Lambing Time.

OneMan37

What time of the year do people lamb ewes ? why choose early, mid-season or late lambing ?

Lambman

Lambed later this year started 27th off March still lambing at the min... was lambing from 10th March last year put it back because kept more heifer calves on from last year and wanted the sheds freed up before I started lambing glad I did as I've very little ewes and lambs out till grass with the way the weather is and used a charrlois ram so there not much wool on them.

Siamsa Sessions

Started on 22-Feb this year to try get lambs finished and sold before price drops too much, but going to push back to mid-March next year.

The weather obviously influenced the decision, but managing grass and having to feed concentrates also helped us see things differently.

Ard_MC

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Started on 22-Feb this year to try get lambs finished and sold before price drops too much, but going to push back to mid-March next year.

The weather obviously influenced the decision, but managing grass and having to feed concentrates also helped us see things differently.

I think alot off ppl have done that from drivin round the country. Only startin here. Mountain we run on, so doesnt get green till May!

kk.man

Yes same here 17th March.. the boss man used to say it was time enough... this year he was so right!.
Anyone had lambs in Feb etc or earlier must have got cruel hardship and a massive meal bill.
Years back I has them in early and that winter and spring was wet not cold or snow like this one. I lost my shirt and had no grass for the cattle. One lesson learned for life.

charolais0153

kk.man wrote: »

Yes same here 17th March.. the boss man used to say it was time enough... this year he was so right!.
Anyone had lambs in Feb etc or earlier must have got cruel hardship and a massive meal bill.
Years back I has them in early and that winter and spring was wet not cold or snow like this one. I lost my shirt and had no grass for the cattle. One lesson learned for life.

I see a lot of people say that but if the cattle ate the grass instead of the ewes, what difference does it make

kk.man

charolais0153 wrote: »

I see a lot of people say that but if the cattle ate the grass instead of the ewes, what difference does it make

No that refers to the early ones years back...needed more grass for early lambers.

Sheep breeder

We lambed on the 7 jan and 10 March this year and next year back to 1 jan and 10 March, lambing to the correct weather is like gazing into a crystal ball and if you have sheep they have to be lambed.

stantheman1979

We lambed the B-team ( old girls on they’re last year, ewes that have a yellow card prolapse lame etc) on Feb 1st and the main flock 4th March. The early ones are doing really well getting 1lb meal at grass. Not much growth out so main flock getting 1.5lbs. First time in my life I’ve had to give ewes meal after lambing. Sickening!!

charolais0153

stantheman1979 wrote: »

We lambed the B-team ( old girls on they’re last year, ewes that have a yellow card prolapse lame etc) on Feb 1st and the main flock 4th March. The early ones are doing really well getting 1lb meal at grass. Not much growth out so main flock getting 1.5lbs. First time in my life I’ve had to give ewes meal after lambing. Sickening!!

How were you in 2013

stantheman1979

How was I in 2013?? I don’t get you!!

charolais0153

stantheman1979 wrote: »

How was I in 2013?? I don’t get you!!

Well ,it was a similiar enough year . did u manage not feeding the ewes then too?

stantheman1979

I can’t remember 2013 but I do know that this is the first year I’ve EVER had to feed meal to ewes at grass. We’ve always had plenty of grass saved this year is proving the exception though

Bleating Lamb

stantheman1979 wrote: »

We lambed the B-team ( old girls on they’re last year, ewes that have a yellow card prolapse lame etc) on Feb 1st and the main flock 4th March. The early ones are doing really well getting 1lb meal at grass. Not much growth out so main flock getting 1.5lbs. First time in my life I’ve had to give ewes meal after lambing. Sickening!!

Not sure where you live but you must have good dry fertile ground.....here in the wilds of the NW (Leitrim) it's commonplace with say a Mid March lambing flock that you'd have to supplement them with nuts for at least a month after lambing....even if you have grass...their is no real 'power' in it alone to feed a ewe and her lambs.

stantheman1979

I live on the Waterford/wexician border. Yeah we’d have good dry ground but are very heavily stocked. Cattle would all be in in November and most of the sheep at Christmas so generally have a good bite for them after lambing

wrangler

charolais0153 wrote: »

Well ,it was a similiar enough year . did u manage not feeding the ewes then too?

