Older Ewe Questions

[kuntrygirl]

1. What do you all do with your older (4 years old and older) Ewes?
2. When is an older Ewe too old to eat?
3. When should they stop breeding so that they are not faced with complications from birthing?
4. What is the oldest Ewe you have?

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

I usually keep my ewes as breeding ewes untill they are 8 yrs. ish. After that they start looking older, loosing teeth, and production drops. When I get rid of them, usually I sell them at the local livestock auction, or someone who is just starting out asks for them because the ewes are experienced and usually are still fine for a small acreage/hobby set-up for a couple of years yet.
You could eat older ewes at any age, provided they arn't sick. Keep in mind though that depending on the breed, the mutton taste intensifies with age!
I haven't had issues with birth complications with the older ewes, it is usually the first timeres that have issues or a group that han't had the proper peed during pregnancy. Older ewes are usually do-it-themselfers!
The oldest ewe I have had, I just sold this spring. She was 14 yrs old. I kept her a little longer because she had triplets every year and her teeth were still good. She got sold this spring because she turned up open this lambing season!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I usually keep my ewes as breeding ewes untill they are 8 yrs. ish. After that they start looking older, loosing teeth, and production drops. When I get rid of them, usually I sell them at the local livestock auction, or someone who is just starting out asks for them because the ewes are experienced and usually are still fine for a small acreage/hobby set-up for a couple of years yet.
You could eat older ewes at any age, provided they arn't sick. Keep in mind though that depending on the breed, the mutton taste intensifies with age!
I haven't had issues with birth complications with the older ewes, it is usually the first timeres that have issues or a group that han't had the proper peed during pregnancy. Older ewes are usually do-it-themselfers!
The oldest ewe I have had, I just sold this spring. She was 14 yrs old. I kept her a little longer because she had triplets every year and her teeth were still good. She got sold this spring because she turned up open this lambing season!

Great response with details. My oldest girl is about 7 years old. I was getting worried about her but from the sounds of things, she should be ok. I thought about selling her but I didn't know if she would be too old to sell.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I breed my ewes until they don't produce and/or get really run down during pregnacy and after lambing. Our oldest big ewe (Border Leicester) is 8, she had triplets last year and twins this year. Our oldest small ewe (Shetland) is 9. I've only had her for 2 lambings, but this year she had twins (single last year) and is looking really good.

As for eating....that depends on your taste and the breed. We ate a 7 year old ewe recently and no one could tell that it was mutton. A 9 year old ram was a little stronger, but not bad.

4 and 5 is not old for a breeding ewe. At 4 years, you are just getting to the point where you really understand what that ewe produces.

 

[SheepGirl]

1. Keep them until they turn up open. To me, an old ewe is six, seven years or older. A ewe is in her production prime at ages 3-6. She should produce her most, heaviest lambs at this time.
2. Whenever she loses her teeth--maybe six or eight years or older. Some ewes get by just fine without any incisors. It's when the molars go when the issues really start.
3. I'm not sure a ewe's age has anything to do with complications--I believe diet/nutrition, exercise, and number/size of lambs she's carrying is more important in determining potential complications.
4. She just turned seven a week or two ago. At my neighbor's farm, the oldest ewe we had I think was probably 13 or 14 before we took her to auction. She was a Montadale from my neighbor's first flock when he moved from SD to MD.

 

[CritterZone]

We figure as long as the ewe is able to become pregnant and carry a lamb, then care for the lamb, she can continue to breed. Nature has a way of negotiating those details. I have a soft spot for the old girls. I figure if a ewe gives you everything she has, year after year, she has earned a retirement. As long as she stays healthy and can run with the flock and eat the same things the rest of the sheep eat, she can hang out with us to her natural end. We have a ewe who is probably 10 - 12 (based on what is left of her teeth) who gave us beautiful twins this year and has maintained her weight quite nicely.

 

[Roving Jacobs]

We figure as long as the ewe is able to become pregnant and carry a lamb, then care for the lamb, she can continue to breed. Nature has a way of negotiating those details. I have a soft spot for the old girls. I figure if a ewe gives you everything she has, year after year, she has earned a retirement. As long as she stays healthy and can run with the flock and eat the same things the rest of the sheep eat, she can hang out with us to her natural end. We have a ewe who is probably 10 - 12 (based on what is left of her teeth) who gave us beautiful twins this year and has maintained her weight quite nicely.

I feel the same way and prefer to buy older ewes than ewe lambs. I love that they are pros at lambing and they seem to have so much more sense than silly little ewe lambs. A 5+ year old ewe that has twins or trips every year and easily raises them, as well as keeping the whole flock running smoothly is worth her weight in gold on my farm. I don't consider a sheep really old until 9+ years (I have small sheep though) and my oldest ewe currently will be 12 this fall and I think she'll live forever on pure anger. She still has all her teeth, maintains weight on grass, and is excellent at teaching obnoxious ram lambs manners. To me if they get to that age they are welcome to stick around until the end of their comfortable days.

 

[kuntrygirl]

This is great to hear. I was getting worried about my girls. It sounds like I should have no worries because they will be ok.