1

Sheep / Re: Stocking rates

« Last post by SallyintNorth on Today at 01:48:17 am »

With those numbers on that acreage, you can probably take a hay crop as well?  Yes it'll be less grass than if it weren't grazed, but I bet it'll be enough to be worth mowing. 

2

Sheep / Re: Stocking rates

« Last post by SavageU on May 18, 2024, 10:50:39 pm »

I’d love electric fencing but just no clue where to start and added theft factor to consider for us.

They’ve all done well off a 4 acre field but I am leaning more towards creating paddocks for this reason as last year we had nearly half the field with long lush grass and it just felt massively wasted. Even though come winter they still had plenty with bale access on top.

Had a good walk round it and they’ve made a dent in it but there’s still plenty lush grass to be had and it’s growing. I need to buy more sheep, fatten them and sell for Autumn.

3

Sheep / Re: Stocking rates

« Last post by twizzel on May 18, 2024, 10:13:29 pm »

9 acres with 12 ewes and 15 lambs is quite under stocked really. I’d shut them up in it tight if you want it grazed hard, so paddock grazing and daily moves. For example we are currently grazing hard a 2 acre field, split into 2 paddocks, with 35 ewes and 40 lambs. The grass had got away from us as we couldn’t graze it until now due to ground conditions. They’ve done a week in the first acre paddock and aim to move them after 9 or 10 days. Then do another week-10 days in the second acre paddock. Then rest for a month or so.


You’ll need electric fencing, there’s no real way around it. We’ve got miles of the stuff    and a good fence unit, we’re currently using a 5 joule energiser with a big deep Earth stake.

4

Sheep / Stocking rates

« Last post by SavageU on May 18, 2024, 10:02:50 pm »

Moved all my ewes and lambs into our bigger field. 9 acres plenty grass and shade for 12 sheep and 15 lambs born Feb/March.

My issue is I’d like it grazing hard this year and I wondered about stocking rates. There’s no paddocks (yet)moving them through it so they graze where they want.

Ideally I’d fence paddock in but it’s massive and steep and expensive. But did think about splitting it roughly into 5acre and 4 acres as this would help with rotational grazing?

So for now, or maybe for next year, I wondered about running lambs on it until say August and then selling them?

Any thoughts or funding issues for splitting a field with fencing?

5

Sheep / Re: Dilemma

« Last post by shep53 on May 18, 2024, 04:14:08 pm »

 You really need to leave the ewes & lambs on the best grass  But sheep are flock animals , so either  put the ewe to lamb in with the e&L  or can you not bring  unbred  ewes or  ewe hoggs  in with her to keep company  just until she lambs  , any short term loss of condition won't  affect them too much and if you want to keep feeding the in lamb ewe then a small pen or similar

6

Sheep / Dilemma

« Last post by Richmond on May 18, 2024, 08:59:32 am »

I only put 3 ewes to our new tup this season. 2 have lambed already, with the lambs now 5 - 6 weeks old but I'm still waiting for the 3rd ewe to lamb. She's been bagged up for at least 3 weeks and has a huge belly, puffy vulva etc, but no sign of imminent lambing. We like the ewes to lamb in the small paddock next to our house - good view of everything, shelter etc. Then they move into an adjacent larger field with more grass when the lambs are about 4 weeks.

 A couple of days ago I made the decision to move the older lambs and their mothers to the bigger field so they could have more grass and I could stop feeding those ewes. I have kept the 3rd back in the smaller paddock. She initially seemed not too bothered and as they can still communicate over the fence/gate I thought all would be ok. However she now seems a little lonely and is standing bleating at the gate after them as they make their way further across the field exploring. Is the stress of separation from her sisters likely to be harmful to her unborn lamb/s?

I could let her through, but then it wouldn't be so easy to see her because of trees and hedges hiding the view down into that field, and the grass is quite long in places and would easily hide newborn lambs or her having a difficult labour. There's also a public footpath running alongside one of the boundary fences. Or I could bring the other ewes back into the lambing field again? What do you think is best?

Our other sheep (ram, wethers, unbred ewes) are in different paddocks a little further away.

7

Sheep / Re: Raddle harnesses for small sheep

« Last post by Brewster on May 17, 2024, 12:16:58 pm »

Thanks for that Sally. I wont waste my money even though the saddle pointing upwards did make me smile!

8

Pests and diseases / Re: Sickly weeping willow

« Last post by Sudanpan on May 15, 2024, 06:41:54 pm »

The weather has been pretty garbage I have to admit. We have had weeks and weeks of wet, wind, drizzle, mist since the beginning of the year. Willows are supposed to tolerate wet areas relatively well but I suppose there's a limit to everything. Where the willow is planted doesn't get standing water, but the water table is going to be quite high as this is towards the bottom of a hill. Our field (which is higher up) has been like a soggy sponge for the 1st part of the year so it might just be too much dank damp conditions for too long.
There are trees in the lane below our garden (mainly sycamore) which don't seem to be in any sort of distress.
Will investigate further. Thanks for the RHS link - quite a few pointers from that seem to suggest water logging

9

Pests and diseases / Re: Sickly weeping willow

« Last post by doganjo on May 15, 2024, 01:51:35 pm »

Thanks for the input - I agree on the mechanical damage bit - it occurs to me that we had a tree surgeon on site on Friday taking downa big elm tree (dead  ) on Friday and the damage could easily have happened then with branches being moved around etc. Will get the bark sealer 👍


The box is a feeder - been there for years

I've used this website before to help with sick plants - https://www.rhs.org.uk/prevention-protection/leaf-damage-on-woody-plants

RHS are pretty good.  Your photos show what I would think a couple of problems - I wonder if the weather has been the biggest problem?

10

Pests and diseases / Re: Sickly weeping willow

« Last post by Sudanpan on May 15, 2024, 10:07:51 am »

Thanks for the input - I agree on the mechanical damage bit - it occurs to me that we had a tree surgeon on site on Friday taking downa big elm tree (dead  ) on Friday and the damage could easily have happened then with branches being moved around etc. Will get the bark sealer 👍


The box is a feeder - been there for years