Handy tools for sheep/Toolbox essentials for every sheep farmer

Green farmer

I got thinking recently. What handy little tools do you have for sheep ? I have a nice shepherds crook, which I enjoy walking the fields with. One thing that I must buy myself soon is a ear notcher. Don't even know if people use them anymore. What simple little things do ye use that come in useful ?

ganmo

Green farmer wrote: »

I got thinking recently. What handy little tools do you have for sheep ? I have a nice shepherds crook, which I enjoy walking the fields with. One thing that I must buy myself soon is a ear notcher. Don't even know if people use them anymore. What simple little things do ye use that come in useful ?

A crook is a god send when trying to catch lambs in the field
Fencing pliers(and wire) for patching the holes lambs find

Nekarsulm

The "fencing bucket" with pliers, hammer etc always in the jeep. Also a bucket with a half a pound of nuts, very handy.

Green farmer

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Also a bucket with a half a pound of nuts, very handy.

:pac: they'd run through a wall for that stuff

ganmo

worse than cocaine for kids!

tomwaterford

A good border collie

Birdnuts

A reliable set of clippers for dealing with dirty ewes and lambs. Saves alot of grief dealing with maggots later in the year.

Green farmer

In hindsight I should of named this thread, toolbox essentials for every sheep farmer. You'd be surprised how these simple tools can get you out of a spot of trouble

Green farmer

Anybody know where I'd buy a burdizzo for castration of sheep as opposed to a big cattle one, or a good brand of one.. Had a quick look at department website and you can castrate up to 3 months of age for ones that didn't get done at birth . Or anybody use them ? How do ye find them

Connemara Farmer

Green farmer wrote: »

Anybody know where I'd buy a burdizzo for castration of sheep as opposed to a big cattle one, or a good brand of one.. Had a quick look at department website and you can castrate up to 3 months of age for ones that didn't get done at birth . Or anybody use them ? How do ye find them

This is the closest one I can see online, I'm not full sure if it's a proper lamb one though:

http://www.fanevalleystores.com/product/150212/bloodless-castrator-9in

We have a lamb one and I hate the thing. Much prefer rings or just let them off as rams/rigs.

I'd say a lot of merchants would have them.

orm0nd

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

This is the closest one I can see online, I'm not full sure if it's a proper lamb one though:

http://www.fanevalleystores.com/product/150212/bloodless-castrator-9in

We have a lamb one and I hate the thing. Much prefer rings or just let them off as rams/rigs.

I'd say a lot of merchants would have them.

agree with Con on this , have 1 & it's rusting away some where

ganmo

Green farmer wrote: »

Anybody know where I'd buy a burdizzo for castration of sheep as opposed to a big cattle one, or a good brand of one.. Had a quick look at department website and you can castrate up to 3 months of age for ones that didn't get done at birth . Or anybody use them ? How do ye find them

We've a cattle one here for doin the odd one we miss, hate using it. Think I've seen sheep ones in mulinahone coop wrapper somewhere

ganmo

ganmo wrote: »

We've a cattle one here for doin the odd one we miss, hate using it. Think I've seen sheep ones in mulinahone coop wrapper somewhere

Yup
http://www.mullinahonecoop.ie/catalog/partlist.aspx?CategoryID=239

Green farmer

by what yer saying lads, they mightn't be great, so might leave it. Nothing worse then a lamb not done right and only half castrated.

Connemara Farmer

Green farmer wrote: »

by what yer saying lads, they mightn't be great, so might leave it. Nothing worse then a lamb not done right and only half castrated.

They work, I just don't like them, in fact I've never used one, it belongs to Dad.

Zoo4m8

Green farmer wrote: »

by what yer saying lads, they mightn't be great, so might leave it. Nothing worse then a lamb not done right and only half castrated.

Used a cattle one for years when we used to buy a lot of stores, always tried to buy wethers but a ram would often get past me..but never use on your own and do one side at a time..

Handy tools? The length of cord over the crush/race to hang the dose bottle on..with an added hook for the gun, keeps it out of the way while you wrestle that awkard bugger out from under the others,

Username John

Zoo4m8 wrote: »

Used a cattle one for years when we used to buy a lot of stores, always tried to buy wethers but a ram would often get past me..but never use on your own and do one side at a time..
)

Same here - horrible ould job then...

You need someone with you, although the grandfather used to do it on his own, but used an old horse collar to sit each lamb into, the collar would hold em perfect, the poor bastards...

davidk1394

This tool here for straining the sheep wire. Slots onto the back of the jcb. save a lot of cursing and sweat

orm0nd

red tags for culls,
sprays , notches, markers can be hit and miss at times
any ewe wearing a red tag here is booked for a one way ticket


lambing camera

numbers on the individual pens, & white board in lambing shed

4512

Would ear notches be any good for notching twin ewe lambs at birth so you could know the replacements with the best genetics? Or would it grow back too quickly?

gazahayes

4512 wrote: »

Would ear notches be any good for notching twin ewe lambs at birth so you could know the replacements with the best genetics? Or would it grow back too quickly?

