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[72uoba]

How are everyone's lambing preparations going? Or have some started yet?

We've just had a new roof put on our lambing shed after it collapsed in the snow round about New Year time. So, lots of clearing up to do and then all the pens to set up. Always get a horrible sense of forboding as April draws nearer....

And I don't know whether watching 'Lambing Live' on BBC2 (and in HD) this week is a good idea or not. The sound of a lamb bleating goes right inside your head (it's the only thing on the television my dog reacts to, doesn't care about dogs barking); and, soon enough, we'll have a group of pet lambs who won't bloody shut up every time they see one of us

Bring it on...
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[moorland]

to be honest bloody nightmare ,the ram we used this year ,wasn't firing,boss wasn't pleased so

wait for this one ewe to lamb ,


3 goats are due same time and they are all due to kid so plenty of extra colostum and milk this year ,but have said no more pet lambs due to work comitments ,i'm trying to get my hours lowered
what's the odd i get a few roll up
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[72uoba]

That's not good to hear Are the empty ewes going to be sold or kept for another try? Cast ewes seem to making a good trade at the moment so it might be better financially selling them now rather than having them eat all that valuable grass for the rest of the year. Of course, it's not so cut and dry if these are homebred ewes that are the result of several years of breeding.

Hope that you have an easy time with the ewe that is lambing

What are goats like with kidding? Do they just get on with it themselves?
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[moorland]

the ewe that is empty is a cracking ewe and i had high hopes for her lambs this year ,after the ones she produced last year ,i'll leave her another year ,

the kidding with goats is really easy ,normally you go in the morning and they have a couple, up and suckling ,kids are playing at about 2 hours
although my daughter is sitting here trying to make it difficult by talking about ETing goats ,no rearing lambs this year the crofters know we have colostrum,but i'm not rearing this year for them
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where there's muck there's brass
still haven't found it though

[72uoba]

Goats sound perfect, either got to sell the sheep and get goats or sell them and get all pedigree sheep (but not as many). Just a few less bloody sheep lambing would be cool.

Good luck with that ewe next year. Guess if she's given you good lambs previously, then it's worth keeping hold of her
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[nonie]

actually in the end only only 4 went clear, but all to different rams. we're desparate for blackie replacements and so far only have 1 female.
we've had:22 lambs born
2 milkfevers
2 prolases
2 ringworm
2 rejections
only 6 lambs haven't been pulled
6 vet visits
1 blind lamb
are best texel x ewe was carrying triplets she got ringworm over night due to malpresentation which has resulted in her losing all three and them starting to root inside her. she has taken another lamb tho but it seems to be brain damaged it was a very long time to get it out.
Her lambs were huge they were to big to lamb as a single, she didn't stand a earthy they were too big and they were about a week early.

on top of this we also have 8 dead lambs due to problems lambing.

4 Days in!!!!
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[72uoba]

We've had about 50 ewes lamb so far (about a third of the way through) - not sure how many lambs. Most of them have decided it's best to do overnight, from about the time you finish all the feeding and head in to hopefully relax a bit and have dinner till about breakfast time. Then they'll wait during the day, sometimes look like they're planning something so you can't go away and leave them but then just wait till night anyway.
Strangely, we've had a couple of milkfevers this year as well. Never had it with the sheep before, just cows. Maybe something to do with no grass growing yet? Not many not pulled for us either, lambs all seem a bit too big, a set of triplets yesterday from a sulfolk x all bigger than an earlier single that we were more than happy with. No rejections this year so far (not lasting anyway) but one lamb with a weird bent neck I'll have to get a picture up later but looks really weird - kind of bends down to wards the ground and then the head comes back up. Probably not going to keep it for a ewe though it would have novelty value
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[72uoba]

Oh yeah, and just the two pets so far after the ewe decided to put out her intestines a couple of days ago and had to be put down
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[nonie]

got 2 left strange we've had a lamb with a seriously odd neck a lump, then there was a set of triplets (oddly suffolk x as well) that were huge and we're easy bigger most of the singles, the first one was huge
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[72uoba]

We're down top last three but two of them probably won't come for another couple of weeks.

With 6 tups in all at once for about 150 sheep, they've kept coming at a pretty regular pace. Still can't decide whether it's better to be non-stop for a shorter time or have it more staggered. Like always, can't bloody wait until the last one's out.

Our weird neck one seems to be doing fine. Can't get close enough to get a pic but it also walks funny - a poor wee soul. I'm guessing it's going to end up in our freezer at some point
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[nonie]

I hate it when their like that, guess we can't have totally alive great lambs but that sounds odd, we're down to one. I much preferr over 200 to have then stagerred in quick groups and under to go together Can't believe I'm missing the end off lambing to be honest.
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