Checking sheep at lambing time

farawaygrass

So what's your routine? I try to finish in the yard around 8ish, check the sheep then again at 12 to 1, and if need be again around 3. Then try to be in the yard again at 6. The sheep are in during the night so it's easy check them. Some people I know don't check them from 11ish to 6ish but I wouldn't be so lucky!

Username John

farawaygrass wrote: »

So what's your routine? I try to finish in the yard around 8ish, check the sheep then again at 12 to 1, and if need be again around 3. Then try to be in the yard again at 6. The sheep are in during the night so it's easy check them. Some people I know don't check them from 11ish to 6ish but I wouldn't be so lucky!

Used to check em during the night but didn't so much last year... Got away with it...

I think tis more luck than anything...

Check em before bed, and be out at sunrise again. Lights off in shed at night... If I thought one might lamb would check at night all right, but mostly left em...

But - like I said - I think tis more luck, you can't live in the shed with em either like...

iron man

Cameras lads... beside the bed.. anything stirring up i get.. all quiet then back to sleep..

farawaygrass

There is a lot of luck involved alright. I just got a lamb yesterday with the bag still around his head. He didn't have much longer only I happened to come at the right time. I lost a few lambs over the years from not getting up and you would be kicking yourself after. It's easy when all is going well I suppose, but if it's a bad year and things going wrong, if could be hard to get up

Username John

iron man wrote: »

Cameras lads... beside the bed.. anything stirring up i get.. all quiet then back to sleep..

Would you believe I got the kit for it, just never out it up.

I kinda think if you're going to the bother of setting the alarm to check, getting and going to shed isn't that much hardship...

Would agree faraway - in a good year, easy done. In a bad year, and you trying yer best and the worse things go the more time you spend checking trying to make sure you lose no more, it can be tough...

solerina

All outside and spread out, do a final check about 8-9 then it's in Gods hands until 7am ish next morning. Usually don't lose too many....there is only so much you can do with big numbers lambing outdoors.

farawaygrass

How do ya find the camera for sheep? Can you rotate it and zoom? You would want to be able to see all corners as that's where they tend to go. A camera is on the wish list, but that wish list is very long!!

iron man

I have 12 cameras covering 12 bays.. i find them excellent.. you can watch her lamb from the house.. i can be in the shed in 15 seconds if needed. Ewes lamb better when not disturbed.. no zoom. Got a second hand box to run them into the tv. The wife keeps an eye too and i now find the kids watching. We take all ewes and lambs out of the big pens and into smaller lambing pens. 3-4 days there and on to a dry shed. we put out 62 ewes today.. weather finally coming good.

farawaygrass

iron man wrote: »

I have 12 cameras covering 12 bays.. i find them excellent.. you can watch her lamb from the house.. i can be in the shed in 15 seconds if needed. Ewes lamb better when not disturbed.. no zoom. Got a second hand box to run them into the tv. The wife keeps an eye too and i now find the kids watching. We take all ewes and lambs out of the big pens and into smaller lambing pens. 3-4 days there and on to a dry shed. we put out 62 ewes today.. weather finally coming good.

im sure they make life. Ya weather is finally up for a while. We started lambing during the week and the nice weather makes it so much easier. Anyhow, I'm off again to check the ewes! I think there was one starting when I was leaving the yard. This is where cameras would be grand!

orm0nd

farawaygrass wrote: »

How do ya find the camera for sheep? Can you rotate it and zoom? You would want to be able to see all corners as that's where they tend to go. A camera is on the wish list, but that wish list is very long!!

a single ip ptz cam would do a double 5 bay shed if installed correctly,

almost finished here bar a few stragglers & a few ewe lambs

hhh.JPG

sh1.JPG

sh2.JPG

razor8

Ewes look very heavy

arctictree

orm0nd wrote: »

a single ip ptz cam would do a double 5 bay shed if installed correctly,

almost finished here bar a few stragglers & a few ewe lambs

hhh.JPG

sh1.JPG

sh2.JPG

Can you tell me what type of camera that is? Picture looks very clear.

orm0nd

arctictree wrote: »

Can you tell me what type of camera that is? Picture looks very clear.

Camera is a Foscam FI9828P

we installed a couple for friends & neighbours locally over last Christamas,
they paid for the gear & I just asked for a donation for a charity of their choice for my fee.

sea12

orm0nd wrote: »

Camera is a Foscam FI9828P

we installed a couple for friends & neighbours locally over last Christamas,
they paid for the gear & I just asked for a donation for a charity of their choice for my fee.

Or mind is it easy to connect two cameras to cover off the same shed. 1 camera has a few hidden spots in the shed

orm0nd

sea12 wrote: »

Or mind is it easy to connect two cameras to cover off the same shed. 1 camera has a few hidden spots in the shed

have'nt done it but should be straight forward

the 2 cams in the post above are 50 mtrs apart so we used a second receiving nanostation & it worked just fine,

for the same shed or sheds close to gether just use a splitter box,

davidk1394

Check them every few hours. Father stays up at night as there's too many lambing. Definitely putting in cameras next year. Looking at the 360 degrees rotating 1's. A lad I work with has them in the cubiclesame for the cows

farawaygrass

davidk1394 wrote: »

Check them every few hours. Father stays up at night as there's too many lambing. Definitely putting in cameras next year. Looking at the 360 degrees rotating 1's. A lad I work with has them in the cubiclesame for the cows

They would be class alright. Any price range? I'm still lucky that the old men is a great help too.

davidk1394

farawaygrass wrote: »

They would be class alright. Any price range? I'm still lucky that the old men is a great help too.

