General sheep thread

Siamsa Sessions · 05-04-2019 4:22pm

Had a ewe drown in a drain today and she had two strong 3-week old lambs. What’s their best chance: survive on their own outside or put them inside with the pet lambs and try get them going on the bucket/teat?

wrangler · 05-04-2019 4:50pm

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Had a ewe drown in a drain today and she had two strong 3-week old lambs. What’s their best chance: survive on their own outside or put them inside with the pet lambs and try get them going on the bucket/teat?

It will be very difficult to get them to drink milk but they won't survive at three weeks outside either, we'd usually try to get them going with the pets, even if they won't suck the creep is better than grass for them

Siamsa Sessions · 05-04-2019 5:12pm

wrangler wrote: »

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Had a ewe drown in a drain today and she had two strong 3-week old lambs. What’s their best chance: survive on their own outside or put them inside with the pet lambs and try get them going on the bucket/teat?

It will be very difficult to get them to drink milk but they won't survive at three weeks outside either, we'd usually try to get them going with the pets, even if they won't suck the creep is better than grass for them

Sound. Thanks for that. Will try them on the teat anyway. The other pets are going well on the creep so hopefully that will help their new comrades

Buford T. Justice XIX · 05-04-2019 6:52pm

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Had a ewe drown in a drain today and she had two strong 3-week old lambs. What’s their best chance: survive on their own outside or put them inside with the pet lambs and try get them going on the bucket/teat?

I'd always bring them in and separate from the rest. Feed them with a bottle twice a day with no other access to water. They catch on in a day or two though you will still have to catch them to feed them for a while. After that, into the pets and check they're feeding every day.

Lambman · 05-04-2019 8:29pm

Artictree do u rubber tails at birth or later? Seen the uncle doing lambs near a month old and alot took joint ill.

kk.man · 05-04-2019 9:07pm

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Had a ewe drown in a drain today and she had two strong 3-week old lambs. What’s their best chance: survive on their own outside or put them inside with the pet lambs and try get them going on the bucket/teat?

I had a ewe drop dead last year her lambs were a month old. I put them in a small sheltered paddock with my last hogget that lambed. I fed them creep in a trough. They weren't long eating the meal. They turned out good lambs. Had to feed them for a few weeks. Alot easier than bottling them.

arctictree · 05-04-2019 10:28pm

Lambman wrote: »

Artictree do u rubber tails at birth or later? Seen the uncle doing lambs near a month old and alot took joint ill.

Tail them at 1 day old.

I think the tail falling off could be the source of infection.

arctictree · 05-04-2019 10:34pm

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Had a ewe drown in a drain today and she had two strong 3-week old lambs. What’s their best chance: survive on their own outside or put them inside with the pet lambs and try get them going on the bucket/teat?

I'd go against the others advice and just leave them with the flock. If the lambs are strong they tend to rob a suck off the other ewes and will take a pick of grass too.

I had twins last year who's dam died at 20 days. They survived and sold them in the Mart later in the year.

I have a lamb this year that I took off the ewe at 3 weeks (her milk stopped) and put with the pets. It has no interest in the milk but is grazing away. It's very light but over the worst now I think. It's 6 weeks old now.

DJ98 · 08-04-2019 1:26pm

Have a few ewes that lost there lambs out in the field, would people cull these ewes or just let them run dry until next year considering they had lambs and lambed ok, 2 and 3 yr old ewes

Westernrock · 08-04-2019 1:48pm

DJ98 wrote: »

Have a few ewes that lost there lambs out in the field, would people cull these ewes or just let them run dry until next year considering they had lambs and lambed ok, 2 and 3 yr old ewes

Cull them, they still lost their lambs and I would blame the ewes for the lambs dying unless you have strong evidence to suggest they died from something out of the ewes control (clostridial etc).

ganmo · 08-04-2019 1:53pm

Westernrock wrote: »

Cull them, they still lost their lambs and I would blame the ewes for the lambs dying unless you have strong evidence to suggest they died from something out of the ewes control (clostridial etc).

I'd be the other way round, if you can directly blame the ewe give her gate

Westernrock · 08-04-2019 2:02pm

ganmo wrote: »

I'd be the other way round, if you can directly blame the ewe give her gate

Often have people asking would I know why a ewe/cows lambs/calves died and when I question them they will remark how they found them dead at a similar stage the previous year! So I tend to say they’re will be enough problems without keeping problems! Some of these problems at a few weeks can go back to poor colostrum etc.

ganmo · 08-04-2019 2:12pm

Westernrock wrote: »

Often have people asking would I know why a ewe/cows lambs/calves died and when I question them they will remark how they found them dead at a similar stage the previous year! So I tend to say they’re will be enough problems without keeping problems! Some of these problems at a few weeks can go back to poor colostrum etc.

my way of thinking is give them the benifit of the doubt for the first loss because it's most likely just bad luck but after the second time its no longer bad luck

Dickie10 · 08-04-2019 2:23pm

could it be selenium deficancy causing white muscle disease? I lost two lambs from one ewe pretty sure its wmd with one the other found dead. its a big problem in drought stricken areas as selenium seems to be depleated in soil during drought. did you suffer badly from drought this summer?

