Shed for store lambs

MD1983

I am considering erecting a shed for fattening store lambs. I am finishing about 500 annually outside but it is time consuming and on years like this particularly messy. The lambs are mainly scotch lambs.

I am looking for good examples of sheds that were put up to fatten sheep, I am hoping for something that will minimise work as much as possible. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

The lambs at the moment are on ad lib meal (about 2kg per head per day), beet and whatever grass that is about. They eat hardly anything in terms of hay, perhaps 4 bales all year.

I am open to spending money now to save time later in terms of feeding options etc. I have a busy off farm business, while I check the sheep every day ideally I only want to be feeding every 3 days or so.

Thanks lads

Buford T. Justice XIX

MD1983 wrote: »

I am considering erecting a shed for fattening store lambs. I am finishing about 500 annually outside but it is time consuming and on years like this particularly messy. The lambs are mainly scotch lambs.

I am looking for good examples of sheds that were put up to fatten sheep, I am hoping for something that will minimise work as much as possible. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

The lambs at the moment are on ad lib meal (about 2kg per head per day), beet and whatever grass that is about. They eat hardly anything in terms of hay, perhaps 4 bales all year.

I am open to spending money now to save time later in terms of feeding options etc. I have a busy off farm business, while I check the sheep every day ideally I only want to be feeding every 3 days or so.

Thanks lads

The simplest solution would be using existing houses, if you have them, as much as possible.

The next simplest solution would be a lean-to off an existing shed, if you have a gable spare. You'd need about 1 square meter of space for each lamb, or less if a ewe needs 1.2 square meters.

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2016/Sheep-Article-D-Costello-21012016.pdf

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2018/Article-Nov-2017-Sheep-housing.pdf

https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/sheep/advice/step-by-step-guide-to-making-your-sheep-shed-work-for-you-36618557.html

Those links might help as regards how much lying and feed space will be needed.

memorystick

I’ve a 6 span lie back but could use 4 of them for lambs of things got bad. Going to get a silage feeder during the summer. Just wondering how long a bale would last 100 lambs with meal? Also, would lambs eat whole fodder beer or wot it have to be chopped?

Tileman

Interesting thread. Going to put in a tams application myself for the very same. I think Antrim glens was planning to build a new one last year. Not sure if he is still posting on here.

Anyway I am going to put up a dry bed instead is slats as I have access to cheap straw and it’s plentiful here. At least I can use the shed for other things during the year.

kk.man

There was money in stores this year but my experience is no two years are the same!.. Don't spend too much on sheds is my advice.

Dinzee Conlee

memorystick wrote: »

I’ve a 6 span lie back but could use 4 of them for lambs of things got bad. Going to get a silage feeder during the summer. Just wondering how long a bale would last 100 lambs with meal? Also, would lambs eat whole fodder beer or wot it have to be chopped?

Feeding ~100 lambs this winter, with turnips. Bales lasted about 3.5 - 4 days

Havent ever fed beet to lambs (fed it to ewes all right a few times)
Thing with whole beet is the lambs cutting new teeth, might make it harder for them to eat it. Having said that, I had stubble turnips here this year, and they didnt seem to have any issue with them...
You'd prob have to cut it at the start, to get them interested in it, but after that I would say that'd manage away themselves...

MD1983

memorystick wrote: »

I’ve a 6 span lie back but could use 4 of them for lambs of things got bad. Going to get a silage feeder during the summer. Just wondering how long a bale would last 100 lambs with meal? Also, would lambs eat whole fodder beer or wot it have to be chopped?

they eat whole sugar beet for me, i just dump it out the field in different spots with a dumper

Tileman

kk.man wrote: »

There was money in stores this year but my experience is no two years are the same!.. Don't spend too much on sheds is my advice.

Ah I agree. I am going to use it for lambing ewes also. It wouldn’t justify on store lambs alone as the price most years doesn’t leave too much profit.