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1
Sheep / Re: Sheep keeping for beginners
« Last post by MaxiB on Today at 09:12:22 am »
I wish someone would do this in Suffolk 🙏🙏
2
Sheep / Re: Quadruplets!
« Last post by SallyintNorth on March 28, 2024, 10:24:09 pm »
I've never done it with quads - never had the opportunity - but I nearly always, with triplets, unless the ewe is clearly not going to manage, leave them all with mum and teach the lambs to come for a bottle.  Then, once they'll all, or at least the number of extras she has, run to me for the bottle, they go out with everyone else and get topped up in the field, twice a day at first and once a day once they're a few weeks old and all eating grass well.

Only viable with small numbers of course! 
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Sheep / Re: Quadruplets!
« Last post by lesbri on March 28, 2024, 08:29:07 am »
Thank you. I was thinking that would probably be the case. All 4 lambs are passing nice yellow poo so I think theyve had a good dose of colostrum. I will take 2 off now and bottle feed them for now. None of my other ewes have lambed yet.
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Sheep / Re: Quadruplets!
« Last post by twizzel on March 28, 2024, 06:30:40 am »
I’ve had a few sets of quads over the years, had a set this year. Make sure all 4 are full of colostrum, I would always give a powdered feed to top them up, tube them if necessary. Though if they are now 24 hours old the time sensitive window for colostrum has now passed. 


I would take 2 away now and bottle feed. She’s produced 4 live lambs which is no mean feat in itself, but to expect her to rear all 4 is unfair, even with top ups. Peak milk production is needed at 4 weeks old so she may be just about coping now, but a month down the line will likely be a different story and you run the risk of 4 poor lambs and a knackered mother with mastitis.


My quad ewe has gone out with 2, she’s doing ok. I fostered one onto a single and the other is in the pet pen.[size=78%] [/size]
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Poultry & Waterfowl / Re: Raising ducklings under a broody duck
« Last post by Richmond on March 27, 2024, 09:57:24 pm »
Provide a shallow container eg cat litter tray and refill as necessary. After a couple of days the ducklings should be waterproofed sufficiently to go swimming. However, small ducklings will be at risk from many predators both on and off the water and mother duck will not be able to protect them all. Either be prepared to accept some losses or keep the whole family penned up until the babies are a little bigger, say 3 - 4 weeks.
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Sheep / Quadruplets!
« Last post by lesbri on March 27, 2024, 09:46:51 pm »
Just after some advice about management of quad lambs. My ewe lambed 4 this morning, she is an experienced ewe and a great mum who has lambed twins at the most in the past. All 4 are lively, feeding and looking well and she is very happily looking after all 4. My question is would I be best taking 2 lambs off and bottle feeding them or would it be possible to leave all 4 on her and top up in the field?
Any advice appreciated, thank you  :thumbsup:
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Poultry & Waterfowl / Raising ducklings under a broody duck
« Last post by TyIsa on March 27, 2024, 09:21:35 pm »
I've hatched and raised ducklings using an incubator and a broody chicken before but this is my first time using a broody duck. I'm not sure what to do about water- a little duckling suitable container will not be big enough for the mother duck but a big container will potentially be a risk to the ducklings if they can't get in or out. 
I have 3 options that I can think of:
- provide a big container for the mother and a small one for the ducklings and hope they don't climb in to the big container.
- provide a big container with steps (probably a brick or 2)  in and out.
-provide nothing, leave the door open and let mum lead the ducklings out to the stream when she's ready.
Annoyingly, they are due to hatch on Monday when I will be out at work all day.
Any suggestions?
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Land Management / Re: Rain Garden
« Last post by Sam85 on March 27, 2024, 10:15:00 am »
Thanks Kiran. When you say 'dig a large cut off ditch or swale along the boundary', do you mean lower the area furtherest away, so that it still drains to the main pipe? And yet still store more surface water flooding.

In some areas I would possibly dig out the heavy clay & replace with gravel/compost/soil to aid infiltration. Every little helps!
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Announcements / New diary post: Henhouse / Pointing / Crow
« Last post by TAS Bot on March 25, 2024, 09:56:54 am »
A new TAS diary entry has been posted: Henhouse / Pointing / Crow
10
Marketplace / Re: Ewe with lambs plus ewe for sale in Cheshire
« Last post by mebnandtrn on March 24, 2024, 07:00:57 pm »
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