The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: in the hills on April 25, 2012, 09:16:30 am
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How vulnerable are young lambs in the rain?
It is really heavy and persistent here today. Moved the ewes and lambs onto clean, lush grass as they arrived. They have a small arc type shelter and good hedges in these fields but the main field shelter is in the field where they lambed. Do I leave them where they are or open the gate so they can use all fields and have access to another shelter? They were in the lambing field for longer than I would normally leave them on there, so grass short and some poo still around. Not sure what is best for them?
Any thoughts?
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Just what I was sitting here worrying about In the Hills - I turned our 3 cades out a few days ago. they have shelter in the orchard but are only 8 weeks old - looking forward to hearing what others say :-\
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My youngest are only a week and a half old and Soay twins, so still tiny!!!! :(
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Oh they really are little :-\ Am looking across the road at some really tiny Texel crosses (are texel crosses ever tiny compared to Soay ?! :-\ ) do you think they'd use a temporary shelter perhaps? something thrown together - how many are there?
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We've got the livestock trailer in the field with the back down and some straw in. The lambs go in there and the ewes stay outside - it's quite cute. At least the tup lambs will be used to the trailer too, when the time comes ;D
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Seven ewes and nine lambs. They do have an arc and hedges where they are at the moment but worried that they wont all want to squeeze in together ..... latest mum still quite aloof and staying on her own. They dont seem to use any new shelters for quite a while ... only like the familiar I guess. Might go and open the gate to give them access to the bigger shelter ... was just worried about worms, etc. if on dirty pasture. Usually Im quite keen on rotating pasture. Think I will risk the worms .... pouring down and cold.
Much smaller than any commercials/crosses around here.
Just seen your post Rosemary. Our trailers in the field they lambed in (used as extra accomodation during lambing) so they will have that and the field shelter and the arc if I open the gate.
Thank you. Im off to open the gate.
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All our animals are still inside due to waterlogged ground, can't put the horses out as they will just churn the grazing to mud , the goats don't do rain.... far too nasty . the chickens look like well used dishcloths, the sheep are still in the barn as Gabi doesn't think there is room in the sitting room for them all. Dogs and cats refuse to go over the doorstep. It's a Horrid ,Horrid day ,driving rain with some hail thrown in for good measure , we are already knee deep in mud and before the day is out the stream will be flooding the track. Deep joy.
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Gate open.
I know all about April showers but feels like November. Plenty of space now for anti-social Annie and teeny twins to shelter in isolation if they so wish. All standing in pouring rain at moment to eat the hedges - their favourite thing when moving fields. You cant win.
Yeah, no chickens in sight apart from the crazy ex batts who dont seem to get why all the pure breeds make for cover.
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Plenty of rain here in dryest Norfolk as well !! We put our lambs out with their mothers at about 1 week old and do a visual check every now and then. They have a field shelter to use and seem to use their one brain cell (between them ) and keep out of the worst of it. It's interesting that even the youngest lambs understand wind direction and shelter accordingly, even if it's only behind a hedge, or their mothers. We are building a large boat tomorrow --- Two sheep, two dogs, two cats ..........................................
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My older ones, 2 weeks old are out in it, just hedges for shelter, but they all seem ok, I have 4 ewes with lambs inside aged from a few hours to 3 days, will try and get them out at the weekend, it's really tough this year, cold as well as wet. Remember lots off farmers lamb outside in all weather, sheep are quite tough.
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I let mine in this morning as it was really windy, flooding and driving rain. They probably would have been fine but they raced down to the stables and straight in. Ted Tup plonked himself in an empty stable and refused to come out so I've left him in too ::). The pigs have taken to their arc but the horses are out and munching hay to keep them happy. The new puppy could start on his walks yesterday and he is absolutely mortified by the weather, just looks at me as if to say are you serious :-\ . Ahh the lovely British weather ;)
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Aye. Wouldn't you now it was spring and half the country is in drought?
I found my GfD's in the shelter this morning, so it must have been bad last night. I find its usually me who wants a shelter provided - so at least I cam sleep easy at night. Whether they use it is up to them. Using the trailer sounds a good idea if no shelter available.
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I still have 1/4 or so of my flock to lamb - this morning I opened up all the fields so they can get under a hedge whichever direction the rain is coming. Luckily my ground is on a slope so there are always dry, sheltered spots. Its why I choose places like this to lamb outside, plenty of bays and so on to lamb/shelter in. I dont envy the ones born today/last night, but they all seem to be alive and well, if not a bit bedraggled....hope it continues and the rain stops for a bit.
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We're lucky, they have plenty of trees to shelter under, lots of corners in the field and they can get into the barn. Usually, it's just the lambs that go in there but with the weather this bad, I expect to find the ewes in there as well later on.
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I've just brought the 4 yearling goats back in as one field from the river which has already burst its banks. I'm sure they would have been fine, but at least I'll get a good night's sleep!
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We have had torrential rain today, fields are like swamps full of,puddles and we are uphill slightly, I was thinking how to quickly erect a makeshift shelter, but the lambs are all tucked up against the fence by the hedge, some under a little trailer, I am impressed that they actually find shelter if need be! Who said sheep are stupid :sheep:
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If the lambs are really small, and can't get out of it, then lambmacs are a good idea in awful rain especially if accompanied by strong winds as here at the moment.
Here are someone here's GFD lambs wearing them ;D
(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/3f8470d1.jpg)
(Sorry, can't remember whose photo it was to attribute it properly)
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Well, still torrential here. Have opened all gates so they have access to two shelters and our trailer. We have thick hedges and they are so tiny they do tuck into the roots and are difficult to even spot so I am hoping they will be okay. Hope Im fretting too much and they are hardier than they look. Just remember a farmer telling me that wet was far worse than cold. They look bright considering and seen the smallest ones feeding.
Those coats make me smile. ;D Do they do xxxsmall size? If this weather continues may have to get some.
Will need to be transparent though. Havent seen any lambs around here sporting them and local farmers already think we are slightly crazy. They love to lean on the gate and ask .... what do you call those then? .....big grins on their faces ;D ;D ;D
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You can get transparent ones too. Or hereabouts some folk use bread wrappers :D
The photo made me smile so much I saved it :love:
If your tinies can get into shelter, they'll be fine. Yes, I've opened the gate from the nursery field into the barn and they are all, very sensibly, inside again tonight.
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Guilty for the photo!
I lamb in jan/feb so always put macs on the little hooligans as it is always wet and cold. I have many pics of my lot in macs, they 'burst' out of them within a week so don't stay in them for long.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa43/crazysheep-795/P2022643.jpg)
Lambs will seek shelter where available, but twins becoming separated could be an issue.
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That is toooooooooo sweet.
Would take him to bed for a cuddle.
Okay. Heavy rain all day yesterday and cant believe it ....... worse this morning!!!! It still looks like nightime.
Drought???? Doing regular checks on lambs and hoping it stops soon or the brook which now looks like a mini-river may burst its bank and cut off two of the fields.
Hope everyones lambs are doing okay and SteveH hope your ewes hold on for a while.
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That lamb is soooooo cute! :love: I've also got lamb macs but most of mine are too big for them now. We had non-stop rain all day yesterday and today it's worse >:( >:(. Mine are all out but when I checked them they were all against the hedges and seemed fine. The horses are thoroughly fed up and their field is a quagmire, as every time they spot me they think I am going to let them into the sheep field and start running up and down and trashing the field even further ::) ::).
Got one more ewe to lamb and hope she hangs on till the rain eases, although she does have a sheep shelter and so far most of them have lambed in it!