Author Topic: I was just wondering... (Read 2649 times)

ZaktheLad · « **on:** March 14, 2013, 07:20:41 am »

What other people on the forum do at lambing time if they work full time and away from home in the day. I start work at 7am but finish at 3:30pm and back home at 4pm. I do worry about my sheep when I am at work in case one starts to lamb and I am not around as my OH also works full time so have nobody I can call on to keep checking them. I check them all thoroughly before I leave in the morning and can usually tell if I think one might be going to lamb in the hours I would be away, and very luckily, I have a very understanding boss, who doesn't mind me calling in the morning to say I will be taking a last minute days leave. However, there is always the chance that I will miss one and she will be trying to lamb whilst I am not there. I know there are many others here who are in the same boat and just wondered how you manage if there is no-one at home during the day?

ScotsGirl · « **Reply #1 on:** March 14, 2013, 08:38:56 am »

I work full time although self employed. I log each year how many days from riddle mark to lambing and find they are fairly consistent. Therefore I know within a day or two when they will pop and try to keep work quiet.

I also have a couple of elderly neighbour friends who are happy to pop out on request to check. I get home at lunch and can tell by behaviour if anything likely to happen. It is knackering as I get up a few times in night as well.

This was firs year when marks didn't mean anything on two ewes and I had 3 weeks to wait! Young keen ram obviously jumped them but they weren't in season. Other option is to get an ip webcam and you can get pics on your iPhone or pc at work so can keep an eye from your desk.

Pasture Farm · « **Reply #2 on:** March 14, 2013, 08:44:52 am »

I take two weeks off work and then my OH takes two weeks off.
A lamb can be dead in an instant if your not there to assist !!!!!! I have cameras linked to my tv and laptop and my campbed and sleeping bag set up in the barn, AND i have still lost lambs. Not having ago but if i could not look after them or get help then i would not keep them, i would buy cades!!!!!

Rosemary · « **Reply #3 on:** March 14, 2013, 09:03:00 am »

Maybe in the autumn, you should look at sponging your ewes - then you could have a very short lambing period (sorry, I don't know how many ewes you have) and maybe you and OH could take leave over the lambing period.

ZaktheLad · « **Reply #4 on:** March 14, 2013, 09:35:55 am »

I do take leave to cover the lambing, but sheep do not always deliver to order do they! My query was more of a general one with fitting in lambing and all the additional related duties around a full time job, so perhaps didn't explain myself as I meant. I can always call upon a local farmer check in during the day if necessary and if I thought a ewe was likely to lamb would not leave her to just get on with it. I too have spent many a sleepless night with a lambing ewe and then gone to work the next day. I certainly wouldn't buy cade lambs as an alternative - they are a nuisance and hugely time consuming. Having kept sheep for 30 years in various numbers, I have never yet lost one from not being around to help out if necessary.

Foobar · « **Reply #5 on:** March 14, 2013, 09:55:57 am »

I raddle and then take days off to match the due dates. But, when you get freak weather events like this Monday and Tuesday the flippin sheep hold off lambing until the weather improves! Grrr.

littlelugs · « **Reply #6 on:** March 14, 2013, 10:04:36 am »

I'm having the same issue! I work fulltime although compressed into a 4 day week. I raddled and my girls are currently on day 149

but its a lovely day and hopefully they will get on with it

. I have a camera linked to the lambing shed which can be accessed via my mobile, so if i am away and it looks like something is happening i can get my self or someone else there asap. (it helps me not to stress about them when I'm away)

crazy_bull · « **Reply #7 on:** March 14, 2013, 10:11:49 am »

I sponged all mine and then lambed them all in 3.5days made planning sooooo much easier, and well worth the £2.50/ewe it costs to sponge them. Other than that, camera's are a good option but if you are far away to work you would want to leave to get back to them as soon as you noticed the ewe was thinking about lambing as if you wait till there's a problem it will be too late.

Me and my wife both work full time but she took time off for 2 days (started on Thursday early in the morning, so took thurs & friday off) and she called me if there was anything complicated, only lost 1 lamb out of 48 due to it coming both legs back and it being huge and i didn't get back in time, but she was a triplet anyway so, it just meant one less to bottle feed.

C B