The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: pikilily on March 22, 2012, 07:00:23 pm
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My question - pretty much as it says on the tin!
I have four ewes tupped 5th, 9th, 15th,16th November (Tup was raddled). The two earliest have huuuge udders, and the first one (Dolly) has a very 'ripe' looking rear end, with her sister (Prissy) coming in a close second!! Lots of panting going on and Dolly seems to be seperating herself from the others and lying down a lot........but by dates its too early by over a week.
So what influence can all this recent warm weather have?
Emma T x
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talking to a man today his ewes were put to the tup on 5th november and lambed already :farmer:
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woooooah!! Okay!! better get out and finish the pens PDQ!!
I did get most of it set up this evening - something in my gut tells me i should be ready well in advance!
LOL i will probably be still waiting ina a month!
Maybe i am just looking forward to living in the cabin for the lambing period.....
Thanks for that info..
Emma T x
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talking to a man today his ewes were put to the tup on 5th november and lambed already :farmer:
uh oh don't tell my girls they haven't started yet!!
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Wish I had a cabin - my backs killing me after being on the leather sofa in my clothes for weeks ;) - but only three left to go now! yippee!!
If I were you, Id get the blankets out and start the 3 hourly checks tonight, ot far to walk with a cabin :)
Good luck hope they drop soon, your there to see them and it all goes well.
Baz
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Its also a new moon tonight :) - though mine normally choose a full, I'll be keeping an eye on my last few tonight for the new moon.
I've also to told by locals to watch for the tides as they influence what time at night or day they seem to spring out?
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My OH swears the weather has a lot to do with it, he says its air pressure as ours never lamb on a good day , always on a cold day.
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talking to a man today his ewes were put to the tup on 5th november and lambed already :farmer:
Has he got his dates correct?
Generally 5th Novemeber would give a due date of 1st April. Most lambs more than 5 days premature are viable.
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that was the first thing i said but no tup in with them before the 5Th Nov :farmer:
they can go over there time as well we had a heifer that had a gestation of 11 months and that was with AI
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Something must effect them, most of mine are not on date even though I made a special effort last 'back end' to check and note dates of the marks on their 'back ends' so that I wouldn't be run ragged for weeks at a time. Even so I can see it's same this year, back and forth for checks and sleepless night thinking they might have them when I turn my back.
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I think that sheep, cattle, flowering plants, bees, weather forecasters and me all don't understand the climate / weather any more.
All our cattle are late this year - and all AI, so we have exact dates. Most of our sheep are running late (in terms of when the tups were in and how green are their bottoms.) We're in t'North of England - whereabouts are these folks whose sheep are popping early?
And yes, our sheep love to lamb in cold wet / windy weather when the lambs have the maximum chance of meeting their maker within hours ::) At the moment we are blessed with sunny skies, balmy temperatures and a light, warm, drying breeze - and they are all enjoying themselves far too much to get on and lamb ::)
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I'm having the same trouble trying to decide if mine are lambing or having me on. Too much panting and lying down on their own. I reckon they are one week early but I could be wrong :) we have been having the most lovely weather, similar to Sally's so maybe mine are too comfortable to get on with the work? The ewe I think will lamb first had a prolapse last week and the vet pushed it back in, but will this happen again when she comes to lamb? First timer stressing :dunce: , sorry if you all get bored with my constant questioning over the next few days
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hot dry weather is hanging weather... more lambs come head only and get stuck... seen this year after year on the hot dry days
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Interesting, my dad had one hanging at the weekend and it's been seriously nice and sunny here.
Muttley, she might prolapse again. Here is what I do: get some lambing lubricant and put some onto the prolapse, push it right back in (at which point she'll probably pee all down your arm!). Fit a prolapse spoon or harness. The spoon is less stressful in that they can lamb past it, but it's less effective. I've found harnesses to be very good but you have to keep a very close eye on them and remove it as soon as they begin lambing. Jag with antibiotic.
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All my girls are hanging on until the weather turns colder. One of the Wilts ewes looks like she is going to have a litter! They were all tupped between 19th october and 9th november.
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Our Jacobs were mostly on time, with the exception of one big ewe who we thought was carrying triplets going by the size of her. Turned out to be 2 huge ram lambs she lambed 5 days early hate to think how big they would have been if she had gone full term. I had to assist as she was struggling to push them out.
Only waiting for 1 now due next week.
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Mine are very slow.....usually they all start and lamb within 3 weeks of each other but its been 11 days and 4 have lambed.....very different to usual.....but then again I used 4 rams and split them into 4 breeding groups this year...never done that before as usually have 1 ram working at a time :-\ Weird year weird weather :-\
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I'm beginning to think that lambing affects the weather not the other way around!
It's been dry, hot and sunny for weeks it seems. Now, when I start lambing, the cloud and rain come and they are talking about snow by the end of Mon ::)
WV, I've got one or two now and then nothing for about 12 days too if my tupping records are right :P
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Thanks jaykay I had the vet up to see to the horse's teeth so she put stitches in my prolapse ewe. She lambed on Friday night, so my first lambing was the one I was worried about. She had a huge boy and another followed but I couldn't get his head turned and even the vet struggled, he was so big. Unfortunately he died and now mum has no milk or interest in her first boy. How much milk should I be giving him and how often? He was left alone by mum and was cold and skinny so I have him in the hay shed and gave him 80ml then another 80ml about 3 hours later and so on. Is this ok? My Jacob also has a prolapse so has a harness on. Still waiting on the rest now :)
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I feed them what they'll take, every 3 hours at this stage. Did he get some colostrum?
Mum will be bruised and sore, feeling a bit sorry for herself I guess. Have you tried giving him back to her? Bring them both into the hayshed, tie her up so she can't butt him, strip milk from each teat so you know they're working and then try to get him to feed - better if he's hungry at this point. As he begins to smell of her milk she is more likely to take him. So second best is to milk her and then feed him that for now.
Also, even if you're feeding him I'd see if she'll look after him, better to belong to someone once he's out in the field. Make a pen for them both and then make a corner for him, put him into a deep box or something so she can sniff him but not butt him.
Hopefully she'll take him back and they'll both feel better!
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I have found out the hard way and been told by experienced stock men never to breed from a ewe that has prolapsed, they are prone to it then. Either keep them from the ram at tupping or cull them is what I have been told and will do from now on.
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Well mine were due from today and some have udders like cows but so far NOTHING ::). Perhaps they are waiting for the cold weather ....
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Unfortunately both mum and lamb have died :( she died in her sleep in between times I checked on her. Vet said it was from an infection she may have picked up when she prolapsed but he wasn't sure. Lamb died from blood poisoning. Vet says it could have been caused from an infection possibly caught from mum's limited milk supply. Not the best of luck but I know it's not all like that, got to look to the remaining 4 ewes and however many lambs they have
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Very sorry to hear about the ewe and lamb :( hoping (and have fingers crossed) for some happy news from the other 4.
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Thanks squeasy, hope the rest are easy enough but knowing sheep they will be awkward :) guess its just how things will be
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Oh no, I'm so sorry :-*
It's rare and I'm sure the rest will be fine :)
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Really sorry.
Good luck with the rest.