FIVE OF THE BEST IDEAS

6 February 1998

FIVE OF THE BEST IDEAS

FEEDING hungry ewes without risk of escape from field gates, marking ewes and lambs to ensure they can be identified and an easier way of loading sheep pens.

All are short-listed hints from our last Topical Tips for Sheep competition, which attracted over 50 entries. To whet your appetite for this years competition (see entry form on facing page), heres a round-up of commended entries.

&#8226 A pen system at field gates could making life easier while feeding hungry ewes in the run up to lambing.

G Loftus, Cleveland, suggested building a pen at the gateway in the field sheep are grazing. When he needs to enter the field, he drives into the pen, closes the field gate behind him and opens the one in front. To exit, he reverses the procedure.

While sheep usually converge at gates, expecting feed, this system saves time and means sheep cannot escape from the field. The pen takes only a few minutes to set up, and once erected, other pens can be set up at either side.

&#8226 Use coloured numbered tags attached to elastic bands to help identify ewes and lambs after birth and avoid mis-mothering before penning individually.

With 1500 ewes to lamb, WJ Higgs of Black Robin Farm, Beachy Head, Eastbourne, Sussex, finds this system helps greatly. Each lamb is issued with a coloured numbered tag on an elastic band, which is placed round its neck, while the ewe is marked with the same number.

This avoids the difficulties incurred when ewes continually lick new-born lambs – meaning marking spray is a waste of time and money. It also helps as lambs can be taken away and warmed up without risk of mis-mothering.

&#8226 Allow a steady flow of sheep into a race by loading sheep into the front of a holding pen rather than the back.

David Sullivan, Hurstbourne Tarrant, Andover, Hants, suggests running sheep into the pen past the race, mobile dipper or shearing table. This avoids the difficulty of sheep going into the pen, confronting the race and then turning to run the opposite way out of the pen, and ensures a steady flow of sheep into the race.

&#8226 Avoid ewes catching dosing bottles and wasting valuable vaccine by making a quick-release harness with a 5cm (2in) bulldog clip, key ring and small spring clip.

Attach the plastic dosing bottle through its holes to the spring clip, and connect this to the bulldog clip via the key ring, says David Henderson, Newbuildings, Co Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

The bulldog clip can then be attached to your coat collar, and when anything catches this slips off, meaning there is no string pulling round your neck. According to Mr Henderson, this system also keeps the bottle up higher when bending over to vaccinate sheep, making the task much easier.

&#8226 Keep powdered minerals dry by cutting one or two large holes in clean plastic 23 litre (5 gal) drums and suspending them on string from either a fence post or purpose-made support at several vantage points around the field.

According to Mrs J Lewis, Coedycwm, Newcastle Emlyn, Dyfed, this keeps minerals dry, allows easy topping-up and gives sheep easy access. &#42

Make dosing flocks easier and less wasteful using a suggestion from our last Topical Tips competition.