I was thinking about once a year is every year too much? Also because I only want two ewes I was thinking of breeding one for a fall lamb and the other for a spring lamb. Will sheep cycles allow me to do that?
How often is too often?
- Thread starter CESpeed
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Four Winds Ranch
Loving the herd life
Sheep do well if they get bred and lamb once every year! Some people even do the 3 times in 2 years thing.
Depends what breed of sheep you have if you want one fall and one spring lamb! Some breed's heat cycles only run in the fall and winter, other will cycle all year!
The question would be, are you planning on getting a ram too, or borrowing one? You will need some pretty good fencing and pens to get one bred and not the other twice a year! If that is your plan it would probably be best to take your one ewe to the ram when you want it bred!
Depends what breed of sheep you have if you want one fall and one spring lamb! Some breed's heat cycles only run in the fall and winter, other will cycle all year!
The question would be, are you planning on getting a ram too, or borrowing one? You will need some pretty good fencing and pens to get one bred and not the other twice a year! If that is your plan it would probably be best to take your one ewe to the ram when you want it bred!
Shelly May
Chillin' with the herd
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Once a year every year is not too much. That's how often Mouflons and Big Horns (wild sheep, descendants of modern sheep breeds) breed anyways. You CAN do it that way but you will need either a special sheep breed (hair sheep, Dorset, etc) or you will need to use a CIDR because sheep are a seasonal species. Also if you breed for a fall lamb you need to make sure the sheep settles because seasonal breeds that are bred to lamb off-season may not settle or produce only one baby. If you get a non-seasonal breed your sheep will probably settle and you may get twins or triplets.CESpeed said:
Alice Acres
Ridin' The Range
Is there a reason you want to spread your lambing out? It is more natural, and easier on everyone if you breed both together, have them lamb close together. The ewes will likely cycle together. Then you are doing lambing and raising them together. Easier on you as the work is more logical - instead of having a lamb or two be newborns, and then some that are half grown. Also nicer for the lambs - they do better, gain better if they are a group.
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The reason I was thinking about 1 in Spring and 1 in Fall is to have fresh lamb year round but I suppose that came be accomplished in a freezer. After everything I've read I definitely want Texel sheep, I just have to find a farm or two in Arkansas. 
