General sheep thread

Mind the tax if she has an off farm job also. We looked at splitting the farm years ago but anything herself would bring in would be handed to revenue.

Yea, we leased the last 2 years. All our land is rented in, so difficult to know if we should buy as we might not have the ground in the future.

Thanks for the replies

Were the ewes vaccinated.

Seizures would be a symptom of tetanus

With just the last few to lamb, lambing has went well with the weather a big improvement on the last 2 years.

The ewes were being fed a 20% ewe and lamb nut for 3 weeks before lambing but they are usually just on grass after lambing.

Only issue is slower grass growth. Most ewes were lambed outside and moved to a new paddock after lambing. The only paddock I have left for the last lambers has low amount of grass.


I was considering feeding the bigger cob style nut to the last batch of ewes with not enough grass for 10 days. I have never used them before. Is there any issue with the cob size if a lamb was trying to eat it? I guessing they would be too young to be interested in eating them.

Also, is there any issue with feeding them on the ground in a field that fertiliser spread recently?

what are people using for watery mouth in lambs ? Had one here this year and died , is it poor quality ewe colostrum is the main reason for it ?

anyone worried a bout grass tetany with ewes gone on good grass. Are ye feeding them meal a bit still or leaving out mag buckets

Have taken a piece of land recently that comes with commonage access. I have ewes currently grazing the commonage on the home farm but have kept some horned ewe lambs that I had planned to sell but am I now thinking I could use them to graze this new commonage ground. Would it be gone too late to put them out on it and try feeding them to stay local or should it have been done earlier?

Try her with ivy. If not eating ivy there's feck all chance for her

We always put the hoggets to the hill in early May when grass starts to grow. Putting them out earlier makes them harder to settle. They keep walking to feed

lambing finished on Sunday night in the middle of the masters.
very successful lambing. Over 90 ewes lambed in 2 weeks. Don’t use the ram effect this year but had 3 rams with the ewes.
only lost 4 lambs in all of lambing. 1 smothered in its own bag, 2 were triplets that was scanned as a double and wasn’t fed accordingly. One lamb lost out in field after a week.
no pet lambs although 2 still being adopted on ewes who are a bit sceptical.
one of the easiest beat lambing.
I had them wintered on a bit of new ground u til a week before lambing and they were in great condition coming in.

Over for another year thankfully

Poor lambing here, fox is taking all round him, lads say they can't get close enough to shoot him.

If you know where his regular paths are then snaring/trapping is an option. I've have found it to be effective for lamp shy foxes at this time of year myself over the years

The father had a maggots in a hogget yesterday. She had a dirty back end and it was before all this rain came.

Very early in the year for them, but just to let people know.

(Edit) He actually had 3 with maggots

I've been watching the fields closely after a few early loses to the fox. I have a good few blackies, I've the impression that they are happy once one lamb is at their feet, they don't seem to bothered about the second one. It's very annoying when you have all the work done, turn them out and the fox gets one.

That said I seem to have got on top of it with the use of this light:

https://www.countrylife.ie/shop/product/FoxLights-Predator-Deterrent/9085382?srsltid=AfmBOopBtwWndrAKr5o97k_a2w5jqMMfXnwT9mrlmi1ZsxZAezhL8gjD

Also using the OrlDen repellent that someone on here recommended on all the lambs

Anecdotal evidence here in NW that foxes 🦊 have never being as plentiful or well conditioned…..

Speaking to several farmers who have lost several lambs each and have got fellas out on the case.

Apparently a lot of foxes are being ‘fed treats’ now in the countryside in back gardens of non farming houses over the Winter…..which then further emboldens them when fresh lambs hit the ground.