[novicesmallholder]

Hi all,

just got through 1st ever lambing with 5 of our Shropshires. Thankfully all went well - just having to bottle feed 3 out of the 6 lambs, 1st twins born early so mother no milk and last to a skittish mom who would n't bond. Thing is, been thinking is this better to do in spring (a vet recommended winter lambing as lambs not so big) when the weather is better and nights are lighterftp://? Not really in it to make money, so even if ther price for later lambs is not so good - will probably offset this by lower feed costs. Would be interesting to see peoples opinions vs winter /spring lambing.

Cheers,

Mark

[Fleecewife]

Hi Mark

We lamb in April.  There is not usually any new grass growth up here in our part of southern Scotland until then.  Our ewes lamb outdoors and by April the weather is generally ok, although we do get the occasional emergency blizzard.  We now keep primitive breeds which have to be kept over to 16 months if they are going for meat and that fits in neatly with an April lambing as they go off in the following August (we mostly supply the family, or sell any surplus direct to regular customers).
We used to keep Jacobs and there was heavy pressure to lamb them in January, to get them to a large size before the August shows and sales.  We didn't even try it so our lambs were about half the size of everyone else's 
We tend to prefer to do everything in as natural a way as we can, and lambing in April is the norm for most sheep breeds, after putting the tup in in Nov.  The thought of going out to see to a ewe on a dark and freezing January night really doesn't appeal, whereas the wonderful starry nights in April are lovely.
Really it boils down to what suits you 

[SallyintNorth]

The only thing I would think about if moving to a later lambing date, is whether the grass grows so well where you are that you will be overfeeding pregnant ewes and struggling to keep them from being fat and carrying oversize lambs.  Also more of the worms that can cause problems will be active later in the season; with a winter lambing you don't have much to worry about on this front for a while, plus you maybe also can get some or all of your lambs away before you get into flystrike season.

We're in the north of England, just about an upland farm, and lamb the majority of our flock in March.  We usually have a small number of 'earlies' in February - we had our first lambs of the year today, in fact ( ) - which means we can usually get a few away at the best prices in May, straight off their mums, no medications or interventions.  But with our weather we couldn't handle the whole flock lambing that early.

[lachlanandmarcus]

I would lamb in March or April (March if better do-er more developed breeds, April if primitive types). The difference just to get the lambs a little smaller with the more prolific breeds.

I must admit I hate seeing little lambs in freezing rain and snow :-(

[Castle Farm]

I lamb end of march early april.

The grass is just coming back and the days are a bit longer.

[YorkshireLass]

I like spring lambs, with the fresh grass growth and (theoretically) better weather.

However, if you lamb indoors, it won't make that much difference being in a shed in January or April, and it would let you get good growth before shows and sales. It's also possible to sponge the ewes and plan the births for e.g. February half term week - handy for a teacher, or means you get your kids along to help carry things 

[SteveHants]

I lamb outside in April. I have tried it in Feb, but the april lambs almost catch the February ones up. I lamb on an easy care system, so I need the extra nutrition in the spring grass to ensure the ewes are up to condition. This way I get away with minimal inputs over winter. I don't catch the early higher prices, but my lambs cost me less to produce, so I still make my margins.

[Remy]

I've always aimed to lamb at the start of April, to make life easier for me and to keep costs down.  Early lambs do make better prices at market but that must be offset by the more intensive feeding to get them up to weight in the absence of grass and it's also harder on the breeder with the cold, shorter daylight hours etc.

I do bring mine in to lamb just in case things go wrong, but may have to let some lamb outside now I have more in number of breeding ewes.  I'd also feel bad seeing little newborn lambs outside in bitter cold but in spring I keep them in till I've tailed and castrated them (usually the next day) then they go out on the spring grass.

My grass only starts to properly grow end of March/early April so it's a perfect time for me 

[Rosemary]

We aim to start 25th March (when we are due to this year due to Jinx being a tart) - our last one is due 14th April.

Because we sell out lamb privately ie not through the mart, the seasonal price fluctuations don't really matter. We get ours away mid November. We have Ryelands and don't castrate.

Ours come in at night during lambing because it is easier to check them but go out during the day.

[feldar]

We lamb December through to March and i would second what others say about lambing later it is easier, Our early lambs do cost us a lot to produce  because we push them for the early markets .We also push a bit for shows and sale ring.
The feed bill is offset a bit by the good early prices at market, it has to pay or it's not worth doing, but it's hard work and a bit of a gamble because you are always hoping trade will stay good

[salopian]

We started lambing early jan,just got a few stragglers left now out of 900 ewes,been up against it with the cold weather,nearly all been turned out now too,it's definitely harder lambing early because I suppose we are forcing it,as most mammals have there young in the spring.

[shrekfeet]

I always think about when the grass is going to be coming. I like to time lambing so that when the lambs are around a month old and consuming a reasonable amount of grass it's there for them. I also think that by then the ewes have drawn down on their condition and the new grass helps them sustain feeding the lambs. For this reason I aim for a late Feb and March lambing as we are not high and in the South so we should have some new growth by then. If you are in a cold and wet area you need to make sure you have some shelter for lambs regardless of how soon/late you lamb as they can soon get chilled

[novicesmallholder]

Thanks all,


Helped us make our minds up. Looks like spring next year. Ram will have to wait longer for his nuptuals!

[Small Farmer]

I always think about when the grass is going to be coming. I like to time lambing so that when the lambs are around a month old and consuming a reasonable amount of grass it's there for them. I also think that by then the ewes have drawn down on their condition and the new grass helps them sustain feeding the lambs. For this reason I aim for a late Feb and March lambing as we are not high and in the South so we should have some new growth by then. If you are in a cold and wet area you need to make sure you have some shelter for lambs regardless of how soon/late you lamb as they can soon get chilled

I so agree