The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Marches Farmer on April 06, 2015, 02:39:02 pm
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Vet administered 4 weeks before tups in (thought grass quality probably rubbish after two very wet winters and a dry summer). No control group so couldn't be deemed scientific but so far:
Final stage of lambing very quick; more lambs than usual with one leg all or partly back (no other dystocia); lambs 2 to 4 days early; small but very vigorous; excellent mothering up; colostrum quality exceptional, all ewes in milk at birth (sometimes have a first-timer that takes a few hours to come in); lambs have very sticky mustard coloured faeces for 4 to 6 days.
Surmise therefore that: lambs don't have time to line up correctly; shorter gestation = smaller lambs; shorter final stage = lambs and ewes less tired therefore better mothering up and vigorous lambs; excellent colostrum = sticky faeces (must lay in more wipes if I do this again).
Another thing which may be entirely coincidental is that twins are evenly matched in size - generally have a couple of uneven pairs. Only 8 left to lamb, no losses so far.
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Would maybe of been more information if you'd blood tested a sample few before giving bolus and then again before lambing
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Had them blood tested a few years ago - some marginal on levels of some minerals but no clear pattern and no correlation with age or sex. Quite stressful for the sheep and expensive for the farmer!