Possibly adding a Jacobs ram lamb

[Jamie Boley]

We want to add Jacobs sheep, meat for me and fibre for my girlfriend.

With the llamas and alpacas, we have two little shetland sheep.

I'll be working this weekend to setup a separate area for the new one, but wanted some advice first. Depending on who you ask, I've heard several strategies for integration. Some just put them in and hope for the best. Some put in a separate pen for a quarantine period where the animals can interact and some do the same but there is only visual interaction. Nothing nose to nose as it were.

What would be the best strategy? I could build a pen for the ram lamb where he could see the other sheep/camelids, but not be physically close enough to touch. Would that be the best? What would be an adequate size?

Jamie

 

[Roving Jacobs]

I always quarantine any newcomer to my farm in a completely separate area if possible. Even coming from a good farm you never know what they can bring with them.

Are your shetlands other males? If so I would put your new guy and the shetlands in a small pen where they're fairly snug together so they can't fight for a day or so before turning them out together. Your new jacob (there's no s, its just jacob btw ) may very well beat the snot out of your other animals for a day or two so they know who is running the place. It's totally normal but watch to make sure no one gets seriously hurt. Those jacob rams are feisty.

 

[Jamie Boley]

I had wondered about that. I thought about putting the Shetlands (both wethers) and the new Jacob in a pen. How small is small? (Note: abstract references to size confuse machinists, we need numbers.

So I should build a small pen and put the new guy and the "were intact guys at one point" in there from day one? After a quarantine period, introduce to the llamas and alpacas? They are already used to the Shetlands.

The new guy is intact, and I will probably use him for breeding.

Jamie

 

[SheepGirl]

Quarantine the new addition for at least 30 days. After that, then you can put him in with your Shetland wethers. He will probably beat them up, but I've had ornery wethers that don't have a problem with fighting back.

 

[Jamie Boley]

Thanks! That's what I kept reading. I'm a little unsure on the how.

So sheep don't like to be alone, but I shouldn't have the new guy with the others yet. Should I setup a temporary pen within visual distance of the rest of the animals? Or should I set it up adjacent so that they can still get nose contact?

Jamie

 

[SillyChicken]

If you have them that close, make sure the fence is super sturdy, won't take long for them to mash or tear it up.

 

[Jamie Boley]

I guess I never did follow up. I made two temporary fences so that they could all see each other, but not actually get nose to nose. Think of an island with a fence moat.

The next day, he wasn't in the fence I had made and was with the other animals. I still don't know how. Neither fence was damaged and I could find no place that he could have gotten through.

I left the fences up for a while, and as the grass grew back inside it, none of the boys could get in to eat it.

I decided that he was able to teleport, since that was the best explanation I could find.

Everything has been ok, no problems (thankfully!) to report.

Jamie