# Son getting first 4-H lamb today



## redfarmhouse (Aug 16, 2011)

We are still new to all the farm animals and I can't believe we are adding something else.
Any advice?  
We are all excited about this.


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## aggieterpkatie (Aug 16, 2011)

Yay for sheep!  Sheep are pretty easy, and your boys are pretty good with livestock by now I"m sure.  Maybe just get a sheep book like Raising Sheep the Modern Way or something to cover basics.  Sheep can't have copper, so you'll have to make sure they don't eat the goat grain (if your goats eat grain).   Good luck!


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## goodhors (Aug 16, 2011)

For market lambs you want one with a long level back, wide hind end, long neck.  Kind of like a table, leg on each
corner, though chest can widen a bit more as it matures.  Can be a bit hard to "see" that
in little lambs, but having two standing side by side, might make it easier in picking.  I personally look to see if lamb has
a bit of tail, not docked way short.  Depending on your area, that short docking may or may not be fashionable.
We see lambs prolapsing with that extreme in short docking, so kid has to deal with the prolapse issue daily 
until lamb is sold.  Just an issue to avoid, because of the potential for problems if lamb gets an infection going.

We buy whethered lambs or ram lambs and band them.  They gain faster, keep a bit better temperment than rams.
Ewes are nice, but even starting with a larger ewe, feeding and exercising daily, the whethers will out gain her
for a bigger lamb at your show date.  Which leads me to ask when is your finish date for the lamb?  

Locally we are ending the lamb showing season at Fairs, though it does run until end of Sept.  Our Fair was first 
week of August, so we figured on buying weaned lambs in early April to have ready at around 130 pounds.  We feed
grass and some grain/pellets, so it takes about 5 months to have them ready.  Feeding hard feeds only, you could
probably have lamb ready a bit sooner, but not a lot sooner. You also have to prepare the kid for selling the lamb, 
required in many Fairs, especially if he wins Grand or Reserve.  Always hurts worst with the first one, but still hurts 
with later lambs too.

Is this lamb a wool breed for just showing and not selling?  Then you need to look up breed standards and try to 
buy lambs meeting those qualities.  Open the mouth, make sure the jaw is even for good grazing.  Under or overshot
jaw means sheep has a harder time grazing and keeping weight on, genetic fault you DO NOT want to own.  Legs should 
not be bent towards each other, but straight up and down, front and back.  Some width between hinds, so they might 
appear bow-legged in muscling, but bones are straight.  Tiny lambs with toes out in front, usually straighten a bit as they get a mature chest.
Again, level back, longer neck, bright appearance in the eyes, no runny poop or stained rearends.  Most sheep have a clear moisture 
around nostrils, can be a clear discharge if they have been running a lot, so I would not worry about it.  Discolored drainage
from the nose means something is going on, dirty, runny eyes, skip that one.  Feel the lamb, her muscling thru the wool, 
not skinny bones.  Again, not extreme short docked tails.  Bit of tail left on is even more important on a breeding ewe, so 
they don't prolapse.  Not sure you can check much in wool quality with young lamb, wool changes a bit with age.  Should have
lots of kinks in the hairs, called crimping, a good wool quality.  White lambs are often preferred, since their wool is easier to 
dye after shearing.  Depends on your chosen breed, about the color.

Extremely important!!  Make sure the lamb has a Scrapies tag on him before leaving!!!  You can't exhibit or show without sheep
being tagged.  It is the BREEDER'S place to put point-of-origin Scrapies tag on the lambs.  If breeder won't tag the lamb, I would
walk away from purchasing there.  Tagging lamb with your own Scrapies tag means you raised him,so  if a problem develops then
YOUR place gets the checking over from Gov't officials, not breeder's place.  Get a receipt for your lamb that includes breeder's farm name.

Make it clear with the child AHEAD, that if lambs do not meet your standards, not tagged, you might not buy one there.  Always are other sheep farms
to go purchase from.  Child WILL STILL get a lamb, just might not be today.  This is from my experience getting stiffed by sellers of lambs 
and puppies RAISING THE PRICE when child showed how much they liked the small animal!  Was amazed at the blatant bid for more 
money after quoting a MUCH lower price before going out to see them!!  Heard later that those breeders did that often, lots of folks could
not resist child pleading to have the "chosen one".  Daughter knew ahead that we were LOOKING.  OUR lamb or puppy we wanted might not 
be at this place.  So only disappointed that "A" puppy or lambs couldn't come with us because they were not THE CHOSEN ONE. 

Good hunting, hope everything goes smoothly.


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## manybirds (Aug 16, 2011)

redfarmhouse said:
			
		

> We are still new to all the farm animals and I can't believe we are adding something else.
> Any advice?
> We are all excited about this.


they r so naughty! as naughty as the goats jst in different ways


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## Royd Wood (Aug 17, 2011)

manybirds said:
			
		

> they r so naughty! as naughty as the goats jst in different ways


Naughty as goats - Not my Romneys

Come on manybirds tell us what your guys get up to


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## manybirds (Aug 17, 2011)

Royd Wood said:
			
		

> manybirds said:
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> 
> 
> ...


i have a hampshire ewe in the pen with the goats. she weighs 150 ibs and is strong. well i was holding a feed can and well,.... i think u can tell the rest. she yells at us all the time and is dominant in the goat pen (i was actually kind of happy about this. we have a goat in there that is mean to everyone and beat them up, but he's not so cocky now the sheeps in there  ). even though they all get the same food she likes to run over and try to steal everyone else's food. well then the goat leaves her dish and i'll be sitting in the middle of the pen nearly being ripped in two trying to hold on to them all. i finnaly tyed one goat up during feeding, and the other 3 r locked up, while the sheep and one doe r free and then i only have to watch the 1 sheep and 1 goat. she even bit me the other day! she is so naughty!


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