He paid €1600 for 5 cameras installed and hooked up. He has them on his phone and his father has it on his I pad. A great job so they are. An auld lad is a very handy thing on a farm. If he heard me saying it I'd be shot haha

farawaygrass

davidk1394 wrote: »

He paid €1600 for 5 cameras installed and hooked up. He has them on his phone and his father has it on his I pad. A great job so they are. An auld lad is a very handy thing on a farm. If he heard me saying it I'd be shot haha

God that's well worth it for 5. Ha your dead right, we fight at times but I'd be lost without him. Thank his he had patience for me!

Bullocks

davidk1394 wrote: »

Check them every few hours. Father stays up at night as there's too many lambing. Definitely putting in cameras next year. Looking at the 360 degrees rotating 1's. A lad I work with has them in the cubiclesame for the cows

Does he get any snoozey time at all during lambing ?

Do ye notice any busy time of the day/night when they start lambing ?

Floody Boreland

We feed the cows once a day about 10pm. Very few calve through the night.
Don't know if sheep would be as co-operative though.

tom_k

I've been feeding the ewes as late as possible in the evening this year, usually around dusk. I check them at 12-1am and if no obvious lambers I head to bed. It's been working out well with ewes tending to lamb starting from 6am-ish with very few exceptions.

I don't know how scientific this is but I'm pretty sure this strategy has been mentioned on here in the past.

arctictree

Last one lambed last night. Checked her at 10 and she seemed fine. Was getting into bed at 11.30 and checked the camera and one lamb was out and being licked. Went back down to the shed and had to handle her for the second one as it was a big one coming without the legs. Useful to have the camera in this case as it would not have been a pretty scene 8 hours later if I had not dropped down.

sea12

arctictree wrote: »

Last one lambed last night. Checked her at 10 and she seemed fine. Was getting into bed at 11.30 and checked the camera and one lamb was out and being licked. Went back down to the shed and had to handle her for the second one as it was a big one coming without the legs. Useful to have the camera in this case as it would not have been a pretty scene 8 hours later if I had not dropped down.

Your lucky to be finished. My first one lamber last night. Camera broke down this evening too wich makes it a bit tricky

Dickie10

i check last time around 11;30-12 then at between 3;30-400 and again at around 6, nearly done now 2 ewes straggling and afew ewe lambs

sea12

Dickie10 wrote: »

i check last time around 11;30-12 then at between 3;30-400 and again at around 6, nearly done now 2 ewes straggling and afew ewe lambs

Would you not get yourself a camera dickie.
You won't keep at that pace for long. Have u a job to go to in morning as well

Birdnuts

Thankfully lambing paddocks are all within eyeshot of the in-laws house so piece of mind in that regard.

tomwaterford

Dickie10 wrote: »

i check last time around 11;30-12 then at between 3;30-400 and again at around 6, nearly done now 2 ewes straggling and afew ewe lambs

Would you still check them with that few??
As if check their dougs to see if full....if not I'd check at 12 and again around 5.30

But yes at lambing time I followed somewhat similar to yourself...then the father watch them by day when I went to work


Though I do find around 1/3 of mine lamb at night....I have them in a shed with a light on....is this normal??

I used read it was 5-8% was all

ganmo

tomwaterford wrote: »

Would you still check them with that few??
As if check their dougs to see if full....if not I'd check at 12 and again around 5.30

But yes at lambing time I followed somewhat similar to yourself...then the father watch them by day when I went to work


Though I do find around 1/3 of mine lamb at night....I have them in a shed with a light on....is this normal??

I used read it was 5-8% was all

dougs?
im just in from checking. a pair out of an old ewe and a big single

tomwaterford

ganmo wrote: »

dougs?
im just in from checking. a pair out of an old ewe and a big single

Spelling terrible I apologise....check are they full of milk (udder??)

Username John

tomwaterford wrote: »

Would you still check them with that few??
As if check their dougs to see if full....if not I'd check at 12 and again around 5.30

But yes at lambing time I followed somewhat similar to yourself...then the father watch them by day when I went to work


Though I do find around 1/3 of mine lamb at night....I have them in a shed with a light on....is this normal??

I used read it was 5-8% was all

I think having the light off is a help to not have em lambing at night... We used to leave it on, but now I turn it off I think it's a better job...

I feed mine morning and evening, and few enough would lamb at night.

Altho - I only have a handful, so not a good sample size like

Dickie10

yeah i prob will get a camera , the shed is made for it really, if i could get a roatateing one it would do the cows calving and sheep lambing on either side of a wall seperating straw bedded sheds, it would also pick up the diesel tank and entrance into the yard perfectly for the rest of the year. i really should look into it