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Author Topic: feeling downhearted  (Read 10142 times)

Jamie12

  • Joined Nov 2013
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #15 on: March 31, 2015, 09:50:40 am »
Scotsgirl.... I had an experienced friend help, mum is convinced she has damaged the ewe as was being a bit rough. Not convinced she is as experienced as she would think, next time it will be my experienced hayman with 40plus years or my other friends mother!. We live and learn.

Prolapse ewe has a spoon in and seems contented, though she does have mucous showing.

Jukes Mum

  • Joined Apr 2014
  • North Yorkshire
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #16 on: March 31, 2015, 10:25:52 am »
Sorry to hear your sad news  :hug:
Don’t Monkey With Another Monkey’s Monkey

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #17 on: March 31, 2015, 12:45:46 pm »
Sometimes folk's egos can get in the way when asked to be the "expert". That's life. Don't beat yourself up - you made the best decision at the time. In hindsight, and we're all wise after the fact, you might make different ones in future - just use the experience wisely. If you hadn't tried, you'd never learn anything.
 :hug:

DavidandCollette

  • Joined Dec 2012
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #18 on: March 31, 2015, 01:11:07 pm »
I know now how that feels we lost 2 of triplets yesterday. The ewe is looking better today but if is so upsetting.  Don't beat yourself up about it

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #19 on: March 31, 2015, 06:40:17 pm »
 Sorry but half a bucket means nothing in terms of amount need gms ,  the reason I'm asking is a very large single and a prolapse at the start of lambing worries me  .   what is the rams breed ?      what  C S  are the ewe hoggs  ??

Sbom

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Staffordshire
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #20 on: March 31, 2015, 07:03:06 pm »
We are busy lambing at the moment, ewes have had no concentrate at all just a lick bucket and some of our singles are struggling to.
Best advice I can give is if you think you can't lamb it then call the vet or experienced Shepherd and Dont keep trying to lamb it yourself while you wait.
We've had a shocker today...quickly realised it wasn't going to come out, called vet and it took an epidural and two people to eventually get the dead lamb out. Backwards, dead and stuck. Ewe is sore but have skinned her lamb and put another on her which she loves. Sometimes giving them a lamb perks them up no end .

Learn from your experience and you'll be a better shepherd for it  :hug:

Jamie12

  • Joined Nov 2013
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #21 on: March 31, 2015, 07:19:28 pm »
Two ewes weren't too over weight, condition wise they were okay.

Just had a nice big tup lamb born to my Hogg who looks like she was carrying an elephant. Got her tied up as she's not keen.

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #22 on: March 31, 2015, 07:21:46 pm »
 A " lick bucket " is just concentrates in a different form   

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #23 on: March 31, 2015, 07:56:15 pm »
Lick buckets come in two basic types.  One type is feed - contains protein and starch as well as sugars, minerals and vitamins, and others (which our vet calls 'boiled sweets') are basically solid molasses with minerals and vitamins in.  The former type is the same as feeding concentrates, yes.  The latter is not, and is ideal for ewes in the last 6-8 weeks as they can get what sugar and minerals they need without much in the way of risk of producing oversize lambs.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #24 on: March 31, 2015, 08:48:42 pm »
 If you are referring to CRYSTALYX then  12% protein  plus urea to encourage eating of more forage

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #25 on: March 31, 2015, 09:38:03 pm »
In fact there are some buckets which have no protein at all; Mole Valley do some, as well as some with protein and some that have real feed value.

Crystalyx red and black buckets are 12% protein, as you say.  However, that is not the same as a 12% concentrate, as the amount ingested is much lower.  On average a 22.5kg minitub lasts 20 ewes 3 weeks, so each ewe takes in approx. 6.4g of protein per day.  A ewe on 500g of 18% concentrate is getting 90g protein per day. 

The licks which are feeds, and of which it is true to say they are concentrates in a different form, are such as the Dallas Keith ones.  Their datasheet includes the ME (metabolisable energy) for each bucket.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #26 on: March 31, 2015, 09:46:30 pm »
Back to the concern about prolapses and large single lambs... whilst one knows one is not feeding enough if the ewes are thin, the fact that the ewes are not carrying excessive condition is not, I am afraid, a reliable indicator that they are not being overfed.  Some ewes, and Mules are particularly prone to this, will put all spare energy into their lambs.  So I regret to say that an adult Mule getting cake and carrying a single is quite possibly making an overlarge lamb.  It's a harder thing to get right with a hogg that's carrying a single - she still needs some intake for her own growth and maturation, as well as for the lamb and for milk production.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Porterlauren

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #27 on: March 31, 2015, 09:56:35 pm »
I am going through just that internal mental debate sally.

Was looking at a group of 25 hoggs today, all scanned as singles.

On poor PP, a life-line bucket, and occasional bit of hay, I think they have had two small bales in the last few weeks. . . . mainly just to keep them quiet.

It's a fine balance between a fat hogg, a big lamb, and a bad birth. . . . . . . . and a skinny hogg, a small lamb, an easy birth. . . . but feck all milk. . . . .


SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #28 on: March 31, 2015, 10:57:42 pm »
Personally I think, if I wanted to tup hoggs, I'd do what a some of the Beltex breeders are now doing and use a Shetland tup.  Easy lambing, lambs not too large to tax the ewe, lambs come out running and looking for the milk bar, are hardy (so can withstand some early neglect  ::)) and persistent ;)

Ewe lambs are easy to sell, males make perfectly reasonable fat lambs.

I would definitely not use a Suffolk or a Texel on a hogg.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Hellybee

  • Joined Feb 2010
    • www.blaengwawrponies.co.uk
Re: feeling downhearted
« Reply #29 on: April 01, 2015, 05:09:28 am »
We ve found a corn cob bucket, made by strathclyde I think, it's a yellow bucket an got propyl glycol in it amongst other traces.  a very useful bucket at this time.

 

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