Mortality rates

kay 9 · 30-03-2019 09:27PM #1

Hi all, up to this year couldn't complain but thank fook I've only 2 left to drop this year.
30% Mortality rate which is disgusting to be mild.
I've done everything but sleep out with them.
Mule ewes given a nc cheviot as was last year.
I'm considering getting rid of the lot and changing to an entirely different breeding regime.
You name it, I've experienced it this year. Anyone else had a bad one

Mac Taylor · 30-03-2019 10:10PM

kay 9 wrote: »

Hi all, up to this year couldn't complain but thank fook I've only 2 left to drop this year.
30% Mortality rate which is disgusting to be mild.
I've done everything but sleep out with them.
Mule ewes given a nc cheviot as was last year.
I'm considering getting rid of the lot and changing to an entirely different breeding regime.
You name it, I've experienced it this year. Anyone else had a bad one

We had a similar issue last year, turned out even though we were giving them minerals after discussing with vet we changed our regime re minerals, might be worth having a discussion with your vet before doing anything too radical.

kk.man · 30-03-2019 10:25PM

kay 9 wrote: »

Hi all, up to this year couldn't complain but thank fook I've only 2 left to drop this year.
30% Mortality rate which is disgusting to be mild.
I've done everything but sleep out with them.
Mule ewes given a nc cheviot as was last year.
I'm considering getting rid of the lot and changing to an entirely different breeding regime.
You name it, I've experienced it this year. Anyone else had a bad one

Didn't have a great 1 either. Lamb about a week old out in shed just died. Vet says it could be the heart.
I lived with them for last 3 weeks too. Had a bad scan which didn't help, I've put that down to the drought last year.

wrangler · 30-03-2019 10:30PM

kay 9 wrote: »

Hi all, up to this year couldn't complain but thank fook I've only 2 left to drop this year.
30% Mortality rate which is disgusting to be mild.
I've done everything but sleep out with them.
Mule ewes given a nc cheviot as was last year.
I'm considering getting rid of the lot and changing to an entirely different breeding regime.
You name it, I've experienced it this year. Anyone else had a bad one

Have you any reasons for such a high mortality, mule cross cheviot shouldn't be hard lambed

razor8 · 30-03-2019 11:23PM

kay 9 wrote: »

Hi all, up to this year couldn't complain but thank fook I've only 2 left to drop this year.
30% Mortality rate which is disgusting to be mild.
I've done everything but sleep out with them.
Mule ewes given a nc cheviot as was last year.
I'm considering getting rid of the lot and changing to an entirely different breeding regime.
You name it, I've experienced it this year. Anyone else had a bad one

What are the main issues?

Weak lambs?
Ewes with no milk?
Abortions?

With a high scanning rate I would imagine 10% is acceptable but would be aiming for 5% imo

charolais0153 · 30-03-2019 11:23PM

As in 30 lambs in every 100 died?
Lambimg went great until march. Had 75 odd ewes lambed with less than 10 dead lambs but after march must of lost 20+lambs in the remaining 30. No ewes lost this year though

razor8 · 30-03-2019 11:27PM

When people are counting dead lambs are you counting everything?

Absorbed lambs
Still born?

Or just ones you could of saved?

Bleating Lamb · 30-03-2019 11:29PM

Doing ok as regards lamb losses but have had two in lamb ewes put out their insides,found dead in morning in each case,so not after they were fed nuts.Ewes are in v good condition so should I put it down to that?

wrangler · 30-03-2019 11:44PM

razor8 wrote: »

When people are counting dead lambs are you counting everything?

Absorbed lambs
Still born?

Or just ones you could of saved?

Losses are counted from scanning to weaning, I think 10 - 12% would be average

arctictree · 31-03-2019 12:01AM

12.5% losses here. Not too happy with it. About half of those are ewes running dry in the field.

wrangler · 31-03-2019 12:06AM

arctictree wrote: »

12.5% losses here. Not too happy with it. About half of those are ewes running dry in the field.

