The Sheep Show Podcast with Jill & Andrew Noble

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

There is nothing quite like shopping for sheep and shopping for rams is always good fun, filled with optimism and opportunity so in this episode we explore:

What do you need in a new ram?
What are your breeding objectives?
When do you need a new ram?
What genetic elements does your ram bring to your flock?
Who do you join your ram with?
What ram health aspects do you need to be aware of?
How to get your ram ready for joining?
What to do when you get your ram home?

Links:

https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/livestock/sheep/breeding-genetics/genetics/breeding-objective
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/livestock/sheep/breeding-genetics/genetics/breeding-values

http://www.sheepgenetics.org.au/Getting-started/ASBVs-and-Indexes

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Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

So you have lambs on the ground and you are over the stress of sleepless nights and the peak lambing period so what now? Are we out of the woods or can things still go wrong?

In this episode we explore aspects of lamb health from 2 weeks old to weaning. Including:
What growth rates should I be getting from my lambs?
How to manage the health of your lambs from two weeks old to weaning
What diseases can lambs get as they are growing?
What worms impact lambs?
When to vaccinate and why?
When to plan weaning and why wean at all?
How to prevent lamb diseases?

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Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

Volume 4 of the lambing diaries and the learning journey continues!
- Heat cycle and the magic day 17- 
- Interverted eyelids in lambs
- Udder health - what does a good one look like and feel like
- Freemartin ewes
- Who lambs first and last 
- Lamb survival to weaning and the 60/20 rule 
- Full cycles versus false or first heat cycles
- Managing the mud - how to reduce the mud baths and increase the the pasture through tillering (a shoot growing from the base of a plant)
-Foot abscesses in sheep - how to know you have one and what to do about it 

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In the third installment of the lambing diaries we learn that three feet and PJs don't mix! 
We also explore:
- How long does a ewe take to bond with her newborn lamb
- Why maidens drop last
- Why lambs eat dirt
- Sheep udder health
- Saving a ewe
- Dealing with bloat in bottle fed lambs
- What licks to give your lambs
- How to imprint the rumen in young lambs

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Well into lambing what have we learned? What tricks have we used and what miracle have we been able to perform with little lamb lives. 

This lambing diary log explores:
The power of Vitamin C
The tales of triplets
A fox update
Dealing with prolapses and some bush vet work
Hybrid bottle feeding method
Recording ewe performance 
Recording lamb data at birth
A lesson about not waiting to intervene 

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How the first two weeks of lambing has gone - learnings, reflections and challenges. 
Key areas explored:
How to move ewes and lambs.
Lamb survival 
Lamb recovery position
Lamb starvation 
True and false heat

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Meet the Thomas family from Cavendish, Western Victoria! On Saturday July 25 they ran Australia's first all breed Virtual Sheep Show! The Sheep Show Podcast got to be a special guest!

Despite hundred of agricultural shows, events and field days being cancelled due to COVID19 sheep breeders show their true colours by participating in the Rona show.

The SILK Southdown Rona Virtual Sheep Show was held live on Facebook on July 25. It was an idea born from the frustration that Imogen (12), Lexi (9) and Emma (6) had when they found out that some of their favourite shows of the year were cancelled.  They managed to convince Mum, Kate and Dad, Simon and Poppy Bob Thomas was easy to persuade! 
 
 

The family set to task. They created a Facebook page and were amazed by the response from breeders. Simon says ‘we just had to find a way to show our sheep, I was blown away by the response that came through’.  A few breeders jumped on board really quickly and there was something for everyone. There were cute lamb classes, fancy dress classes and the hindquarter classes to entertain. 

All the classes were judged by Lexi Thomas a nine year old. Lexi spent hours taking notes about each sheep from the video entries. In fact she had a notebook full of comments! Lexi gave comments on every single sheep entry all in her own words! The ewe classes were the most difficult to judge accordingly to Lexi, who studied every breed standard in detail. 

The winners of the champion classes were:

Champion Ram: Fairbank White Suffolk Stud

Champion Ewe: Flinders College Corriedale ewe over 1.5

Champion Lamb: Deepeler Suffolk 

Serena Award: Tillara Suffolk

CONTACT:

Simon Thomas

0408 997 223

[email protected]
SILK Southdown Rona Show on Facebook 

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What is the ugly side of lambing? What are the serious diseases that can cause abortions in ewes? What diseases can affect your ewes during times of high stress time such a pre-lambing and lactation? 

How can you prevent these issues? What treatments can you use if you find you have any of these issues with your sheep? 

In this episode, the first in a series of lambing diaries, we explore metabolic diseases in sheep – pregnancy toxemia or twin lambing disease and calcium and magnesium deficiencies in sheep. 

And you also get to meet Gato - my feral cat! 

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Meet Brett the Vet from GV Vets in Shepperton (Northern Victoria)! Brett Davis takes us to lambing 2.0 – what to do when ewe need help! All the things to be prepared for and what to do when things don’t go according to ewer plan when lambing.!

Together we Brett we explore:

What percentages of ewes lamb normally and without assistance? 

What is the most common issue with lambing/most common lambing difficulty? 

The correlation between lamb size, ewe health and nutrition

What might cause more triplets in ewes? 

What is the issue with single lambs?

When do you intervene with lambing? What signs should you look for?

What tools or equipment should you have on hand and ready?

Benefits of using lube during a difficult lambing 

Managing your own health and safety when you are helping a ewe and taking precautions for Q fever 

Multi-resistance bacteria issues

What about two feet backwards?

What about back feet curled in under the body?

What do you do if the head is back?

What about if the lamb is coming backwards?

Are you more likely to get issues in triplet births – so many legs?

When you ‘go in’ what can you check for/feel when you are feeling around inside a ewe?

Mistakes shepherd make when assisting in lambing births 

Should you always check for a second (if the lambing has been a difficult one)?

Why are some lambs born white and some brown/stained at birth? 

Should you hook a lamb under the chin to help pull them?

How do you use a lambing rope?

When do you call the vet – know that you can’t assist anymore? 

How important is critical birth weight?

How do you tube feed safety?

What you need to know about a lamb’s immunity 

How to build a relationships with your Vet and why this is so important as sheep farmers and breeders?

Find out more about or contact Brett the Vet and the sheep farmer you ca find him at:
www.gvvets.com.au
www.willtshirehorns.com (Bara-Simbil Wiltshire Horn Sheep Stud)

Support the show

Thank you for supporting our pod! Sign up via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

Welcome to the first of many podcast episodes over the next few weeks on lambing. In this episode we explore how most lambs present, normal presentation. We look at pre, during and post lambing aspects that account for 95% of the lambs born. 

In Lambing 101 we cover:

• Sheep gestation
• What sort of protein/feed requirements do pregnant and lactation ewes have
• How to tell if a sheep is pregnant 
• What is 'bagging up'?
• How to tell if a sheep is in labour
• How long does sheep labour last and what are the stages
• Differences with pregnant maiden ewes versus older more mature ewes
• The lambing process
• How to prepare for lambing - what do you need to have on hand 
• Preventing lambing issues and managing ewe health 
• First signs of labour
• How long should labour last 
• When to intervene 
• How does a healthy lamb behave straight after birth 
• How to foster lambs onto ewes
• Tips on preventing mastitis 
• Udder health 
• What to do with your rams when you are lambing 
• Pros and cons of lambing inside versus outside
• Typical lamb behaviour 

Support the show

Thank you for supporting our pod! Sign up via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new