General sheep thread

wrangler

DJ98 wrote: »

Anyone know any Hampshire down breeders in leinster or Waterford area?

list of breeders there, someone might be able to help
http://www.hampshiredownireland.com/membership/breeders.html

Lambman

Sent the aul fella till get a pretty tupping dose for the ewes he landed back with turbo sheep.... anyone use this before any reviews?

charolais0153

Lambman wrote: »

Sent the aul fella till get a pretty tupping dose for the ewes he landed back with turbo sheep.... anyone use this before any reviews?

Ya. They are all much the same. Make sure to check if there is any bits in it. And sieve them out if there are.

Lambman

Used it there today no bother with bits in it... can anyone tell everyone what is the main ingredient in them mineral doses that leave them all looking like watery molasses? Tried few different ones over the years for ewes pretty tupping or lambs for extra thrive and they all have the same colour and smell... the way things are working out this year I'll be lambing at least 3 weeks earlier next year than I did this year.

roosky

So im thinking of changing from raddle to a harness...

The full cost for three harness' and 12 crayons (3X4 colours) is €100

I always find raddle is a serious job for 1st ten ewes and its always too late when i get to it so always have a few ewes lambing with no raddle

anyone using the harness is it worth the €100

Hard Knocks

roosky wrote: »

So im thinking of changing from raddle to a harness...

The full cost for three harness' and 12 crayons (3X4 colours) is €100

I always find raddle is a serious job for 1st ten ewes and its always too late when i get to it so always have a few ewes lambing with no raddle

anyone using the harness is it worth the €100

I use the harness, have it for last 8 years & still in good condition, buy crayons @ €4 and change every 17 days.
There’s a bit more work to changing the crayon than adding more raddle

DJ98

roosky wrote: »

So im thinking of changing from raddle to a harness...

The full cost for three harness' and 12 crayons (3X4 colours) is €100

I always find raddle is a serious job for 1st ten ewes and its always too late when i get to it so always have a few ewes lambing with no raddle

anyone using the harness is it worth the €100

Going to use a harness this year as well. Find the raffle on the chest makes an awful mess of the ewes after being tipped, and like you say some don't end up being raddled at all

roosky

`My plan is as follows can ye see any issue with it:

Yellow raddle day 1
Green raddle day 11
Red raddle day 21

will use ram effect so majority of ewes will be yellow and green and all repeats will be red.

Dont see any reason for more colors as flock size is too small to split any further

DJ98

How many 40 kg lambs or Suffolk X ewes would a 7x4 trailer hold, looking at the trailer below as an option as I want to get a quad trailer for outdoor lambing this coming spring weather permitting. Or would the standard 5x4 trailer be a better option? Smaller trailer costs around 1000 and the bigger is something like 1800 to 2000.

https://www.donedeal.ie/trailers-for-sale/new-mcm-7x4-sheep-quad-trailer/19430837

https://www.donedeal.ie/trailers-for-sale/quad-trailers/19429505

charolais0153

DJ98 wrote: »

How many 40 kg lambs or Suffolk X ewes would a 7x4 trailer hold, looking at the trailer below as an option as I want to get a quad trailer for outdoor lambing this coming spring weather permitting. Or would the standard 5x4 trailer be a better option? Smaller trailer costs around 1000 and the bigger is something like 1800 to 2000.

https://www.donedeal.ie/trailers-for-sale/new-mcm-7x4-sheep-quad-trailer/19430837

https://www.donedeal.ie/trailers-for-sale/quad-trailers/19429505

10/11 id say

Lambman

Some advice needed on using the ram effect.... I know u put the ram in a field next till the ewes and then introduce him on day 17 or before but my question is do u have till take the ram away after a couple off days or does it matter? I'm guessing people take him away after a couple days because he won't be eating much looking till get at the ewes but my ram is with some ewes in 1 paddock with the main flock in the next paddock (tis well wired).

roosky

you introduce the ram 14 days after ram effect

id take him away because he could hurt himself trying to get at ewes

Lambman

Yea sorry 14 days they come in heat every 17 days is it?... think he should be ok it's all sheep wired and sheep gates and he now a 4yr old and that's the same paddocks he done his work in since he was a lamb... bar hurting himself and not eating is there any other reason not till take him out?

Dinzee Conlee

charolais0153 wrote: »

10/11 id say

Yep - have a 7x4, 11 factory lambs would fill it well...

serfspup

roosky wrote: »

`My plan is as follows can ye see any issue with it:

Yellow raddle day 1
Green raddle day 11
Red raddle day 21

will use ram effect so majority of ewes will be yellow and green and all repeats will be red.

