General sheep thread

Sheep breeder

We purchased some hurdles from buffalo steel hurdles and find them great, the hay racks they sell are a great labour saving and the boys are very easy to deal with and delivery is very quick.

charolais0153

Sheep breeder wrote: »

We purchased some hurdles from buffalo steel hurdles and find them great, the hay racks they sell are a great labour saving and the boys are very easy to deal with and delivery is very quick.

Cormac have the same hay rack thing aswell. Great job and little waste

orm0nd

Sheep breeder wrote: »

We purchased some hurdles from buffalo steel hurdles and find them great, the hay racks they sell are a great labour saving and the boys are very easy to deal with and delivery is very quick.

THE galvanising used to peel off after a couple of years. Hopefully they have that sorted.

orm0nd

first case of Schmallenberg this evening, got a right hammering last year, only 45 left to lamb so fingers crossed

Westernrock

orm0nd wrote: »

first case of Schmallenberg this evening, got a right hammering last year, only 45 left to lamb so fingers crossed

What part of the country are you in? Had a bad doing here last year in sligo. Had first hogget lamb last Saturday and she wasn’t due till this Monday, very weak lamb for two days but she’s doing ok now. Wonder if she had picked up some immunity last year and was able to produce a viable lamb... was it a ewe or a hogget in your case?

DJ98

Anyone any tips on getting lambs with big heads out of ewes?

wrangler

DJ98 wrote: »

Anyone any tips on getting lambs with big heads out of ewes?

Push back the lamb.....hard, bring up the legs,

sometimes I can slide my hand down along the neck if the head is really swollen and get the leg up, sometimes you can even get them out with just a head and a leg pulled.
They're amazing little animals that can survive a lot of abuse

Buford T. Justice XIX

DJ98 wrote: »

Anyone any tips on getting lambs with big heads out of ewes?

As Wrangler said, you'll have to push the head back in through the hips and it might be better to loop a bit of baling cord behind the head for later. Tie a knot 4 inches or so from the end of the loop ant attach behind the head and ears and under the jaw and then push the head back. Find one front leg and gently pull it up and out and the second one as well if you can do it.



Pull gently on the legs and the twine behind the head until they're out.



One leg and the head and they will come out if the lamb is under pressure but it's a bit harder on the ewe so she'll need a shot of antibiotic after that.

148multi

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

As Wrangler said, you'll have to push the head back in through the hips and it might be better to loop a bit of baling cord behind the head for later. Tie a knot 4 inches or so from the end of the loop ant attach behind the head and ears and under the jaw and then push the head back. Find one front leg and gently pull it up and out and the second one as well if you can do it.

A piece of half inch hydrodare 14" long, cut a notch about 2" up from one end, push a loop of light electrical cable up through notch so that you have a loop at other end of the hydrodare, make sure it's plenty big enough to go over a lambs head. Cut a 3" piece of hydrodare, drill out a hole, pass other end of the cable through and knot. Great for pulling a wobble head out, and easier to fit behind the head thah twine.

148multi

Like this

wrangler

148multi wrote: »

Like this

Even a bit of single core electric wire is better than twine, pliable enough yet holds its shape for going around the head

Buford T. Justice XIX

148multi wrote: »

Like this

Yeah, I have of of those here, given free to seal a purchase. It's a great job but sometimes I'm not near the sheep shed when I find a late lambing ewe and I'd always have a roll of twine in my pocket.

Lano Lynn

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

As Wrangler said, you'll have to push the head back in through the hips and it might be better to loop a bit of baling cord behind the head for later. Tie a knot 4 inches or so from the end of the loop ant attach behind the head and ears and under the jaw and then push the head back. Find one front leg and gently pull it up and out and the second one as well if you can do it.



Pull gently on the legs and the twine behind the head until they're out.



One leg and the head and they will come out if the lamb is under pressure but it's a bit harder on the ewe so she'll need a shot of antibiotic after that.

I rarely push the head back have smallish hands I get one leg out then make sure the opposite leg and shoulder blade are pushed BACK. this is actually narrower than two legs and head. plenty of lube ,a chunk of margarine can be handy sits in the palm of the hand and can be applied where needed (not on the floor like jelly lube often ends up)

care must be take to 'roll' the leg out

single core cable great job.

charolais0153

Lano Lynn wrote: »

I rarely push the head back have smallish hands I get one leg out then make sure the opposite leg and shoulder blade are pushed BACK. this is actually narrower than two legs and head. plenty of lube ,a chunk of margarine can be handy sits in the palm of the hand and can be applied where needed (not on the floor like jelly lube often ends up)

care must be take to 'roll' the leg out

single core cable great job.

Id have small hands too but cant stand the pressure going in for the legs sometimes

Siamsa Sessions

Would I be over optimistic if I tried to foster triplet lambs onto aged mountain ewes?

We have a few blackface ewes having singles and a few “normal” ewes having triplets.

They’ll be well fed post lambing but I’m just not sure these small-ish horny ewes would have enough milk for two lambs.

Anyone have experience of this type of fostering?

Sheep breeder

Ewe with head out, lie the ewe down on her side and find easier to push head in and get legs up, have a broken wrist and get in to get the legs up quickly and find a dip in water helps bring a big head lamb around and blow up the nostrils to fill lungs.

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Would I be over optimistic if I tried to foster triplet lambs onto aged mountain ewes?

We have a few blackface ewes having singles and a few “normal” ewes having triplets.

