General sheep thread

kk.man

charolais0153 wrote: »

2 acres here, works grand,
In the 2 and a half acre sections which seem a touch big we'll subdivide them this year, be about 60 or 70 ewes and their lambs in a bunch
The quicker they move the better imo

When I had ewes years ago there was a lot of the farm in 2 acre plots. I took out all of the ditches as it was the norm. The ewes would change to the next field no bother. They loved new grass even if it was not plentiful. In some respects I was ahead of my time even if I didn't know it. I had paddock grazing off to a fine art with both cattle and sheep.

Siamsa Sessions

Boredstiff666 wrote: »

There is a good reason for that and believe it or not you farmers are to blame.

I make and fix nearly everything needed here for the sheep, be it gates, feeders, troughs, shed doors, whatever.

All timber and mostly left-overs and off-cuts from when we built our bungalow. My brother built his house in 2014 and we’re still using some of what was left from the roof structure.

Building your own isn’t for everyone, but that says more about the need for an off-farm job these days to make ends meet and there not being time to make stuff

MIKEKC

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

Tbh I haven’t properly researched the whole TAMS grant at all,just have an inkling that qualifying equipment needs to be ‘permanent’....so wondering how my idea of buying gates you could fix into place when working in yard and then occasionally during year unlock them and use them elsewhere on farm....eg helping to load stock from a field etc would tally with grant specifications?

Would really appreciate people’s thoughts on which type of gates to buy,thoughts on my idea of tightening up sheep in yard using fixed gates to sidewall etc.

Most of the work done here, only repairs at the moment so haven't applied for TAMS. Just wondering would it be worth it due to the tax position

Siamsa Sessions

Lambing due to start here tomorrow week so I’m wondering now about getting the lambs going on creep.

Anyone have any particular tips to get them eating it? Or will they just copy their mothers and pick away on it out of the ewes’ troughs?

And on a related matter, what type of creep feeder could you justify buying for 50 lambs this year and maybe 80-100 from 2020 on?

Dinzee Conlee

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Lambing due to start here tomorrow week so I’m wondering now about getting the lambs going on creep.

Anyone have any particular tips to get them eating it? Or will they just copy their mothers and pick away on it out of the ewes’ troughs?

And on a related matter, what type of creep feeder could you justify buying for 50 lambs this year and maybe 80-100 from 2020 on?

Do you feed the ewes as well as the lambs?

Fadó, fadó, when I was a boyeen we used to creep the lambs by feeding them in their own pen when feeding the ewes...
We just fenced off a small square, with one or two entrances made by driving two posts maybe 9inches or so apart.
Once the lambs started picking at the ewes troughs, start feeding them in their own pen...
To get them used to it, involved catching them and throwing them into the pen a few times - but once a few of em started at all, they all started...
Worked good enough, was labour intensive all right, but was good... you could feed the lambs a set amount every day, and see who was eating and who wasn’t...

Downside was feeding every day
Another big downside was you needed a creep pen in every paddock...

If I was buying a creep feeder now, first look would be one of those 3in1 jobs. They seem to be the best jobs...

DJ98

Has anyone housed March lambing ewes yet? Scanning here tomorrow and thinking about keeping the ewes in from now up until lambing?

Siamsa Sessions

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Do you feed the ewes as well as the lambs?

Fadó, fadó, when I was a boyeen we used to creep the lambs by feeding them in their own pen when feeding the ewes...
We just fenced off a small square, with one or two entrances made by driving two posts maybe 9inches or so apart.
Once the lambs started picking at the ewes troughs, start feeding them in their own pen...
To get them used to it, involved catching them and throwing them into the pen a few times - but once a few of em started at all, they all started...
Worked good enough, was labour intensive all right, but was good... you could feed the lambs a set amount every day, and see who was eating and who wasn’t...

Downside was feeding every day
Another big downside was you needed a creep pen in every paddock...

If I was buying a creep feeder now, first look would be one of those 3in1 jobs. They seem to be the best jobs...

Thanks for that. We did something similar with a creep area a few years ago but it was for older lambs.

Tis manageable but I’m calling it plan B at the moment and thinking of just investing in a creep feeder. Must look up that 3in1 type you mentioned. Cheers

MeTheMan

DJ98 wrote: »

Has anyone housed March lambing ewes yet? Scanning here tomorrow and thinking about keeping the ewes in from now up until lambing?

Ya housed about 2 weeks ago now. There was grass there but we'll get better use out of it in March. Due to start lambing last week of February.
Scanned Christmas eve. 1.78 with 5 empty. 2 of the empty's are just late the other 3 are probably empty. So happy enough with that.
We housed earlier then usual. Ewes were in better condition the we taught they would be on very bare ground. We'd house at scanning.
You'd want to be getting there feed right from 7 weeks out anyway, so depending on your grass and whether you have 2/3 fields to divide them into you'd be as well house them.

Dinzee Conlee

Started grazing this week...

Am about a week too late, as the hog have started to go back a bit, bit annoyed as it was down to my own laziness..

Young95

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Started grazing this week...

Am about a week too late, as the hog have started to go back a bit, bit annoyed as it was down to my own laziness..

Did u sow that rape in after corn was it ?

Dinzee Conlee

Young95 wrote: »

Did u sow that rape in after corn was it ?

Yeah, around 1st Sept. it’s not a great crop... Never really took off I feel...

Edit : looks better in those photos, as it came better on that side of the field... it’ll hold em for a few weeks though all the same...

Young95

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Yeah, around 1st Sept. it’s not a great crop... Never really took off I feel...

