Lambing 2017

Username John · 02-03-2017 04:32PM

Green farmer wrote: »

Can cows colostrum be used on lambs ???

I wouldn't rely solely on it, but if you're caught and you have some, I'd give it to them...

But, I'd think you'd want to get ewe colostrum into em as well, both for nutrition and antibodies...

But - all of that is only my own thinking, not based on anything scientific, and I could be totally wrong

(This is the internet after all I pose)

joe35 · 02-03-2017 04:45PM

I was at the better beef programme and there was a talk about colostrum for calves so I'd say same for sheep. If no colostrum try and obtain some within the herd/flock. If not get alternative source, and last was to use powdered colostrum. 1. Use another ewe from your flock
2. Use a cow from your own here
3. Get colostrum from another herd/flock
4. Use powdered colostrum.
She said different farms would have different antibodies in colostrum. Even in neighbouring farms but any is better than none

rangler1 · 02-03-2017 04:46PM

mcgiggles wrote: »

think someone on here said before that cows colostrum is better than no colostrum

I'd rate it better than the bought colostrum, but maybe it has improved since years ago when i used it, I'd always be trying to get some off newly lambed singles to mix with cows colostrum for the heptavac antibodies

razor8 · 02-03-2017 05:19PM

Something I observed on a few occasions. How much milk is too much to take from a single ewe.

Ive had cases where maybe the ewes own lamb got joint ill or watery mouth and I always related this back from milking a ewe out for colostrum or maybe I ended up fostering a lamb onto the single ewe but I've taken all the good colestrum away

Anyone else found this?

rangler1 · 02-03-2017 05:56PM

razor8 wrote: »

Something I observed on a few occasions. How much milk is too much to take from a single ewe.

Ive had cases where maybe the ewes own lamb got joint ill or watery mouth and I always related this back from milking a ewe out for colostrum or maybe I ended up fostering a lamb onto the single ewe but I've taken all the good colestrum away

Anyone else found this?

Never had that, you'd be hoping the ewe would produce colostrum quick enough for one lamb according as he wants it.
You'd wonder what antibodies are in cows milk to suit a lamb, but I wouldn't associate any more incidence of diseases in them either, but I'm happier if they get some ewes colostrum in it

rangler1 · 02-03-2017 08:44PM

Had a weird one this morning, ewe with a head out, I got the head back in easy enough, but couldn't sort the two lambs, they really stuck together and wouldn't come without the other, so headed for the vet, she had to resort to ceasaren after about 15 mins and like myself she could see no reason for the difficulties..... anyway we got a result, 2 live lambs and live ewe and she's feeding them as well.
Both myself and the vet was expecting the lambs to be stuck together.....weird one

ganmo · 02-03-2017 10:32PM

Sami23 wrote: »

Query on Oxytocin, does it only work to let down milk directly after lambing or can it b used on a ewe lambed since Saturday who appears to b low on milk for her twins ?
Tia

Ya oxytocin can be used...but it's strange that she's not lettin down milk. Was she sucked much?

About the colostrum-ya cows colostrum is better than most of the powdered stuff.

If you had another ewe with oodles of milk after lambing (within 12hours) I'd give the lamb a sick off her.

Sami23 · 03-03-2017 07:40AM

ganmo wrote: »

Sami23 wrote: »

Query on Oxytocin, does it only work to let down milk directly after lambing or can it b used on a ewe lambed since Saturday who appears to b low on milk for her twins ?
Tia

Ya oxytocin can be used...but it's strange that she's not lettin down milk. Was she sucked much?
.

Yeah the 2 lambs are constantly sucking her but starting to look a bit hungry.
I offered them a made up bottle of frisky yesterday evening but they wouldn't drink it.

rangler1 · 03-03-2017 08:09AM

Sami23 wrote: »

Yeah the 2 lambs are constantly sucking her but starting to look a bit hungry.
I offered them a made up bottle of frisky yesterday evening but they wouldn't drink it.

it's best to leave her with one now, she's obviously not able to feed them, have you any singles coming near lambing for adoption.
I wouldn't be surprised if she's not able to feed even one

Sami23 · 03-03-2017 09:19AM

rangler1 wrote: »

Sami23 wrote: »

Yeah the 2 lambs are constantly sucking her but starting to look a bit hungry.
I offered them a made up bottle of frisky yesterday evening but they wouldn't drink it.

it's best to leave her with one now, she's obviously not able to feed them, have you any singles coming near lambing for adoption.
I wouldn't be surprised if she's not able to feed even one

Actually had a single yesterday evening with loads of milk.
What would be the best way to adopt one of the lambs on to her or is it too late as in would I have needed to do it at lambing time ?

