# weaning advice



## d farm (May 7, 2018)

So we made it thru our very first lambing, with two little rowdy boys that couldn't be more cute!  So what do I need to do to start to prepare for weaning them off their moms? and at what age?   Thank you in advance!


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## Mike CHS (May 7, 2018)

We wean ours at 2 months old (at least the ram lambs anyway).  We leave our ewe lambs on for a couple of weeks longer but that is just to give us time to get the ram lambs off the farm and to market.  Our layout dictates what we do and we want to avoid the ram lambs breeding any of our ewes.  We don't do any preparation other than getting all of the sheep used to an area where they can be caught (food bribe).  That way we have the market lambs used to an area to be able to load them up.

You probably already know this but they can start breeding very young.


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## Sheepshape (May 7, 2018)

There aren't any hard and fast rules, except to get the ram lambs off mum by about 3 months. This applies mostly to ewes who are non-seasonal breeders and can come back into season fairly early after giving birth. Sussex sheep don't usually start to 'come into heat' until about August, but give yourself a margin of error.

Young lambs start to nibble bits of grass from a few days old and will start eating ewe nuts/grain etc from a couple of weeks. 

The rumen of a lamb is fully developed by about 8 weeks, and anything from 4 weeks you will see the lamb lying and regurgitating beside his mum.

I don't take the ewe lambs away from mum. The time on the teat diminishes progressively, down to a second or so, when mum walks off. They have all weaned naturally by the time that the next tupping season approaches, and  the mums have uniformly regained their weight.

Over here, where the weather can be challenging at times, ewe lambs fatten with no supplements. Ram lambs may need 'lamb nuts' in order to grow fast in years where the climate has been harsh, as this year where Spring has limped in.

Good Luck.


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## d farm (May 8, 2018)

We had both boys castrated, I have noticed them nibbling on grass, hay and feed.  Both ewes could stand to loose some weight.  Didn't want to do anything that might cause problems with producing milk in the future.  Boys will be 4 weeks old this weekend, have noticed moms let them nurse but not as much as before.  Thank you again!


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