Author Topic: Bringing ewes in, how much space?  (Read 7042 times)

ThomasR

  • Joined Jun 2014
  • Peebles
Re: Bringing ewes in, how much space?
« Reply #15 on: April 01, 2017, 10:53:30 pm »
Thanks for the help, I thought that I had it all good however the bird flu has ruined that system this year so hopefully all will be back to normal next year

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Bringing ewes in, how much space?
« Reply #16 on: April 03, 2017, 10:59:57 pm »
It sounds like a good plan to let the experienced girls lamb outside so you just have the first timers and any you anticipate might have problems inside.

I have primitives and primitive crosses, all lamb outside (in Cumbria until this year, now in North Cornwall) and I can't think I've ever had any concerns about any experienced ewes and their lambs.  If there are any concerns or issues, it's almost always first timers.  And if I need to get a family in, the experienced ewe will always follow her lambs, so is easily brought in.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

ThomasR

  • Joined Jun 2014
  • Peebles
Re: Bringing ewes in, how much space?
« Reply #17 on: April 04, 2017, 09:16:14 pm »
Thanks for all the advice. I managed to clear out the other stables so I have brought all the ewes in, this way they have over 3(squared metres) of space each. This way I can just go and do them all at once, it is closer to lights, water, food, hay, straw and the house. Plus it one shed has lights built in and the other has rechargeable LED work lights that I use. Brought them in today instead of tomorrow as It looked like it was going to rain.
Does anybody have ay experience using the wax stick markers to number lambs or does it not work well, I have found spray doesn't stay on well?

fsmnutter

  • Joined Oct 2012
  • Fettercairn, Aberdeenshire
Re: Bringing ewes in, how much space?
« Reply #18 on: April 04, 2017, 10:45:19 pm »
We've not bothered numbering hebs as nothing shows well on black!
Last year we started ear tagging at birth and I can get close enough to all new mothers to read ?their tag and record whose lambs are whose.
Thereafter it's usually easy enough to make sure lambs are matched up with their twin (if they have) and mother, or at least up and running alongside a ewe that looks like the right one!

ThomasR

  • Joined Jun 2014
  • Peebles
Re: Bringing ewes in, how much space?
« Reply #19 on: April 05, 2017, 09:56:51 am »
Yeah will just tag at a few days old this year before they go out as it will make life easier

ThomasR

  • Joined Jun 2014
  • Peebles
Re: Bringing ewes in, how much space?
« Reply #20 on: April 05, 2017, 10:00:34 am »
They are now in and look happy enough and the handling was a tiny bit rougher than I would have liked as I had one ewe who refused to move whenever someone touches her she will just lie down but we eventually got there and they all see happy enough

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Bringing ewes in, how much space?
« Reply #21 on: April 05, 2017, 12:10:14 pm »
That was one week of stomach tubing I won't forget (worlds most horrible job).
I would stomach tube a weak lamb for the first and maybe second feeds but switch to a bottle as soon as it was strong enough to suckle - small lambs often get on better with a Pritchard teat. 

ThomasR

  • Joined Jun 2014
  • Peebles
Re: Bringing ewes in, how much space?
« Reply #22 on: April 05, 2017, 02:06:42 pm »
I have never managed to get a lamb properly onto the bottle, Luckily with hebs I don't have the problems other breeds often have when it comes to lambing. After a week the ewe finally got its act together and started to feed the lambs. Just on the countdown now, don't expect any before Saturday as I have never had one lamb before it is actually expected. I have one ewe that has ballooned in size in the bast week and has gone from looking like she is carrying a single to looking like a hot air ballon and lying down a lot more. Never had one increase in size before at such a rate so close to lambing.

 

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