MeTheMan · 03-03-2017 10:01AM

Sami23 wrote: »

Actually had a single yesterday evening with loads of milk.
What would be the best way to adopt one of the lambs on to her or is it too late as in would I have needed to do it at lambing time ?

Would need to be done at landing time for any chance of it working. If you have them scanned it makes it easier to. You'll need to catch as much lambing fluid as you can in a bucket. Make sure the new ewe isn't having more then one. Soak the lamb in the fluid (better chance of adoption of you wash the lamb in warm salty water first) tie one front leg to opposite back leg and replace the legit single with the adoption lamb for maybe five minutes or so. Put back in the legit lamb and remove the tieing on the legs and cross your fingers!!

Keep a tight eye on her. It can all look great after doing this but an hour later and she may take a disliking to them. It very hit and miss.

Anyone else more to add to help success rate. Have 17 triplets and 17 singles laming this year would be nice to have 34 twins instead!! Alto had 12 triplets last year, 8 were raised by the ewe 1 had a side gone but done most the raising amazingly 1 rejected one of the triplets 1only had twins (scanners mistake) and 1 little fella died. Was happy enough with that.

rangler1 · 03-03-2017 10:14AM

MeTheMan wrote: »

Would need to be done at landing time for any chance of it working. If you have them scanned it makes it easier to. You'll need to catch as much lambing fluid as you can in a bucket. Make sure the new ewe isn't having more then one. Soak the lamb in the fluid (better chance of adoption of you wash the lamb in warm salty water first) tie one front leg to opposite back leg and replace the legit single with the adoption lamb for maybe five minutes or so. Put back in the legit lamb and remove the tieing on the legs and cross your fingers!!

Keep a tight eye on her. It can all look great after doing this but an hour later and she may take a disliking to them. It very hit and miss.

Anyone else more to add to help success rate. Have 17 triplets and 17 singles laming this year would be nice to have 34 twins instead!! Alto had 12 triplets last year, 8 were raised by the ewe 1 had a side gone but done most the raising amazingly 1 rejected one of the triplets 1only had twins (scanners mistake) and 1 little fella died. Was happy enough with that.

Take off the tieing and give the lamb time to stand and suck before putting back her own lamb or another 5 mins if he doesn't want to suck
We get 90% success with that system,

MeTheMan · 03-03-2017 11:23AM

rangler1 wrote: »

Take off the tieing and give the lamb time to stand and suck before putting back her own lamb or another 5 mins if he doesn't want to suck
We get 90% success with that system,

Must do it that way. Had it in my head that the ewe would be busy cleaning her lamb while the adopted one sucked.

mcgiggles · 03-03-2017 11:34AM

We have a home-made adoption crate that we've used twice and has worked twice.. Once with a single lamb from a completely different farm, and one where the mother rejected the first after the second was born.. might be a bit more hassle than catching the fluid and all that but at least you can leave them and not worry about her dunting them.. took about a week or so of them being in it

Sami23 · 03-03-2017 12:22PM

MeTheMan wrote: »

Would need to be done at landing time for any chance of it working. If you have them scanned it makes it easier to. You'll need to catch as much lambing fluid as you can in a bucket. Make sure the new ewe isn't having more then one. Soak the lamb in the fluid (better chance of adoption of you wash the lamb in warm salty water first) tie one front leg to opposite back leg and replace the legit single with the adoption lamb for maybe five minutes or so. Put back in the legit lamb and remove the tieing on the legs and cross your fingers!!

Keep a tight eye on her. It can all look great after doing this but an hour later and she may take a disliking to them. It very hit and miss.

Anyone else more to add to help success rate. Have 17 triplets and 17 singles laming this year would be nice to have 34 twins instead!! Alto had 12 triplets last year, 8 were raised by the ewe 1 had a side gone but done most the raising amazingly 1 rejected one of the triplets 1only had twins (scanners mistake) and 1 little fella died. Was happy enough with that.

Thanks very much for that detailed response.

rangler1 · 03-03-2017 12:59PM

MeTheMan wrote: »

Must do it that way. Had it in my head that the ewe would be busy cleaning her lamb while the adopted one sucked.