We didn't have to feed after lambing in 2013, but grass ran out after three weeks with us in 2012 and had to feed some of the early march ewes for a short while.
Later lambers (post 20 march) had enough
That's the only feed post lambing since 2000 until this year.
We never had to feed so much meal as this year

sheepfarmer92

We never feed sheep and lambs out on grass either, only the hoggets and their lambs,
Have a lot of ewes and lambs at grass and didnt start feeding yet as afraid of mismothering in bunches of 2 to 300 ewes, will start nxt week if no improvement as saved grass is starting to disappear

Dickie10

i wouldnt worry to much at feeding meal to ewes with doubles on them. im feeding ewes with doubles once a day and 12 ewes rearing triplets get 0.5 kg morn and evening . lambs have ad lib meal in creep. there on poor enough grass. its a false economy not to throw them meal at this time of year in this weather. keep them moving and thriving and hopefully a lot gone by july 1st. i give sheep the priority in spring as they leave most profit. i finish heifers off grass too but sure they money isnt in them as much so sheep get the priority

sheepfarmer92

Dickie10 wrote: »

i wouldnt worry to much at feeding meal to ewes with doubles on them. im feeding ewes with doubles once a day and 12 ewes rearing triplets get 0.5 kg morn and evening . lambs have ad lib meal in creep. there on poor enough grass. its a false economy not to throw them meal at this time of year in this weather. keep them moving and thriving and hopefully a lot gone by july 1st. i give sheep the priority in spring as they leave most profit. i finish heifers off grass too but sure they money isnt in them as much so sheep get the priority

I finish heifers too, similar to yourself all they do is keep the grass right for the lambs, i will probably start the snacker after the weekend, wanted to give them a week to settle before i start

arctictree

I find the problem with feeding ewes in the field is that the ones that need it most generally get the least due to all the pushing and shoving at feeding time. The stupid feckers will nearly kill each other at one trough when the next one is nearly free! I've had to bring a few back in for special attention as they were just getting weaker and weaker. Hopefully the grass will arrive soon! I have a field just about ready for them but don't want to put then in too early. Only a few days now...

Dickie10

im the same put urea out 13 days ago its green with a bite but needs mild weather to burst out

Green farmer

Temperatures are getting milder next week, hoping for an improvement once this rain clears tomorrow.

kk.man

Only one hogget left!....delighted but some Spring

charolais0153

kk.man wrote: »

Only one hogget left!....delighted but some Spring

Same here. One yearling left. Shes not too far away either

stantheman1979

3 yearlings and 20 horny’s but they work away themselves. They’re unbelievable sheep been outside on a bare I mean bare field being checked twice a day and so far 82 of them have 131 lambs only lost 3 between them!! Always have they’re lambs with them.

sheepfarmer92

stantheman1979 wrote: »

3 yearlings and 20 horny’s but they work away themselves. They’re unbelievable sheep been outside on a bare I mean bare field being checked twice a day and so far 82 of them have 131 lambs only lost 3 between them!! Always have they’re lambs with them.

Have a few hornys here too lambed outside, great mothers, father has 170 of them on an outfarm and hasnt lambed a single one yet lost one ewe and 2 lambs only 6 or 7 of them.left, make ya wonder all the work that goes into the main flock of ewes indoors!

Ard_MC

sheepfarmer92 wrote: »

Have a few hornys here too lambed outside, great mothers, father has 170 of them on an outfarm and hasnt lambed a single one yet lost one ewe and 2 lambs only 6 or 7 of them.left, make ya wonder all the work that goes into the main flock of ewes indoors!

What type of hornys do ye run? And what you crossing them with?

sheepfarmer92

Ard_MC wrote: »

What type of hornys do ye run? And what you crossing them with?

