General sheep thread

arctictree

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.

Well she died about an hour ago. Feckin riddled with them she was. Looks like I got to her too late. I got another 2 in the early stages and shore them and treated with dip, I'd say they'll pull through as they weren't half as bad as the other one. Lesson is not to run out of spray!!

Lambman

Id be against housing lambs this early they'll fail on you and have foot trouble and get dirty which will cost you more money till shear them before factoring them and if you try and sell as stores in a months time after housing them then the buyers will know so any buyers for finishing lambs off grass won't want them... wrangler are you not feard of ewes weeding feeding them ration after weaning?

charolais0153

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.

Lad got 108 from some lad buying for Ramadan. Would have been 50kgs

wrangler

arctictree wrote: »

Well she died about an hour ago. Feckin riddled with them she was. Looks like I got to her too late. I got another 2 in the early stages and shore them and treated with dip, I'd say they'll pull through as they weren't half as bad as the other one. Lesson is not to run out of spray!!

When you get a dose like that you'll never consider Clik expensive again, Clik is the only preventative if you're not seeing them everyday,..... even dipping them only covers them for a few weeks

wrangler

Lambman wrote: »

Id be against housing lambs this early they'll fail on you and have foot trouble and get dirty which will cost you more money till shear them before factoring them and if you try and sell as stores in a months time after housing them then the buyers will know so any buyers for finishing lambs off grass won't want them... wrangler are you not feard of ewes weeding feeding them ration after weaning?

That's what I give the ewes mid pregnancy for six weeks in the winter with straw and they seem to do alright.

tabby aspreme

Hard Knocks wrote: »

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

A neighbour had about 20 Dorset's for a few years , they gave a lot of trouble lambing,

Willfarman

charolais0153 wrote: »

Lad got 108 from some lad buying for Ramadan. Would have been 50kgs

Buying for Ramadan next year? It ended a month ago...

charolais0153

Willfarman wrote: »

Buying for Ramadan next year? It ended a month ago...

Thats what i heard. Wouldnt be too well informed on muslim religous festivals

ganmo

charolais0153 wrote: »

Thats what i heard. Wouldnt be too well informed on muslim religous festivals

It must be Eid, 21st Aug

Green farmer

There’s always two big festivals each year that create the demand

roosky

Willfarman wrote: »

Buying for Ramadan next year? It ended a month ago...

Ramadan has two dates kinda like pancake Tuesday....then lent.....then Easter but instead of pancakes and Easter eggs the Muslims eat lamb chops both times......thanks be to god (or allah!!!)

Hard Knocks

tabby aspreme wrote: »

A neighbour had about 20 Dorset's for a few years , they gave a lot of trouble lambing,

Thanks
I’ll stick with Suffolk for this year so

Lano Lynn

tabby aspreme wrote: »

A neighbour had about 20 Dorset's for a few years , they gave a lot of trouble lambing,

any dorsets i worked with were grand ewes good milkers and good mothers the easiest sheep I ever tried setting a lamb onto they would adopt a wet cat.they were very quiet and easy fed.and the lambs finished quickly tending towards overfat but that was thirty years ago so it is possible that they have been fd up since then .



if they didn't have pink noses and wooly heads they would be a lot more popular.


how often have you heard" the sheep went against me",when in reality he went against the sheep

Young95

Hi new to boards! Just about the dorsets we have must of are commercial flock of either 1/2 or 3/4 Dorset’s and cant fault them atal! We even wrecking they finish quicker than the Suffolk’s !

MeTheMan

Anyone here use a teaser ram? Did ye find it makes much of a difference?

Green farmer

Lano Lynn wrote: »

if they didn't have pink noses and wooly heads they would be a lot more popular.


how often have you heard" the sheep went against me",when in reality he went against the sheep

Always enjoy the honestly of your posts Lano. What sheep are you running these days ? I’m open minded to all breeds and always looking to try something new.

Lano Lynn

Green farmer wrote: »

Always enjoy the honestly of your posts Lano. What sheep are you running these days ? I’m open minded to all breeds and always looking to try something new.

experience with dorsets was lambing/shepherding other flocks.
like that I enjoy experiencing different breeds

and have often found that most of the criticism of a particular breed is based on ignorance and predudice and praise usually stupidity and greed.



I am breeding out lleyns in favour of cheviots this past three years

Siamsa Sessions

Lano Lynn wrote: »

Green farmer wrote: »

Always enjoy the honestly of your posts Lano. What sheep are you running these days ? I’m open minded to all breeds and always looking to try something new.

experience with dorsets was lambing/shepherding other flocks.
like that I enjoy experiencing different breeds

and have often found that most of the criticism of a particular breed is based on ignorance and predudice and praise usually stupidity and greed.



I am breeding out lleyns in favour of cheviots this past three years

How do you find the Cheviots compared to the Llyen?

Green farmer

Lano Lynn wrote: »

I am breeding out lleyns in favour of cheviots this past three years

Haha, I’m breeding in the Lleyns. I can see where your coming from though, a lot of variation in lleyns, I just hit in a strain of Lleyn that suits my land. Having said that I’d just as easily breed in a easycare or Romney, if the suited the ground as well. I also like the unusual breeds of terminal sires. Something different to keep the interest going.

wrangler

MeTheMan wrote: »

Anyone here use a teaser ram? Did ye find it makes much of a difference?

