Kodesh Acres - This is my journal about sheep

[farmerjan]

Massaging udders is like stimulation for milk production... think lamb butting it... If you do anything, strip out the milk or don't touch them unless they feel hot.
The engorgement helps with the hormones to stop milk production... because it is not being relieved so signal to stop producing.

 

[Baymule]

Agree with @farmerjan. If you can, pen the ewes and give no feed for 24 hours.

 

[Ridgetop]

I am worried about mastitis, etc., and was wondering if this is normal or if I am rightfully concerned. And what would you recommend. Sometimes I can catch 2 of the 3 mamas, and I am massaging their udders to try to help with the transition. But the udders are at maximum size right now, and that is probably not comfortable. Advice?

Absolutey what Farmerjan and Baymule said.

In future, cut extra food to ewes about a week before weaning. This will cut down milk production. Then pull all food and water from ewes for 24 hours when you pull lambs for weaning.

 

[Ridgetop]

Our rams Snickers and Weller have been very naughty!!!! They jumped the fence and in to the ewes paddock they went!!!! I lost it when I checked the cameras at 5am one morning and saw Snickers in with the ewes!!!!

Be sure to write down dates the rams were in with the ewes. Having lambs in 5 months is not a problem, this breed is designed to do this. Fall and winter lambs are not exposed to parasites the way spring lambs are so that can be a good thing. You will have supplement more with bought hay.

I like accelerated lambing so am breeding my flock for fall lambs already. The January lambs avoided parasites until May. DS1 said we lost a LOT of the retained ewe lambs while we were in California. Next year I will be keeping fewer replacement lambs and sending most of them to the auction at weaning to avoid that $$ loss.

 

[Baymule]

With all the rain and heat, worms have exploded.

 

[sandy10m]

Absolutey what Farmerjan and Baymule said.

In future, cut extra food to ewes about a week before weaning. This will cut down milk production. Then pull all food and water from ewes for 24 hours when you pull lambs for weaning.

I did the cutting of feed for 8 days before weaning. The mamas only had grass/weeds to eat. I didn't cut all food for 24 hours, I can try to do that now, but I don't have a pen with no grass/weeds. I have an electric fence and can try to make a pen under the trees with minimal grass/weeds available.

 

[Baymule]

I did the cutting of feed for 8 days before weaning. The mamas only had grass/weeds to eat. I didn't cut all food for 24 hours, I can try to do that now, but I don't have a pen with no grass/weeds. I have an electric fence and can try to make a pen under the trees with minimal grass/weeds available.

I keep cow panels, hog panels or just pallets handy for the "whatever" things that always seem to pop up. T-posts, hay string, and you have a quick pen. Make it a small enough pen and they will eat and trample those weeds down quickly.