Lambing/Breeding 2014-Parsnip

[Womwotai]

Thanks Pioneer Chicken! And congrats Parsnip - they are awesome!

 

[Parsnip]

Haha, Wom, our little ram lambs look somewhat identical!
Both brown and white!

 

[Womwotai]

I had that same thought

 

[alsea1]

I just love the boy. Awesome

 

[Womwotai]

Now I have decisions to make re wethering. I had planned on doing it until last week when I saw a thread where people said they didn't think the meat tasted any different if they are left intact. I'd rather not do a procedure I don't need to do. On the other hand, if he and his dad are going to fight when he hormones kick in, better to wether while he's young. What are you planning on with your boy?

 

[Parsnip]

I REALLY don't want to wether Marty, he's a real nice color, PLUS he's half Dorper Which I think if he were left intact, he'd produce good market lambs in the future.
But I made myself a promise to wether him on Friday or Saturday if no one wanted him as a ram.
I'd keep him, but I wouldn't wanting him breeding with his sister, or MaryEllen, or something like that.
SO I'm kind of torn on what to do?
I already have one ram lamb(Samson)who I'm leaving intact. I've planned to sell him as soon as he's weaned.

On the other hand, if I wether Marty, he'd make a good meat lamb, because I'm guessing he'll be a chunky lil' boy. So I'm sure he'd be delicious!
WOW I'M RAMBLING.
So right now I guess these two are up for grabs around May/June....


AND Marty is either gonna be sold as a ram, or kept as a wether for butchering.
If Irene turns out to be good sized by October, I might breed her.
Either that or wait until May next year to breed her. Gosh she's awful small... Hopefully she'll catch up!
... I'm keeping her though, unless she stays really small.

Lol I'm trying to think ahead here so I don't end up with 20 sheep!
I need to keep it around 5-6 adult sheep... we just don't have a ton of barn room!

 

[Womwotai]

Gotcha. Yeah, I don't need my flock to get too big either. They have a 7-acre pasture and at one point our research suggested 5 sheep/goats per acre. That would mean 35 which I personally feel is too many. Prior to lambing we had 6 sheep and 2 goats. I figured I would keep all ewe lambs/doelings born this year and perhaps next, and butcher any males in that same time frame and after two years, see how many we have and if that is "enough". So I guess I am mostly playing it by ear. So far I have one ewe lamb, one ram lamb and a ewe who I think will have twins. The other two ewes are only 5 months old, so I expect will have their FF in the fall. The goat doe does not look pregnant yet but has been with the buck since July (they both were kids then). I expect she will kid at some point but I think it will be awhile yet.

So what you're saying is if your lamb is going to be a meat lamb you will definitely wether rather than leave him intact? Is that so the meat is better or so that you don't have so many "ram hormones" floating around the place?

 

[Parsnip]

I think the lamb meat will be tasty regardless of whether the ram lamb has his manhood or not!
I just don't want him breeding back to any ewe's he's related to!
I guess in theory I could breed Marty to Jillian, because she's his maternal half Aunt.....
But I want to sell Jillian and her brother Samson in May or so when they are at weaning age!

~ We have about 2 acres for sheep to eat off of. Our house is on the third acre.
A small flock is easier to take care of when you're going to college I suppose!
Plus I have two alpacas... on the other hand they eat about half as much as the sheep do lol
So they aren't much work at all. Plus they poop and pee in the same spot, so it's easy to clean up haha!

OH So you have another ewe due to lamb soon?
Do you have a mix of hair and wool sheep?
Goat babies are just about as cute sheep babies

 

[Womwotai]

My 3 older ewes are full Dorset (wool). My two 5-month-old ewe lambs are full Dorper (hair). The ram is…..I dunno. He was given to me by a guy and I know where he got his original stock. I know she keeps mostly hair sheep but I don't know if this guy had mixed in anything else in the 4 years or so since he got his original lambs from her. I've only had him since July so I will find out as it warms up, I guess, since right now he is holding onto it. However in the fall there were places where it looked like you could just take a chunk and pull it right off, so I'm hoping he is mostly hair and passes that tendency on to his offspring.

I didn't realize you have Alpacas as well! Did you get them as guardians?

 

[Parsnip]

I LOVE DORPER SHEEP
And that's be pretty awesome if your ram was mostly a hair sheep

Haha, I did get them for guarding the sheep. They are pretty good protectors and will chase off anything foreign in the herd. My alpha alpaca also screeches if he senses something is off, so I'll go down and check when I hear him.
For the most part him and the other alpaca squabble, but they are good boys with beautiful fleece!!