No she'd forget him, you need her well bonded to the adopted before reintroducing her own lamb.
We've just done three adoptions here this morning, one on a ewe that was 24hrs lambed.
Best to use a glove and lubricant, put your hand into her gently as if you were lambing her, keep manipulating her same as lambing her and she eventually starts licking her lips like in lambing. . Take the hand out a few times and rub the prepared tied lamb with the fluids, she will eventually lick your hand when you put it to her nose. If she licks your hand she'll lick the lamb. Take her own lamb away and let them bond

mcgiggles · 03-03-2017 03:00PM

Looking for some opinions here lads.. Have a ewe that had gotten slight prolapse during pregnancy, put a donut on her and she was fine. She didn't have it last year, lambed 2 fine lambs. She was expecting triplets this year, lambed all 3 down no problem at all, the lambs were small but strong and lively within the hour. I know some lads would get rid of ewes that had prolapse, would it be more prevalent in ewes expecting trips? We're tempted to keep her, it all went 100% apart from the prolapse..

Green farmer · 03-03-2017 03:15PM

Slight prolaspes this year, means even bigger one next year. Get rid to factory and don't keep any offspring as replacements . Learned the hard way here.

arctictree · 03-03-2017 03:19PM

In general you should get rid of them but its up to you really. If you have 500 ewes its best to define your cull policy and stick to it. If you have 50, its easier to give ewes individual attention and a great mother with a small prolapse could be forgiven.

I had ewe lamb that prolapsed while giving birth. I kept her and she didn't prolapse the following year. Year 3 (this year) she prolapsed again.

mcgiggles · 03-03-2017 03:41PM

arctictree wrote: »

If you have 50, its easier to give ewes individual attention and a great mother with a small prolapse could be forgiven.

That's what I was thinking myself Arctictree, we have only small numbers yet (just got up to 40 there a few weeks ago).

Green farmer wrote: »

Slight prolaspes this year, means even bigger one next year. Get rid to factory and don't keep any offspring as replacements . Learned the hard way here.

We're not planning on keeping any offspring from our own ram anyways. We may keep some of the lambs from the in-lamb hoggets we bought a few weeks ago.. but definitely none of our own. Will see how we get on. We've one or 2 to get rid of this year, were planning for 3 or 4 so she may get the cut yet.

rangler1 · 03-03-2017 05:56PM

mcgiggles wrote: »

That's what I was thinking myself Arctictree, we have only small numbers yet (just got up to 40 there a few weeks ago).

We're not planning on keeping any offspring from our own ram anyways. We may keep some of the lambs from the in-lamb hoggets we bought a few weeks ago.. but definitely none of our own. Will see how we get on. We've one or 2 to get rid of this year, were planning for 3 or 4 so she may get the cut yet.

prolapse harnesses are so successful now that prolapses aren't the problem they used to be,, We had a ewe prolapsed with triplets last year that didn't do it this year with a double, so I too am more forgiving than i used to be

charolais0153 · 03-03-2017 06:00PM

Such **** weather
We had to bring in a couple that are a fortnight old. One of them won't straighten his neck and stays stretched out. Infuriating

razor8 · 03-03-2017 06:25PM

Check his neck for a bite mark, seen lambs like this after a unsuccessful fox attempt at catching it

Username John · 03-03-2017 06:32PM

razor8 wrote: »

Check his neck for a bite mark, seen lambs like this after a unsuccessful fox attempt at catching it

Yeah, we had the same years at home. Lamb never straightened his neck after it, and the head stayed looking to the side. He went away fat afterwards...

arctictree · 03-03-2017 07:11PM

You'd think a fox should have no trouble catching a young lamb. I'm surprised more aren't taken.

mcgiggles · 03-03-2017 08:17PM

Well the f**kn ewe just lay on one of the trips.. himself is raging so she may get the chop after all. Weather is so rank!!!

charolais0153 · 03-03-2017 09:56PM

No its hypothermia fifty fifty now. Damb charolais lambs

charolais0153 · 03-03-2017 10:22PM

charolais0153 wrote: »

No its hypothermia fifty fifty now. Damb charolais lambs

How do lads warm the lambs up

IH784man · 03-03-2017 10:25PM

Heat lamp

jd06 · 03-03-2017 10:31PM

Where online would I get a prolapse harness.
None stocked round here

Lambing 2017

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