The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: lou995 on August 16, 2013, 11:02:49 am
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How does everyone wean their lambs?
I was hoping my ewes would have weaned them by now, lambs were born April 1st and 9th.
Want to get things sorted now as would like to bring tup in a month earlier this year.
Any suggestions, i have 4acres fenced into paddocks with electric fencing, i do have a spare stable if needed.
Am i likely to have problems with them jumping electric to get back to each other?
Is there any guide as to weight and age, i not sure my lambs are doing as well as they should, they are rotated round good grass and hay if they want it. Admittedly my ewes are a little short conformation wise so not expecting massive lambs, but doubt the boys will be ready to go before christmas.
Mine are southdowns, doesn't help looking at commercial breeds that seem massive :-\
On the up side, if you can remember my poorly ewe, she is doing fantastic, and very slowly moving up condition scores! Amazing, throwing literally everything, medicine and potion and of course time and grass has done for her! :thumbsup:
Many thanks
Lou
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We'll be weaning ours next week - the lambs are 18 weeks. I'm taking faecal samples to day - -once I get the results, I'll decide whether to worm them ay weaning. They'll be getting a fluke drench as well.
I'll put the ewes and lambs in adjacent paddocks until the bawling stops then the tup lambs will be away to other grazing, while the ewe lambs will go back in with their mammys.
I suspect Southdowns are like Ryelands and not jumpers - but I have had lambs go though wire fencing (not stock netting).
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We did ours on the 14th. Lambing was 5th to 26th April, so they were on average 4 months. We put our tup lambs across the road with the stock tups and they don't usually make a squeak. This year we also had a Shetland wether (last born) and he bawled for two days and nights, poor wee lad. His mum would occasionally wander up to see him from the other side of the road but wasn't too bothered. It's a bit quieter today.
We leave the ewe lambs on for a couple of weeks longer by which time the mums have nearly all weaned them, which gives the ewes a full 2 months to get back into condition, although ours are in great condition this year as we have loads of grass. When we take the ewe lambs out we put them the other side of a fence, so the ewes and lambs continue contact but just no suckling. We have in the past had the odd lamb which has managed to sneak back through a gap next to, or under, a gate. Funnily they have squeezed back to be with their pals after a quick visit. All our fences are sheep mesh - I'm sure ours (primitives) would go through strained wires or electric fencing unless it was mesh, but we don't ever use electric fencing since we had some near death experiences with it (for the sheep, not us).
Do you have the option to put your ewes diagonally opposite the lambs, so they only meet at a cross of fences? That way they are less likely to push through as they don't work out how to get through two separate fences. Otherwise can you put them with one paddock between, so they can see and hear eachother but are less likely to push through?
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My ryeland lambs go through the electric fencing all the time but I only use it for dividing up the field. Lambs are being weaned with stock fencing between them and their mums. Youngest was 15 weeks and oldest 19 weeks. Quite a lot of noise the first day or so but after that it all seems to be going well.
It's just over 2 weeks now. I will put the ewe lambs back with their mums in the next week
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I too would be dubious about the electric wires keeping the lambs in place, if the lambs have never got through the fence EVER then maybe ? you could put the ewes into the stable and give hay and water ,no nuts this will acutually dry the milk up faster than grass, some commercial farmers do this on a big scale using straw instead of hay