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Sheep / Re: planning a sheep shed go welsh hill breeds

« Last post by nin on March 15, 2026, 11:13:15 am »

Thanks for the advice
I am
not planning on having the sheep in 24/7 just somewhere warm during lambing for them to come that’s dry and has feed , hide from storms etc just a bit more than a field shelter .
I am not looking at a particularly primitive breed one where people
i have spoken to lamb inside or out about 50/50 . From what i have read the birth survivals are about 2 with an indoor lambing and 1.5-1.75 out doors .

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Sheep / Re: Mineral Licks that are safe for Wethers

« Last post by SallyintNorth on March 14, 2026, 03:51:15 pm »

I don't know where you, are but we like the Rumigan General Purpose lick from Mole Valley.  If you aren't in MV's catchment, if can find a lick that's allowed for organic systems, it'll be more about minerals and not about molasses, soya, urea etc.

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Sheep / Re: planning a sheep shed go welsh hill breeds

« Last post by SallyintNorth on March 14, 2026, 03:48:43 pm »

Yes i know hill breeds don’t need a lambing shed or field shelters but if you can give extra care why not is my thinking.

Field shelters if you're short of natural shelter? Yes of course.

Taking a hill sheep to live and lamb inside?  Recipe for all sorts of disaster in my (fairly considerable) experience.

Hill sheep expect and need space, to be able to go off and select her spot, nice and private away from the flock, to lamb.  Once the lamb or lambs are fit enough to run about and bonded enough to follow mum, maybe the next day or may be day 3, she'll pick her moment and gently introduce them to the flock.  Over the next 1-2 days the little family group will become more integrated - but given the choice, hill sheep don't really live all bunched up together at these times, they'll be spread fairly widely.

All of that natural behaviour, all of it, is quashed if you bring them in.  The ewe cannot do any of it the way her instincts tell her to. Now you have a shed full of stressed sheep, all far too close to each other. 

I could write pages...

If you want to have sheep indoors for lambing, there's absolutely nothing wrong in that.  Goodness, we work hard enough looking after these critters, may as well do it in ways that give you the most joy!  But if what gives you joy is hands-on, interventionist lambing in a nice shed, then please choose a breed that suits that system.  And that's not a wild little hill sheep.

Top piece of lambing equipment for hill sheep?  Binoculars.

84

Sheep / Mineral Licks that are safe for Wethers

« Last post by JulieJ on March 14, 2026, 10:18:53 am »

Hello there! Can anyone recommend a mineral lick for non-breeding pet sheep that has a safe mineral balance for wethers please? And one without molasses.

I have been using smallholder block successfully for years but a couple of my current little group get it stuck all over their faces every day and it’s really hard to keep them clean. Thanks.

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Sheep / planning a sheep shed go welsh hill breeds

« Last post by nin on March 14, 2026, 09:25:09 am »

I am planning a new shed for sheep to live and lamb . They will be a small breed of welsh hill sheep , still deciding on breed!
We are not looking at starting with more than 15 ewes and going to a maximum of 25-30 ewes depending on how are grass copes !
How big a shed would you advise we go for? We are building ourselves over the summer any special cares will go in the main barn this will be the main sheep shed for spring pre and post lambing time before they split off into other fields with field shelters.
Yes i know hill breeds don’t need a lambing shed or field shelters but if you can give extra care why not is my thinking.

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Sheep / Re: Anyone tried Numnuts or Clipfitter?

« Last post by SallyintNorth on March 08, 2026, 07:42:41 am »

There's an excellent article in the DASH Newsletter on the subject.  I'm going to see if they'd let me post it here (or can do so themselves.) 

Meanwhile, anyone who's a member of DASH and/or has access to their newsletter, have a read; it's the summary I'd have tried to write if I'd had the time available, minus anything about the research on pain and long term effects of unmedicated ringing and plus a bit of "impact on smallholders" perspective.  Oh, and it doesn't mention the hybrid version of the ClipFitter, which would make a cheaper option for smallholders - if it is suitable.

