Lambing Pens / Essentialls

Westernrock

How many ewes/lambing pen do most people allow for?

Also anything else that you think of as an essential to have on hand during lambing?

Dickie10

1 pen to 10 ewes, lube, iodine, oxytocin for letting down milk but use within half hour of birth. one of them gadgets for keeping up the head when pulling a lamb, plenty of beastings in freezer and a bit of powder beastings, keep the beastings in small containers so you dont need to thaw out a load. i have a few ice cube making trays. i fill these with beastings then pop out two or three for a lamb very easy to thaw out if needed quick. markers, pen strep, daggin shears, rubber rings.

stantheman1979

Have about 50 pens and 6 adoption units for 850 ewes. Essentials- ewes scanned, cow colostrum, powdered milk, iodine, rubber rings and pliers, spray markers, ear notcher, tags for lambs, red tags for problem ewes, notebook and pen, clean needles, antibiotics, calcium, prolapse harnesses, foot shears, disprin, lube, lambing rope/aid, hot water source, patience

farawaygrass

stantheman1979 wrote: »

Have about 50 pens and 6 adoption units for 850 ewes. Essentials- ewes scanned, cow colostrum, iodine, rubber rings and pliers, spray markers, ear notcher, tags for lambs, red tags for problem ewes, notebook and pen, clean needles, antibiotics, calcium, prolapse harnesses, foot shears, disprin, lube, lambing rope/aid, hot water source, patience

What do you use the disprin for?

DJ98

stantheman1979 wrote: »

Have about 50 pens and 6 adoption units for 850 ewes. Essentials- ewes scanned, cow colostrum, iodine, rubber rings and pliers, spray markers, ear notcher, tags for lambs, red tags for problem ewes, notebook and pen, clean needles, antibiotics, calcium, prolapse harnesses, foot shears, disprin, lube, lambing rope/aid, hot water source, patience

What antibiotics?
Why a foot shears?

Also I would consider the stomach tube and bottles/teats and lamlac an essential, plenty of rope/twine/cable ties

rangler1

farawaygrass wrote: »

What do you use the disprin for?

Two down the ewes neck after a hard lambing for pain helps to reduce shock

DJ98

Anybody use this at lambing?
https://www.agridirect.ie/product/lamb-kickstart-100ml

farawaygrass

rangler1 wrote: »

Two down the ewes neck after a hard lambing for pain helps to reduce shock

It's a bad day when you don't learn something new!

stantheman1979

DJ98 wrote: »

What antibiotics?
Why a foot shears?

Also I would consider the stomach tube and bottles/teats and lamlac an essential, plenty of rope/twine/cable ties

To trim ewes with bad feet!! What else would you use a foot shears for!!
Sorry forgot the stomach tube!! Vital!! Pen strep LA, Electrolites etc

stantheman1979

rangler1 wrote: »

Two down the ewes neck after a hard lambing for pain helps to reduce shock

I mix two with some water in a beer bottle and give it to them that way. find it just helps the pain

DJ98

stantheman1979 wrote: »

To trim ewes with bad feet!! What else would you use a foot shears for!!

Well sorry for being such a fool, I assumed most people treat sheep with bad feet before entering the house? Oh you could also use it for cutting rope as well, it has more than one use!!!!

charolais0153

DJ98 wrote: »

Well sorry for being such a fool, I assumed most people treat sheep with bad feet before entering the house? Oh you could also use it for cutting rope as well, it has more than one use!!!!

I wouldn't like turning 850 ewes!!!

DJ98

charolais0153 wrote: »

I wouldn't like turning 850 ewes!!!

You wouldnt have to turn 850 ewes, he's hardly going to need to pair every ewes feet just the ones that need it!!!

charolais0153

Sagging shears, plenty of gloves big and small,straw, tube,kettle ,harnesses for prolapse,lube,markers,soyabean for sprinkling on top of lambs to get them to lick the lamb.
Have about seventeen pens for hundred and fifteen ewes but usually keep the majority in until2 day old ,let some out if they're strong enough

DJ98

The crook stick, to catch the mad cheviot ewe!

Hagimalone

stantheman1979 wrote:

Have about 50 pens and 6 adoption units for 850 ewes. Essentials- ewes scanned, cow colostrum, powdered milk, iodine, rubber rings and pliers, spray markers, ear notcher, tags for lambs, red tags for problem ewes,

Are theses just blank tags?

stantheman1979

charolais0153 wrote: »

I wouldn't like turning 850 ewes!!!