6 -8% would be our target but I refuse to work out this years

razor8 · 31-03-2019 12:08AM

wrangler wrote: »

Losses are counted from scanning to weaning, I think 10 - 12% would be average

Agreed it should be bUt I imagine most people don’t but curious to be proved wrong.
Lots of lads tell you they never lost a lamb

Western Pomise · 31-03-2019 12:16AM

razor8 wrote: »

Agreed it should be bUt I imagine most people don’t but curious to be proved wrong.
Lots of lads tell you they never lost a lamb

Know a man with 200+ ewes,reckoned he lost 4 lambs last year.....now that’s some record!.....

Anyone any theory on my ewes putting out innards?....neither was within a week of lambing,outside in good grass.

charolais0153 · 31-03-2019 12:21AM

wrangler wrote: »

6 -8% would be our target but I refuse to work out this years

Really? Seems almost unachievable?
Under 15% is acceptable. Doubt its ever gone below 12% ever here:/
Scan around 2.0

stantheman1979 · 31-03-2019 12:47AM

We had a bad enough scan compared to other years but things went reasonably well. Lost 8 lambs from the first 200 February lambing ewes. I couldn’t count how many from the main bunch. Could be up on 80 off 1000 ewes. Lost 3 month old lambs with black leg even though they are vaccinated. The ewe hoggs and hornys are lambing at the minute and they have been a breeze so far. Hornys outside working away themselves and ewe lambs have in general lambed themselves. Have lost a few ewes with uterine prolapses which we never had but had a dog attack which killed 8 so I’m putting it down to that.

stantheman1979 · 31-03-2019 12:50AM

charolais0153 wrote: »

Really? Seems almost unachievable?
Under 15% is acceptable. Doubt its ever gone below 12% ever here:/
Scan around 2.0

The so called experts reckon 5% ewes and 8-10 lambs is the target

ganmo · 31-03-2019 01:36AM

stantheman1979 wrote: »

The so called experts reckon 5% ewes and 8-10 lambs is the target

5% of ewes would be a lot

wrangler · 31-03-2019 08:03AM

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

Doing ok as regards lamb losses but have had two in lamb ewes put out their insides,found dead in morning in each case,so not after they were fed nuts.Ewes are in v good condition so should I put it down to that?

When we had 500 + ewes we'd have one or two every year, I just used to put it down to texels being texels, never saw a pedigree vendeen do it and they'd be a lot fatter

wrangler · 31-03-2019 08:07AM

ganmo wrote: »

5% of ewes would be a lot

Grass tetany would be the problem here but apart from that we would't lose many, it definitely wouldn't be near 5%

farming93 · 31-03-2019 08:47AM

Going well this year with me . I'm lambing them outside this year due to work commitments, I just find it handier. The vast majority of scanned twins have twins at foot now I lost about 6 or seven twin lambs, mainly as still births . I lost a powerful two week old lamb to what I presume was a fox the other day which was a twin . About 8 ewes left to lamb due in the next week then it's a three week break till the hoggets start. I've a pet ewe with triplets in a field by herself and one of her lambs just comes running up to me for a bottle once a day now which keeps the pressure off the ewe

Lambman · 31-03-2019 05:15PM

Havent had a great year either despite my best ever scanning. Lost a ewe till mastitis 3 weeks after lambing which left behind 2 pet lambs... Lost a few charrlois lambs at the start that lambed outside @140 days and the cold and wet killed them. All singles lambed grand no losses. Didn't work out twins or trips but roughly 14% maybe more as a couple off twins ended up trips (my fault scanned too late). Horned ewes going well so far all lambing outside 32 lambed 45 lambs living lost 3 lambs 2 were twins they were born tiny. Horned ewes scanned 150% so delighted with them hadn't my hand near one yet.

FarmerDougal · 31-03-2019 05:43PM

Lambman wrote: »

Havent had a great year either despite my best ever scanning. Lost a ewe till mastitis 3 weeks after lambing which left behind 2 pet lambs... Lost a few charrlois lambs at the start that lambed outside @140 days and the cold and wet killed them. All singles lambed grand no losses. Didn't work out twins or trips but roughly 14% maybe more as a couple off twins ended up trips (my fault scanned too late). Horned ewes going well so far all lambing outside 32 lambed 45 lambs living lost 3 lambs 2 were twins they were born tiny. Horned ewes scanned 150% so delighted with them hadn't my hand near one yet.