Tomorrow is the last day to contribute to the consultation.  Apparently it's annoying and difficult (quelle surprise  ), so make yourself your favourite hot beverage and get a piece of chocolate cake or whatever is a big treat to you to sustain you as you work through it!  https://zcv3-zcmp.maillist-manage.eu/click/13bee9b70756cbcb/13bee9b70756c3f5

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Sheep / Re: Anyone tried Numnuts or Clipfitter?

« Last post by SallyintNorth on March 05, 2026, 11:04:04 pm »

But I do want to capture a few salient points while I remember.

Lambs feel pain from castrating with rubber rings.  At the time, for 10-30 minutes intensely, for a period of up to a few days significantly, and in some cases there is inflammation right through until the packet drops off.

Clipfits appear to deliver less pain at all stages, and, once the technique is learned, to be fairly foolproof to fit.  If I understood correctly, anaesthesia is unnecessary, as the device effectively severs the nerve which would carry pain signals back to the brain at the same time as it crushes the cords.  (Similar to how a burdizzo works, but the clips are very much easier to apply.) 

Numbnuts deliver anaesthetic at the point of ringing, which takes away all pain at that point and for a little while afterrwards.  Some of the longer term effects are reduced by the lambs not having had the trauma at the time of the procedure, but the anaesthetic will wear off before the tissue has become deadened, so the best practise is likely to be to give analgesia at the same time, which would kick in as the anaesthesia wears off.  But using rings, even if applied pain free, there can still be some pain from inflammation right through until the packet drops off.

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Sheep / Re: Anyone tried Numnuts or Clipfitter?

« Last post by SallyintNorth on March 05, 2026, 10:52:17 pm »

It was a bit concerning when one of the presenters said the clipfitters sometimes came off, and it didn't seem a very inclusive trial, only 88 lambs?

Yes it was a small trial, but there seemed to be pretty clear differences. 

On the clips coming off, that was only on the largest of the older lambs, where the testes were by now pretty huge. 

She said her pragmatic take was, if they're too big to clip at this stage, they'll be away entire soon enough for there to be no problem, so don't clip them.  And anything with smaller testes at that stage, the clips seemed to work fine, so they could be castrated at that stage. 

But I think they'd need to do more, bigger and longer term studies to see whether any of the clips fell off before the testes were fully disintegrated, so that you might get functional tups in lambs that has been castrated that way.

I'm still not convinced, maybe I've been lucky, I ring at 3 days and i've only seen 1 tup lamb show any discomfort, and he was up and running with his mum within 30 mins. (not many sheep here, so I watch them), also I only castrate the males and tail the females, so I can see what they are at a glance.

I hadn't realised until watching this that it is now established that there are longer term effects of castration by rubber rings, many of which cause longer term pain.  And that the pain which last for hours or days can create longer term effects on lambs if the castration is done very young.  So that there is actually an argument that it's better to castrate later than 7 days, as the impact of the assault to the tissues is more readily overcome at a later stage.  Since it seems now inarguable that there is considerable pain whatever stage rings are used, the direction of travel seems to be that if rings are used then anaesthesia and analgesia must also be used, whatever age the lamb is, and so if that becomes the case then ringing lambs at less than 24 hours for sure and possibly up to 7 days will probably be outlawed, as there is no benefit to the younger ringing, and considerable downside.

Sorry, this is probably a bit garbled.  I'd like to write a really considered summary because it was full of information and perspective that was new to me, but sadly I won't have time just at the moment.

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Sheep / Re: Anyone tried Numnuts or Clipfitter?

« Last post by SallyintNorth on March 05, 2026, 10:33:49 pm »

Aw, thanks for that.  It took me a while to navigate through to the actual video so I'll put that link here for anyone else.  linky

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Sheep / Re: Anyone tried Numnuts or Clipfitter?

« Last post by Penninehillbilly on March 05, 2026, 09:13:29 pm »

I saw this, it was frustrating over the slides not moving on, but generally lots of useful info.
It was a bit concerning when one of the presenters said the clipfitters sometimes came off, and it didn't seem a very inclusive trial, only 88 lambs?
I'm still not convinced, maybe I've been lucky, I ring at 3 days and i've only seen 1 tup lamb show any discomfort, and he was up and running with his mum within 30 mins. (not many sheep here, so I watch them), also I only castrate the males and tail the females, so I can see what they are at a glance.