Neither would I!!! Its nurishment i want not punishment!! Id only be doing an odd one that got lame while inside as they're going out.

stantheman1979

Hagimalone wrote: »

stantheman1979 wrote:

Have about 50 pens and 6 adoption units for 850 ewes. Essentials- ewes scanned, cow colostrum, powdered milk, iodine, rubber rings and pliers, spray markers, ear notcher, tags for lambs, red tags for problem ewes,

Are theses just blank tags?

No small tags with numbers on so i can track the lambs to make sure ewes are doing their job properly during the year. I would just use the plain button tags for ewes that gave problems

Westernrock

stantheman1979 wrote: »

Hagimalone wrote: »

No small tags with numbers on so i can track the lambs to make sure ewes are doing their job properly during the year. I would just use the plain button tags for ewes that gave problems

Find the ear notchers great for problem ewes, best thing I ever bought. They won't lose it.
Notch any lame ewes in opposite ear to culls, if their notched more than once there in the hook.

razor8

DJ98 wrote: »

Well sorry for being such a fool, I assumed most people treat sheep with bad feet before entering the house? Oh you could also use it for cutting rope as well, it has more than one use!!!!

Take a read of this

http://beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/BRP-Focus-on-lameness.pdf

mcgiggles

stantheman1979 wrote: »

Have about 50 pens and 6 adoption units for 850 ewes. Essentials- ewes scanned, cow colostrum, powdered milk, iodine, rubber rings and pliers, spray markers, ear notcher, tags for lambs, red tags for problem ewes, notebook and pen, clean needles, antibiotics, calcium, prolapse harnesses, foot shears, disprin, lube, lambing rope/aid, hot water source, patience

Cow colostrum? why cow? cheaper?
Red tags great idea! Every day is a school day!
And thanks for tip on disprin! thought it might have gone hand in hand with the patience

rangler1

mcgiggles wrote: »

Cow colostrum? why cow? cheaper?
Red tags great idea! Every day is a school day!
And thanks for tip on disprin! thought it might have gone hand in hand with the patience

I'd always be milking colostrum from ewes with a good supply, some ewes would have more than the lambs need, of course let her own lambs suck first.
Ewes colostrum is better than Cows and bought colostrum powder is better than nothing....marginally.
I like using the dispirin, I think the ewe looks after the lamb if you can take the sting off the pain

stantheman1979

rangler1 wrote: »

mcgiggles wrote: »

Cow colostrum? why cow? cheaper?

I get it for free from a good dairy farmer up the road. It's not as good as ewe colostrum but I really really hate milking ewes. Also it's handy to have to get a weak triplet going. Also I give a couple litres to the newborn calves so I'd have it around anyway

charolais0153

Spectam and orf vaccine are important too

cattle man

charolais0153 wrote: »

Spectam and orf vaccine are important too

How soon do you give scabivax?
Can you give it at 1-2 days old before they go to grass ?

rangler1

cattle man wrote: »

How soon do you give scabivax?
Can you give it at 1-2 days old before they go to grass ?

We do them at about 5 days old, it's when they go from the intensive care paddocks to the big groups, but I'd imagine it'd be fine to do it coming out of the shed, I wouldn't like to do them and leave them in the sheds though.

cattle man

rangler1 wrote: »

We do them at about 5 days old, it's when they go from the intensive care paddocks to the big groups, but I'd imagine it'd be fine to do it coming out of the shed, I wouldn't like to do them and leave them in the sheds though.

Yep just wanted to cut down on work bringing them back in. Be going out at 2-3 days of age so be hand do them on way to paddock.

charolais0153

Ya as they are let out usually around 2 days old ,they're numbered ,done with scabivax and the ewe is crutched

cattle man

charolais0153 wrote: »

Ya as they are let out usually around 2 days old ,they're numbered ,done with scabivax and the ewe is crutched

Any issue with ewes getting sores on teats ? And mastitis ?

charolais0153

cattle man wrote: »

Any issue with ewes getting sores on teats ? And mastitis ?

