Sheep
Lambing time
Saturday 27 March, 2010
Well, it's almost lambing time again. First lambs are due on Friday 2nd April, but the girls don't have a calender, so it will be around then. Jura and Jinx are due first, around the same time an are both carrying singles. Both look pretty fit but haven't bagged up yet. Juno is due about a week to ten days later, and is expecting twins. As last year, she's the size of an elephant.
I've checked the lambing box; last year's colostrum is still in date and unopened and everything else is there. The small pens are cleaned out and full of fresh straw and I've bought two new water buckets; I might splash out on a couple of feed trugs too. I've built a pen round the shed, so that I can keep them in at night - much easier to check them than wandering round a field in the dark.
Buddy's a dad!
Saturday 27 March, 2010
We ran our tup lamb, Rosedean Li'l Bud with my chum's Shetland ewes in the back end but he seemed a little overawed and we brought him home.
He obviously wasn't THAT overawed because one of the ewes had a pair of Ryeland cross lambs on Thursday - a ewe and a tup.
Well done, Buddy!
Spring "lambs"
Sunday 21 February, 2010
The ewes and ewe lambs have been confined to quite a small paddock, albeit with adlib hay and a lick. It was a lovely day today, cold but sunny, so I let them through into the river paddock. What excitement! The three ewe lambs were leaping and skipping; even the pregnant ewes had a little skip, but not too much. Amazing what a mouthful of fresh grass does for the sheep spirit!"Spring" Lambs from asmallholder on Vimeo.
The girls are back!
Sunday 24 January, 2010
Well, it's been a sheep day today. Our ewes were scanned and came home, and Carol's ewe lambs left by return. Our ewes and ewe lambs are now in the top of the orchard and will be there until lambing; the tups are now in the big field with the horse. The horse chases the sheep and I couldn't have him chasing the ewes.
Before moving, the tups got the once over - feet trimmed, wormed / fluked and bums tidied up. Dickie also got the wool trimmed round his eyes - I'm sure he couldn't see properly. They look a bit lost in a 6 acre field.
My best Christmas present
Sunday 27 December, 2009
Actually, it's not really a Christmas present, but I thought I'd keep it topical.
I bought a wheeled and covered hay rack for the sheep a few weeks ago; it was delivered last week and yesterday, we finally wheeled it into the field. I have a corner fenced off with a single strand of electric fence to keep the horse out of the trough and the lick - the sheep just limbo under it.
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Tupping time
Tuesday 1 December, 2009
I always think of this as the start of the sheep year, since what happens now influences all else. Last year, our three ewes were tupped for the first time - we had two single lambs and one set of twins, although one was born dead. All three ewes were fine, which was my main priority.
The ewes are now at the tup again. A flock of three ewes doesn't justify keeping a tup and borrowing one isn't that easy, so they have gone back to their breeder and her tup, which just happens to be the same one as last year. He must have been a bit of a hit last year, because all three were covered within 10 days, two within 48 hours. We're just waiting to see if they come back into season. If they have held to first service, that will be great as I'll get a nice compact lambing. Last year, the first lamb was born on 30th March and the last on 18th May - which meant a lot of wasted broken nights.
Lucy
Saturday 26 September, 2009
I'm pleased to report that Lucy has recovered from fly strike. She's now clean, dry and maggot free.
Sheep wormer 2
Monday 21 September, 2009
Well, as planned (unusually), we sorted out the sheep at the weekend. Wormed, fluked, dagged and feet trimmed. Unfortunately, Lucy had a wee bit of fly strike - fortunately, we caught it really early and gave her a spray of Crovect. It's just like Chanel No5 but blue! Dan checked her last night and she's clean, so we'll keep an eye on her. It didn't affect her appetite at all - she is VERY like her auntie Juno, in that respect.
Dickie was completely relaxed about the dosing and the dagging - since he was castrated, his attitude seems to be "bring it on, I'll cope"! He's such a wee sweetie.
Sheep wormer
Friday 18 September, 2009
Until now, I've used a herbal wormer for the sheep. However, since a couple have dirty bums and I want to dose them for liver fluke anyway, I've decided to use a combination wormer and flukicide. But which to use? So many decisions!
After reading the data sheets on NOAH, I decided to run it past our vet, who has been really helpful with advice. In the end, I've decided to use Fasimec Duo S, which seems to kill all known germs dead.
I want to make sure that the ewes are in tip top condition for tupping this year, so I want to get a bit of weight of them (particularly Juno; actually, only Juno) and then flush them.
New lambs
Monday 24 August, 2009
We brought our new Ryeland lambs home today. They are half sisters to our own three and are called Lucy and Luna. They seem to have settled in OK.
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Lucy is a triplet, but she's huge, with a great back end. If I ever get round to getting them halter trained, I might show her next year.
