[wellies]

Happy New Year everyone 
Just planning this years lambing and was wondering what everyone else does about water in the lambing pens. Last year I had buckets but they were quite large and I spent the whole time worrying that 1. the lambs would fall in or 2. the mothers would give birth and stand up at an inappropriate time dropping the new born into the cold water . Do you guys just put in small buckets and feel safe that the lambs won't go swimming?

[shep53]

I use 3 gallon buckets, don't put them in until the lambs are dry and suckled , they are tall enough so that lambs can't get in

[jaykay]

As Shep does, except I use 2 gallon buckets as two of them are plenty for me to carry up from the beck at a time.

[Richard Underwood]

We have always had the same worries and use small (~1/2 gallon) buckets - actually old horse supplement containers. Never actually had a problem though so maybe larger buckets are fine!

[VSS]

1 1/2 gallon buckets that sit in bucket rings on the front of the pens.

[lachlanandmarcus]

We have always had the same worries and use small (~1/2 gallon) buckets - actually old horse supplement containers. Never actually had a problem though so maybe larger buckets are fine!

I do this too, but even smaller buckets, the little blue plastic ones, bigger than a sandcastle bucket but not as big as a supplement tub. Even wee Shetland lambies cant drown themselves but its enough water for Mum to have a good drink and regularly checked.

[Hazelwood Flock]

I do the same VSS, bucket rings keep the buckets at a height less likely to be lambed or dunged into, a bonus when your'e busy not having to deal with soiled water buckets 

[Anke]

I do the same VSS, bucket rings keep the buckets at a height less likely to be lambed or dunged into, a bonus when your'e busy not having to deal with soiled water buckets 

I do the same - but somehow they still regularly manage to poo into them.. .
 
But I don't lamb in the pens, ewes only get inside once their lambs are there and usually up by that time too. If you are lambing in the pens (are you?) they could easily drop a lamb into a bucket. For the goats (who are in their individual kidding pens) I remove water buckets from late at night till morning in the last week before kidding. One of my GG's does the whole kidding thing standing up!)

[SteveHants]

I hang buckets (the wide horse type) from baler twine off the corner of the pen at above lamb height.

[Fleecewife]

If we ever have ewes in to lamb we use the type of half-round horse bucket which hangs on the bars of hurdles, and position it above the height of backsides but just low enough to drink out of.
For outdoor lambing, we take a bucket out to each ewe where she has lambed, as she will tend to stay there for a couple of days, but we place the bucket a bit away from the group.  We also have ball-cock drinkers in each paddock, but so far no-one has lambed into one of those 
Yes, they can lamb into a bucket on the ground and even if the lamb doesn't drown it can die of hypothermia

[SteveHants]

For outdoor lambing, we take a bucket out to each ewe where she has lambed, as she will tend to stay there for a couple of days, but we place the bucket a bit away from the group.

Really? I've never known one stay still for more than 30 mins after giving birth, especially with me watching.

[Fleecewife]

For outdoor lambing, we take a bucket out to each ewe where she has lambed, as she will tend to stay there for a couple of days, but we place the bucket a bit away from the group.

Really? I've never known one stay still for more than 30 mins after giving birth, especially with me watching.

Different breeds?  The Hebrideans in particular stay put, especially if they have baggsed a field shelter.

[Dougal]

With bigger buckets and ot door water troughs I put concrete blocks in them. That way there is still plenty of water for the ewes but if the lambs do fall in they are able to get back out again. You have to make sure that whatever block goes in it is under about  4 inches of water so that the lamb can clamber over the top of it before standing up to climb out.

[Pedwardine]

We use the little blue buckets too. Work just fine. Any feed merchant should have them.

[hexhammeasure]

I got a load of old tub handles from next door farm and bent them into a double s shape which I use to hang  1 gallon buckets from. the shape stops the ewe from knocking the bucket off but allows me to unclip quickly to refill