Westernrock · 08-04-2019 3:35pm

Dickie10 wrote: »

could it be selenium deficancy causing white muscle disease? I lost two lambs from one ewe pretty sure its wmd with one the other found dead. its a big problem in drought stricken areas as selenium seems to be depleated in soil during drought. did you suffer badly from drought this summer?

Be interested in knowing more about this, is there excess selenium taken up by the plant during the drought when it’s stressed that depleted the soil reserve? I know there was a lot of selenium toxicity in horses this winter in the drought areas and it was put down to high levels in forage I think...

Dickie10 · 09-04-2019 3:38pm

the lamb i had seems to have all the symtoms defiinitly not joinnt ill anyway. white muscle disease can also affect heart muscles so they get a heart attack, selenium is vital for muscle development. could 30 years before we see a drought like that again though. but i have taken the descion to bolus ewes before mnating

MeTheMan · 09-04-2019 7:57pm

Have two lambs here with what I think is joint ill. One is managing OK with it. His front legs are slightly bent but he can get around. The other lad is very bad. Was an improvement after a few injections but he's gone backways. Now he can't really stand and only walks(more like a shaky shuffle) a few feet. Might it be something else that's effecting him?

Dickie10 · 09-04-2019 9:41pm

if it was wite mucscle disease he would be down on all four legs within 24 hrs

MeTheMan · 09-04-2019 9:47pm

Usually a few days of noroclav clears it up. This lad might just be weak in the muscles from lack of movement.

Lambman · 10-04-2019 6:53pm

Anybody any experience breeding mules? Bought aged horned ewes mostly swaledale x Lanark and a crossing blue Leicster ram over half way through lambing now getting the nicely marked faces but dissappointed in the amount off black wool I'm getting throughout the body. Just spoils the look off them in my opinion. I'd see through it if it was mayo type ewes that would have a bit of black through the wool on themselves but these ewes haven't even a spot off black on them.

MeTheMan · 10-04-2019 7:57pm

I'm no expert on breeding but I find the black spots go off them after a few months. We have a few kerry Hills here and there lambs would have a black spot here or there but it's gone by a few months old.

Lambman · 10-04-2019 8:31pm

Ah good stuff metheman... Just spoils the look off them that's all got a good strike a ewe lambs outta them so will be selling some at the back end again.

razor8 · 10-04-2019 9:26pm

Lambman wrote: »

Anybody any experience breeding mules? Bought aged horned ewes mostly swaledale x Lanark and a crossing blue Leicster ram over half way through lambing now getting the nicely marked faces but dissappointed in the amount off black wool I'm getting throughout the body. Just spoils the look off them in my opinion. I'd see through it if it was mayo type ewes that would have a bit of black through the wool on themselves but these ewes haven't even a spot off black on them.

Any pictures?

Lambman · 12-04-2019 9:20am

I dunno how till post pics on here razor? Do u need till do it from computer or iPad?

DJ98 · 12-04-2019 9:13pm

At what age should lambs recieve there first worm dose?

wrangler · 12-04-2019 9:26pm

DJ98 wrote: »

At what age should lambs recieve there first worm dose?

The first worms of the season are nematodirus, I don't think they've arrived yet, there'll be a warning on the 'Journal' when they hatch, anything over 4 weeks of age should be dosed then. they usually arrive from mid april on
Just looked up darren Carthy on the journal there and they're advising dosing in some areas already , A neighbour is after getting bad Coccidiosis in his lambs so be watching for that too

Young95 · 12-04-2019 10:02pm

Any one much experience with blue de maine sheep? Thinking of crossing a blue ram with few of my Lynn ewes to breed replacements

kk.man · 12-04-2019 10:56pm

Young95 wrote: »

Any one much experience with blue de maine sheep? Thinking of crossing a blue ram with few of my Lynn ewes to breed replacements

I have 1 ewe. She is small but a great mother and has twins every year. Very easy handle too but I think they are all small. Good conformation. She lambs unaided.

Bullocks · 13-04-2019 10:29am

Anyone know can you dose ewes with bimectin plus? I have a bit left over from the cows. I have an old bottle of bimectin aswell but could be out of date! Would it be any good think?

390kid · 14-04-2019 12:43pm

Lamb here born a week now is after losing power in both his back legs? Got off to a troubled start but is flying on the bottle and still is but can’t stand on his back legs? Any solution or idea to fix it or at least wat caused it?

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