General sheep thread

ganmo

Loves_lorries wrote: »

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?

the way i do it is I have the bottom strand of the wire touching the top of the toe of my boot

Siamsa Sessions

How far apart are the stakes? If more than 5m then that might allow the wire to loosen enough for them to push under. Need to keep an eye on dips/hollows too - drive an additional short stake in the middle of dips to keep the wire close to the ground. This should help tighten the wire too

wrangler

Loves_lorries wrote: »

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?

I'ts important to use high tensile sheep wire, you can get ordinary mild steel wire, but it's a waste of time to put up, it won't stay tight and they'll push out under it

Like this, if it's not high tensile on the label, don't use it

https://tornadowire.ie/product/ht88022grippled/

joe35

You could put a strand of barbed wire on the bottom. About 2 inches of the ground, good and tight

Loves_lorries

ganmo wrote: »

the way i do it is I have the bottom strand of the wire touching the top of the toe of my boot

Was easily that low, maybe not tight enough.

Loves_lorries

joe35 wrote: »

You could put a strand of barbed wire on the bottom. About 2 inches of the ground, good and tight

Fantastic idea, thanx

charolais0153

Rams out a week today. Exactly half tipped.

MeTheMan

charolais0153 wrote: »

Rams out a week today. Exactly half tipped.

That's good going. What's the ram to ewe ratio? Rams going out tomorrow here. I'd be very surprised if we have half tipped in a week.

Loves_lorries

wrangler wrote: »

I'ts important to use high tensile sheep wire, you can get ordinary mild steel wire, but it's a waste of time to put up, it won't stay tight and they'll push out under it

Like this, if it's not high tensile on the label, don't use it

https://tornadowire.ie/product/ht88022grippled/

Joe's suggestion of putting a strand of barb wire along the bottom, might that be a waste as I didn't use high tensil, will they be able to make gaps in the wire and get through.

Pity the Co op did not tell me how poor it is, I'd no clue

charolais0153

MeTheMan wrote: »

That's good going. What's the ram to ewe ratio? Rams going out tomorrow here. I'd be very surprised if we have half tipped in a week.

45:1 mature
25:1 ram lamb

wrangler

Loves_lorries wrote: »

Joe's suggestion of putting a strand of barb wire along the bottom, might that be a waste as I didn't use high tensil, will they be able to make gaps in the wire and get through.

Pity the Co op did not tell me how poor it is, I'd no clue

,

Took me a few years to learn too, I don't know why they sell that stuff. it loosens very quickly, probably put in more stakes and replace the wire when you get the money.
It's ironic, the mild steel wire usually comes in 50mtr rolls at round €60 and the hgh tensile comes in 100mtr rolls at around €130, Once you pull it right it'll never loosen

Loves_lorries

wrangler wrote: »

,

Took me a few years to learn too, I don't know why they sell that stuff. it loosens very quickly, probably put in more stakes and replace the wire when you get the money.
It's ironic, the mild steel wire usually comes in 50mtr rolls at round €60 and the hgh tensile comes in 100mtr rolls at around €130, Once you pull it right it'll never loosen

That's what I paid, stuff I have is green sheep wire from arabawn, doesn't feel rigid though, would the high tensil be very stiff to the touch?, when I was buying the store people only pointed out the difference in width, one roll was three feet and the other four.

Might be my stakes are too light but I have them no more than four yards apart, I actually hammered Down the stakes further this morning and now you wouldn't even get a line of barb wire along bottom.

wrangler

Loves_lorries wrote: »

That's what I paid, stuff I have is green sheep wire from arabawn, doesn't feel rigid though, would the high tensil be very stiff to the touch?, when I was buying the store people only pointed out the difference in width, one roll was three feet and the other four.

Might be my stakes are too light but I have them no more than four yards apart, I actually hammered Down the stakes further this morning and now you wouldn't even get a line of barb wire along bottom.

Maybe you just didn't pull it enough, sheep shouldn't be able to get out under when the stakes are only 4 mtrs apart, Thats the distance I put my stakes at too and never a problem, Shouldn't need barb wire at the bottom
How much did you pay for it
High tensile is very strong wire and hard to bend or twist, as I said high tensile is a 100mtr roll

Dinzee Conlee

Loves lorries - can you put a bit more strain on the wire that’s up? Use a claw hammer to pull it maybe?
If it’s agaibst a bounds ditch, you just need to hold the sheep back to let the briars fill in and you shouldn’t be too bad...

The high tensile is much better stuff, but you are where you are...

Also - with the high tensile, I use 6ft 4-5inch stakes, and get a lad to drive them with a post driver. Much better job overall...

Green farmer

Loves_lorries wrote: »

That's what I paid, stuff I have is green sheep wire from arabawn, doesn't feel rigid though, would the high tensil be very stiff to the touch?, when I was buying the store people only pointed out the difference in width, one roll was three feet and the other four. .

