My Lambs are Here!!

[TheSheepGirl]

These are my Cuties. I finally have my lambs. These are my first sheep. The White ewe is Marybell. I promised my brother that he could name the black ewe. Her name is Ninja. My dad and brother both agree that Ninja is a cool name. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that they are Finn crosses. Marybell looks like she might have some Polypay in her.

This was taken Yesterday, they now run over to the fence whenever thay hear me comming. I've been home all day so I've been feeding them treats whenever I walk by to try and tame them down. Mostly my treats are just handfuls of grass. This has been getting them used to my hands and my smell.

I haven't noticed them drinking much at all. Is this normal?

Sorry about the blurry picture. I couldn't get them to hold still.

 

[goodhors]

Congrats on getting your lambs. They are cute, but I would not be able to guess their breeding by just looking at them. Not that good at recognizing the less common breeds. About all I know on the Finns is that the lambs come in MULTIPLES, often MANY.

Names sound easy to call, both are cute names.

Lambs may not be used to getting drinks from whatever you have the water in. Don't like the taste of your container for some reason. So I would empty it if not too big, on a daily basis, refill. Kind of washes out any "new" taste. Tanks are most common in flocks. We have a large rubber tub, gets emptied every couple days and scrubbed out to remove alge. Easy to track what they drink by how fast it goes down.

Do they have access to a white salt block? Sometimes if they lick salt, they will drink a bit better. Do NOT get the red mineral salt, it has copper for horses and cattle. Sheep can't have copper. Take your time changing their feed to your stuff and grazing turnout. Runny poop is a bad sign, they get that with lots of grain or going onto grass they are not used to eating. You have to back off the change, go to hay until poop is more solid again.

Do you have the slip halter and rope leads? Just putting halter on and getting lambs to lead a short time a couple times a day, will help tame them as well. Grass treats will tempt them forward. Being easy to catch and halter, sure makes life easier for handling them.

 

[TheSheepGirl]

I'm really just going by the breeds the breeder raises. I don't even think she knew what they were. She claims that they were lincoln/wensydale crosses. They look nothing like either of these breeds. The breeder also raises Finns and that was the breed the two matched closest. No wool on the faces and very little on the legs and also the feminine bodies. when I asked the breeder about this she then told me that they were from her Polypays. The only thing I would even remotely contribute to a polypay is the head on my white ewe.

I have been transitioning them slowly onto my feeds. They were only being fed a little bit of hay before. I only gave them a half a flake of hay total yesterday and only a handful of grain each. I can only guess that the conditions they came from weren't good. They are so thin when you feel them.

My halters are still on order. All I have are some collars and leashes, which might work. I did a bit of show training yesterday with Marybell. She didn't seem to mind and even ate some hay from hand while I was bracing her.

I think they are happy here. Just look at that smile.

 

[barredcountrycoop]

AWESOME, I hope you enjoy them. I think Ninja is a fine name for a lamb,lol

 

[4-HKid]

i like them

 

[theawesomefowl]

Nice!!!!!!

What kind of halters do you need? I am hoping to get a few Katahdin ewes.

 

[Beekissed]

I wish I could give someone the two new show halters I had bought for my sheep. They didn't like them and shucked them in about two seconds....of course, if you used them for show the lead chain would be under the jaw line and they couldn't shuck them so easily. Worn once...one red, one green, I think. Very sturdy.

I'll have to round them up and clean them off....see if some 4-H kid has need of them.

 

[goodhors]

Around here, the kids have to show their sheep naked, no halters in the ring. 4-H project sheep and lambs do wear halters outside the ring, getting lead about. In Showmanship, "no-halter" handling while showing, demonstrates the work kid has put into working with their animals, training.

Of COURSE it helps to know the "sheep grip" around the head and jaw, which is kind of like the Star Trek Vulcan shoulder pinch! The sheep and lambs DO NOT escape from those kids!!

I would probably keep your halters, just use them to tie up the sheep now and again, keeps them trained to tie. You might want to have sheep waiting in line for baths, get tied while washing or getting sheared. I know having them tied waiting, saves time chasing them.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm getting rid of my sheep next weekend, so no need for me to keep halters. They are going back to the place from whence I bought them, so they will have a good home that I can visit just over the mountain and down the road a piece.

The kids show without halters here also....and the head grip is how I control my sheep also. One of my sheep is easier to catch by the hind leg....he's a big mama's boy, so he is not too anxious to get away. He will hold still for pets and scratches.