The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Connor on October 26, 2013, 10:04:31 pm
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Lambing time will be coming up in the next month or so and i want to be prepared as its my first time what must i have and what should i have for lambing and general help about lambing only know some basics??
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I will suggest;
Flask of coffee, woolly hat, smokes, notebook & pencil, torch & patience.
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patience and stamina! matchsticks to keep your eyes open
oh and colostrum possibly and milk replacement incase you end up bottle feeding, bottles, teats, those little rubber ring things (don't ask me what they are called) and the thing to put them on with if you intend ringing tails and nuts........
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He's too young to smoke, :roflanim:
Iodine. Definitely get some sachets of colostrom in case you get a slow starter, and a bottle.
Old towels to help dry them its cold.
Remember the amniotic fluids can be an irritant to your skin, I learnt the hard way, I had a rash for 2 weeks. :-[
Lamb tags or spray to mark their numbers on their backs.
Keep records of any problems so you remember for next time.
Are you lambing in side? When?
Exciting times :thumbsup:
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Lube, crook, penicillin, colostrum and a lambing wire thingy. Oh and a good torch and water proofs!
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You may want a heat lamp and also some kick start in case you have a weak lamb. Last year was our first year and we used the kick start on our first lamb. It probably wasn't necessary but it made us feel better ;D
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what could i use to mark the lambs
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we use danimark spray
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Also some Pfizer Scour Formula or Rehydion in case you get a lamb scouring can't take milk. You can use glucose if you don't have one of those, but that's just sugars and the formulas have electrolytes and so on in as well.
100% agree kick start or similar - it's expensive but it can be a life saver.
Personally I always have Combivit for ewes that have had a hard time lambing, as well as penicillin if I've had to intervene.
You may need a prolapse spoon or harness before lambing if one of your ewes develops a prolapse.
If you don't have a good lambing book, get one. You will need to look up about malpresentations and how to handle them, amongst other things. Any decent lambing book will also have a comprehensive lambing kit checklist, much better than our random shouting out of our top two or three items each!
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a sense of humour, iodine, stomach tube, colostrum, heat lamp, crook, old towles/rags, arm length gloves, lube, your greatest asset if you can find one is a bored elderly retired shepherd who would like to come and supervise! Gosh it is hard to think.
Your vet should have a lambing list, but that can be equally confusing as you won't need everything on it.
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a sense of humour
I was just about to say that ;D
Chocolate and iced buns are good. At any time.
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Binoculars, Ear notcher/cull tags for anything that has complications (I used to spraymark, but they shed it off and so I forgot who had failed at lambing), ear tags if you are performance recording, antibiotics, gloves, baler twine to sash ewes when you have caught them, lube. I have a small pack of colostrum and one sack of lamblac which will be on year 4 next year.....
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for outdoor lambing, a long handled net for catching the ones that are born running....
(or a good dog I suppose)
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I vote for the bored elderly retired shepherd ;D they are not easy to come by otherwise plenty of caffeine
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Agnes Winter's lambing book, and inside it tells you everything you will need :).
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Agri gel lubricant, arm length gloves, septi-clense spray (easier than iodine), colostrum with tube, small towel, mobile phone and some previous experience if you can. Also, if a ewe down and needs some help, if you lay your coat over their head they wont try and run away. Good luck :thumbsup:
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Definately good lambing book, farmers weekly or similar magazine all which you can read whilst your waiting for the dam things to get on and lamb.
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I always make sure I have some calcium at hand aswell.
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A new battery for your alarm clock, an electric blanket, a flask of coffee, a strategically placed haybale chair, fully charged mobile phone with the vet's number programmed in. two-way radio so you can call for back up, disposable gloves, old feed sack for afterbirth or dead 'uns.
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In lamb ewes... I thought you was lambing in feb?? :-\
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It will be near the end of feb atm i am trying to get hobbey ids done a lot of paperwork lol
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Thermovite.
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Some sheep are a good starting point I always find.... the rest usually takes care of it's self ;D . The one thing I would advise is patience all the rest is practice.
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Our best addition to lambing last year was our nephew and his girlfriend. Both were so keen to see some baby lambs that they came to stay with us during last year's busy time. Both townies to their boots (or trainers) but they were fantastic. They shared the night shift obviously under strict orders to get us if anything was happening. We got twice as much sleep as other years. Best thing is they loved it so much they've already booked time off work to do it again next spring