General sheep thread

Young95 · 16-05-2021 10:19pm

White Clover wrote: »

Ya they're definitely lacking something. I'll have them in this week and I'll give a mineral drench too.

What age are the lambs ? You would think they’d get all mineral from sucking the ewes ?

White Clover · 16-05-2021 10:22pm

Young95 wrote: »

What age are the lambs ? You would think they’d get all mineral from sucking the ewes ?

Mid March onwards. We'd be on heavy ground that is high in molybdenum. Alot of minerals locked up or lacking. We'd go through minerals for fun to keep them right.

wrangler · 17-05-2021 6:46am

White Clover wrote: »

Mid March onwards. We'd be on heavy ground that is high in molybdenum. Alot of minerals locked up or lacking. We'd go through minerals for fun to keep them right.

Lambs are always eating the ditches here, I pass no re,arks on them, they just like something different. We'd have them well bolused here for minerals

k mac · 17-05-2021 10:31am

farawaygrass wrote: »

Ya notice them picking white thorn a good bit. Dosed them with cobalt last weekend. Bout a month ago they were mad at putting their heads through sheep wire and picking at old grass

Had i bugger of a lamb at the same here and he kept getting his head stuck then in the sheep wire.. thankfully seems to have stopped now, might be getting a bit of sense

Western Pomise · 17-05-2021 10:47am

Western Pomise wrote: »

Anyone watch any online sheep marts lately?.....or buy or sell stock?

Are ewes with lambs at foot as dear as ever?
What kind of trade are plain hoggetts for keeping for the Summer?

Hi all.
just bumping this.....has anyone seen ewes with lambs at foot or feeder hoggetts sold in last week or two online?.....heard from one man that ewes with lambs at foot are well back in price but he had only heard it second hand from someone who works in a Mart.

The lack of grass on a lot of farms is probably contributing to the drop in prices.People afraid to buy stock .

Thanks for any replies to anyone who has seen Hoggetts or ewes with lambs sold online lately.

Kevhog1988 · 17-05-2021 12:09pm

Western Pomise wrote: »

Hi all.
just bumping this.....has anyone seen ewes with lambs at foot or feeder hoggetts sold in last week or two online?.....heard from one man that ewes with lambs at foot are well back in price but he had only heard it second hand from someone who works in a Mart.

The lack of grass on a lot of farms is probably contributing to the drop in prices.People afraid to buy stock .

Thanks for any replies to anyone who has seen Hoggetts or ewes with lambs sold online lately.

see ewe and single at around 200/250 on donedeal.

Western Pomise · 17-05-2021 12:42pm

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

see ewe and single at around 200/250 on donedeal.

Thanks....tbh I don't pass much heed of prices up on donedeal, especially if stock are 'dear' as you will have fellas looking for London for middling stock as they have heard sheep are a good trade!:)

Mart prices reflect the reality on the ground much more accurately imo.

Tileman · 17-05-2021 1:35pm

Western Pomise wrote: »

Thanks....tbh I don't pass much heed of prices up on donedeal, especially if stock are 'dear' as you will have fellas looking for London for middling stock as they have heard sheep are a good trade!:)

Mart prices reflect the reality on the ground much more accurately imo.

All the sheep Mary’s are online. Just check in for 20 mins into a few as there are only a few lots in most Marts. At least I will see the quality

Kevhog1988 · 17-05-2021 5:30pm

Have a ewe that doesnt seem to be letting down milk since lambing this morning. Big bag on her. Gave the lambs colostrum and going to top up with a bottle later. Do ye give them a shot of oxytocin straight away or leave them 24 hrs to see if they come into milk first?

White Clover · 17-05-2021 5:32pm

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

Have a ewe that doesnt seem to be letting down milk since lambing this morning. Big bag on her. Gave the lambs colostrum and going to top up with a bottle later. Do ye give them a shot of oxytocin straight away or leave them 24 hrs to see if they come into milk first?

Is she very fat?

Kevhog1988 · 17-05-2021 5:38pm

White Clover wrote: »

Is she very fat?

