Lambing going wrong !!

Green farmer · 19-03-2017 02:47PM

arctictree wrote: »

Been great weather this side of the country for the last week. Forecast is not good for putting out lambs for the coming week though. I find that a field with good shelter is best if possible.

awful rain here Friday afternoon / evening and overnight. Stayed wet Saturday and heavy mist this morning and now. Meant to dry later though.

cattle man · 19-03-2017 08:32PM

Green farmer wrote: »

lost three lambs here from the weather since Friday. All half twins. Must have been severely weakened and grey crow finished em off. Weather effect anyone else ?

Picked up 3 lambs today same as you all half twin not dead but very weak. Serious rain here last night. Very hard on stock.

arctictree · 19-03-2017 08:58PM

cattle man wrote: »

Picked up 3 lambs today same as you all half twin not dead but very weak. Serious rain here last night. Very hard on stock.

How old were they? I would think that once over 2 weeks old they should be able to handle nearly anything....

rangler1 · 19-03-2017 09:25PM

arctictree wrote: »

How old were they? I would think that once over 2 weeks old they should be able to handle nearly anything....

Two weeks...we're trying to keep them in 5 days in this weather and it needs a massive amount of shed space, must've been 70 or 80 lambs born since friday and nothing let out

cattle man · 19-03-2017 10:15PM

arctictree wrote: »

How old were they? I would think that once over 2 weeks old they should be able to handle nearly anything....

They would have been a week old. Don't have the room to keep them in much longer that 2-3 days. Let some out today first lambs out since Friday.

cattle man · 19-03-2017 10:16PM

rangler1 wrote: »

Two weeks...we're trying to keep them in 5 days in this weather and it needs a massive amount of shed space, must've been 70 or 80 lambs born since friday and nothing let out

I'm finding the group pins a disaster ewes not content in them always looking for lambs.

rangler1 · 19-03-2017 10:27PM

cattle man wrote: »

I'm finding the group pins a disaster ewes not content in them always looking for lambs.

Yea, same here, have them divided into pens of six ewes plus lambs in 12ft by 15ft and even at that there's chaos, Friday and saturday night here was very wet

cattle man · 19-03-2017 10:44PM

rangler1 wrote: »

Yea, same here, have them divided into pens of six ewes plus lambs in 12ft by 15ft and even at that there's chaos, Friday and saturday night here was very wet

Ya it does be hard to manage.

Are you supplementing ewes and lambs outside. I'm feed one bunch of ewes and lambs as grass was getting tight and I'm waiting to move them to another farm.
Every time they see me now they go mad.

Other bunches are on good grass and much more settled getting no meal.

Green farmer · 19-03-2017 11:18PM

You'd be asking yourself are they better inside with the risk or picking up disease or, better outside when you've grass. Weather up to Thursday was lovely outside for them, also find the air in the shed gets very damp in this weather

rangler1 · 20-03-2017 12:24AM

cattle man wrote: »

Ya it does be hard to manage.

Are you supplementing ewes and lambs outside. I'm feed one bunch of ewes and lambs as grass was getting tight and I'm waiting to move them to another farm.
Every time they see me now they go mad.

Other bunches are on good grass and much more settled getting no meal.

I give them meal when they're in small bunches for a couple days after going out but no meal from 6 or 7 days lambed.......I would rather let the grass run out on them and then go with meal, bunches here are too big to feed meal to until the lambs are a month old at least

rangler1 · 20-03-2017 08:38AM

Green farmer wrote: »

You'd be asking yourself are they better inside with the risk or picking up disease or, better outside when you've grass. Weather up to Thursday was lovely outside for them, also find the air in the shed gets very damp in this weather

They're better in really, wet grass doesn't have the power to drive the milk, and coupled with higher demand from lambs due to weather leads to casualties

Sheep breeder · 20-03-2017 08:38AM

Had a ewe yesterday 6 weeks lambed get bad mastitis in the same quarter as last year and at lambing had no milk in this quarter and only hard,
Anybody come across this before??

rangler1 · 20-03-2017 08:43AM

Sheep breeder wrote: »

Had a ewe yesterday 6 weeks lambed get bad mastitis in the same quarter as last year and at lambing had no milk in this quarter and only hard,
Anybody come across this before??

Don't really understand your post but if one of mine got mastitis last year, she wouldn't be here now.
I don't do everything right either, lost a ewe yesterday with grass tetany that got it last year but got over it. she mustn't have liked the Hi Mag buckets.
Just show you that we have to cull hard

kk.man · 20-03-2017 03:02PM

Just trying to read between the lines here..what age do u leave the lambs out given our inclement weather?
I left lambs a week old out all night last night but i got up at 3am n it was not nice9...so i was regretting it...
From 3 days old they r let out by day here ...but its adding to the work load bringing them in

Early part of this week not great too.

rangler1 · 20-03-2017 05:34PM

kk.man wrote: »

Just trying to read between the lines here..what age do u leave the lambs out given our inclement weather?
I left lambs a week old out all night last night but i got up at 3am n it was not nice9...so i was regretting it...
From 3 days old they r let out by day here ...but its adding to the work load bringing them in

Early part of this week not great too.

