First time lambing - Equipment?

arctictree

First time lambing this year, 12 ewes.

Would anyone care to list a few items that are necessary? Need to start ordering now and not be caught in an emergency!

Cheers - A

eire23

arctictree wrote: »

First time lambing this year, 12 ewes.

Would anyone care to list a few items that are necessary? Need to start ordering now and not be caught in an emergency!

Cheers - A

I suppose iodine at 10% solution, spectam, a bottle of calciject, Rings and ringer for tailing and castrating them if you intend to do that, some marking spray, a packet of colostrum in case a ewe has no milk, stomach tube, Thats as much as i can think of at the moment!

Birdnuts

Looks like its going to be another tough lambing season for early finishers weather wise, so the likes of lambing jackets, heat lamps, hutches etc. will no doubt come in handy.

rancher

eire23 wrote: »

I suppose iodine at 10% solution, spectam, a bottle of calciject, Rings and ringer for tailing and castrating them if you intend to do that, some marking spray, a packet of colostrum in case a ewe has no milk, stomach tube, Thats as much as i can think of at the moment!

Gloves, hotbox, prolapse harness, thermometer, bottle of lube, (don't use soap or washing up liquid) Lectade or equivalent for twin lamb disease or just to revive a ewe after a lambing.

Zoo4m8

I see your not too far from me, lots of sheep men round you so I'd say one of best 'aids' you can have is a man close to you who will help out if things go wrong... When I was at this my mainstay was the stomach tube and lots of cow colostrum in the freezer courtesy of the neighbour with the dairy.. I used to use an antibiotic pessary for ewes in case of infection, retained cleaning etc, worked very well, best of luck hope it goes well with wall to wall sunshine to put them out in ..:)

Conmaicne Mara

When are they starting lambing? Are the ewes vaccinated? Will be giving mine cobalt, and selenium & iodine bolus.

Are you lambing indoors or out?

Most other stuff already been mentioned.

eire23

rancher wrote: »

Gloves, hotbox, prolapse harness, thermometer, bottle of lube, (don't use soap or washing up liquid) Lectade or equivalent for twin lamb disease or just to revive a ewe after a lambing.

Whats the problem with soap rancher? Have always used plain red bars of lifebuoy soap here and seem to get on alright with it i think? Could never get on with gloves either but maybe thats just me.

rancher

eire23 wrote: »

Whats the problem with soap rancher? Have always used plain red bars of lifebuoy soap here and seem to get on alright with it i think? Could never get on with gloves either but maybe thats just me.

You're right, carbolic soap is alright but most of the modern soap irritate the vagina and why make it any harder on the ewe than it already is,The lube is dirt cheap and in a hard lambing, its a life saver. I would often give two dispirin after a hard lambing.
The gloves are good in that it saves passing infection from one ewe to another, just use them for hygiene, don't want anything brought into the house either. and maybe that's just me!!!

Bleating Lamb

rancher wrote: »

You're right, carbolic soap is alright but most of the modern soap irritate the vagina and why make it any harder on the ewe than it already is,The lube is dirt cheap and in a hard lambing, its a life saver. I would often give two dispirin after a hard lambing.
The gloves are good in that it saves passing infection from one ewe to another, just use them for hygiene, don't want anything brought into the house either. and maybe that's just me!!!

Where can you get the 'lube' Rancher?....what's proper name for it?...was told by a good vet a few years back to never use fairy liquid during a difficult lambing because it actually dries up the ewe internally making it harder to do anything progressive in the lambing for the ewe.

rancher

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

Where can you get the 'lube' Rancher?....what's proper name for it?...was told by a good vet a few years back to never use fairy liquid during a difficult lambing because it actually dries up the ewe internally making it harder to do anything progressive in the lambing for the ewe.

You get it any where that does veterinary stuff, don't know the brand name, just ask for obstetric lubricant or just lubricant for sheep. Put plenty of it in around the lamb
Fairy liquid is definitely a no no
Gloves are great for a rotten lamb, theres nothing as bad, stays on your hands for days

Conmaicne Mara

Can get vet lube online too. Only had occassion to use it once but it really does help when, eh, yer in a tight spot.

https://www.agridirect.ie/p/vet_lube

http://www.fanevalleystores.com/search.php?s=lube&x=0&y=0

rancher

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Can get vet lube online too. Only had occassion to use it once but it really does help when, eh, yer in a tight spot.

https://www.agridirect.ie/p/vet_lube

http://www.fanevalleystores.com/search.php?s=lube&x=0&y=0

There's another lifesaver, head comes out much easier when its pulled as well
https://www.agridirect.ie/p/plastic_lambing_aid

Conmaicne Mara

rancher wrote: »

There's another lifesaver, head comes out much easier when its pulled as well
https://www.agridirect.ie/p/plastic_lambing_aid

Not used them, think I read before where a piece of coated wire, like out of a three core power flex works as well?

foxylock

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Not used them, think I read before where a piece of coated wire, like out of a three core power flex works as well?

