The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Fieldfare on April 21, 2012, 11:33:15 pm
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...chose the hands-off, lamb outide approach as my 1st lambing and is so far going very smoothly as these two were born without incident on Saturday morning. Very interesting to see the whole process and how the behaviour of nursing ewes changes. 4 more ewes to go :)
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:love: lovely colouring ( upside down cappuccino .....,sweet )
Oh this alcohol ::)
Congratulations, hope the others deliver so well. Await piccs ;D
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Well done , they are lovely , I hope the rest lamb as smoothly for you. we weren't brave enough to lamb outside, and Gabi likes to be there at these events with iodine and camera to hand.
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They're lovely :thumbsup:
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Aaaaaghhhh! Pride comes before a fall and all that...Sunday morning the little ewe lamb missing. No trace at all so I suspect a fox attack? Moved mum, ram lamb and rest of the heavily pregnant flock to a less quiet field closer to the road. Managed to coax mum and ram lamb into a cowshed where they seem quite happy (pretty sure a fox will not attempt to get into there with her). Starting to see the advantages of lambing inside and with a bit more control. The learning curve continues :sheep:
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Oh no :-\
It's easier for mum to defend if she's got some walls around her. And easier for the shepherd in the middle of the night, if intervention is needed too.
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Oh no fieldfare, so sorry. :bouquet:
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...Thanks- well I really think it is part of my learning curve aswell as the ewes...it feels like I am taking part in an uncoordinated episode of Lambing Live :)
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Nooooooooooo, so unfair - I'm letting my youngsters out during the day and tempting inside with feed at night - youngest at 2 day still seems really small - hope things pick up
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...hi all- just a quick update and photo- the ram lamb and ewe have been housed at night in a barn with open door and access to an '8-hurdle grass paddock' and ewe nuts (some protection from rain, wandering and foxes!). During the day she and the lamb have access to the approx 2 acre paddock during the day with rest of the flock. This seems to have worked well so far although tonight she seemed interested in joining with the flock and the lamb is beginning to pronk a bit ...so I guess both are just about ready to leave the 'close brooding stage'...having raised plenty of poultry chicks using broody hens it seems that the care and behaviour of lambs by ewes is somewhat analogous to that.
I really have spent the most fascinating few days... :D
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Oh how sad to have lost the other lamb.
I am thinking of starting with sheep next year and love the look of the castlemilk moorits. How are they for someone with only a little experience? Used to help my grandad with his small flock of Jacobs from childhood till my early 20s when he gave it up. Mainly at lambing times as he decided that 6am in March all sensible octogenarians should still be in bed!
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Hi Beeducked. Moorits are a very easy to care for breed, Very hard feet ( twice a year ) very flighty, will sell their souls and come to a bucket of nuts, but you will need a shotgun and butterfly net to catch them, they don't need a lot of help lambing , usually singles, ( We will have some lambs for sale later. ) they don't need to be on the best grazing as they do well on rough ground.
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Thanks!
They sounds wonderful. ;D
All I have to hope is the house purchase goes through as planned.