Running a ram with ewes, NEW dumb questions!

[Alice Acres]

We put our ram in with our ewes in mid-November each year - as we are in Minnesota and early spring lambs are not a good thing. Too many lamb fatalities and our stress worrying about lambs being born in the cold (below freezing), bringing them in the house to warm, etc. Then adding in the expense of heat lamps, etc - just not practical. We did it for years (early lambing) when we had show lambs, but for regular production it just doesn't pay.
Then our ram stays out with the ewe flock until just before lambing time. We have an old pony (rescue, had multiple founders) who he lives with the rest of the year. We use a ram 2 yrs, then switch to a new one - been doing this rotation for decades now.
We also use a separate pasture or pen for the young stock we don't plan on breeding. (They go in w/ Teddy the pony while the ram is out with the big ewes, then they swap places come spring.)
Good luck on your new adventure!

 

[NachoFarm]

He can be in with your Alpine does but he may attempt to breed them if they come into heat. (It won't be successful, though.)

They can breed! Yes it is unusual but it does happen & the offspring are called Geep I believe. They are usually sterile like a mule (offspring from a horse & donkey.)

Liz

Wait a minute...WHAT?! No. No, no, no...I don't want my goats pregnant for no reason with some hybrid that will (from what I've read) probably be stillborn or miscarry!! Is it more likely that there won't be a pregnancy created by their "fun"? I don't have an extra pasture and I'm just getting used to caring for sheep and goats separately, let alone some GEEP! :/

I guess in the spring we're going to have to create some sort of other area for the ram? This is getting confusing. I can't run him by himself, I can't run him with my goats, NO GEEPS! I can't run him with the ewes except for at breeding and for a few months after? I don't see how I can create a plan that's going to try to be the best option for all animals involved.

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

I have run my rams by themselves every yr, whenever they aren't with the ewes and have had no problems!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover=)]

He can be in with your Alpine does but he may attempt to breed them if they come into heat. (It won't be successful, though.)

They can breed! Yes it is unusual but it does happen & the offspring are called Geep I believe. They are usually sterile like a mule (offspring from a horse & donkey.)

Liz

He can be in with your Alpine does but he may attempt to breed them if they come into heat. (It won't be successful, though.)

They can breed! Yes it is unusual but it does happen & the offspring are called Geep I believe. They are usually sterile like a mule (offspring from a horse & donkey.)

Liz

Wait a minute...WHAT?! No. No, no, no...I don't want my goats pregnant for no reason with some hybrid that will (from what I've read) probably be stillborn or miscarry!! Is it more likely that there won't be a pregnancy created by their "fun"? I don't have an extra pasture and I'm just getting used to caring for sheep and goats separately, let alone some GEEP! :/

I guess in the spring we're going to have to create some sort of other area for the ram? This is getting confusing. I can't run him by himself, I can't run him with my goats, NO GEEPS! I can't run him with the ewes except for at breeding and for a few months after? I don't see how I can create a plan that's going to try to be the best option for all animals involved.

It is EXTREMELY RARE ! Because of the ovaries or something like that being different, the chances of them are 1:1,000,000. Oh, and BTW, why do you hate Geeps?? ? Honestly, they are ADORABLE, and worth a lot. Plus, theres only like 10 in the world or something like that. Very rare

 

[Pearce Pastures]

I had to go an look that on up. I had heard that they "could" breed but wanted to see on of these things (neat pics if you have time to google). But I also came across this and the science geek in me had to share....

"A geep is not actually an offspring of the sexual mating of one sheep and one goat; rather, it is an animal resulting from the physical mingling of very early embryos of the two species and thus has four parents two sheep and two goats. The scientific term for an animal with mingled cells from two species is chimera.

The first well-known geep was born in 1984 after scientists at the Institute of Animal Physiology in Cambridge, England, combined goat and sheep embryos of four to eight cells each and placed them in sheep and goat wombs for gestation. Six live animals were born, but the scientists found that only one had blood proteins from both sheep and goats. It showed patches of both goatish hair and sheepish wool.

Further research at the University of California, Davis, soon produced several more successful chimeras, for the purpose of studying vital processes in livestock pregnancies. An actual sheep-goat hybrid is possible. In a true hybrid, the genetic material from the two species is mingled at conception, with half the chromosomes coming from one parent and half from the other. Because goats and sheep have mismatched numbers of chromosomes (60 and 54, respectively), the resulting offspring, if it survives, is sterile."

Weird!!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover=)]

I had to go an look that on up. I had heard that they "could" breed but wanted to see on of these things (neat pics if you have time to google). But I also came across this and the science geek in me had to share....

"A geep is not actually an offspring of the sexual mating of one sheep and one goat; rather, it is an animal resulting from the physical mingling of very early embryos of the two species and thus has four parents two sheep and two goats. The scientific term for an animal with mingled cells from two species is chimera.

The first well-known geep was born in 1984 after scientists at the Institute of Animal Physiology in Cambridge, England, combined goat and sheep embryos of four to eight cells each and placed them in sheep and goat wombs for gestation. Six live animals were born, but the scientists found that only one had blood proteins from both sheep and goats. It showed patches of both goatish hair and sheepish wool.

Further research at the University of California, Davis, soon produced several more successful chimeras, for the purpose of studying vital processes in livestock pregnancies. An actual sheep-goat hybrid is possible. In a true hybrid, the genetic material from the two species is mingled at conception, with half the chromosomes coming from one parent and half from the other. Because goats and sheep have mismatched numbers of chromosomes (60 and 54, respectively), the resulting offspring, if it survives, is sterile."

Weird!!

Thank you ! Chromosomes ! I knew thats what it was, but I forgot. xD

 

[bonbean01]

Wow...that's interesting Pearce! Thanks for posting that.

As for rams and ewes...how we do it is keep the ram separate with a friend during lambing time...and when it's time for weaning, we put the ram in with the ewes and the lambs into the "ram" pen. Here it is pretty hot in the summer and no breeding takes place until late summer and we get January lambs. Once the lambs are weaned, all are together on pasture. We have limited acerage here and limited separate places (have added some every year, but it takes time and bucks to get it all right)...and this works for us.

Not sure what your situation is, but hope you get it to the point that it works for you! I would say the most important thing is to not have the ram ever with newborn lambs...almost lost our very first lamb born here not knowing that was a bad idea. He survived the attack, but we knew right away it was a ....do not!

As I've said before, wish I'd known about BYH when we first started...the learning curve is great and there are so many wonderful people on here that have experience!!!!

 

[bonbean01]

p.s....Nacho...there are no dumb questions

 

[Cornish Heritage]

I jut recently heard of this breeding taking place. A gal put her Saanen goat in with her St. Croix ram, not having any clue that they would breed. The St. Croix ram was the only male in the pasture. That goat is now pregnant - has been confirmed by the vet & they are waiting to go for an ultrasound to determine a due date so that they can be ready. Their vet had never heard of it happening before & yes, chances of it living is rare BUT the goat is pregnant, the father is the ram, not other males involved!

Liz

 

[Bridgemoof]

Wow Cornish, keep us posted if you hear what transpires with the geep! I would imagine the chances of it going to full term are very small.