That's what I use and I have it fed through a syringe so that the syringe will slide along the flex making a loop around the back of the lambs head push the syringe to the lambs mouth and you have a nice gentle grip on the lamb. Only had to use it once last year and it worked fine.

Got supplies in the vets today, Spectam 37 Euro:eek: She said to give it to them on day two as it's best to let the colostrum work for day one, instructions say administer as soon as possible after birth. Dunno who to believe.....

Lano Lynn

rancher wrote: »

You get it any where that does veterinary stuff, don't know the brand name, just ask for obstetric lubricant or just lubricant for sheep. Put plenty of it in around the lamb
Fairy liquid is definitely a no no
Gloves are great for a rotten lamb, theres nothing as bad, stays on your hands for days

not wishing it on you ,but rotten lambs are terrible,often the natural fluids have been lost so they are dry and the womb and vagina inflamed,I find a handful of margarine can be got in around the lamb easier than obstetric lube .
a bottle of lemon quix to wash hand after the smell can even pass through gloves!

Wooly Admirer

Lots of disposable syringes and needles of different sizes. The small syringes ones are very handy for getting a drop of penicillin into a lamb with a sore eye. A old kettle or a burker boiler is handy for hot water - to heat milk/colostrum, even wash hands.

I find empty Lucozade sport bottles with the non-spill caps are the best thing ever for putting colostrum into a lamb with the stomach tube. I always let the colostrum flow into the lamb with gravity (don't use the plunger to squirt it in). Used to be spilling more times than not. No bother with the lucozade bottle cap!

If you're fostering lambs it would be good to have salt at hand, just to wash the one you're trying to adopt on.

Have something to identify bad cases in need of culling or indeed good cases that you want to hold onto their offspring. You can have an ear notcher, or you can get a few management tags - red ones for future culls. You could even have a permanent marker and write on the management tag. Or else a notebook.

When your in that lambing shed after spending half the night trying to lamb a ewe - you think you'll never forget her, come summer she blended in with the rest again....

Green farmer

Have something to identify bad cases in need of culling or indeed good cases that you want to hold onto their offspring. You can have an ear notcher, or you can get a few management tags - red ones for future culls. You could even have a permanent marker and write on the management tag. Or else a notebook.

When your in that lambing shed after spending half the night trying to lamb a ewe - you think you'll never forget her, come summer she blended in with the rest again....[/QUOTE]

Couldn't have put it better myself. I have a hardback copy book and a biro. Take notes on any problems including tag number. a few months later you will not remember which one was it that prolapsed ?

paddysdream

arctictree wrote: »

First time lambing this year, 12 ewes.

Would anyone care to list a few items that are necessary? Need to start ordering now and not be caught in an emergency!

Cheers - A

All the previous advice was the official IFA/Farmers Journal spiel.
The following is the real deal,inside advice that "your local IFA rep. won't tell you,papers are afraid to print,will save you money and improve your love life whilst also keeping you fit.

Shovel(to bury the dead lambs)

Steel toe capped wellies(to kick the b*tch of a ewe when she flattens the lamb for the third time)

Tablets(big pink ones)to be taken when you realise what you have got yourself into.

Camera.Take pictures so as ,when next September comes(tipping time)you have proof that it wasn't all a a dream and should you really put yourself through it all again.

Mobile phone with local knackery on speed dial.

Empty guinness bottle to feed the pets Don't invest in those fancy plastic ones as (a) they smell after a little while) (b)you always forget where you left them come next year(usually in the dung cause you flung it away in disgust when the little lammie died but not until he had finished most of a bag of frisky.

Spare shovel(in case you break the first one beating that auld ewe that keeps lying on her and other sheep's lambs)

Plastic bags.People will tell you that they use these to collect lambing fluids to help fostering but the truth is way more mundane.They are deadly to carry a few nuts in to rattle at that ewe that keeps leaving her lambs and only answers to the call of food.

A few spare lambs(make sure to thaw out for 24 hours before use)Handy in an emergency like when you let out 40 singles one fine morning in 3 trailer loads and manage to drive over 2 lambs before exiting the field.

Marking spray.Ideal to mark all the sheep that you think are going to die before they rear their lambs.

Thats about it for now

Oh one more thing.A spare docket book so,that in the likely event of you deciding that you never want to see those large woolly rabbits around the place again,you don't have to wait on the Dept. sending you out a fresh one.