Always use them here, we'd have 90% +lambed in 17 days, so something's working. I never did a scientific trial but it costs nothing to do so why not.
But it must be done right, waste of energy otherwise

Hard Knocks

Lano Lynn wrote: »

experience with dorsets was lambing/shepherding other flocks.
like that I enjoy experiencing different breeds

and have often found that most of the criticism of a particular breed is based on ignorance and predudice and praise usually stupidity and greed.



I am breeding out lleyns in favour of cheviots this past three years

What you crossing the cheviot ewes with?
Father bought some in Wicklow 20 years ago, great ewes, but the odd 1 would suit cheltenham (clear fences)

ganmo

Hard Knocks wrote: »

What you crossing the cheviot ewes with?
Father bought some in Wicklow 20 years ago, great ewes, but the odd 1 would suit cheltenham (clear fences)

We had a pair of rams that couldn’t clear anything but thought they could which was worse!

Lano Lynn

Green farmer wrote: »

Haha, I’m breeding in the Lleyns. I can see where your coming from though, a lot of variation in lleyns, I just hit in a strain of Lleyn that suits my land. Having said that I’d just as easily breed in a easycare or Romney, if the suited the ground as well. I also like the unusual breeds of terminal sires. Something different to keep the interest going.

there is probably more variation in cheviots.I use ncc and wicklow rams



very true point the right breed or strain for the land type/farm system


I like the lleyn but mine just didn't produce the lamb crop I had hoped for .
and they just weren't pleasing me so at this stage in my career I might as well have sheep that I enjoy.



cheviots are faster (velocity) than the lleyns but as they dissappear over the hill, tails going like propeller they are awful pretty:D:D:D






very pleased with this years lambs.

Green farmer

Good man Lano, the cheviot wouldn’t be my cup of tea, only ones I had here were crazy flighty b**t**ds, but if I’d encountered a different strain, it might have been a completely different story. As you say, find a sheep that fits your farm, and away you go !!!, anyway would be boring if we all ran the same sheep

MeTheMan

wrangler wrote: »

But it must be done right, waste of energy otherwise

I'm right in thinking you put in a teaser 2 weeks before the main rams? Was thinking of getting the vet to snip one of our ram lambs or would I be better with an older ram? What system do you use? I've never done it. Would one teaser to 90 ewes be enough?

Green farmer

Lads, started mealing weaned lambs in the last week or so, as grass all gone. Their starting to motor though the ad lib mushroom feeder though. How much per head would ye reckon they should be getting a day. Average age 12 weeks old.

wrangler

MeTheMan wrote: »

I'm right in thinking you put in a teaser 2 weeks before the main rams? Was thinking of getting the vet to snip one of our ram lambs or would I be better with an older ram? What system do you use? I've never done it. Would one teaser to 90 ewes be enough?

We keep the rams out of contact and smell of the ewes for 6 -8 weeks, then put them in the paddock/field next to the ewes two weeks before mating.
You can also get harnesses to put on a ram to prevent them mating.
https://www.agridirect.ie/product/no-mate-teaser-harness
That harness has to go on the ordinary ram harness so it'd cost over €100 between the two harnesses.
They only need to be with the ewes for two or three days so if the ewes were in a small field you could put the ram in a pen in the middle of the field......you'd need to use field gates for that, they;d jump over the sheep gates.
If you're going to 'snip' a ram he has to be done 8 weeks to be fully infertile, a neighbour learnt that the hard way when he snipped a Jacob.
Anyway there's a few options, one teaser is enough for 90

MeTheMan

wrangler wrote: »

We keep the rams out of contact and smell of the ewes for 6 -8 weeks, then put them in the paddock/field next to the ewes two weeks before mating.
You can also get harnesses to put on a ram to prevent them mating.
https://www.agridirect.ie/product/no-mate-teaser-harness
That harness has to go on the ordinary ram harness so it'd cost over €100 between the two harnesses.
They only need to be with the ewes for two or three days so if the ewes were in a small field you could put the ram in a pen in the middle of the field......you'd need to use field gates for that, they;d jump over the sheep gates.
If you're going to 'snip' a ram he has to be done 8 weeks to be fully infertile, a neighbour learnt that the hard way when he snipped a Jacob.
Anyway there's a few options, one teaser is enough for 90

Thanks for that wrangler.
Do you put all rams next to the ewes or just the teaser ram for 2 weeks. Then let in the teaser ram for a few days. Best take the teaser ram out when the main rams go in?

wrangler

MeTheMan wrote: »

Thanks for that wrangler.
Do you put all rams next to the ewes or just the teaser ram for 2 weeks. Then let in the teaser ram for a few days. Best take the teaser ram out when the main rams go in?

We never use a teaser, the rams will tease through the fence/gates. if you have two paddock with just sheep wire between them, it's as good as having them in with the ewes, I'd leave them side by side for the full fortnight even though three days is enough......there'd be more chatting up going on than you'd see in ''coppers' on a saturday night

Willfarman

The Wicklow cheviot have gotten too big and plain for my liking in general.