The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Twotwo on February 16, 2020, 12:16:19 pm
-
With the wet weather but far more importantly the saturated land. Rather than putting the ewes and lambs out, I can use a garage tent (can be open both ends but PVC so not breathable material) 12x 20ft ... how many ewes and lambs (twins) do you recon I could get there all mixed together not in pens, - so they can stretch their legs.
Also I know you should never put wet sheep inside but how about if the are in at night and out during the day !
They are in horse stables 10x12ft 3-4 pens to a stable, at the moment.
Your thoughts... we are in the south so it’s not cold but I worry far more about the warm,wet weather! !
-
Rough guide depending on ewe size 12 - 20 sq ft per ewe + twins . if I read it right you are wanting it as a shelter so in & out not a problem , you will use more bedding as they will bring in water when wet
-
My plan would be to keep them in overnight- possibly in pens, if I can sort correct ewes and lambs ???? so it would not be free access but always out during the day ..
-
Bringing them in wet to a plastic tunnel in warm humid weather would create the conditions for pneumonia. But if there's a good breeze through the tunnel and it's colder overnight, you might get away with it.
What breed do you have? Most breeds can withstand warmer wet weather, and the risk of pneumonia in stuffy conditions would outweigh any benefits of bringing them in to me.
Mothers will make sure lambs are sleeping on a dry surface - even if that means the lambs sleeping on mum's back! Lol. The ewes will prefer to be dry underneath, sure, but so long as they don't actually have to lie in puddles they will manage.
You can also make some drier ground for them to lie by feeding hay and or straw in a line, generously. They'll eat some and lie on what's left ;)
If you do decide to house them, once the lambs are a week old, you can pack 'em in more tightly. In the early days, the ewes will want to keep a good distance from each other. (This may be more of a thing with primitive and mountain / hill types, so depending on what sheep you have, this may or may not be as significant.)
-
I would remove the individual pens from your stables if the ewes and lambs are bonded and happily have 4 or 5 ewes and their lambs in a 10 x 12 stable. Of course a lot depends on the 3 ewes and if they get on. Its usually chaos for 5 mins until the lambs learn to look for their mums, but they quickly sort themselves out. I
In your 'garage tent' if its 12 x 20, I recon you could have 10 ewes and lambs in there, ideally I would house it with an outside space, possibly hardstanding or yard, it'll give the lambs a bit more space to run around and play and several ewes will sleep outside but they should all be able to fit in if the weather is horrid. I would leave the ends open for ventilation.