Wintering replacement ewe lambs

Siamsa Sessions

Don’t usually keep replacements here but have 25 ewe lambs this year running around the place that won’t be going to the ram til August.

We’ve no space to put them in and what grass we have is needed for the ewes when they lamb in January. Once there’s a bit of growth in March, they’ll be grand but tis from now til then is the issue.

So, just wondering what others do with theirs to keep them ticking over?

Ard_MC

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Don’t usually keep replacements here but have 25 ewe lambs this year running around the place that won’t be going to the ram til August.

We’ve no space to put them in and what grass we have is needed for the ewes when they lamb in January. Once there’s a bit of growth in March, they’ll be grand but tis from now til then is the issue.

So, just wondering what others do with theirs to keep them ticking over?

Get 0.5kg of intensive lamb here and running about a bit of rough grazing. Get a few fluke doses over the winter and maybe a worm dose. Also got a mineral drench.

Wont get hay unless there's snow on the ground.

wrangler

Ard_MC wrote: »

Get 0.5kg of intensive lamb here and running about a bit of rough grazing. Get a few fluke doses over the winter and maybe a worm dose. Also got a mineral drench.

Wont get hay unless there's snow on the ground.

Sheep would need webbed feet on our land this year, I was just saying to OH this was the sort of weather that pushed me into putting up the tunnel in 2012,
The last few days the ewes were out ,we'd put them into a paddock and within a couple of hours they were back at the gate and a dirty paddock, they were dirtying it before grazing it

kk.man

Ard_MC wrote: »

Get 0.5kg of intensive lamb here and running about a bit of rough grazing. Get a few fluke doses over the winter and maybe a worm dose. Also got a mineral drench.

Wont get hay unless there's snow on the ground.

Plus one except mine not getting ration till January thru to march and only get 0.3 kgs max.

Green farmer

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

So, just wondering what others do with theirs to keep them ticking over?

Oats are very cost effective to carry them over the winter. Think sheep and oats work well together.

jd06

Green farmer wrote: »

Oats are very cost effective to carry them over the winter. Think sheep and oats work well together.

Rolled oats...... ? What price are rolled oats. I normally feed a ewe and lamb nut but I might try oats

wrangler

Green farmer wrote: »

Oats are very cost effective to carry them over the winter. Think sheep and oats work well together.

Scientifically it's high fibre low energy feed and shouldn't work, yet it punches way above it's weight as a sheep feed......... as you said they work well together.
What about minerals.

Would've loved to put it in three in one feeder only it tends to be expensive

Green farmer

jd06 wrote: »

Rolled oats...... ? What price are rolled oats. I normally feed a ewe and lamb nut but I might try oats

They sell oats as 20kg bags vs 25kg bags for meal, but oats are a more bulky product. A bag is €4.50 atm, so considerably less than meal. As wrangler says, for some reason sheep do well on it. If their out on rough grazing as well, then they'll be getting minerals etc from the hedges and off bits of grass or some silage if you had it. . After nearly poisoning sheep on barley here before, oats just seem like a safer product.

kk.man

Green farmer wrote: »

They sell oats as 20kg bags vs 25kg bags for meal, but oats are a more bulky product. A bag is €4.50 atm, so considerably less than meal. As wrangler says, for some reason sheep do well on it. If their out on rough grazing as well, then they'll be getting minerals etc from the hedges and off bits of grass. After nearly poisoning sheep on barley here before, oats just seem like a safer product.

I never thought of oats tbh. I think its a good idea. However like wrangler said they need energy in cold and damp weather and some barley to make up for poor grass at this time of year.
I'm buying lamb ration at 260 e per ton bulk collected and they don't eat or need alot. At 0.3 kgs per day for 2.5 months it won't break the bank. Mine got that last year and I averaged 172 é per head in hogget sales. But I would certainly consider mixing oats with the ration.
Have you tried oats in the past and how did it go?

Green farmer

I used it last winter. It mightnt be the best for fattening, but found it kept a good healthy shine on dry stock. Nice and slow release. Meal was fair expensive last year as well. I remember paying €310 a tonne, with a take it or leave it attitude, so the oats just provided a reasonable alternative. Dont know why, but oats and sheep just work well together.

Siamsa Sessions

Thanks for all the replies.

I'll enquire about oats in the local merchant and maybe mix it with a nut/ration. Just trying to work out numbers now:

* 0.3kg/day for 80 days = 24kg (approx. 1 x 25kg bag each)

* If the ration/oats mix averages 6.50 per 25kg bag (260/tonne), and they get a bag each, then it'd be 162.50 for the 25 of them

Not huge money in fairness. Especially when the Journal said sheep farmers incomes are going to jump in 2020!!! Factory prices will stay the same apparently but feed and fertiliser costs are expected to drop.

Ard_MC

wrangler wrote: »

Sheep would need webbed feet on our land this year, I was just saying to OH this was the sort of weather that pushed me into putting up the tunnel in 2012,
The last few days the ewes were out ,we'd put them into a paddock and within a couple of hours they were back at the gate and a dirty paddock, they were dirtying it before grazing it

Ah ground here is light as we call it. U wouldn't have much soil so not the best! Probably make more out of a quarry going by last night's prime time!

