Please share your thoughts on sheep giving birth in the forest or field

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh Babs! She is beautimous for sure!

 

[soarwitheagles]

It's really the natural way of things Soar... folks get to chatting and subjects change over time. Pretty much just like in real life. It would get pretty boring if you had to stay "on subject" for days and days... But it is your thread to proceed with as you wish Did I get it cleaned up enough for you? If you need anything changed (more or back) just let me know. I'm here to help. That's why they're paying me the "big bucks"...

Thank you LS for your help.

@Goat Whisperer you are a nut!

You are right Soar... it does start to wind around too much. I agree there is a balance.

SBC, my concern is it gets too confusing if we veer too far off the beaten path [beaten path = original topic of the thread].

So @soarwitheagles how are those sheep doing out in the woods anyway?

Thanks for the interest Bruce. The sheep in the woods are still doing well. But today they all decided to hang out for now in the manger [it has been raining most of the day]. See pic!

BUT I still do not have a shelter for the mama's and little new born lambs. These sheep are presently located on the east side of the property and they hang out in the cold rain. I hope it will not be a problem because I will not have time to build a new shelter for a few more weeks...see pic!

What are your thoughts on keeping sheep in the field without a shelter in the winter?

Yeah I'm wondering too

Some pics of the lambs might help keep it on track

Great idea GW, I am including two pics I took a couple of minutes ago in the rain...

Are your sheep done with lambing?

And because at one point we were talking about LGDs to protect your sheep I have to show what I may be taking a look at next week. We are discussing trades and price so the decision is far from being made but isn't she a pretty girl? They tell me she is very submissive which is what I would need to compliment my monster Miss Mia.

View attachment 25146

Beautiful dog babs! Hope you can have her!

Lambing here has just begun again after a 2-3 month lull. We had two sets of twins a couple of weeks ago, now another 3-4 ewes appear ready to drop lambs any day. I believe we will have non-stop lambing from now until May.

Have a great day everyone!

We are receiving much needed rain now...yeah!

 

[Southern by choice]

When we had sheep they would go in the shelter sometimes.
We did not breed our sheep so never any lambs.
I know a few people that have larger flocks of sheep and no shelters. One farm, in the south lost lambs every year but after one years loss of just too many lambs they built a pole barn and lambing areas. Too much rain and temp drops.

 

[soarwitheagles]

When we had sheep they would go in the shelter sometimes.
We did not breed our sheep so never any lambs.
I know a few people that have larger flocks of sheep and no shelters. One farm, in the south lost lambs every year but after one years loss of just too many lambs they built a pole barn and lambing areas. Too much rain and temp drops.

Thank you for sharing SBC. I purchased a quantity of six metal panels that measure 10'x10' a couple of weeks ago at an auction. It was an incredible deal at only $5 per panel. These panels are constructed of 2"x2" square tubing with super heavy duty wire mesh in the center [will work well for a ventilated shelter] . I hope to build a new manger out of these metal panels that will measure 10'x20'. This should give us ample room for 20-25 sheep. For $30 I am super happy to have found this deal! It should work well to help sheep in the open field to find shelter during some of the stronger storms that will hit us.

 

[Southern by choice]

That is a good deal.

Having a run in is always beneficial. Also having a few panels where you can do a makeshift stall/pen is always good for when a ewe needs to recuperate after a rough lambing, or just when conditions aren't great and lambs would be best to have a few days to get started successfully.

 

[Southern by choice]

They tell me she is very submissive which is what I would need to compliment my monster Miss Mia.

uh oh.

I sure wonder what they mean by submissive. I hear "fear"... "timid". Personally I would never get a "submissive" dog.

@soarwitheagles it is a shame you live so far away. It would be so great for you to see Not Leo, Callie, D, Pete, Silver... so you could see what very serious but very stable dogs are like.
Do I have a few that you can't get close too? Yes, BUT off site they are fine and can go to the vets, in public etc.

Not sure if this is getting off topic so say so if it is. I know you are looking at ways to protect your flock. I cannot imagine not having a guardian with them lambing in the open.

 

[soarwitheagles]

SBC,

We have tons of the cattle panels, and I too like the freedom to move them anywhere at moments notice, but I would like to build a covered pen where the sheep can find shelter from the storms when out in the forest or field.

So here is the picture of the metal I purchased for $30. I suppose I should not have called them panels. Perhaps it is simply junk metal that nobody wanted. For me, I thought about spraying them with rust proof paint, setting four pieces parallel vertically, then place the two remaining pieces on top to form the roof. I would plywood the top and cover with a tarp for temporary shelter for the sheep in the field or forest...

We are on a super tight budget at the moment and we cannot afford to build a nice pole barn...

Our winters are fairly mild compared to most of our nation, so we do not need special insulation from brutal winters for extra warmth...but I am not comfortable leaving sheep out in the field during our cool winter rainy season with no shelter...especially after losing one lamb last year to pneumonia.

What do you think?

 

[Southern by choice]

You got those for $30

I need a deal like that!

Those are fantastic!
What will you use to secure them?
They are heavy and I would imagine they will take some strong supports.

 

[soarwitheagles]

I also purchased 6 pallets of 4"x6"x16' pressure treated posts. So I was thinking of sinking six of the posts, 3 in each side to hold the walls up. But now I am diverting from the original thread topic, so I will begin a new thread titled, "Ideas and suggestions for making a quick, inexpensive, shelter for sheep."

Thanks again!

 

[Southern by choice]

Personally that imo gets more confusing
It is starting a thread and coming to a conclusion and finishing a thread.