The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Yeoman on March 24, 2013, 09:18:39 pm
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My three Wilt ewes are due to lamb soon. The plan was to lamb them outside, does this continuing cold weather mean that I need to change plan and get them in to lamb?
I'm in the midlands so although there are more exposed parts of the UK, it is pretty blooming cold here with no change to the weather forecast...
At the moment I've created a shelter for them using hurdles, wind break netting and a tarp.
Any thoughts?
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Is the ground dry?
I have lambed wilts outside in Feb with frost on the ground they did fine.
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Everything is covered in snow at the mo but before that it wasn't water logged or anything...
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If there's windbreak/ shelter and theres just frost not snow or sodden ground then I think they would be ok to lamb outside, although ideally I like to whip them in as soon as I see they are born, in order that they can dry off, I can check they are drinking and I can also castrate any boys as ours are Shetlands so with us 1-2 years rather than just a few months. If its dry and sunny and they are ewe lambs then they go out ina few hours, boys I usually castrate at 24 hours so they would be in overnight.
If it isn't poss to bring them in at all then if it is nasty weather I would think about lamb macs maybe, and invest in lots of clean old towels to dry the lambs as best as poss.maybe use a line of straw bales to insulate the outdoor shelter or create extra 'arms' to it.
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Thank you for your comments. I'll try to get the lambs dry as soon as I can.
...and providing they have a wind break and rudimentary temporary shelter then they should be OK...
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We have Wilts and so far they have lambed outside but we have then brought them in to bonding pens. Would normally turn them out after 48 hours but have kept them in this year till we have a break in the weather. They are a hardy breed which is why we chose them but I worry about the lambs - they look so tiny!