Yep shed be the heaviest ewe we have

wrangler · 17-05-2021 6:28pm

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

Have a ewe that doesnt seem to be letting down milk since lambing this morning. Big bag on her. Gave the lambs colostrum and going to top up with a bottle later. Do ye give them a shot of oxytocin straight away or leave them 24 hrs to see if they come into milk first?

Oxytocin only works within hours of birth, ..... if it's going to work.

White Clover · 17-05-2021 6:29pm

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

Yep shed be the heaviest ewe we have

Probably fatty liver affecting her. I'd give 100ml/day of Ketovit/chanatol for a week to clear out the liver. They function better then.

Kevhog1988 · 17-05-2021 6:30pm

wrangler wrote: »

Oxytocin only works within hours of birth, ..... if it's going to work.

seem sot be starting to let some down now but topped lambs up anyway.

OneMan37 · 17-05-2021 9:20pm

Have 15 Hoggs scanned to lamb last few weeks but nothing. They were moved with difficulty and pushed onto a trailer a month or more ago. Must have pitched lambs ?

Kevhog1988 · 17-05-2021 9:28pm

OneMan37 wrote: »

Have 15 Hoggs scanned to lamb last few weeks but nothing. They were moved with difficulty and pushed onto a trailer a month or more ago. Must have pitched lambs ?

Theyd hardly all lose them?

Young95 · 17-05-2021 9:51pm

Folks I’m tagging my replacement hoggots this weekend with the eid tag set of the button tag and one normal tag . This year I’m also putting a coloured management disc in one of there ears with the tag . Just wondering which tag those the management discs suit best ? The button tag or the normal big visual tag ?

farawaygrass · 17-05-2021 10:11pm

Young95 wrote: »

Folks I’m tagging my replacement hoggots this weekend with the eid tag set of the button tag and one normal tag . This year I’m also putting a coloured management disc in one of there ears with the tag . Just wondering which tag those the management discs suit best ? The button tag or the normal big visual tag ?

One tip I’ll give you Is put a coloured management disc on both tags. Reason being Is if a sheep loses a tag then 50/50 chance the management tag will be gone too.
I use the Cormac management discs with their tags too and they fit either tag. Imagine it’d be the same across the board.

White Clover · 17-05-2021 10:24pm

farawaygrass wrote: »

One tip I’ll give you Is put a coloured management disc on both tags. Reason being Is if a sheep loses a tag then 50/50 chance the management tag will be gone too.
I use the Cormac management discs with their tags too and they fit either tag. Imagine it’d be the same across the board.

What way do you work the discs? I just use one colour for twin born ewe lambs and another colour for triplet born ewe lambs.

farawaygrass · 17-05-2021 10:39pm

White Clover wrote: »

What way do you work the discs? I just use one colour for twin born ewe lambs and another colour for triplet born ewe lambs.

Do you tag them at birth? I don’t tag till autumn time, and just put two of the same colour in each ear

White Clover · 17-05-2021 10:50pm

farawaygrass wrote: »

Do you tag them at birth? I don’t tag till autumn time, and just put two of the same colour in each ear

I just use a small management tag at a day old and tag permanently in the autumn.

farawaygrass · 17-05-2021 10:54pm

White Clover wrote: »

I just use a small management tag at a day old and tag permanently in the autumn.

Do the lambs ever lose them management tags?

White Clover · 17-05-2021 10:57pm

farawaygrass wrote: »

Do the lambs ever lose them management tags?

Rarely to be honest. If they lose one by the first dose, they still have their aerosol number on their side so I just retag then.

OneMan37 · 17-05-2021 11:58pm

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

Theyd hardly all lose them?

I think 2/3 out of the group of 16 lambed about 5 weeks ago and nothing since.

Kevhog1988 · 18-05-2021 12:00am

OneMan37 wrote: »

I think 2/3 out of the group of 16 lambed about 5 weeks ago and nothing since.

Could be on the next cycle. I think its every 17 days??

OneMan37 · 18-05-2021 1:19am

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

Could be on the next cycle. I think its every 17 days??