My father keeps the hornys theyre Lanark and mayo crosses, few perth ones aswell but i wouldnt care for them, he buys a few hundred every year and kills the biggest half of them, keeps the best to breed ewe lambs from
Cross with 3 lairg nc cheviots, make lovely ewes, about a 1000 of my ewes are made up of them, rest are older mules and belclare crosses,
i use mainly easycares on them now and find them very good

stantheman1979

We’ve 100 mainly Lanark and Mayo crosses and a few Kerry. This is the first year lambing them. Only got them to breed a few mules as were increasing numbers. Crossed with border leicester and belclare rams Finding them very good, tough and excellent mother’s. Will definitely keep more of them next year. Relatively trouble free and have lost a lot less lambs than the ones in the shed who were watched 24/7

Dickie10

id love to see a few pictures of those

charolais0153

stantheman1979 wrote: »

We’ve 100 mainly Lanark and Mayo crosses and a few Kerry. This is the first year lambing them. Only got them to breed a few mules as were increasing numbers. Crossed with border leicester and belclare rams Finding them very good, tough and excellent mother’s. Will definitely keep more of them next year. Relatively trouble free and have lost a lot less lambs than the ones in the shed who were watched 24/7

Where did u source the ewes

stantheman1979

Mostly from mayo.I don’t like the mayo but the Lanark is a great cross on them puts a bit of size on them and they have cleaner whiter wool.

Lambman

Any pics off the belclare ram x horney lambs? Sounds an interesting mix.

Green farmer

"sheepfarmer92 wrote: »

make ya wonder all the work that goes into the main flock of ewes indoors!

I’ve come to the same conclusion. Hardy ewes that do all the work themselves. Better with a plain alive lamb in sept to sell then a dead show winner in April.

DJ98

Lambman wrote: »

Any pics off the belclare ram x horney lambs? Sounds an interesting mix.

Lambed some of them ewes here this year, all had two lambs and were excellent mothers, only thing they lack is size as when we bred them we used mayo ewes which are quite small and a belclare ram that lacked size, but overall they are a very good cross i find.

Lambman

DJ98 wrote: »

Lambman wrote: »

Any pics off the belclare ram x horney lambs? Sounds an interesting mix.

Lambed some of them ewes here this year, all had two lambs and were excellent mothers, only thing they lack is size as when we bred them we used mayo ewes which are quite small and a belclare ram that lacked size, but overall they are a very good cross i find.

That's what I was expecting was the lack off size till be honest... as said here before I bought old horned ewes this year till breed replacements from bought swaledale ewes mostly and a BEL ram lamb till produce the original mule... lambing going well so far lost 2 ewes though 1 put out the lamb bed the other had 2 dead lambs in her bar that never lost a lamb... they scanned poorly so have a lot of singles which are big lambs but hasn't till touch a ewe lambing yet... bit disappointed in the amount off black on the lambs face and legs... I was hoping for more white faces with specs off black but it's the other way about.

Lambman

DJ98 wrote: »

Lambman wrote: »

Any pics off the belclare ram x horney lambs? Sounds an interesting mix.

Lambed some of them ewes here this year, all had two lambs and were excellent mothers, only thing they lack is size as when we bred them we used mayo ewes which are quite small and a belclare ram that lacked size, but overall they are a very good cross i find.

That's what I was expecting was the lack off size till be honest... as said here before I bought old horned ewes this year till breed replacements from bought swaledale ewes mostly and a BFL ram lamb till produce the original mule... lambing going well so far lost 2 ewes though 1 put out the lamb bed the other had 2 dead lambs in her bar that never lost a lamb... they scanned poorly so have a lot of singles which are big lambs but hasn't till touch a ewe lambing yet... bit disappointed in the amount off black on the lambs face and legs... I was hoping for more white faces with specs off black but it's the other way about.

serfspup

10 days into 220 ewes half way through and going surprisingly well.today was the first time i had to feed lambs the ewe had big bottle tits,she cost me an extra 20 minutes today and will be taking up a small pen for several days:mad: and going for and Indian dinner in the autumn.I will not retain her daughter either even though the ewe is old I don't need the hastle and this trait is highly hereditable

Ard_MC

Green farmer wrote: »

I’ve come to the same conclusion. Hardy ewes that do all the work themselves. Better with a plain alive lamb in sept to sell then a dead show winner in April.