Once it's gone it's gone. Worked for a lad one time used to notch them according to the year so he'd know how old they were bye checking where the notch was

davidk1394

4512 wrote: »

Would ear notches be any good for notching twin ewe lambs at birth so you could know the replacements with the best genetics? Or would it grow back too quickly?

Thats how we do it. Once the notch is gone it's gone

Green farmer

Must get myself a notcher lads. I saw them for about €10-€15 to buy , so they ain't expensive. Very handy for marking potential replacements at birth.

Username John

Actually - how do lads here track / record lambs vs ewes?

I have a little notebook (one of those Sheep Ireland ones) and I tag each lamb with the ewe info. Now that's fine for my (very) small numbers...

Just wondering what lads with big numbers do?

davidk1394

Username John wrote: »

Actually - how do lads here track / record lambs vs ewes?

I have a little notebook (one of those Sheep Ireland ones) and I tag each lamb with the ewe info. Now that's fine for my (very) small numbers...

Just wondering what lads with big numbers do?

i have a notebook in my pocket all the time and write down any ewes who have lamness or illness. If they get lame or mastitis i give them a notch. After 3 notches in the ear the ewe gets replaced. I dont tag the lambs until their going up on the trailer for sale. I personally think tagging young lambs is a waste of time and writing down records of every lamb and their birth weights is not needed. We used do it but gave it up

ganmo

davidk1394 wrote: »

i have a notebook in my pocket all the time and write down any ewes who have lamness or illness. If they get lame or mastitis i give them a notch. After 3 notches in the ear the ewe gets replaced. I dont tag the lambs until their going up on the trailer for sale. I personally think tagging young lambs is a waste of time and writing down records of every lamb and their birth weights is not needed. We used do it but gave it up

One thing I'd like to do here is record the weaning weights and link it to the mother.
What we have been doin is when tagging the replacements the best/biggest ewe lambs get the low number tags with the smallest ewe lamb gettin the last tag.

davidk1394

ganmo wrote: »

One thing I'd like to do here is record the weaning weights and link it to the mother.
What we have been doin is when tagging the replacements the best/biggest ewe lambs get the low number tags with the smallest ewe lamb gettin the last tag.

How does that work ? Sounds like a good idea

AntrimGlens

I have a notebook and pencil which stays in the toolbox which is permanently strapped to the quad. Upload any data to the computer at night and only take the reader with me when working with the whole flock such as dosing, clipping, weighing, weaning etc as it saves quite a bit of writing at those times. Toolbox contains fencing pliers, hammer, rope, baler twine, staples, knife, pen strep, alamycin, Terramycin spray, markers. And a pile of other stuff. Just means you can never ignore the problem by saying I don't have "it" with me today if it's always in the box.

Green farmer

No one can accuse you of going in half prepared Antrim :pac:

I also like the whiteboard in lambing shed idea ormond.

rangler1

Username John wrote: »

Actually - how do lads here track / record lambs vs ewes?

I have a little notebook (one of those Sheep Ireland ones) and I tag each lamb with the ewe info. Now that's fine for my (very) small numbers...

Just wondering what lads with big numbers do?

OH is really into computers so we have a programme from TGM software and everything is compatible with that, scales, phone, reader, we can get information out on the farm on the phone or the reader, for instance when we're culling and when running the reader along the race it'll beep over any ewes that were flagged at lambing for culling.
Likewise we weigh at weaning and that highlights the ewes that are not doing the job.
It's hard to see the advantage in that recording with lambs, there's not a huge variation in weaning weights unless the ewe is very poor and you won't need a scales to spot her...same with the lambplus stars, huge difference in cattle between a one star and five star bull, but sheep Ireland are only claiming maybe 2kgs at weaning....is it really worth the bother.
Lifting management is much more rewarding

sea12

rangler1 wrote: »

OH is really into computers so we have a programme from TGM software and everything is compatible with that, scales, phone, reader, we can get information out on the farm on the phone or the reader, for instance when we're culling and when running the reader along the race it'll beep over any ewes that were flagged at lambing for culling.
Likewise we weigh at weaning and that highlights the ewes that are not doing the job.

You may host an open day for us boardies some day rangler. Would love to see such a professional set up.

Would broadly agree on the star system. One of my rams is not star rated. Just fancied him at a ram sale in blessing ton. He is just as good lambs as his 4 star comrades. Couldn't tell the difference except the cost.