Highly doubt it, as I’ve another group that weren’t stressed all lambing in last few weeks. They were all running with the same ram, in one field. I separated them later.

razor8 · 18-05-2021 8:43am

OneMan37 wrote: »

Highly doubt it, as I’ve another group that weren’t stressed all lambing in last few weeks. They were all running with the same ram, in one field. I separated them later.

Blood tests will probably tell you they aborted

White Clover · 19-05-2021 11:05am

Any tips on dealing with an outbreak of orf in pet lambs inside? Never before had orf here, inside or outside.

Sami23 · 19-05-2021 12:11pm

White Clover wrote: »

Any tips on dealing with an outbreak of orf in pet lambs inside? Never before had orf here, inside or outside.

Tubby lick buckets

joe35 · 19-05-2021 4:48pm

Anyone know when would be the best time to put a dog in pup. TIA

J.O. Farmer · 19-05-2021 9:42pm

joe35 wrote: »

Anyone know when would be the best time to put a dog in pup. TIA

Round about the time she's in heat, roughly every 6 months.

After that how will it suit you if when she has them 9 weeks later.

Other than that time of year doesn't matter so much.

19-05-2021 9:57pm

I've a feeling that the lead ran out of my charollais ram's pencil. Only 1/3rd the way through and no char lamb for a few days now.

joe35 · 19-05-2021 10:04pm

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

Round about the time she's in heat, roughly every 6 months.

After that how will it suit you if when she has them 9 weeks later.

Other than that time of year doesn't matter so much.

Thanks farmer, how do you know when she's in heat.

I've to leave my dog down with a fella and I'm not leaving him there for 6 monthsðŸ˜.

He said he didn't know when she'd be round

charolais0153 · 19-05-2021 11:02pm

joe35 wrote: »

Thanks farmer, how do you know when she's in heat.

I've to leave my dog down with a fella and I'm not leaving him there for 6 monthsðŸ˜.

He said he didn't know when she'd be round

Other male dogs would be coming, shed be kicking herself more, blood dripping from her,

OneMan37 · 20-05-2021 9:20am

razor8 wrote: »

Blood tests will probably tell you they aborted

Vet doesn’t seem to know about blood test. But they were running with older ewes mid to late pregnancy. Maybe they weren’t getting enough meal due to competing with older ewes around feeding trough ? This could have impacted them adversely, they were on very poor (non existent) grass.

farawaygrass · 20-05-2021 7:17pm

I bought a well bred sheep dog a few years ago and would like to breed from her. I have never saw her once come in heat. Can you inject them to bring them cycling like cattle?

razor8 · 20-05-2021 9:01pm

OneMan37 wrote: »

Vet doesn’t seem to know about blood test. But they were running with older ewes mid to late pregnancy. Maybe they weren’t getting enough meal due to competing with older ewes around feeding trough ? This could have impacted them adversely, they were on very poor (non existent) grass.

Unless they were very thin it wouldn’t cause them to abort

If the vet doesn’t know about blood test for abortion then get a new vet

farawaygrass · 22-05-2021 7:51am

Bought hoggets last year and some are jumping walls. Have them separated as don’t want them to spoil the rest of the sheep. Wondering am I better off fattening them up and factorying them or sell them on for breeding again. They would be all sound for breeding and any person interested would be told before hand about their problem. But would anyone be interested in such sheep?

wrangler · 22-05-2021 9:52am

farawaygrass wrote: »

Bought hoggets last year and some are jumping walls. Have them separated as don’t want them to spoil the rest of the sheep. Wondering am I better off fattening them up and factorying them or sell them on for breeding again. They would be all sound for breeding and any person interested would be told before hand about their problem. But would anyone be interested in such sheep?

