[danndans]

Sounds like your having fun pebbles 40 done and about another 20 to go!! Lambing out this year, blumin weather could be a bit kinder, saying that its not that bad at the mo.

[Pebbles]

We're doing it 'al fresco' this year too. There are covered pens scattered everywhere which we use when we can catch the b***ers! We didn't expect the weather to be so harsh and now their predicting snow for tonight!!!

Catching lambs - not a  problem! Catching ewes - crikey (!) no amount of chasing, bribing or begging will make come quietly! The lambs are all numbered, iodined and tail banded. We've had mostly rams  and I don't know how anyone 'bands' there bits within seven days??? There is either nothing there to band or it's so high up there is no way of it being done! Job for the vet me thinks! Any tips?

Spent the last couple of days cleaning bottoms and cutting off what seems to be super tough resin off their tails - what are these ewes feeding their lambs?  I can't even face cleaning up after my dog when it is sick or poohs (job for the men that!) so I am very proud of my ungloved performance in this extremely smelly department. 

Oh well, back to the farm!

Pebbles

[danndans]

  well you are doing good!  Try catching the lamb and putting it between yourself and a fence, hold it there by its back legs and the ewe should slowly come to it, hey presto one big pounce and grag and youve got your ewe   as for castrating after the first couplits easy,  you can hold them a couple of different ways, but i hold them on therebums sat on me, if one or both of the balls havent come down you can leave them and go back after a few days, if they pull them up as soon as the band comes in sight you can gently push at the top of the sack, the end attatched to hes bellly and it should be enough to pop it back down but youll have to keep the push on untill the bands on.  and remember dont pinch hes teats!!! owch

[danndans]

ended up with some hebrideans last year!!!  Blumin ek first one lambed today, never seen anything so tiny most of our other ewes are suffolk cross, so most of them are like elephants when there born, but these little things were amazing!!!

[Blinkers]

My elastrator and rings should arrive today     Could you nip down here to West Sussex Dan and give me a lesson!!     First one due around 20th April   

[danndans]

  its easy peasy but just remember its not the oh after a big arguement   just take your time with it but make sure youve got something to take the ring of with if you do end up with just 1 there

[pigsatlesrues]

We have just had our first lamb - a Ouessant male - SAM!

He is black as black and beautifully soft and curly, Not at all what I expected having held other lambs.

This is our very first time with our very first little 'flock' and have two more ewes waiting to lamb.

It is just so exciting!

We were very lucky to see an advertisement on a French site advertising a small flock of eight and guess what? She liked us, and guess what? we bought them!

Having already got Norman and his two friends, this little group came as a bit of a shock with other intact males amongst them, but they are all getting on ok. Of the new group four are female and three are in tact males. The other male is castrated.  I am going to have to either castrate or move some on.

I did promise the lady I would keep them altogether so I guess castration is the way to go.

A really wonderful, sunny and exciting time in our little tiny part of Normandy!

How do I put on some pics? I have quite a few!  HELP PLEASE?

Kate              

[woollyval]

Congrats Kate

Ouessant lambs are very different to 'normal' lambs I think! They are very entertaining too!! Get all the surplus lads castrated asap as otherwise they will serve anything that moves(from about August) and become agressive to you too!!

In all my years of keeping rams I have been floored twice......once by a Dorset Horn ram who nearly broke my leg and second by a......Ouessant


Enjot your lamb!!!

[Blinkers]

My elastrator and rings arrived today ....... but how on earth do you get the ring off again if you happen to not get it quite right the first time???  

[woollyval]

My elastrator and rings arrived today ....... but how on earth do you get the ring off again if you happen to not get it quite right the first time???  

You can't!!!

You must do it right first time
I have put a detailed guide to castrating using rings on the river cottage forum under other livestock
reproduced here!

Right, Its best to be shown how to do this but if you cannot find someone then this is how.
First you must do this at under a week old as it is illegal to castrate over this.

1Sit on a bale taking lamb onto your lap in a sitting position
2 put band on pliers, if you havent already
3 get lamb to relax and take hold of scrotum gently, lamb will automatically retract balls!!
4 stretch band with pliers and place over scrotum in wide open position right down to body
5 gradually, and I mean very gradually make band smaller whilst making sure you have BOTH testicles in the ring , make band smaller still coming under both but making sure you have not caught the teats.
6 ONLY when you are happy and sure let the pliers relax and with draw them using other hand to gently slide the band frim the metal 'teeth'

You should have neatly bagged testicles and should be able to feel them and nothing else.

Lamb may just look a bit uncomfortable for a few minutes or may throw himself around alarmingly.....don't panic, he will be fine in a while.

Now having given that list there is NO substitute for being shown in the flesh so if you have a local shepherd or sheep farm ask for a lesson!


Hope this helps!

[Rosemary]

I bet there are  a few retracted balls when this post gets read. If I had any, they would be retracted!

[kanisha]

Is now the time to confess I have removed a band and redone it ( at the time of banding not after) saved the odd womble  fingers crossed my forever pregnant ewe may be lambing tonight either that or shes not right 

[Blinkers]

Thanks all ..... its seems it is something that some farmers have had to do at times....but obviously better to get it right first time
WS - thanks for the tutorial - that's really helpful.

[woollyval]

Kanisha....I reckon I could just about retrieve one from a Ouessant but not from anything bigger Good luck with Ouanez tonight!

[danndans]

It can be done. I reckon ive had to take 2 of in the last 25 years, (taken the bands of that is ) but like WS ssays get someone to show you how to put them on and you shouldnt have to take them back off