The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: onnyview on January 07, 2012, 06:14:54 pm
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32 Hill Radnor ewes and 22 llanwenog are all back on the homestead looking cosy and tucking into their nice hay. I love having them back! The countdown to lambing has well and truly begun! :thumbsup:
Allison
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When do you start? We are due to start 25th March. The scanner's coming in the next couple of weeks. I love it even though it's tiring.
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:thumbsup:
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We scanned today - due to start lambing 10 - 12th March.
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We are due to start from Feb 20th onwards. Those lambing first are the best 20 ewes that we are hoping will throw something good enough to show this year. We do have a couple of ewes that we bought at the Hill Radnor Show and Sale last year that had been in with the tup since the beginning of September. They weren't covered by Bouncer the ram so they are (hopefully) due end of January.
The rest are due from end of Feb through till beginning of April. A bit too spread out for my liking, especially as OH will now be working away for most of lambing! My plan this year is to vesectamise Flyblow our HR ram lamb so that we can get them all lambed quicker next year!
The girls are all bedded down under their marquee looking at their feed troughs expectantly.
Allison
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Mine were due to start a week ago...nothing yet!
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First batch all lambed, last one this morning unfortunately dead, huge big ram lamb born in his sack complete with afterbirth i just couldn't bring him round. I think he died when the placenta became detatched before she lambed him. Oh well never mind, start next batch 27th January, Then last batch end of Feb
At least i can have a glass of wine at night now.........or two ......three?????
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....or four or five! Phew Feldar, you must be exhausted. After lambing 40 odd yearlings last year and trying to 'do the day job' I've taken holiday this time around. FIL is very kindly going on a rota with me the rest of the time so jobs a good'un.
..'corse I'm trying to blank out the 3 farrowings I've got looming in March. :o.....
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We are due half way through Feb but one is due 3 weeks sooner (god knows how!! but thats what the scanner said) - she is the marker for getting all the gals in as the raddles I used obviously werent made for my gentle rams (who hardly made a mark!)
I am kinda looking forward to it too - just gota clean out the shed and get some cameras in there (although prob wont manage and be in there every three hours! for two months - argg)
Your right, its kinda nice knowing that babies are on the way soon.
Baz
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First 2 ewes lambed this morning...phew!
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.. good luck :hshoe: with the lambing everyone - we are starting about mid January .
It would be a real treat if you could post some of your lamb pictures :sheep: :sheep: :sheep:
Tilly :wave:
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I will! Just need to work out how to post them.....
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I will! Just need to work out how to post them.....
Try this ('how to upload pictures' in 'Forum Tips'):
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=18691.0 (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=18691.0)
and if it doesn't work, please tell me and I'll update it!
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here goes..
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This could get addictive...
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And we're off! Twin lambs born from one of the brokers we bought at the Hill Radnor Show and sale. The rest of the earlies are looking very big, though they are not due for another 10 days or so. Some of those teats are big enough to take your eye out!
Let's hope the weather doesn't get any worse for everyone!
Allison
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;D very cute! what breeding Onnyview?
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Hi Onnyview
Smashing photos :thumbsup: :D
Tilly :wave:
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They are Hill Radnors, Kanisha. A breed we have a big fat soft- spot for. They are really good doers, extremely thrifty for their size, brilliant mothers, produce a great carcass and the lambs are just beautiful. They come in all shades of cream, brown and rust!
Allison
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they look FAB ;D do you ever do anything with their fleeces they "look" very plush ? soft?
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I confess, I don't. Though I feel guilty that I don't. Hill Radnors' fleeces have a fine staple (I think that's the term!?) I understand the best of any hill breed and lots of it. I am sure there is someone in the country that makes duvet fillings from them. If you ever want to try some give me a shout as we ended up burning the last lot as it ended up sitting in the lambing marquee all summer and winter. I would love it to go to someone who will do something useful with it!
Allison
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they look FAB ;D do you ever do anything with their fleeces they "look" very plush ? soft?
I confess, I don't. Though I feel guilty that I don't. Hill Radnors' fleeces have a fine staple (I think that's the term!?) I understand the best of any hill breed and lots of it. I am sure there is someone in the country that makes duvet fillings from them. If you ever want to try some give me a shout as we ended up burning the last lot as it ended up sitting in the lambing marquee all summer and winter. I would love it to go to someone who will do something useful with it!
Well, according to a lookup table I found
http://internationalfleeces.com/resources/fiber-fineness-info-tables/ (http://internationalfleeces.com/resources/fiber-fineness-info-tables/)
Hill Radnor is similar to Gotland, which is supposed to be one of the best handspinning fleeces, and to Jacob.
I'm a just beginning spinner, but I would have thought there would be takers for your fleeces if they are similar to Gotland or Jacob. Could you contact your local Guild of Spinners & Weavers? There is one in Shrewsbury but there may be others near you too - have a look for yourself:
http://www.wsd.org.uk/guilds.htm (http://www.wsd.org.uk/guilds.htm)
And/or, you could advertise them on here! ;)