They'll probably settle after lambing, our hoggets that didn't lamb are a lot wilder than those with lambs
Can you summer them somewhere with sheep wire

farawaygrass · 22-05-2021 10:26am

wrangler wrote: »

They'll probably settle after lambing, our hoggets that didn't lamb are a lot wilder than those with lambs
Can you summer them somewhere with sheep wire

They lambed this spring (majority did-a few slipped lambs). I had them separated in a well wired field for about 3 weeks and gave them another chance with the main bunch this week and they jumped again after a few days.
I actually went through them there and 75% of them had the same flock tag number. The fella I bought off bought them as lambs off a few different farms. It must be in them. I’m leaning towards getting rid of them now as last thing I want is to spoil my own sheep.
I was leaning more towards buying breeding hoggets going forward but it’s it can be hit and miss with various different issues.
Maybe time to buy a nice maternal ram and breed my own again from next year

wrangler · 22-05-2021 10:34am

farawaygrass wrote: »

They lambed this spring (majority did-a few slipped lambs). I had them separated in a well wired field for about 3 weeks and gave them another chance with the main bunch this week and they jumped again after a few days.
I actually went through them there and 75% of them had the same flock tag number. The fella I bought off bought them as lambs off a few different farms. It must be in them. I’m leaning towards getting rid of them now as last thing I want is to spoil my own sheep.
I was leaning more towards buying breeding hoggets going forward but it’s it can be hit and miss with various different issues.
Maybe time to buy a nice maternal ram and breed my own again from next year

I thought they'd settle if ithey were fenced for a few weeks. best to get rid so.
I like breeding our own here and it was good when we had a big number, but it's awakward now in a small flock.
All my ewes are fifth generation doubles and I can honestly say it doesn't guarantee higher prolificacy. you'll improve the lamb crop better with good management at mating

farawaygrass · 22-05-2021 11:26am

I left them in a field beside the yard(very bare, no grass at all)while I brought in the rest and low and behold they are gone into another field with a nice cover! Definitely have my mind made up now!

OneMan37 · 22-05-2021 11:34am

farawaygrass wrote: »

I left them in a field beside the yard(very bare, no grass at all)while I brought in the rest and low and behold they are gone into another field with a nice cover! Definitely have my mind made up now!

What breed mix are they. My Hilltex are quiet but Charollais cross lambs are wired.

Young95 · 22-05-2021 1:30pm

wrangler wrote: »

I thought they'd settle if ithey were fenced for a few weeks. best to get rid so.
I like breeding our own here and it was good when we had a big number, but it's awakward now in a small flock.
All my ewes are fifth generation doubles and I can honestly say it doesn't guarantee higher prolificacy. you'll improve the lamb crop better with good management at mating

Do you think the whole only keep doubles thing is a con wrangler? I’ve kept a few single lambs here and there just as prolific as double or triplet lambs .

wrangler · 22-05-2021 1:56pm

Young95 wrote: »

Do you think the whole only keep doubles thing is a con wrangler? I’ve kept a few single lambs here and there just as prolific as double or triplet lambs .

Hasn't made any difference here anyway

farawaygrass · 22-05-2021 2:03pm

OneMan37 wrote: »

What breed mix are they. My Hilltex are quiet but Charollais cross lambs are wired.

They would be mule and sufflock mule.
Another thing thinking back, the lad I bought them off had them in a shed when I went to look at them. Might mean nothing, or they were giving him hassle too. Live and lean

serfspup · 22-05-2021 7:57pm

Young95 wrote: »

Do you think the whole only keep doubles thing is a con wrangler? I’ve kept a few single lambs here and there just as prolific as double or triplet lambs .

the vast majority of hill ewes were single born yet when brought to low ground and better nutrition they are quite prolific.

sheep were among the first animals domesticated if it was as simple as breeding twins to get twins then all sheep would have twins and they would only very rarely have triplets.

Kevhog1988 · 22-05-2021 8:43pm

Does the ram have any input on how prolific the lambing is?. Almost finished lambing and im at 212% after using a zwarbtle this year.

wrangler · 22-05-2021 8:51pm

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

Does the ram have any input on how prolific the lambing is?. Almost finished lambing and im at 212% after using a zwarbtle this year.

Not really, the ram put's in enough semen for loadsa lambs, ewes determine the lamb crop.
We used to AI ewes here and we'd jump the rams on site. you could get 50 servings out one jump

Kevhog1988 · 22-05-2021 8:58pm

wrangler wrote: »

Not really, the ram put's in enough semen for loadsa lambs, ewes determine the lamb crop.
We used to AI ewes here and we'd jump the rams on site. you could get 50 servings out one jump

Strange how this year is far better than last yeae

General sheep thread

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