[moprabbit]

Last year I had my 4 sheep in a stable overnight during the cold weather on my vet's advice as one has slight arthritis. I used straw as the bedding and mucked out once a day. I was just wondering if anyone recommends using anything else for bedding which perhaps doesn't require mucking out daily that would be suitable. I also wondered about a disinfectant that would be safe to use and remember a post on this forum sometime ago, when a pink, pleasant smelling disinfectant was recommended,   but I can't remember what it was! Any advice gratefully received. Thank you.

[landroverroy]

You don't need to muck out each day. I put fresh straw down daily so they always have clean stuff to lie on, and muck out once a year in spring.

[harmony]

I have forgotten the name of the pink disinfectant but I am getting a big tomorrow so I'll let you know.


Mucking out is ok left until the spring if you have mechanical means of doing it. Otherwise I do it once a week. Straw on shavings. Personally I find sheep beds left for a while compact down and really hard to move with a fork.

[landroverroy]

Mucking out is ok left until the spring if you have mechanical means of doing it. Otherwise I do it once a week. Straw on shavings. Personally I find sheep beds left for a while compact down and really hard to move with a fork.

Agreed - if you are talking about keeping sheep inside on a commercial scale.


But we are talking about 4 sheep in a stable!
If you leave it till spring you will find that the bottom layers have started to rot down and stay moist and friable.
If you keep the bedding damp for a while after the sheep have gone back outside, it will rot down with considerable steam and heat like a compost heap and will reduce in volume as it rots down, to about a quarter. With only 4 sheep the resultant reduced compost is not unsurmountable to remove with a wheelbarrow. In addition, the heat generated in rotting down should effectively destroy any malignant bacteria.

[harmony]

If you are keeping sheep on a commercial scale then I would be fairly certain you would have mechanical means of moving.


My experience of small numbers kept in is that I would rather have ten minutes once a week then half a day of back breaking work with a muck fork. I would agree the bottom layers are easier and if you want to water down then fine.  It is just my opinion.

[landroverroy]

 Each to his own! 
 I'm sure there are as many systems of bedding down and mucking out, as there are people doing it. 
 Mucking out once a week works for you. Once a year suits me. Both offer alternatives to mucking out daily.  

[twizzel]

What about getting a field shelter/pig ark instead for them rather than shutting them in overnight? Problem with bringing sheep in overnight and out in the field during the day in winter is they come in wet and are then prone to pneumonia. If you had a shelter they could come and go as they please, the arthritic one would have somewhere dry to lie but still be able to move about and not get too stiff. And you wouldn't have to muck out every day

[landroverroy]

 I like that Twizzel - bit of lateral thinking!

[twizzel]

 


Seems like a no brainer to me... I really don't like bringing wet sheep inside in the middle of winter, plus I think most sheep are happier out than in to be honest. Field shelter is the best of both worlds, a pig ark would do fine just something they can come and go when they please.

[Marches Farmer]

Needn't be fancy - posts, horizontals and a bit of tin set at a slope towards the back in a sheltered corner of the field would do.  A layer of scalpings or some old paving slabs at the entrance will get some of the mud off their feet before they go inside.

[bazzais]

A good 'bed' work fine imo too - if you muck out too much your not leaving the insulating and self heating layers below - as long as you bed down on top to stop them getting poop and wet on em - the shite underneath helps with 'bedding'.

I remeber when I first moved to the farm here and think - oh my the last owner has not mucked out for years - then I saw how much goes into a shed in a year and it was - oh my what a nice floor we have to put bedding on - not the cold stoney floor.

So in essance - save that shite on the floor now to protect them in winter - keep rebedding (provided its clean and no mites, bugs and the like.

[Buttermilk]

I had to keep my rams in a stable last winter.  I found that starting with a good bed of shavings and topping with straw regularly and I only needed to muck out every 5/6 weeks.

Remember that the bedding goes in in layers so is easier to come out in layers rather than just trying to dig down.

One drawback of deep litter bedding and housing is that the feet do not wear down and may need trimming.

[bj_cardiff]

I'd do as the others suggest and build them a small shelter, I bet they'd rather be outside.

Bedding.. My goats are indoors at night and I top up their bedding every other day or when needed. I only muck out once a month or so.

[moprabbit]

Thanks for all the ideas. They have got a field shelter which they use when it's raining or hot and sunny,  but don't tend to go in there when it's very cold. as they obviously don't mind the cold as long as it's dry. That was why the vet recommended using the stable in the cold weather so the one with slight arthritis isn't lying on frozen ground. There's plenty of ideas for me to mull over now to avoid the daily mucking out! Thank you

[Marches Farmer]

I clear the lambing shed then leave it scraped out all summer for the heat and sunshine to kill off bugs.  Our ewes are housed a week before the lambs are due and all back out again inside a month.