Plus 1! Walkin round lambin with my hands in my pockets with these mayo ewes and some lambin Suffolk!

Green farmer

Ard_MC wrote: »

Plus 1! Walkin round lambin with my hands in my pockets with these mayo ewes and some lambin Suffolk!

The lads in New Zealand think we’re cracked. pampering sheep, having to pull every second lamb and life in the lambing sheds 24/7.

Ard_MC

Green farmer wrote: »

The lads in New Zealand think we’re cracked. pampering sheep, having to pull every second lamb and life in the lambing sheds 24/7.

Yah..i have 20 in the shed this year and they will be gone this back end. And 30 of the mayos got in their place. Ok i wont be hittin top prices but costs are less and lifestyle is alot better. Its only a hobby for me to be fair so i am not dependin on them to live. Works for me but not for everyone.

Green farmer

Ard_MC wrote: »

Yah..i have 20 in the shed this year and they will be gone this back end. And 30 of the mayos got in their place. Ok i wont be hittin top prices but costs are less and lifestyle is alot better. Its only a hobby for me to be fair so i am not dependin on them to live. Works for me but not for everyone.

Gone down the road of Lleyns here for that reason. Would just as happily try NZ Romney’s as well. I want the sheep to as much of the work as possible and not me.

mcgiggles

Green farmer wrote:

Gone down the road of Lleyns here for that reason. Would just as happily try NZ Romney’s as well. I want the sheep to as much of the work as possible and not me.

We're going towards lleyns too. Bought a few hoggets last year to see how they are. Late with ram so not due for a fortnight or so yet. Gorgeous looking ewes they are. Think the 10 or so we got were on the small side but will be definitely getting more for next year!

DJ98

Is there a bog difference in the lleyn and the belclare?
What about mules?

Green farmer

DJ98 wrote: »

Is there a bog difference in the lleyn and the belclare?
What about mules?

There’s so many variation amongst both breeds, hard to answer. But Lleyns might not be as prolific but are hardier with better feet imo. Belclare might be that but more docile. you’ll also find rubbish in both breeds ,but I like the Lleyns

charolais0153

Green farmer wrote: »

There’s so many variation amongst both breeds, hard to answer. But Lleyns might not be as prolific but are hardier with better feet imo. Belclare might be that but more docile. you’ll also find rubbish in both breeds ,but I like the Lleyns

More couples with lleyns which has its advantages.

On another point would a belclare ram put to a texel ewe be a better alternative to pure belclare and the associated jump in prolifacy?

Siamsa Sessions

Saw a few 4-5 week old lambs with mucky backsides this evening. They’re out of a Charollais ram and doing well overall - tis just the black a*ses!

Would it worth doing a FEC test now? Are they too young to dose? Would we be better off waiting til they’re nearer to 6-8 weeks old and FEC then?

Thanks.

(Tis going to be a long year!)

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Saw a few 4-5 week old lambs with mucky backsides this evening. They’re out of a Charollais ram and doing well overall - tis just the black a*ses!

Would it worth doing a FEC test now? Are they too young to dose? Would we be better off waiting til they’re nearer to 6-8 weeks old and FEC then?

Thanks.

(Tis going to be a long year!)

They're young for worms, might be coccidiosis at that age.
Its caused by mucky conditions around creep feeders, troughs etc

Siamsa Sessions

wrangler wrote: »

They're young for worms, might be coccidiosis at that age.
Its caused by mucky conditions around creep feeders, troughs etc

Tis still fairly mucky around here alright.

Would coccidiosis mean bloody or very black rear ends (blood mixed with poo)?

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Tis still fairly mucky around here alright.

Would coccidiosis mean bloody or very black rear ends (blood mixed with poo)?

Sounds like it, thankfully don't get it here, better to talk to vet,

Ard_MC

Green farmer wrote: »

Gone down the road of Lleyns here for that reason. Would just as happily try NZ Romney’s as well. I want the sheep to as much of the work as possible and not me.

Mines run on the worse mountain every knowin for 6 to 8 months of the yr depending on weather.