General sheep thread

Cran

jfh wrote: »

Anyone know where I can buy sponges for sheep online, my vet doesn't sell them

Don’t believe you can prescription only

Sheep breeder

wrangler wrote: »

we use a reader here, if there's twenty in a pen you just keep moving the reader until you get twenty numbers.
It has to be nearly touching the ears

A lot of the readers work with in a distance of the head and can duplicate read with out a problem and have a counter to tell number read to speed up the job.

White Clover

wrangler wrote: »

we use a reader here, if there's twenty in a pen you just keep moving the reader until you get twenty numbers.
It has to be nearly touching the ears

I presume it will only record each tag just once?

wrangler

White Clover wrote: »

I presume it will only record each tag just once?

yea just once, our reader can work in conjunction with the scales also and transmits the number to the scales through bluetooth.
Numbers and weights can then be downloaded on the computer

Lambman

What kinda €€ u talking for that setup wrangler sounds fierce handy but expensive?

wrangler

Lambman wrote: »

What kinda €€ u talking for that setup wrangler sounds fierce handy but expensive?

Scales was €3000 and reader with basic program and printer is about €800.
The reader can also be used to read and record the lambing and link them to the ewes if you're tagging the lambs at birth.
We got our reader from TGM software who have very good backup

jfh

What kinda tags do you put on new born lambs? Do you find they lose many?

wrangler

jfh wrote: »

What kinda tags do you put on new born lambs? Do you find they lose many?

We use Quicktag, they're in strips of twenty and the automatic tagger holds the full twenty.

http://www.tagfaster.com/tagfaster-single-eid-slaughter-tags-3-p.asp.

and the applicator
http://www.tagfaster.com/tagfaster-automatic-sheep-tag-applicator-4-p.asp

The applicator works very well, You see every second tag in the strip in the applicator is blue, the strip in that applicator is for double tagging, the english farmers are allowed use a different colour on one ear in the double tag for management, ie a different colour for every year.

We wouldn't even lose one percent of tags here

arctictree

Ran out of spray while doing the lambs last week and am still waiting for it to arrive. One of the group that didn't get it is really badly struck. Its like most of her body has maggots, never seen it so bad. Rubbed a load of iodine into her but doubt if she will pull through...

Lambman

arctictree wrote: »

Ran out of spray while doing the lambs last week and am still waiting for it to arrive. One of the group that didn't get it is really badly struck. Its like most of her body has maggots, never seen it so bad. Rubbed a load of iodine into her but doubt if she will pull through...

Thankfully no sign off maggots here yet but did notice a few people talking over the weekend about having maggots in lambs... lambs seem till be staying cleaner this year with the weather... I'll be dipping in 2 weeks so hopefully have no bother till then.

farming93

Mine were maggoting so I got in someone to dip them last week , the lambs have cleared up powerfully now .

Green farmer

arctictree wrote: »

Ran out of spray while doing the lambs last week and am still waiting for it to arrive. One of the group that didn't get it is really badly struck. Its like most of her body has maggots, never seen it so bad. Rubbed a load of iodine into her but doubt if she will pull through...

If you could clip any wool around the area it would help as well. As long as they haven’t eaten a hole completely through the lamb, they might survive. Iodine / blue spray even used stock tar here last week, all help. Fingers crossed for you

MeTheMan

Had the same with two lambs here. Just seemed to be clumps of maggots everywhere. Right across middle of their back and chest as well. Had one with maggots in the hoof. Mixed a bit of summer dip and spot treated. Going weaning this weekend and hopefully dipping next weekend. I think weaning and dipping the one day would be a bit much for the lambs.

arctictree

Green farmer wrote: »

If you could clip any wool around the area it would help as well. As long as they haven’t eaten a hole completely through the lamb, they might survive. Iodine / blue spray even used stock tar here last week, all help. Fingers crossed for you

What if I just got her sheared completely? Might be the only option at this stage. She just has maggots everywhere.

charolais0153

Dp ye put clik/clilzin on them

arctictree

charolais0153 wrote: »

Dp ye put clik/clilzin on them

Ran out of it last week as we were doing the last few.

wrangler

arctictree wrote: »

Ran out of it last week as we were doing the last few.

Iuse strong Strong salty water if the lamb is going to the factory shortly, it's also good for healing

Willfarman

Shear away as much wool as you can. Sheep dip. Then when dried off a bit use iodine or preferably blue spray. And a shot of antibiotic. Some electrolytes are a help too.

wrangler

Willfarman wrote: »

Shear away as much wool as you can. Sheep dip. Then when dried off a bit use iodine or preferably blue spray. And a shot of antibiotic. Some electrolytes are a help too.

Sheep dip would have to be very diluted or it'll take the rest of the skin off if the skin is anyway damaged already

DJ98

Running very tight for grass here, ewes and lambs are both on almost bare ground, would it be worthwhile housing the lambs, all averaging 35kg and feed them meal and hay and sell them out of the shed as they reach a suitable weight?

charolais0153

DJ98 wrote: »

Running very tight for grass here, ewes and lambs are both on almost bare ground, would it be worthwhile housing the lambs, all averaging 35kg and feed them meal and hay and sell them out of the shed as they reach a suitable weight?

I wouldnt say so. Are they weanes. Can you sell them as stores perhaps. Doubt it will pay financially

DJ98

charolais0153 wrote: »

I wouldnt say so. Are they weanes. Can you sell them as stores perhaps. Doubt it will pay financially

Weaned 3 weeks, would be an option but the money for stores ain't great at the minute.

wrangler

charolais0153 wrote: »

I wouldnt say so. Are they weanes. Can you sell them as stores perhaps. Doubt it will pay financially

What are stores making, I'd imagine it's a buyers market at the moment.

I'm feeding both ewes and lambs here,

Willfarman

wrangler wrote: »

Willfarman wrote: »

Shear away as much wool as you can. Sheep dip. Then when dried off a bit use iodine or preferably blue spray. And a shot of antibiotic. Some electrolytes are a help too.

Sheep dip would have to be very diluted or it'll take the rest of the skin off if the skin is anyway damaged already

Thought that’d obvious enough? It’s the only proper treatment to make sure you get to kill off all the strike

DJ98

wrangler wrote: »

What are stores making, I'd imagine it's a buyers market at the moment.

I'm feeding both ewes and lambs here,

What are you feeding the ewes with?

MeTheMan

wrangler wrote: »

What are stores making, I'd imagine it's a buyers market at the moment.

I'm feeding both ewes and lambs here,

Why are you feeding ewes? Still with lambs or just no grass at all.

wrangler

DJ98 wrote: »

What are you feeding the ewes with?

.7kg/day intensive lamb ration plus whatever they can find after the lambs finish a paddock.
Lambs are getting the same, all you can do is keep them fed and hope it rains,
Have to keep the lambs thriving and the ewes from losing condition

Yea, no grass, lambs are weaned

thelegend1979

37.5kg good quality stores made 83 euro in mountbellew on saturday . Not bad money when 50kg top quality lambs sold for 100.

orm0nd

thelegend1979 wrote: »

37.5kg good quality stores made 83 euro in mountbellew on saturday . Not bad money when 50kg top quality lambs sold for 100.

seems to be a trade for stores in the west, very poor demand in the east and midlands ,

a lot of lambs housed on meals and straw/hay

some F U of a year.

Hard Knocks

What is the Dorset like.
Have mainly Suffolk & Texal ewes & have been told the Dorset would be a good cross.
Generally alternate between Suffolk & Texal rams with a Charolais for the ewes.
Would there be any issues lambing or finishing compared to current