# Scan Man Cometh



## Sheepshape (Jan 6, 2019)

3 months ago I decided that I had to dispense with my sheep.....cost of keeping them too high, too much work etc etc. Those factors haven't changed, but somehow it didn't happen. Neighbours tup jumped the fence....whoops....so then I thought, well maybe this last year.....

Anyway, 60 odd ewes have been exposed to rams, and some will be having lambs as from 15th March. In two days we will learn how many lambs that may potentially be.....

I'm secretly excited (as always!).....who could not like lambs?


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## Rammy (Jan 6, 2019)

Sheep are like chickens. You cant have just one. Good luck with your lambing.


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## Sheepshape (Jan 6, 2019)

Rammy said:


> Sheep are like chickens. You cant have just one


Oh yes, I've got 30 something chickens, too....I refuse to count them when I know there are too many. 

I'll post the results of the scanning......always more than actually go on to survive, of course.


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## Baymule (Jan 6, 2019)

May your scan man bring you good news!


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## mysunwolf (Jan 6, 2019)

Always exciting to have one more lambing! Good luck, can't wait to read all about it.


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## Latestarter (Jan 6, 2019)

It's really hard to let go of something you love dearly. For you it just happens to be sheep and lambs    you get awesome scan results.  this year's lambing goes 1000% better than last years.


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## Sheepshape (Jan 8, 2019)

OK.... scanned for 61 lambs of which 19 singles, 36 twins and two triplets. 4 were 'empty' i.e not 'in lamb'. Sounds pretty fine to me. Clearly the two untested rams 'stepped up to the plate'. Jumping Jack Flash was here last year, so we knew he was fertile (and mobile!).

Lambing (all being well!) should start around the middle or March. Now all there is to do is the hard work of ensuring that they reach their due dates in as good a state as possible.Time to work out the dates for worming, vaccinating and starting to feed 'ewe nuts' to them.


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## Sheepshape (Jan 9, 2019)

Did I ever say that maths wasn't my best subject? Sitting down today, I suddenly thought....Surely 61 lambs to 61 ewes....oh, what a tw*t! 

 My girls are expecting 97 lambs....


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## Latestarter (Jan 9, 2019)

OK... wondered about the original math, but didn't want to say anything... Now it "adds up"!   That's a LOT of lambs (for someone who was considering stepping away)


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## Mike CHS (Jan 9, 2019)

Sheepshape said:


> Time to work out the dates for worming, vaccinating and starting to feed 'ewe nuts' to them.



That is a new one on me.  What are Ewe nuts?


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## Sheepshape (Jan 10, 2019)

Mike CHS said:


> Ewe nuts?


Now I'm from 'across the pond' and we often have odd names for things (and 'ewe nuts' sound more like something that you'd find on rams!).

We don't tend to feed supplementary grain during the last 4-6 weeks of pregnancy when the ewe may have too much pressure on her rumen from growing lambs to eat enough for lamb growth and maintaining/preparing her own body fro lambing. At this stage we use 'ewe nuts' which are small manufactured pellets made from grain/oils/vitamins etc to typically provide 18% protein and in concentrated form. These are placed out in feeder tins twice daily. Larger bore 'pellets' are also available for depositing on fields from a tractor etc. and tiny ones are available for lambs, when they are referred to as 'lamb creep'.These names are traditional.....and part of the other odd vocabulary that is part of sheep husbandry over here...tup (ram), yow...ewe, gimmer.....ewe over 12 months who has not had her first lamb, hogget/shearling.......young sheep (either sex) who is over 12 months and yet to get 2nd set of teeth, gummer......old girl who has no teeth left (follows 'broken-mouthed when ewe has some broken teeth) etc. I'm not sure how many of these terms you use, but I do sometimes forget myself and lapse into 'dialect'.

But, bad math is bad math the world over......and Latestarter, you and I'm sure most others, must have been wondering just where I went to school!  In my defence....it was a looooooooong time ago!


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## Rammy (Jan 10, 2019)

I was just thinking when you have all those lambs, we wont be able to find you in that sea of sheep! Im figuring you will sell most of them, right? If'n you dont, your going to have alot of gummies.


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