How's lambing going for ye?

sea12

Did you say before rangler that you have a grass measure plate. Do you use it?

Walked the fields again today and was disappointed with the way it is growing even today.

Lambing still going strong here. Have one lamb with sore watery eye looks a but unusual. Other than that it's being relatively straight forward. Some difference with the Charolais lambs compared to the suffolks.

Bullocks

sea12 wrote: »

Did you say before rangler that you have a grass measure plate. Do you use it?

Walked the fields again today and was disappointed with the way it is growing even today.

Lambing still going strong here. Have one lamb with sore watery eye looks a but unusual. Other than that it's being relatively straight forward. Some difference with the Charolais lambs compared to the suffolks.

Can you give a bit more info on the difference you are finding between the charlaois and suffolk? Thanks

ganmo

lambs were playing in the fields! always good to see

ewes lambing down with good bags of milk

Connemara Farmer

ganmo wrote: »

lambs were playing in the fields! always good to see

ewes lambing down with good bags of milk

Seen that for the past while here, took me by surprise the first day as it wasn't such nice weather at the time yet they were still playing.

rangler1

sea12 wrote: »

Did you say before rangler that you have a grass measure plate. Do you use it?

Walked the fields again today and was disappointed with the way it is growing even today.

Lambing still going strong here. Have one lamb with sore watery eye looks a but unusual. Other than that it's being relatively straight forward. Some difference with the Charolais lambs compared to the suffolks.

Soil temp is 9 degrees here, even old pasture should be moving at that.
Haven't used the plate meter this year, my knee is crocked from falling off a ladder at Christmas, so can't walk much.
Having a scan on the knee next Friday, hopefully they can sort it.
About the lamb, sometimes they can be born with their eyelids turned in...might be worth checking,

Green farmer

rangler1 wrote: »

....two of them put out their lamb bed after lambing, QUOTE]

Rangler, what's that exactly ? I had a 2yr old lambing that went wrong. She put out much more then the lambs and bag. She also fired out a big brown sack or thickish lining that I had pull open to get the lambs out. They didn't make it, but wondering if ewe can ever lamb again. Hadn't seen it before.

Connemara Farmer

Great morning, 3 sets of twins, 4 ewe lambs.

Disaster of an afternoon, best ewe, both lambs born dead !!!!!!!!!

arctictree

Eventful morning. While I was watching one hogget, another older ewe dropped a lamb completely in the bag. Just caught it in the corner of my eye and saved the lamb. The hogget then strained for an hour before I pulled the lamb. Then her second only had one foot coming and pulled that too. All ended well but could have been a lot worse if in the middle of the night.

gazahayes

Finished lambing today bang on 5 weeks start to finish hope to get them even more compact next year.

sea12

Bullocks wrote: »

Can you give a bit more info on the difference you are finding between the charlaois and suffolk? Thanks

Ah I just find the Charolais lambs are much easier lambed. Not as big. Also find them much better to get up quick and suck.

On the flip side find I need to keep them in a bit longer in the shed before letting them out.

Had a few years with a couple of Suffolk rams where I found I was having to handle too many ewes.

Cran

About half way here, in full rhythm here now. At the lambing in front of me stage as I call it, leave field come back more lambed. Losses were unbelievable low until this morning, lost big single breach and a twin lambing to long. Still losses really low, but worried about big singles now and next 4/5 days will be hectic. Aim as every year is 80% end of week 2 with 95% week 3, after slow first week more or less caught up now

Birdnuts

Not a great day here either. Ewe sat on one lamb and another born dead. The latter was a fine big fella too:(

Username John

Lambing 2015 just finished here... Perfect timing as only had 2 weeks off, back to work on Monday...

Lost one ewe a month ago with twin lamb I suspect.
Lost another ewe when she wet on her back the first night she went out (after delaying putting em out for days waiting for fine weather, I was sickened)

But we had scanned for 63 lambs, and we have 63 live lambs on the ground - which is a first.
No lamb lost... (I know the numbers are small, but I'm very pleased with it) we were just lucky...

Having a beer now... and it's fecking lovely...

arctictree

The last 13 here have been twins bar one single. Llyens.

razor8

Username John wrote: »

Lambing 2015 just finished here... Perfect timing as only had 2 weeks off, back to work on Monday...

Lost one ewe a month ago with twin lamb I suspect.
Lost another ewe when she wet on her back the first night she went out (after delaying putting em out for days waiting for fine weather, I was sickened)

But we had scanned for 63 lambs, and we have 63 live lambs on the ground - which is a first.
No lamb lost... (I know the numbers are small, but I'm very pleased with it) we were just lucky...

