The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Sudanpan on March 30, 2011, 07:07:26 pm

Title: What is going on?
Post by: Sudanpan on March 30, 2011, 07:07:26 pm

Hi
We don't keep sheep (yet  :D ) but I'm curious as to a scene I see when I drive to work at Redruth. There are sheep in a field next to the road - looks to be ewes with lambs, which is all fine and dandy, but my mystery surrounds what looks to me like a 'cage' with sheep contained in it in the field.
The 'cage' is covered, not much higher than a sheep, probably as wide as a sheep is long, and it looks like there are about 4 or 5 sheep inside the cage.
Any clues as to what I'm looking at???
Thanks  :D

Title: Re: What is going on?
Post by: egglady on March 30, 2011, 07:20:07 pm

dunno, but i'd like to!

Title: Re: What is going on?
Post by: andywalt on March 30, 2011, 07:32:15 pm

sounds as they have set up lambing pens in the field, so they can have a bit of control over the situation !!

Title: Re: What is going on?
Post by: Sudanpan on March 30, 2011, 07:36:36 pm

But it's only 1 'cage' and there's no way a person could stand in the cage, it only looks about 3 or 4 ft high. There are maybe 60 sheep plus lambs in total in the field. If I remember I'll take a picture of it tomorrow and post it on here  :)

Title: Re: What is going on?
Post by: andywalt on March 30, 2011, 07:43:53 pm

so when he spots a ewe in trouble lambing, you get the ewe in the pen and solve the problems, so your not running after it around the field

Title: Re: What is going on?
Post by: Freddiesfarm on March 30, 2011, 08:26:21 pm

Sounds to me like a creep pen but the ewes had managed to get into it and get stuck.

Title: Re: What is going on?
Post by: suziequeue on March 30, 2011, 08:58:42 pm

Or maybe it's to help ewes bond better with their (or other ewes') lambs.

I think quite often a triplet lamb will be put with a singleton ewe to even things out a bit

Title: Re: What is going on?
Post by: woollyval on March 30, 2011, 08:59:31 pm

Creep feeder I suspect

Does it look something like this http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/lamb-creep-feeder (http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/lamb-creep-feeder)

Title: Re: What is going on?
Post by: shep53 on March 30, 2011, 09:02:33 pm

Agree sounds like a lamb creep to me