Edit : looks better in those photos, as it came better on that side of the field... it’ll hold em for a few weeks though all the same...

Yea is it good value per head to put in tho ? They’d get good feeding out of it I’d say no ?

razor8

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Started grazing this week...

Am about a week too late, as the hog have started to go back a bit, bit annoyed as it was down to my own laziness..

Jeez that’s dry land. What part of the country are you in??

Land is near floating up here in Leitrim

Dinzee Conlee

razor8 wrote: »

Jeez that’s dry land. What part of the country are you in??

Land is near floating up here in Leitrim

Deepest darkest Cork Razor... it’s good dry ground all right to be fair...

Green farmer

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Deepest darkest Cork Razor... it’s good dry ground all right to be fair...

I was thinking about this over the last few says. Have some fields here that are gently sloping. I
Walked them today in my runners, bone dry. Yet less then 100 meters away , also have land that has poor drainage. Even the quad gets bogged down at this time of year. Have heard it described as " good summer grazing". Hard to believe difference in land.

farawaygrass

Green farmer wrote: »

I was thinking about this over the last few says. Have some fields here that are gently sloping. I
Walked them today in my runners, bone dry. Yet less then 100 meters away , also have land that has poor drainage. Even the quad gets bogged down at this time of year. Have heard it described as " good summer grazing". Hard to believe difference in land.

I often thought too how quickly land can change. Across the road from here is different to our farm. Even one end of our farm is different to the other. If travelling on the train you see big variations

Dinzee Conlee

Green farmer wrote: »

I was thinking about this over the last few says. Have some fields here that are gently sloping. I
Walked them today in my runners, bone dry. Yet less then 100 meters away , also have land that has poor drainage. Even the quad gets bogged down at this time of year. Have heard it described as " good summer grazing". Hard to believe difference in land.

All ours would have a fair slope - they are dry, but I dunno is it hard to keep nutrients in them. The one field we have at the bottom, whilst a bit wet, has a much better P index to all the others...

Birdnuts

Green farmer wrote: »

I was thinking about this over the last few says. Have some fields here that are gently sloping. I
Walked them today in my runners, bone dry. Yet less then 100 meters away , also have land that has poor drainage. Even the quad gets bogged down at this time of year. Have heard it described as " good summer grazing". Hard to believe difference in land.

That's the type of land that saved many a farmer during the drought of 2019

Green farmer

Birdnuts wrote: »

That's the type of land that saved many a farmer during the drought of 2019

Ive only a small farm, so i'm grateful to have any land at all. But I have both types here, literally one field next to another, it's just crazy to see the difference right in front of your eyes.

Birdnuts

Green farmer wrote: »

Ive only a small farm, so i'm grateful to have any land at all. But I have both types here, literally one field next to another, it's just crazy to see the difference right in front of your eyes.

Yeah - I have that too on my place in Erris, lower part and old reclaimed bog bottomless most of the year, whereas the sandy banks are starting to brown by June in the average year!!

Young95

How do people here usually manage der single bearing ewes pre lambing? Kinda wondering could I get away by leaving them in a field with a pick of grass and bita hay with no meal feeding. Not lambing till end of March but starting to plan soon . Any replies would be appreciated! Thanks .

Green farmer

Young95 wrote: »

How do people here usually manage der single bearing ewes pre lambing? Kinda wondering could I get away by leaving them in a field with a pick of grass and bita hay with no meal feeding. Not lambing till end of March but starting to plan soon . Any replies would be appreciated! Thanks .

If they were holding condition, I'd leave them and then give them 0.5kg of meal a day for the last month. Alternatively if you had unlimited fresh grass or unlimited good silage, they'd need no meal at all

DJ98

When's the best time to spread lime next month or closer to the spring?

lucky john

Winter dipping question

Lambing due to start around the 20th of Feb. Sheep are scanned with a good average and they look in good form. Didn't get to dip the sheep before the ram went to them. Considering dipping this week before I start feeding concentrates and housing.

I'll use a mobile dipping contractor because it would be easier on the sheep but is it a good idea at all at this stage would anyone know ?

Siamsa Sessions

DJ98 wrote: »

When's the best time to spread lime next month or closer to the spring?

Won’t make a huge difference as lime is slow and long lasting. If the ground was dry enough to travel on, I’d be inclined to spread sooner rather than later.

Have you dung or slurry to spread as well?

arctictree

Young lad had two pet lambs in the garden that he was feeding. To be honest, i kind of forgot about them as we had so much going on this year. Just brought the rest of the lambs in today and these two are 65kg each! What would ye do with them?

kk.man

arctictree wrote: »

Young lad had two pet lambs in the garden that he was feeding. To be honest, i kind of forgot about them as we had so much going on this year. Just brought the rest of the lambs in today and these two are 65kg each! What would ye do with them?

Mart them or a butcher might be interested.

Siamsa Sessions

arctictree wrote: »

Young lad had two pet lambs in the garden that he was feeding. To be honest, i kind of forgot about them as we had so much going on this year. Just brought the rest of the lambs in today and these two are 65kg each! What would ye do with them?

Happened here too - brought them to the mart, with a few other that were the right weight, and butcher agent bought the heavy ones

memorystick

Store lambs after being ran by dogs. No casualties but they’re very unsettled. How long will it take them to quieten down. Getting meal every day.

Siamsa Sessions

memorystick wrote: »

Store lambs after being ran by dogs. No casualties but they’re very unsettled. How long will it take them to quieten down. Getting meal every day.

Sorry to hear that. Maybe a few hours but might be a few days if they got a longer chase from the dogs. Coming to the meal should help