Author Topic: 'Dead Lambs' post & Automatic plastic field drinkers (Read 9828 times)

Dianabooth · « **on:** April 29, 2014, 01:34:53 pm »

Since I posted 'Dead Lambs' a few days ago, I was amazed and humbled by the replies I got. It's been a roller coaster of a time since I posted 'Dead Lambs' and we've been challenged with pretty much everything you could think of including Breech birth, another 'evil' ewe who was so brutal with her twins that I've had to separate them, a birth that we had to assist with, which was fine except behind the ' good' lamb was a 'atrophied foetus!' Only another 6 ewes to go!

So now most Mum's and lambs will be out in the field shortly (they are outside in pens at the moment till OH puts up a stock fence around one of the paddocks(today). However, I now have another worry! We have these plastic automatic drinker which are low to the ground,put in initially for the horses (pre sheep days!). I am now paranoid that the lambs will fall into these and drown! I've thought about putting some wire netting over them so the sheep can still drink but the lambs won't fall in and drown. I can't raise them up off the ground as it would involve digging up piping etc. Any thoughts on how I might 'lamb proof' them, please? Thank You!

Rosemary · « **Reply #1 on:** April 29, 2014, 02:10:30 pm »

Our troughs are on the ground, maybe 15" high. Never seen a lamb get wet.

Put some bricks in the bottom so that it's not so deep, so if a lamb did fall in, it would be able to climb out?

Bionic · « **Reply #2 on:** April 29, 2014, 05:21:45 pm »

Our troughs sound the same as Rosemary's. I have never seen a lamb interested in ours either.

Dianabooth · « **Reply #3 on:** April 30, 2014, 10:44:23 am »

Thanks! That sounds like an excellent idea.

I'm just a bit paranoid as our luck with lambing thus far is still a little iffy!

Rosemary · « **Reply #4 on:** April 30, 2014, 12:11:42 pm »

Quote from: Dianabooth on April 30, 2014, 10:44:23 am

Thanks! That sounds like an excellent idea. I'm just a bit paranoid as our luck with lambing thus far is still a little iffy!

You're right to be cautious. We must never underestimate a sheep's ability to get into trouble

DartmoorLiz · « **Reply #5 on:** May 06, 2014, 07:11:52 pm »

+1 rocks. My mother in law insisted we do it and I thought she was bats but a friend lost a lamb in a water trough last year so now I've filled all my low troughs with rocks. The gaps between rocks make nice habitat for newts and frogs too.

The only time I take the rocks out is when cows are using the trough and they drink so fast that the inlet pipe can't keep up.