General sheep thread

We'd take them in order of fitness. Rams, dry hoggets, singles and then doubles.

My doubles were the easiest done this year, with one thing or another it was 2 or 3 weeks before I got to them

Farmers have no interest in testing, we're doing it here twenty years and used to be regularily brought up at farm walks by teagasc, yet we are where we are,

Blame can not be laid at the public services in this case for a change.

Plenty of farmers have triple resistance in Ireland too, and some are selling it into other flocks in their breeding hoggets

Yup, I test, if I hadn't I wouldn't have known the ewes needed no dosing and would have dosed them for non existing liver fluke. Lambs were borderline for strongyle so did them as had to do for cocci anyway. I remember talking to a bunch of farmers last year, the consensus was they hadn't time to be doing that testing. The local vet offers the testing service, Teagasc (as much as I disagree with them on other things) have had testing in sheep farmers faces since STAP at least.

We always put cobalt sulphate in the worm dose with no ill effects

what weight would you guys draft lambs still on ewes for the factory at ?

Have few single lambs April born time which are sorta 41 to 43kgs live weight.
charlaois x lambs. No concentrates fed.

thanks.

Watch the live weight of lambs straight from the field. They'd have a full belly of grass in them. So they're probably on 38/39 kgs.

I try and get to 45 if no meal. But the could drop 30 cent in a week, so you never know

I got them tested again today. It’s 3 weeks since they were last tested and 10 weeks since they had the white dose. 550 was the count so will give them a yellow dose.

The first lot of lambs went to the factory this week, hopefully there won’t be too many overweight in 3 weeks when next lot can go.

Chanaverm but any of the Levamisole doses should be the same.

anyone any experience of Romney ewes? I was thinking of buying a ram to breed replacement. Want a flock of ewes to lamb outside with minimal shepherding from early April to early may . Would’ve half breed romneys do a job? Many people here that lamb outside in mid April mostly let them at it? I’d need ewes not scanning high and mostly 1.5 to 1.0 lamb per ewe I’d imagine. It would need to be very low input on labour and feed to be worthwhile

I bought broken mouth westie ewes, with lambs at foot, the past 2 years.

All lambed outside no major problems.

I'd do it every year only I'm afraid of buying in resistance. I found them great value, but was only doing it as I was short in numbers.

I ran a Romney tup last year so I've about 20 lovely hoggets to go to a Charlie ram this year. If I think of it I'll let you know how they do

I have run a dorset ram the past few years. This year I assisted 2 ewes out of 43. One was because I was going to a match and the other was a huge lamb. I like to let the ewes get on with it and usually just check them 3 times a day whilst working from home. The odd day during lambing I had to go to Dublin and they were only checked twice.

For your job though I'd be looking at easycares. I joined the easycare whatsapp group out of interest and I think that's how I'll go with some of my flock. They are seriously low Input.

is a zolvix dose on its own not enough? What’s the idea of the yellow too ?

CCompletely agree farmers wont do as advised. Prefer to blame so.eone else