Armchair; when you are accused of being one of those(no, not one of "those" ;shur no honest dacent Irish farmer could be one of "those")you can point out where you sit in the empty lambing shed whilst contemplating what to spend the sheep grassland money bonanza on after Coveney subsumes into the large check you don't deserve and you after selling off all those hateful oily ,smelly,grass mowers.

PS make sure and buy a good brand of shovel

paddysdream

Make sure and ask for the lube in the vets ,not the chemists like I did.

Told the girl behind the counter that I had a problem with tight ewes and needed lube,and for some strange reason she called me names and refused to handle my money without first ,wearing gloves(the over the elbow ones) and ringing the barracks,the ispca and some guy she knows who promotes "off the wall" films on Youtube

No accounting for how strange some people are I suppose?

arctictree

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

When are they starting lambing? Are the ewes vaccinated? Will be giving mine cobalt, and selenium & iodine bolus.

Are you lambing indoors or out?

Most other stuff already been mentioned.

Due to start lambing on 1st April but am think of buying a small amount of inlamb ewes for an earlier start.

My ewes were given their second vaccination booster in July.

razor8

arctictree wrote: »

Due to start lambing on 1st April but am think of buying a small amount of inlamb ewes for an earlier start.

My ewes were given their second vaccination booster in July.

Ewes would need another vac shot if you want immunity to pass to lambs preferably 4/6 weeks pre lambing or you could do the lambs when approx 7 weeks old

Zoo4m8

paddysdream wrote: »

All the previous advice was the official IFA/Farmers Journal spiel.
The following is the real deal,inside advice that "your local IFA rep. won't tell you,papers are afraid to print,will save you money and improve your love life whilst also keeping you fit.

Shovel(to bury the dead lambs)

Steel toe capped wellies(to kick the b*tch of a ewe when she flattens the lamb for the third time)

Tablets(big pink ones)to be taken when you realise what you have got yourself into.

Camera.Take pictures so as ,when next September comes(tipping time)you have proof that it wasn't all a a dream and should you really put yourself through it all again.

Mobile phone with local knackery on speed dial.

Empty guinness bottle to feed the pets Don't invest in those fancy plastic ones as (a) they smell after a little while) (b)you always forget where you left them come next year(usually in the dung cause you flung it away in disgust when the little lammie died but not until he had finished most of a bag of frisky.

Spare shovel(in case you break the first one beating that auld ewe that keeps lying on her and other sheep's lambs)

Plastic bags.People will tell you that they use these to collect lambing fluids to help fostering but the truth is way more mundane.They are deadly to carry a few nuts in to rattle at that ewe that keeps leaving her lambs and only answers to the call of food.

A few spare lambs(make sure to thaw out for 24 hours before use)Handy in an emergency like when you let out 40 singles one fine morning in 3 trailer loads and manage to drive over 2 lambs before exiting the field.

Marking spray.Ideal to mark all the sheep that you think are going to die before they rear their lambs.

Thats about it for now

Oh one more thing.A spare docket book so,that in the likely event of you deciding that you never want to see those large woolly rabbits around the place again,you don't have to wait on the Dept. sending you out a fresh one.

Armchair; when you are accused of being one of those(no, not one of "those" ;shur no honest dacent Irish farmer could be one of "those")you can point out where you sit in the empty lambing shed whilst contemplating what to spend the sheep grassland money bonanza on after Coveney subsumes into the large check you don't deserve and you after selling off all those hateful oily ,smelly,grass mowers.

PS make sure and buy a good brand of shovel

For crying out loud man, stop talking it up... They'll all want to jump on the bandwagon....

J.O. Farmer

paddysdream wrote: »

Make sure and ask for the lube in the vets ,not the chemists like I did.

Told the girl behind the counter that I had a problem with tight ewes and needed lube,and for some strange reason she called me names and refused to handle my money without first ,wearing gloves(the over the elbow ones) and ringing the barracks,the ispca and some guy she knows who promotes "off the wall" films on Youtube

No accounting for how strange some people are I suppose?

She was obviously one of those urban types who doesn't want to touch anything a farmer touched.

Lano Lynn

paddysdream wrote: »

Make sure and ask for the lube in the vets ,not the chemists like I did.

Told the girl behind the counter that I had a problem with tight ewes and needed lube,and for some strange reason she called me names and refused to handle my money without first ,wearing gloves(the over the elbow ones) and ringing the barracks,the ispca and some guy she knows who promotes "off the wall" films on Youtube

No accounting for how strange some people are I suppose?

bet she wouldn't have anything for a horney ram either:)