They’ll be well fed post lambing but I’m just not sure these small-ish horny ewes would have enough milk for two lambs.

Anyone have experience of this type of fostering?

What's your experience of them rearing two or have you not used them before.
Aged ewes would naturally have less milk than young ewes and small ewes mightn't have the capacity to eat enough to produce the milk so they have two things against them

Siamsa Sessions

wrangler wrote: »

What's your experience of them rearing two or have you not used them before.
Aged ewes would naturally have less milk than young ewes and small ewes mightn't have the capacity to eat enough to produce the milk so they have two things against them

Thanks (as ever) for the insight.

Never had them before and only bought them as a compromise as I couldn’t get the type of hoggets I was looking for at the right money.

Crossed them with a Suffolk ram so hopefully they give a few nice ewe lambs, but I wouldn’t buy any more of them. They too independent and awkward to handle in the yard.

Might leave them outside instead of housing and fed them meal there now since they’re not going to be foster mothers. There’s enough grass and it’ll make things easier for the rest of the ewes inside.

orm0nd

Westernrock wrote: »

What part of the country are you in? Had a bad doing here last year in sligo. Had first hogget lamb last Saturday and she wasn’t due till this Monday, very weak lamb for two days but she’s doing ok now. Wonder if she had picked up some immunity last year and was able to produce a viable lamb... was it a ewe or a hogget in your case?

near nenagh,

3rd crop home bred ewe , lamb are very mildly deformed compared to some of the "yokes" we had to pull out last year,

7 doubles to day , all fine and healthy

Westernrock

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Thanks (as ever) for the insight.

Never had them before and only bought them as a compromise as I couldn’t get the type of hoggets I was looking for at the right money.

Crossed them with a Suffolk ram so hopefully they give a few nice ewe lambs, but I wouldn’t buy any more of them. They too independent and awkward to handle in the yard.

Might leave them outside instead of housing and fed them meal there now since they’re not going to be foster mothers. There’s enough grass and it’ll make things easier for the rest of the ewes inside.

They’ll be happier outside alright, I was going to say you would have to watch them very close to be able to foster a lamb onto them anyway! The few I had will go from no sign of lambing to having a dry lamb full of milk running after them before you even knew she was lambing. You couldn’t even catch the lamb never mind foster something on, I have fostered onto them by skinning their lambs though if you find yourself in that situation ☹️

DJ98

When people say they bought aged Hill ewes are these bought at breeding sales or just ordinary sales where they are sold as cast? What ages approximately would they be and up to what would you pay for them?

Siamsa Sessions

DJ98 wrote: »

When people say they bought aged Hill ewes are these bought at breeding sales or just ordinary sales where they are sold as cast? What ages approximately would they be and up to what would you pay for them?

Bought our ones from a local breeding sale. I was away and missed the main sale but called over to the farm a few days later. The fella selling was looking for too much for his own specialty breed but I needed extra ewes so settled on a few plainer ones to make up numbers.

Paid 80 Euro for them. Probably too much but if they leave a decent ewe lamb and I sell the ewes themselves for 60-ish in July, they won’t have broken the bank either.

Westernrock

DJ98 wrote: »

When people say they bought aged Hill ewes are these bought at breeding sales or just ordinary sales where they are sold as cast? What ages approximately would they be and up to what would you pay for them?

Mine came direct from the hill 4years ago at €40 each and I killed the last of them last year. They were on good ground and turned inside out, bar one bad ewe which I kept a year too long (€32 when killed they killed into €68-79.

arctictree

Anyone ever use one of those Lambing aid things? I hear they are great once you get the knack. Just use the ropes myself made from baler twine.

wrangler

arctictree wrote: »

Anyone ever use one of those Lambing aid things? I hear they are great once you get the knack. Just use the ropes myself made from baler twine.

,

It can be the difference in getting the lamb out alive and not, not pulling the head as well as the legs is hard on the lamb if he's big.
If you look at it, you pull the head and his head is at his knees coming out he's much sleeker than pulling only the legs where his head is trying to get out along with the thickest part of his leg and the neck is probably enlarged as well.
I find the lambing aid awkward but get on fine with just a piece of single core electric wire,, anything that you can get a pull around the head with makes a huge difference

Lambman

Buy aged ewes off the same farmer every year off the hill by time I lift them ewes are dipped and have gotten there first fluke dose and there all vaccinated. Some ewes could be missing a few teeth some ewes full mouths. Give him €50 every year for them. Sold 4 in Mart after scanning empty 2 weeks ago 58kg €74.

White Clover

Was there anyone here at the clearance sale at Cahir Mart last night? It seemed like a nice flock of sheep.

memorystick

Lost a fat lamb today. I went out to field and found her sitting down with the electric fence wrapped around her neck in just one loop. The handle was still up and intact. I'm very peed off over it. Savage power in fence. An awful death. Really upset over it.

razor8

Lambman wrote: »

Buy aged ewes off the same farmer every year off the hill by time I lift them ewes are dipped and have gotten there first fluke dose and there all vaccinated. Some ewes could be missing a few teeth some ewes full mouths. Give him €50 every year for them. Sold 4 in Mart after scanning empty 2 weeks ago 58kg €74.

Mayo type?

Siamsa Sessions

White Clover wrote: »

Was there anyone here at the clearance sale at Cahir Mart last night? It seemed like a nice flock of sheep.

Saw on Twitter they went from 190-230 euro. Another sheep man going milking cows apparently. Might be something in the Journal next week as there was someone at the sale taking pics. Again, apparently!