Mind you, I am toying with the idea of a tunnel for lambing, I am working and the Dad is getting old very quickly lately so think it would be save me more time to house the ewes in the run up to lambing.

Tunnel idea is reading about yours on here.

wrangler

Ard_MC wrote: »

Ah ground here is light as we call it. U wouldn't have much soil so not the best! Probably make more out of a quarry going by last night's prime time!

Mind you, I am toying with the idea of a tunnel for lambing, I am working and the Dad is getting old very quickly lately so think it would be save me more time to house the ewes in the run up to lambing.

This is it's eighth year now and polythene still perfect and you know all the snow, storms etc we've had in those eight years, frame is either aluminium or galvanised so everlasting (nearly)

Ard_MC

wrangler wrote: »

This is it's eighth year now and polythene still perfect and you know all the snow, storms etc we've had in those eight years, frame is either aluminium or galvanised so everlasting (nearly)

It's only a hobby here and can't bring myself to bury thousands in concrete for 100 ewes. Have requested info from someone advertising tunnels on DD but am waiting to hear back.

wrangler

Ard_MC wrote: »

It's only a hobby here and can't bring myself to bury thousands in concrete for 100 ewes. Have requested info from someone advertising tunnels on DD but am waiting to hear back.

A friend is in the same position trying to decide will he continue with the hardship, get out or spend money, he has a good Job and works hard on it and is valued there.Tthe wife is asking do we really need them,

Ard_MC

wrangler wrote: »

A friend is in the same position trying to decide will he continue with the hardship, get out or spend money, he has a good Job and works hard on it and is valued there.Tthe wife is asking do we really need them,

That last sentence, I can relate to! Herself here wants them gone and doesn't get the hobby taking so much time. Causes alot of picture and no sound evenings for me!!

wrangler

Ard_MC wrote: »

That last sentence, I can relate to! Herself here wants them gone and doesn't get the hobby taking so much time. Causes alot of picture and no sound evenings for me!!

If you were drinking it'd be worse...... or would it

Ard_MC

wrangler wrote: »

If you were drinking it'd be worse...... or would it

Might be cheaper!!

Dickie10

Com Warren Pollytunnels trim co.meath, excellent work

Siamsa Sessions

Dickie10 wrote: »

Com Warren Pollytunnels trim co.meath, excellent work

Do they have a website? Or any pictures?

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Do they have a website? Or any pictures?

Mine is a Colm warren, eighth season now, very good tunnel

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/polytunnel-is-a-low-cost-speedy-option-on-sheep-farm-163974

Siamsa Sessions

wrangler wrote: »

Mine is a Colm warren, eighth season now, very good tunnel

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/polytunnel-is-a-low-cost-speedy-option-on-sheep-farm-163974

Very impressive all round. Up in 3 weeks is fair clipping too.


We won't be doing it this year but there's an old silage pit clamp with 10-foot high walls that I'd like to turn into a shed.


I'm guessing you can get just a roof too, can you? And attach it onto the walls similar to the 2-foot ones you put up?

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Very impressive all round. Up in 3 weeks is fair clipping too.


We won't be doing it this year but there's an old silage pit clamp with 10-foot high walls that I'd like to turn into a shed.


I'm guessing you can get just a roof too, can you? And attach it onto the walls similar to the 2-foot ones you put up?

He makes the hoops himself so I'd imagine he'd make it to suit.
I went for a tunnel because of the quick construction and teh fact I knew I wasn't going to be farming much longer, I might've gone for a shed if I was your age, sheds are very very expensive now though.
That one is high spec with aluminium holding the galebreaker and polythene, he also does cheaper spec with timber along the sides and no gutters.
I also had a tunnel by the same maker that provides the sheep tunnel in the ploughing, it was demolished by the wind the same day as the sheep tunnel in the ploughing ........says it all really

Siamsa Sessions

wrangler wrote: »

I might've gone for a shed if I was your age,

I'm 43 now and reckon I'll be farming for another 20 years before retirement to the sun someplace!

Have a shed-building man coming to look at repairing the roof/gutters of another shed so I might ask to price covering the old silage pit too.

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

I'm 43 now and reckon I'll be farming for another 20 years before retirement to the sun someplace!

Have a shed-building man coming to look at repairing the roof/gutters of another shed so I might ask to price covering the old silage pit too.

That's what I'd try first too,

148multi

jd06 wrote: »

Rolled oats...... ? What price are rolled oats. I normally feed a ewe and lamb nut but I might try oats

Whole oats, funny thing is land that suits oats also suits sheep, this is not necessarily the better land.

wrangler

jd06 wrote: »

Rolled oats...... ? What price are rolled oats. I normally feed a ewe and lamb nut but I might try oats

There's not enough energy, protein or minerals in Oats for the last two months of pregnancy, you need a 18 -20% protein ewe raition.
Plenty of Oats in ewe rations too

jd06

wrangler wrote: »

There's not enough energy, protein or minerals in Oats for the last two months of pregnancy, you need a 18 -20% protein ewe raition.
Plenty of Oats in ewe rations too

I'm sorry I meant feeding the replacement ewes the rolled oats!