What ram did you use on horn ewes?

OneMan37 · 31-03-2019 09:27PM

kay 9 wrote: »

Hi all, up to this year couldn't complain but thank fook I've only 2 left to drop this year.
30% Mortality rate which is disgusting to be mild.
I've done everything but sleep out with them.
Mule ewes given a nc cheviot as was last year.
I'm considering getting rid of the lot and changing to an entirely different breeding regime.
You name it, I've experienced it this year. Anyone else had a bad one

I changed a few things this year, like a Mineral Bolus etc but also forgot to vaxinate However so far my lambing has been much better than previous years I run all Belclare cross ewes. One big change is a prayerful intervention, but I'm guessing no one wants to hear about that.

OneMan37 · 31-03-2019 09:46PM

Western Pomise wrote: »

Know a man with 200+ ewes,reckoned he lost 4 lambs last year.....now that’s some record!.....

Anyone any theory on my ewes putting out innards?....neither was within a week of lambing,outside in good grass.

To fat, from my experience, Bolus ewes and run on grass and no supplement feeding up until 3/4 weeks be4 lambing then introduce nuts, as recommended. Building up to about 250g Singles. 1Ib doubles and close to 750g to 1kg triplets. No hay or silage needed or reduce nuts depending on other feed amount.

kk.man · 31-03-2019 09:58PM

OneMan37 wrote: »

To fat, from my experience, Bolus ewes and run on grass and no supplement feeding up until 3/4 weeks be4 lambing then introduce nuts, as recommended. Building up to about 250g Singles. 1Ib doubles and close to 750g to 1kg triplets. No hay or silage needed or reduce nuts depending on other feed amount.

You must have some land...or an eco climate or both.

This year for grass growth and mildness are not normal. If feeding so little meal I be very afraid of twin lamb disease.

wrangler · 31-03-2019 10:08PM

kk.man wrote: »

You must have some land...or an eco climate or both.

This year for grass growth and mildness are not normal. If feeding so little meal I be very afraid of twin lamb disease.

+1
If ewes were overfat , they were overfat before meal feeding started,
Something like 70% of a lambs body weight is put on in the last six weeks hence it's very hard to get the ewe to put on fat in those weeks.
They'd have to be on good grass to survive on those rates of concentrates

OneMan37 · 31-03-2019 10:15PM

kk.man wrote: »

You must have some land...or an eco climate or both.

This year for grass growth and mildness are not normal. If feeding so little meal I be very afraid of twin lamb disease.

True this year was different. But if you have young enough ewes, then you don't need them fat or in great condition to lamb down, all you need is mid sized lambs and ewes with milk. Both of which can be achieved by feeding ewes well only in late pregnancy. I've had fat ewes leading into lambing before and pulling lambs and pushing out the red broke my heart.

I also pray to diseased Holy souls and promise them masses if lambing goes V well or they help it go well, and I keep that promise to them when it all runs smoothly.

Lambman · 01-04-2019 08:35PM

Bought a 3yr old crossing Leicster and he's with horned ewes ran a texel then after 5 weeks but he didn't tip anything. Jeez but there hardy lambs I lost 2 charrlois @ 4 days old on a bad bad night the same night 2 horned ewes had 3 lambs outside couldn't catch them in the morning. I know the ram lambs won't be worth much but hopefully the surplus ewe lambs will sell well till make up for it.

kay 9 · 02-04-2019 01:09PM

wrangler wrote: »

Have you any reasons for such a high mortality, mule cross cheviot shouldn't be hard lambed

No reasons. Can't understand it tbh

kay 9 · 02-04-2019 01:10PM

razor8 wrote: »

What are the main issues?

Weak lambs?
Ewes with no milk?
Abortions?

With a high scanning rate I would imagine 10% is acceptable but would be aiming for 5% imo

Lambs coming wrong was the main reason thinking back

kay 9 · 02-04-2019 01:11PM

charolais0153 wrote: »

As in 30 lambs in every 100 died?
Lambimg went great until march. Had 75 odd ewes lambed with less than 10 dead lambs but after march must of lost 20+lambs in the remaining 30. No ewes lost this year though

30 in the 100 yes. It's crazy

Mortality rates

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