It’s probably the same stuff as I have here, made in England. Think it’s medium strength green tinsley or something. Dairygold sell it and it’s pure rubbish. Sheep burst heads through it. Switched to proper stiff last year from a specialist supplier, heavy high tensile wire last time out and it’s way superior.

joe35

The only place I really seen the lighter sheepwire used more effectively was along a stone ditch, no problem with stock getting under. With regards sheep escaping between barbed and sheepwire just use a few cable ties or similar to stop them getting through

Lambman

You could put in steeples around the curve off the posts so it will tighten the wire.

wrangler

A ewe here had maggots yesterday, they were very bad and she only a month shorn so be vigilant.
She had no preventative on, they got bad very quick but the skin wasn't broke

White Clover

wrangler wrote: »

A ewe here had maggots yesterday, they were very bad and she only a month shorn so be vigilant.
She had no preventative on, they got bad very quick but the skin wasn't broke

Will you do them again with clik or clikzin?

wrangler

White Clover wrote: »

Will you do them again with clik or clikzin?

Yea, had some Clik, 'twas how quick they got so bad the shocked me , saw them yesterday morning and had to go back to the field in the evening and she was riddled, she would've been well ate by the morning.
Going away next week and neighbours will be looking after them so had to bite the bullet and Clik them

White Clover

wrangler wrote: »

Yea, had some Clik, 'twas how quick they got so bad the shocked me , saw them yesterday morning and had to go back to the field in the evening and she was riddled, she would've been well ate by the morning.
Going on a trip next week and neighbours will be looking after them so had to bite the bullet and Clik them

Is it the mild weather do you think? It was 19 degrees here today. I have been thinking of doing mine with the last week, think I'll do them this weekend.

wrangler

White Clover wrote: »

Is it the mild weather do you think? It was 19 degrees here today. I have been thinking of doing mine with the last week, think I'll do them this weekend.

Coicidentally, before yesterday and because the neighbour was to be looking after them I was looking for a small quantity of dip.......had I got it I would've sprayed them, but the smallest quantity I could've got was €60, anything smaller was out of stock.
Clik doesn't kill so I put on Ectofly on her and literally millions crawled out of her wool

arctictree

wrangler wrote: »

Yea, had some Clik, 'twas how quick they got so bad the shocked me , saw them yesterday morning and had to go back to the field in the evening and she was riddled, she would've been well ate by the morning.
Going away next week and neighbours will be looking after them so had to bite the bullet and Clik them

I think once they are struck it attracts more flies to lay. I was once looking at a lamb in a pen that was fly struck and it was amazing the amount of blue bottles landing on her and burying into the wool.

Loves_lorries

had a guy tell me yesterday that you can get clover into your land by mixing the clover seed amongst the sheep feed over a period of time .

was this along the lines of sky hooks for a shed or was the guy being serious , i mentioned how i graze a small number of sheep in a paddock and how the sward is not great and he came out with this idea for improvements , add to that i cant spread slurry in this field as its very heavy ground and has a dozen trees in it

wrangler

Loves_lorries wrote: »

had a guy tell me yesterday that you can get clover into your land by mixing the clover seed amongst the sheep feed over a period of time .

was this along the lines of sky hooks for a shed or was the guy being serious , i mentioned how i graze a small number of sheep in a paddock and how the sward is not great and he came out with this idea for improvements , add to that i cant spread slurry in this field as its very heavy ground and has a dozen trees in it

It's probably the way that sheep spread nettles too, eating the seeds and dunging them around the fields, you'll have a lot more nettles springing up around the fields where you have sheep

ganmo

I’ve heard of it before. Never heard how many seeds actually germaninate compared to just throwing them out on the ground

Loves_lorries

ganmo wrote: »

I’ve heard of it before. Never heard how many seeds actually germaninate compared to just throwing them out on the ground

can you stitch in clover without spraying off beforehand ? , anyone ever use those gutlers , like i said ive young trees dotted all over this field so spraying not an option , would hope to do next april .

ganmo

Ya. Graze tight and shake it out.

How you shake it out ya up to you, mixed with glime or non nitrogen fert if spreading it with a fertilizer spreader.
My dad mixed it with sand to spread by hand in some spots that the tractor wouldn’t go

Green farmer

ganmo wrote: »

I’ve heard of it before. Never heard how many seeds actually germaninate compared to just throwing them out on the ground

Heard of it as well. Lads mix it in with ration. The seeds are then spread back out in their own little fertiliser pellet.

Lambman

Neighbour took a lend off one my rams for hoggets he's 4 tipped outta 6 in 2 hours... lucky timing or would u expect repeats I always notice hoggets repeating.