Author Topic: Weaning (Read 1417 times)

Bramham Wiltshire Horns · « **on:** May 21, 2017, 10:27:00 am »

It's time to start thinking about weaning some of the lambs

What the best practice

Should I just remove the lamb into a field at the side in view of mother

What do I do about drying off the ewe

Should I feed ansupliments to lamb/ewe

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #1 on:** May 21, 2017, 11:05:08 am »

I suggest leaving the lambs in the field they're in at present, so they're in familiar territory, and putting the ewes on the poorest grazing you have that's also out of sight and sound of the lambs. We wean around 16 weeks, when the lambs have generally pretty well weaned themselves anyway. Nothing gets supplemented.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #2 on:** May 21, 2017, 11:38:06 am »

Usual practise is to do as MF describes, then some time after the lambs have stopped screaming - which usually takes a couple of days - move them onto a fog / clean ground, if you have some.

If you want to worm them, worm them the day before moving, or as you move them, depending on your views on the likelihood of their having any wormer-resistant worms on board. (In which case put them back where they were for a day or two before moving them onto clean ground.)

If you want to give them something, give them a good chelated mineral drench as you move them onto better ground. Or, mark and drench half of them, and see if there's any difference in performance between them and the undrenched, so you'll know for another year.

twizzel · « **Reply #3 on:** May 22, 2017, 08:03:06 am »

My plan is to bring my ewes in to dry off in a month or so time. We don't really have any old poor ground as the farm is all rotational grass leys so in on straw for a week before going back out again probably running with the heifers. I want to get the lambs second heptavac done before weaning though and a mineral drench/flyspray too then wean a week or so after all of that is done.

bj_cardiff · « **Reply #4 on:** May 22, 2017, 11:13:38 am »

I tend to do is wean at 3 months. I graze a field quite heavily and put the ewes back on it once I've separated the lambs from them. I usually worm and crovect the lambs and then put them out onto the best grazing I have so they'll have full bellies. They shout for their mums for a couple of days and if possible I'd put the ewes and lambs in fields as far from each other as possible as if the ewes are calling back to their lambs the lambs will become little escape artists so make sure your fencing is good!