Some older ewes get it and its a bitch but some bactokil and a few days to watch them usually sorts them out.

rangler1

charolais0153 wrote: »

Some older ewes get it and its a bitch but some bactokil and a few days to watch them usually sorts them out.

Do you blame the scabivax for it, we've only one years experience of using Scabivax, but we didn't get any more mastitis or sore udders

charolais0153

rangler1 wrote: »

Do you blame the scabivax for it, we've only one years experience of using Scabivax, but we didn't get any more mastitis or sore udders

Don't know.wouldn't be without it anyways

farawaygrass

Once the bottle is opened, does it stay ok? Or do you have to use it up within so many hours? Never used it but got a bit of it last year. A right scourge

rangler1

farawaygrass wrote: »

Once the bottle is opened, does it stay ok? Or do you have to use it up within so many hours? Never used it but got a bit of it last year. A right scourge

We left it open anyway without any problem, one bottle was open a fortnight at the end of lambing

farawaygrass

rangler1 wrote: »

We left it open anyway without any problem, one bottle was open a fortnight at the end of lambing

Not so bad do. Do you ever get an outbreak even after using the vaccine?

rangler1

farawaygrass wrote: »

Not so bad do. Do you ever get an outbreak even after using the vaccine?

Only done it one year, but there wasn't a trace last year, It was getting progressively worse for the previous years few year so had to try something

Hagimalone

Stantheman, the tags for the ewe , I presume they aren't replacement and that any random number (eg. 1-10) would do, l currently get my tags from mullinahone, they don't seem to do these or the lamb tags, what supplier do you order from?

charolais0153

farawaygrass wrote: »

Not so bad do. Do you ever get an outbreak even after using the vaccine?

There was a bad batch a year OE two ago and people had small outbreaks u think

stantheman1979

Hagimalone wrote: »

Stantheman, the tags for the ewe , I presume they aren't replacement and that any random number (eg. 1-10) would do, l currently get my tags from mullinahone, they don't seem to do these or the lamb tags, what supplier do you order from?

Yeah they are just red button tags i get from co-op. No numbers on them. One in each ear for a cull, one for being lame,prolapse, being a bitch etc. then they get a red brand on shoulder and let out with the B team(ewes that have given problems in the past and are on last warning or old ewes that are in their last yr. I usually lamb these earlier than main flock which gives me the option to sell them in late summer when prices are better)

orm0nd

stantheman1979 wrote: »

Yeah they are just red button tags i get from co-op. No numbers on them. One in each ear for a cull, one for being lame,prolapse, being a bitch etc. then they get a red brand on shoulder and let out with the B team(ewes that have given problems in the past and are on last warning or old ewes that are in their last yr. I usually lamb these earlier than main flock which gives me the option to sell them in late summer when prices are better)

I use these from shearwell, different colours mean different ailments, but if she gets an orange coloured 1, she culled.

https://www.sheeptags.ie/product/set-management-tag/

Hagimalone

Orm0md would you know if the 'd tag tagger' from from mullinahone would fit them management tags or would I need a new tagger

orm0nd

Hagimalone wrote: »

Orm0md would you know if the 'd tag tagger' from from mullinahone would fit them management tags or would I need a new tagger

No.... you need the shearwell tagger

https://www.sheeptags.ie/product-category/sheep-tags/

Hagimalone

Thanks folks for the info

charolais0153

Don't know if it was posted but lime and jeyes fluid are important for disease control

rangler1

charolais0153 wrote: »

Don't know if it was posted but lime and jeyes fluid are important for disease control

Sorgene 5 is a better disinfectant for sheep sheds, jeyes fluid is very poor against agricultural bugs

charolais0153

rangler1 wrote: »

Sorgene 5 is a better disinfectant for sheep sheds, jeyes fluid is very poor against agricultural bugs

Really, thanks

rangler1

charolais0153 wrote: »

Really, thanks

Presume you're refering to spraying penning and not using on ewes,

charolais0153

rangler1 wrote: »

Presume you're refering to spraying penning and not using on ewes,

Ya, some people do use jeys fluid on navels ,we used a green spray type of thing last uear

White Clover

What electrolytes do lads give to ewes after Lambing to give them a boost?

ganmo

White Clover wrote: »

What electrolytes to lads give to ewes after Lambing to give them a boost?

just water normally

Lambman

Hard till beat bita salt warm water and a can a lynx for fostering