Having a beer now... and it's fecking lovely...

Great result UJ, can't ask for better, loses are around 9% here which I best for a few years
Hope your not nursing too bad of a hangover

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

Rangler, what's that exactly ? I had a 2yr old lambing that went wrong. She put out much more then the lambs and bag. She also fired out a big brown sack or thickish lining that I had pull open to get the lambs out. They didn't make it, but wondering if ewe can ever lamb again. Hadn't seen it before.

The lamb bed is the ewes uterus (womb), occasionally they'll put it out after a hard lambing, it's like a rugby ball hanging out, don't know what you had but you can't tear the uterus.
I hang them upside down on the loader to put it back, it's not that difficult, their natural reaction is to force, but you get it in bit by bit every time they relax.....naturally enough you have to clean it well with something like savlon and warm water and plenty of antibiotics...a couple dispirins down the throat is a help too

orm0nd

rangler1 wrote: »

The lamb bed is the ewes uterus (womb), occasionally they'll put it out after a hard lambing, it's like a rugby ball hanging out, don't know what you had but you can't tear the uterus.
I hang them upside down on the loader to put it back, it's not that difficult, their natural reaction is to force, but you get it in bit by bit every time they relax.....naturally enough you have to clean it well with something like savlon and warm water and plenty of antibiotics...a couple dispirins down the throat is a help too

would warm water not expand it,

after advise from a vet on another forum I always use cold or even chilled water ,

rangler1

orm0nd wrote: »

would warm water not expand it,

after advise from a vet on another forum I always use cold or even chilled water ,

Cold water could help it to contract, but I never had any problem and warm water has to be easier on the ewe

orm0nd

rangler1 wrote: »

Cold water could help it to contract, but I never had any problem and warm water has to be easier on the ewe

I actually had a very bad one yesterday, a ewe hogget, & must have been out for some time B4 we found her,

is there a shot to help stop them forcing? I was expecting her to be dead this morn. but she's still with us


on side note weighted some of the lambs this morning our top weight is 48 kgs

have about 15 too heavy for factory so will have to mart them , have a couple of heavy ewes as well

Green farmer

Let us know how you get on in mart ormond. I've a similar batch to go as soon as lambing finishes here. Any one else know what the trade is like for this week ?

Cran

Would everyone think fox did this?

razor8

Cran wrote: »

Would everyone think fox did this?

or a magpie?

Cran

razor8 wrote: »

or a magpie?

ah maybe might make more sense, I thought it had pneumonia. The magpie would make sense with that

arctictree

Only 3 left now in the shed to lamb! 3 decided to lamb yesterday while I was at work and some of the lambs may be mixed up. Think I have it sorted though. Had to get the Vet out late last night for another. A ewe lamb who decided to throw out half the lambing bed while she was straining.

Connemara Farmer

Cran wrote: »

Would everyone think fox did this?

Fox would likely wound the neck, top and bottom, but it could be a mis strike and got chased off by the ewe.

Other thing I'd think of is a greycrow, raven or similar.

sea12

arctictree wrote: »

Only 3 left now in the shed to lamb! 3 decided to lamb yesterday while I was at work and some of the lambs may be mixed up. Think I have it sorted though. Had to get the Vet out late last night for another. A ewe lamb who decided to throw out half the lambing bed while she was straining.

You'll be glad to see the end of it now artictree . These things always happen when your at work

arctictree

sea12 wrote: »

You'll be glad to see the end of it now artictree . These things always happen when your at work

Twins born last night. Only 2 left now, should be finished by the weekend, i'll put them in the garden if not! Lambing rate now exactly 1.666666666.....

ganmo

one of those singles last night was 6.25 kg! thats massive for our chev ewes i'll get a pic of him later

Bleating Lamb

Cran wrote: »

Would everyone think fox did this?

I would think that's a bird attack,prob Grey Crow, was talking to a man at mart the other night and the poor fella has lost 3 set of twins on last week,lambs a few days of age,he finds them lying together dead beside hedge with a bite taken from their throat where your windpipe would be...all local sages reckon its pine Martin or mink and not a fox so he has got lend of some traps.Hopefully he has some results with them.

orm0nd

Green farmer wrote: »

Let us know how you get on in mart ormond. I've a similar batch to go as soon as lambing finishes here. Any one else know what the trade is like for this week ?

sold to a butcher/abattoir owner , 20 lambs and 7 ewe hoggets that didnt go in lamb €140 each

maybe they were worth a bit more but he collected from our yard, ... no diesel, no fees, no loss of time

must try and move the ewes next week.