Author Topic: What about the afterbirth? (Read 4089 times)

suziequeue · « **on:** April 02, 2011, 07:29:25 pm »

Just had our first lamb. Suddenly a the theory has gone out of the window.

Can I just check? - what do I do with the afterbirth?

I have removed it from the filed, disinfected the area and deep(ish) buried it in our wood.... but I understand that I could give it to the dogs.

Won;t that give them a taste for.... well I don't know really.

I feel a but uneasy about that.

Am I fretting unnecessarily?

Susanna

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** April 02, 2011, 09:25:05 pm »

Errr...... - legally you are meant to gather them all up and send them to the knacker along with all your dead lambs. It's a bit expensive calling him out for just one placenta though. The system is designed for big farms where they have the knacker calling frequently as they may lose enough lambs to fill a bag in a couple of days, and are charged something like £5 per bag of lambs - with placentas.
I don't think - theoretically you understand

- that dogs would develop a taste for lambs. Ours absolutely adore the new lambs and are begging the ewes to let them come and say hello to them - some let them, others butt them out of the way, but by a couple of months old all the lambs are good friends with our dogs.
I think it's reasonable to accept that sometimes dogs will sneak in and steal placentas before the farmer can get in there to collect them up........

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #2 on:** April 02, 2011, 10:43:14 pm »

Our ewes have always eaten the placenta before I had to think about what to do with it. Might not be so lucky with the clueless first time Mums that most of them this year are....are you allowed to burn it?

Fleecewife · « **Reply #3 on:** April 03, 2011, 12:05:58 am »

Probably not

But it depends on where you live - Highlands and Islands you can mostly do what you like, or shall we say 'there is more flexibilty further north'

whereas south of the border things are much tighter, perhaps because the human population is more densely packed. Here in the middle we comply as much as is possible.

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #4 on:** April 03, 2011, 08:03:07 am »

if its just the odd one bury it. it will soon rot away. Just don't leave it in the field you will end up with a crow problem.

Moleskins · « **Reply #5 on:** April 03, 2011, 08:29:51 am »

Crow problem, don't start me on that one. I went up to check my ewes which aren't due for a few days yet to find two had given birth, one lamb ( ram ) was fine but the other ( gimmer ) was dead with everything pecked away that could be.
I'm convinced it was born live but the crows killed it, there was blood everywhere.

Trouble is I rent that field and the owners wife doesn't like the idea of anything, foxes, crows, anything being shot.
To say I'm annoyed is an understatement !! I was out with the gun on my field yesterday, just let them try it there.

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #6 on:** April 03, 2011, 10:53:13 am »

sadly even if you shot everyone in sight they would still get the weaker lambs. We had a dead sheep a few weeks ago andthey had just started on her. its not a nice sight. but its natures way of cleaning up.

jaykay · « **Reply #7 on:** April 03, 2011, 10:58:49 am »

Our ewes eat them, but if not I'd bury them. Who'd ever know

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #8 on:** April 04, 2011, 02:21:22 am »

Quote from: Fleecewife on April 02, 2011, 09:25:05 pm

I don't think - theoretically you understand - that dogs would develop a taste for lambs. Ours absolutely adore the new lambs and are begging the ewes to let them come and say hello to them - some let them, others butt them out of the way, but by a couple of months old all the lambs are good friends with our dogs.

Our dogs will certainly clean up anything the ewe (or cow) hasn't that we haven't seen. And my older collie (for whom there is no finer treat than 'cleansing') is a big softee with lambs. He knows just how to manage them (if needed) without hurting them, and will always protect any lamb that needs it. Last night I used a spare kennel for an orphan lamb (I needed the heat lamp and box for a new arrival and space is getting short here), by this morning Skip had somehow managed to get himself out of his kennel and the lamb out of its and they were curled up together in a pile of hay. (Sorry, no, no pics. Dog moved to come see me as soon as I appeared.)

Tam · « **Reply #9 on:** April 06, 2011, 12:03:06 pm »

One of our local farms with about 450 sheep, are left in the field to lamb - the afterbirths have attracted Red Kites who clear them up naturally, which is great news form a conservation point of view! We are not in an area that normally has Red Kites, so it is good news they are spreading and population numbers increasing. Probably won't help you though - just thought it might be of interest!

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #10 on:** April 06, 2011, 02:13:24 pm »

We had a pair of red kites at our place the other day for the first time ever. Shame it didnt hurry our girls into GETTING ON WITH IT. Can you tell I'm getting impatient, they are just scoffing their faces, waddling around and giving me the hoof two fingers every time I go and check them (like every 10 mins!)

shearling · « **Reply #11 on:** April 07, 2011, 03:20:40 pm »

Can you tell I'm getting impatient

Me too! We did not get our scanned so maybe just exceedingly fat! I had not thought about the afterbirth. I just sort of assumed they would eat it like dogs or cats when given birth. As I live by the sea maybe the seagulls will get excited which are just as problematic as crows.

suziequeue · « **Reply #12 on:** April 08, 2011, 08:05:10 am »

Yes - we've got one left who is being very casual about the whole thing but she does look a little preoccupied this morning.

We have alot of kites here. Sometimes as many as five or six circling around. It's almost as crowded as Princess Risborough!!!

Lots of buzzards too :-)