The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: pharnorth on January 17, 2018, 05:37:57 pm

Title: Time to bring them in?
Post by: pharnorth on January 17, 2018, 05:37:57 pm

Weather forecast isn't looking too good. Barn is looking nice and cosy( but with good ventilation). First sheep due Feb 9th (147 days) but produced about 10 days early last year and the day before I was going to bring her in and is bagging up.....  .???

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: twizzel on January 17, 2018, 07:18:28 pm

My first to lamb is about the same as yours and in. Shes scanned twins was losing condition outside in the wet and wind so brought her in with a triplet a couple of weeks ago.

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: pharnorth on January 17, 2018, 08:43:56 pm

Thanks. I'll,stop dithering and bring them in tomorrow. Only got 6 and the other 5 all got caught on the next cycle I think. Same as last year.

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: twizzel on January 17, 2018, 08:53:05 pm

The rest of mine are 3 weeks later so still out. I like to bring them in 3 weeks before lambing just to get them settled  :)  the weather this year is just relentless though so they might be in earlier than that if it doesn’t Buck it’s ideas up   :gloomy:

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: Backinwellies on January 17, 2018, 09:56:55 pm

I've given up and they came in today (7 weeks to lambing) .... they were starting to look iffy and forecast tonight is VERY wet and VERY windy ..... 

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: Marches Farmer on January 18, 2018, 09:06:03 am

I put most of mine in a field with shelter in an old quarry and under a line of small trees.  A couple of old ewes came into the shed.  The ewes get used to going in and out of the shed like a fiddler's elbow at this time of year and it helps them (particularly the first-timers) get used to the shed being a place of rest and feed.  I think the winds here must have been around 80-90 mph in the early hours of this morning.

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: pharnorth on January 19, 2018, 10:38:26 am

There in. Did the trick- weather is lovely today.  :roflanim:

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: twizzel on January 19, 2018, 01:20:58 pm

Mine coming in today... can’t take any more rain  :gloomy:

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: thesuffolksmallholding on January 24, 2018, 06:43:18 pm

They will be ok in the rain. As long as they have enough roughage.
A friend of mine said to never bring a sheep in wet if you can avoid it. Don't know why but apparently its a big no no.
Good luck with the lambing.

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: twizzel on January 24, 2018, 08:04:59 pm

Wet sheep in a confined space can invite pneumonia in... I have housed ewes wet but kept them in a large pen, lots of straw and good ventilation.

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: Buttermilk on January 24, 2018, 08:21:05 pm

Wet sheep also take longer to dry than those out in fields.

Title: Re: Time to bring them in?
Post by: twizzel on January 24, 2018, 10:23:03 pm

Quote from: Buttermilk on January 24, 2018, 08:21:05 pm

Wet sheep also take longer to dry than those out in fields.

With the rain we are having at the moment my sheep have dried out more in the past week in the shed than in the past 3 months in the field  :roflanim: