Smallholders Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Smallholding in Tenerife  (Read 2760 times)

Bridget Jones

  • Joined Jan 2010
Smallholding in Tenerife
« on: January 26, 2010, 05:51:42 pm »
Have just happened upon this site and it seems to be just what we need. 

We bought our old Canarian farmhouse 12 years ago and have been renovating the house and land.  We have around 7,000M2 of usable land (not sure what that is in English money!) and about the same going into a valley where I would love to put bees in the future.  I have a question for today, but lots more for the future too.

We have just taken delivery of our first goat and two sheep last Monday and on Wednesday morning one of the ewes had given birth to twins, one of which was dead and the other not able to stand as it was so weak.  I milked the ewe for the first 4 days and fed this to the lamb but she developed a rattly chest.  Took her to the vet and I have been giving her Sub-cutaneous antibiotic injections every 12 hours.  She is now doing really well, eating 6-7 ounces of milk per feed and amazingly her own mother is very pleased to see her when we take her out to the barn.  I am very keen for her to live with the sheep and not in the house as we do intend to raise her for meat and don't want any of us (I have two children) to get too attached to her.  My questions are therefore:-
1. Can she go through the night without a feed now?  The barn is not that close to the house and there are no lights out there to see.  She also wasn't that hungry this morning after taking 7 ounces at 3am, so only took 2 ounces.
2. I have penned her in with her mum who is very happy with her, but just not feeding her, is it a good idea to leave her there for the night?  If she needs a night feed though I'll have to bring her in so this question may be void.  The temperature drops to around 12 degrees C at night.

Thanks

little blue

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Derbyshire
Re: Smallholding in Tenerife
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2010, 09:38:03 pm »
hello and welcome, not sure I can answer your questions, but there of plenty on shepherds on here!  Re-post in 'sheep' section if you dont get answers soon...
Little Blue

Bridget Jones

  • Joined Jan 2010
Re: Smallholding in Tenerife
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2010, 09:39:52 pm »
Thanks, will do as it is quite urgent as I know that they can go downhill quite quickly.

ballingall

  • Joined Sep 2008
  • Avonbridge, Falkirk
Re: Smallholding in Tenerife
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2010, 09:42:29 pm »
Hi Bridget,

My mum is a vet, and I'm going to ask you a question which she always says about goats and sheep. After the first 12-24hours, if you watch a sheep or goat behave naturally with its lambs or kids- Does it stand up in the middle of the night in order to feed the lamb/kid?

The answer is, no it doesn't. The only way you get it to take more milk at a time is to extend the gaps between feeds, so it gets hungry.

As to question number 2, if the sheep really likes the lamb, I'd leave it with her. Or if you want to be extra safe, make it a tiny pen insde its mum pen.


And Welcome  :)

Beth

Bridget Jones

  • Joined Jan 2010
Re: Smallholding in Tenerife
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2010, 08:25:55 am »
Thanks so much for the great advice.  Amazingly, the little lamb went back with it's mum and started to feed off her within a couple of days, then our other ewe gave birth to a big healthy lamb last Wednesday and Runty is feeding off of her as well.  I no longer need to do the catering for her and she has two mums looking after her and a new friend.

Other personal developements though mean that unfortunately I need to return to the UK for a while and I'm looking for someone to rent the house, land, car and animals.  So if you know of anyone that would like to spend 6 months or so in sunny Tenerife please let me know.  I would also consider a house swop, depending on the area.

Pictures of the house etc are on Facebook, if you search for "My life is for rent", you'll see it.

Thanks everyone.

sandy

  • Guest
Re: Smallholding in Tenerife
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2010, 04:36:21 pm »
Hello and welcome from a dull, damp clackmannan,,,,,,just reading your post warms me up..I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezn

Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: Smallholding in Tenerife
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2010, 06:00:15 pm »

Hi and welcome, bet its warmer there than here (Brittany) pigs are enjoying the mud at least

 

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