Wednesday/Thursdays lambs are gone out full time today so here's hoping, The pens they came out from are full again so they can't go back

Green farmer · 20-03-2017 07:23PM

Cold winterly showers here again. Fingers crossed the ewes do their jobs and shelter the lambs the best they can from it. Went around today and nailed some old pallets to fences around field to create little wind breakers. Nervous night ahead I think.

mcgiggles · 20-03-2017 09:50PM

Lads what's the most humane way to put down a lamb? Less than 5 days old. He's the one I mentioned before that got himself stuck under a board and stopped using his hind legs. Vet gave him a steroid shot and something else and said if he's not right in 3 days to put him down. It's such a shame he's a gorgeous lamb and even with the injury is lively and strong as anything. Apart from the fact he is literally dragging his back legs behind him :-( feel like I should make one of those doggie wheelchairs :-)

ganmo · 20-03-2017 10:11PM

A bullet. It's not nice but it's quick

arctictree · 20-03-2017 11:37PM

Ah lads, bring him down to the vet. They shouldn't charge that much for a quick shot to the heart.

Bleating Lamb · 20-03-2017 11:40PM

Terrible hail showers here all evening,ewes lambing out here so crossing fingers and toes that there aren't many born during the night,got two sets of twins and a single born safe during last night,which was very wet.

mcgiggles · 21-03-2017 09:39AM

arctictree wrote:

Ah lads, bring him down to the vet. They shouldn't charge that much for a quick shot to the heart.

I was thinking the same.

razor8 · 21-03-2017 03:22PM

mcgiggles wrote: »

I was thinking the same.

And lose another one when your away? into a bucket of water here, not nice

Willfarman · 23-03-2017 03:43AM

Tried the bucket of water once but found it rough and slow. A shot to the head is the most instant.

Jack180570 · 24-03-2017 09:43PM

Vet

Green farmer · 31-03-2017 08:01AM

About 80% of flock lambed here. The one thing that has stood out this year is the amount of 1/2 twins I've lost, due to ewes lambing and appearing to be busy with one lamb that the other lambs bag hasn't burst and suffocated.
Another one overnight. Very frustrating. Experienced ewes and all.

razor8 · 31-03-2017 10:01AM

Green farmer wrote: »

About 80% of flock lambed here. The one thing that has stood out this year is the amount of 1/2 twins I've lost, due to ewes lambing and appearing to be busy with one lamb that the other lambs bag hasn't burst and suffocated.
Another one overnight. Very frustrating. Experienced ewes and all.

Have you lick buckets with them?

rangler1 · 31-03-2017 10:27AM

Green farmer wrote: »

About 80% of flock lambed here. The one thing that has stood out this year is the amount of 1/2 twins I've lost, due to ewes lambing and appearing to be busy with one lamb that the other lambs bag hasn't burst and suffocated.
Another one overnight. Very frustrating. Experienced ewes and all.

there has to be an underlying reason for that, a ewe would never get up quick enough to stop a lamb suffocating, they have to be able kick it off themselves.
I'd suspect the lambs are born dead, often see a ewe having no interest in a deadborn lamb. Only last night I tried to adopt a lamb, tied him up and he just lay there, no fight, and the ewe had no interest and he covered in her fluids, yet when I cut the cable ties she was all about him

Green farmer · 31-03-2017 10:43AM

That might be it lads, I just don't know , has me baffled. It's the number one killer here this year. I sent a few to the labs and no virus found. The lab report said suspected asphyxia. I don't have the lick buckets in with them , but I'll change that and put some in today. They're on the meal and straw only diet, so I thought they'd be getting enough vitamins from that. They'll all fully grown strong lambs . Thought it might have settled as lambing progressed. I'll just drive on and see what falls out in the wash.

kk.man · 31-03-2017 11:44AM

Green farmer wrote: »

About 80% of flock lambed here. The one thing that has stood out this year is the amount of 1/2 twins I've lost, due to ewes lambing and appearing to be busy with one lamb that the other lambs bag hasn't burst and suffocated.
Another one overnight. Very frustrating. Experienced ewes and all.

I am going to add my tuppence worth...maybe I am wrong....
This happened to me years ago and an auld lad up.the road gave me a great tip which I never forgotten and still works...
Grab that lamb by the two hond legs and swing it vigorous from side to side for about 30 sec ...it will clear the lungs of any mucus..put a small capful of water in its ears also..you see life then

Green farmer · 31-03-2017 11:49AM

Do that here myself, without the water in the ear, but all these lambs are ones I find the following morning. I'd be here until late at night, but when I'd arrive at 7.30 the following morning, you'd find them, but cannt be here 24 hrs a day. Frustrating really. Just a big issue here this year. Should add Lab said suspected aphexia, Because everything else was negative.

Lambing going wrong !!

Comments