what the vet say?

farming93

Could be a mineral defiency or fluke she said although the fluke was unlikely . I gave them all a fluke drench and injected them with a clear injection into the muscle and also drenched the bad ones for selium. I went to the yard this evening and one ewe which was bad this morning was back up and going, two others which were getting bad are grand and I've only the original ewe still down although she stood for a minute or two. Hopefully all will be good in the morning.

Blaas4life

farming93 wrote: »

I have a few sheep that have lost the use of their legs, they are seemingly healthy otherwise . Anyone idea what this could be ? I've called the vet but it's looking worrying for them

Have they feeling in the legs??

Ard_MC

farming93 wrote: »

Could be a mineral defiency or fluke she said although the fluke was unlikely . I gave them all a fluke drench and injected them with a clear injection into the muscle and also drenched the bad ones for selium. I went to the yard this evening and one ewe which was bad this morning was back up and going, two others which were getting bad are grand and I've only the original ewe still down although she stood for a minute or two. Hopefully all will be good in the morning.

Sounds like a deficiency of some sort. Glad they are comin round.

farming93

Blaas4life wrote: »

Have they feeling in the legs??

Yep they have indeed . The vet said it was nothing to do with their nervous systems.

farming93

Ard_MC wrote: »

farming93 wrote: »

Could be a mineral defiency or fluke she said although the fluke was unlikely . I gave them all a fluke drench and injected them with a clear injection into the muscle and also drenched the bad ones for selium. I went to the yard this evening and one ewe which was bad this morning was back up and going, two others which were getting bad are grand and I've only the original ewe still down although she stood for a minute or two. Hopefully all will be good in the morning.[/quote

Sounds like a deficiency of some sort. Glad they are comin round.

Cheers! It was getting worrying for a while . Never had a problem like that before .

DJ98

What is your price limit when it comes to buying rams?

DJ98

What is your price limit when it comes to buying rams? Are all the quality rams over 400 euro?

Siamsa Sessions

Anyone ever mix their own cobalt drench with cobalt sulphate powder?

We worm dosed lambs and mixed the powder in with it. They don’t need a dose now but I was thinking about giving them some cobalt so wondering if you just mix the powder in with water?

Dinzee Conlee

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Anyone ever mix their own cobalt drench with the cobalt sulphate powder?

We mixed it with a worm dose previously but the lambs don’t need a worm dose this time and I’m wondering about giving them a cobalt boost instead?

Would you just mix the powder in with water?

Yes, have done it. Mixed it with water...

Site below says “Mixing Rate 100grams with 5ltr Water”
Mixed it stronger than this before and felt it was better, I guess they got a higher dose...

https://www.agridirect.ie/product/colbalt-sulphate

ganmo

The mixing rate we use is 4ounces(old style!) in 2L dosing 10ml adding in 1ounce of copper sulphate every second time

Siamsa Sessions

Thanks folks - bringing them in Monday evening so will make the dose in advance, complete with copper thrown in for good measure.

Funny the things you remember: I can still see my grandfather mixing in a spoon of “bluestone” when we’d be dosing cattle years ago. He was the boss-man when it came to getting the dilution right. To this day, my uncles call him the boss-man. Don’t think they (or my father) ever referred to him as anything else!

Dinzee Conlee

Careful with the copper... some breeds don’t do too well with it...

ganmo

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Careful with the copper... some breeds don’t do too well with it...

Ya texels and to a lesser extent charlois and the other French breeds.

DJ98

When would ewes that would have Christmas lambs want to be sponged?

wrangler

DJ98 wrote: »

When would ewes that would have Christmas lambs want to be sponged?

About the sixteenth july for lambing around 20th december

DJ98

wrangler wrote: »

About the sixteenth july for lambing around 20th december

Is that when the sponges go in, how long then before you inject or remove sponges?

wrangler

DJ98 wrote: »

Is that when the sponges go in, how long then before you inject or remove sponges?

12 days later remove sponges and inject.
Then introduce the rams 48hrs later.

Sami23

Hi all, when would ye recommend would be best to wean lambs that wer born from 26th February to 20th March?
TIA

forumuser

wrangler wrote: »

12 days later remove sponges and inject.
Then introduce the rams 48hrs later.

Does the sponging mean they all cycle together so the lambing is not drawn out?

charolais0153

Sami23 wrote: »

Hi all, when would ye recommend would be best to wean lambs that wer born from 26th February to 20th March?
TIA

Now tbh. Keep best grass for lambs......ewes producing damn all milk now

roosky

Sami23 wrote: »

Hi all, when would ye recommend would be best to wean lambs that wer born from 26th February to 20th March?
TIA

Now, if its not too much hassle for you i would not wean anything over 40kg and try to get them to factory off the ewe as it will take little time at this stage.

For the rest of the flock wean them, tighten the ewes up and give lambs the best of the grass