The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: piggy on June 28, 2010, 09:31:47 pm
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So we have 2 lambs that are 15 weeks and 3 that are 11 weeks. at the moment i still bring them into the stables at night when they have there last bottle,when will it be safe to leave them out.
Thanks
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You should keep bringing them in until December
Joking - normally they are born outside and are fine. It's not cold so they will be fine out all night now.
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Mine are about the same age as yours and have been out since i got them two weeks ago, they have been pretty hot so i was glad they had a field shelter and plenty of water in the field though. Don't be cruel Shrekfest i was the same last year with my first lambs and probably just as bad this year with my first piglets. It's more fun this way i will get a course and do things the easy way one year?
Rob. ;D
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I have some lambs that are now about the same age (10 weeks) but I worry about foxes getting them so are they safe from foxes at that age?
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We havn't had a problem with fox, but until you mentioned it i hadn't thought about it. The local farmer i got them from last year said they would be ok and they were, anyway at 10 week i would think they would be to much bother for a fox?
Rob. ;D
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Thank you Pottsie. Ill put them out then Im sure they will love it. ;D
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we left our shelter open so that they could come under cover if they wanted to. They have plenty of shade in the field but they do all seem to congregate in under the shelter at night - safety in numbers maybe?
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I wasnt worried about them being cold more worried about foxes,well last night left them out for there first night out,opened all my bedroom windows as they are on the lawn next to us in case of any problems but all went well,looked out of window around 4am and they were all happly grazing.
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Well done, glad it went well.
We are coming upto the time when we will have to decide when to leave our little ones (one lamb and two goats) out overnight too. Its hard when you've become attached isnt it :)
Ta
Baz
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15 weeks and 11 weeks and they're still on a bottle? Do you have shares in Volac? ;-)
I wean orphans at 6 weeks and then they go into my smallest field. Lots of foxes about but never had a problem doing that. Understandable to be concerned but those should be fairly big sheep, assuming not something primitive?
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My Lambs are 10 weeks old and still have a bottle once a day. the vet advised that if I didn;t mind the cost, it could only do them a lot of good to keep giving them some milk as it would help give them nutrients that they may not be getting elsewhere.
I have about 6kg of volac left so will stop when thats done. I understand that the reason lambs are taken off milk earlier is purely due to cost and commercial viability. Mine are purely pets so I want them to be as healthy as possible.
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I bought 7 texels to go with my own lambs and all are left out now and we are not having any trouble with the foxes around here.
I also stopped bottle feeding mine once the texels came. Mine did make a lot of noise for the first few days after we stopped bottle feeding but they are ok now and still enjoy a stroke from us and the odd treat of a plain biscuit.
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Yep, fair doos - 6 weeks is a commercial thing. If you have the Volac it's best before date never seems to quite last til the next season - although if I have a complete bag left I store it and nothing comes to any harm drinking it the following year.
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I was still feeding bottles as i had some milk power left as i had to buy another bag of milk as the 3 i bought were still on bottles,although they were 6 weeks when i got them they were very poor so kept feeding them all as i wanted to use the bag up as i hate to waste it, but i had to have the vet for flystrike and he said to carry on as they were on the thinner side,but since i got my soays they are all together and they lost interest .I am luckly that i only pay trade price for the milk as i have a horse and pet shop.
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I wonder if you live close-ish to anyone on these forums? Dealing with maggots, dagging and foot trimming would take about 20 mins to show you and you could save vets bills for nasty stuff. Not that maggots aren't the nastiest little buggers you ever see!
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If you cant get anyone to show you how to do those things then do what I did, look on youtube. ;D
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Get good advice from a sheep farmer or experienced sheep owner than basically get stuck in. I haven't kept sheep since I was small but with a little guidance a good dash of reading I just get stuck in and have dealt with vaccinations, hoof trimming, fly strike, lambing and now thanks to a friends husband I have even sheared. I only use the vet for advice if things are beyond normal husbandry or I need antibiotics and even then they will do the consult over the phone and prescribe on this.
As for lambs being out alone my orphan lambs were only a few days old when I got them and within a week I had them in the home paddock which I can see from the kitchen, I built a small shelter from pallets with a roof on and they have lived quite happily there until there move into the larger field with the older sheep.
This home paddock with shelter is also really useful for ill sheep or recovering sheep as they are not bothered by the rest of the flock, I have also utilised it for mums and lambs to bond without the older ewes interfering.