Dont see any reason for more colors as flock size is too small to split any further

not a lot more ya can do.
but for the sake of discussion no color is also an option,

so if the ram effect is operating and the sheep are coming on rapid a ram has the harness on when he has the most work to do.
so if he is left without the harness for the first cycle be it 10 or 17 days what ever,
then put on harness and change colors for the next few cycles.
basicly the shorter the time a good ram has a harness on the less likely he is going to hurt himself or develop sores

wrangler

serfspup wrote: »

not a lot more ya can do.
but for the sake of discussion no color is also an option,

so if the ram effect is operating and the sheep are coming on rapid a ram has the harness on when he has the most work to do.
so if he is left without the harness for the first cycle be it 10 or 17 days what ever,
then put on harness and change colors for the next few cycles.
basicly the shorter the time a good ram has a harness on the less likely he is going to hurt himself or develop sores

I do it that way sometimes but if the ram is infertile it'll be the third cycle before you know as you won't be sure did they cme in heat in the first 17 days

MeTheMan

Our 8x4 trailer holds 12 46+kg lambs.

On the ram effect. We are going to let the ram beside the ewes tomorrow for the week. Then next Saturday let the ram in. Is doing it for a week a waste of time? Would it be advised to feed a bit or meal to them. They are in great condition but wouldn't want them failing.

razor8

roosky wrote: »

`My plan is as follows can ye see any issue with it:

Yellow raddle day 1
Green raddle day 11
Red raddle day 21

will use ram effect so majority of ewes will be yellow and green and all repeats will be red.

Dont see any reason for more colors as flock size is too small to split any further

I never use yellow. It be very hard to see at times. Orange a better one to start with I find

Dinzee Conlee

MeTheMan wrote: »

Our 8x4 trailer holds 12 46+kg lambs.

On the ram effect. We are going to let the ram beside the ewes tomorrow for the week. Then next Saturday let the ram in. Is doing it for a week a waste of time? Would it be advised to feed a bit or meal to them. They are in great condition but wouldn't want them failing.

Did you flush them?

We used to have a teaser. Bare ground for a few weeks, then put in the teaser for 2 weeks -and put them on the best grass you have. Then ram in after the 2 weeks but keep the good grass in front of them...

MeTheMan

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Did you flush them?

We used to have a teaser. Bare ground for a few weeks, then put in the teaser for 2 weeks -and put them on the best grass you have. Then ram in after the 2 weeks but keep the good grass in front of them...

Ya they are on bare ground since weaning. Following the lambs mostly. On good grass since last weekend. An other good field this week beside the rams and then into a small field with good grass next week when we let the rams in. Like them compact for the first week with the ram. That's the plan anyway.
We aren't aiming for all to be lambed in 2 weeks or anything but last year must have been near 2 months between first and last. About 6 ewes just dragged on.

Lambman

Gonna do all the sheep on the farm with turbomec all sheep were dipped on the 2nd week off august but want till do them all before the go till the rams as I bought 2 new rams this year... anyone use it before?

DJ98

Lads any one able to provide information as to how you fit a super blue ram harness?

Hard Knocks

DJ98 wrote: »

Lads any one able to provide information as to how you fit a super blue ram harness?

Haven’t seen a super blue, but have the standard so maybe same.
The pad with crayon goes on breast bone, the long straps go up the shoulder and back diagonally to the shorter strap that goes up and around the back.

MeTheMan

This might help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WeyuqtriFQ

ganmo

MeTheMan wrote: »

This might help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WeyuqtriFQ

fixed

DJ98

People that run single rams with a group of ewes, how long do you leave them in before changing them around. Would 2 cycles be enough?

ganmo

DJ98 wrote: »

People that run single rams with a group of ewes, how long do you leave them in before changing them around. Would 2 cycles be enough?

i'd only leave them for one cycle before swapping them

DJ98

ganmo wrote: »

i'd only leave them for one cycle before swapping them

So change after 16 days?

Lambman

Does anybody else notice a lot less wool on the ewes this year? Clipped same time as normal but not near as long this year perhaps till do with the dry summer? Saves crutching the ewes this year.

Loves_lorries

Hoping to get some basic advice for a first time sheep keeper, bought a dozen recently to graze 1.5 acre paddock around the house as its too heavy for cattle, put up sheep wire around the boundary where no wall is but the beggars managed to root down underneath the sheep wire and escape.

Thought I had it tight or perhaps the wire was not close enough to the ground, does it need to be literally touching the ground?