Should I buy? I need help Today!! ~LOOK~

SheepGirl

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secuono said:
My breeder for the Babydoll sheep is selling them all off!!!
I need to know which to buy now. Please help me choose!
The Ram area is not fully secure yet. I can make the field secure[little bits here and there they might crawl through] secure over the weekend. The barn area for them is also nearly done, just need to add fencing to keep them from the hay storage.
Should I get Lamb ewes and hope I can find and afford a Ram next year?
Or should I get two Ewes and a Ram and have them out together now? I'd love 3 ewes and a ram, how does color work? If I get a black ram and white ewes??

"We have nine for sale: a white ram and a black ram (born 2010), two white ewe lambs (born 2011), three black ewes, and two white ewes (ewes range in age)"

Thanks!!!!
Okay, so what I am getting from this information is that:
1) There are 2 yearling rams
2) There are 2 ewe lambs
3) There are 5 mature ewes

I would get one or both of the yearling rams. Because you are new to sheep(?) I would get at least two mature ewes (and not the ewe lambs). By getting two rams and two ewes, you can breed them and their offspring together.

For example, you have Ram A and Ram B. You also have Ewe C and Ewe D. You can breed A to C the first year and B to D the first year. The next year, you can breed B to C and A to D. So far you will have AxC, BxC, AxD, and BxD lambs. You can cross the AxC and BxD lambs for non-inbred sheep and you can cross all the half siblings together for 12.5% inbred lambs (which you can send to market). After two or three years of using the first two rams, you can sell them and buy one or two more rams to introduce new genes into your flock.

(Sorry if that was a bit confusing--I hope it made some sense! :))

ETA: Look at this link for an idea for breeding your sheep if you do only end up with one ram.
 

secuono

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SheepGirl said:
secuono said:
My breeder for the Babydoll sheep is selling them all off!!!
I need to know which to buy now. Please help me choose!
The Ram area is not fully secure yet. I can make the field secure[little bits here and there they might crawl through] secure over the weekend. The barn area for them is also nearly done, just need to add fencing to keep them from the hay storage.
Should I get Lamb ewes and hope I can find and afford a Ram next year?
Or should I get two Ewes and a Ram and have them out together now? I'd love 3 ewes and a ram, how does color work? If I get a black ram and white ewes??

"We have nine for sale: a white ram and a black ram (born 2010), two white ewe lambs (born 2011), three black ewes, and two white ewes (ewes range in age)"

Thanks!!!!
Okay, so what I am getting from this information is that:
1) There are 2 yearling rams
2) There are 2 ewe lambs
3) There are 5 mature ewes

I would get one or both of the yearling rams. Because you are new to sheep(?) I would get at least two mature ewes (and not the ewe lambs). By getting two rams and two ewes, you can breed them and their offspring together.

For example, you have Ram A and Ram B. You also have Ewe C and Ewe D. You can breed A to C the first year and B to D the first year. The next year, you can breed B to C and A to D. So far you will have AxC, BxC, AxD, and BxD lambs. You can cross the AxC and BxD lambs for non-inbred sheep and you can cross all the half siblings together for 12.5% inbred lambs (which you can send to market). After two or three years of using the first two rams, you can sell them and buy one or two more rams to introduce new genes into your flock.

(Sorry if that was a bit confusing--I hope it made some sense! :))

ETA: Look at this link for an idea for breeding your sheep if you do only end up with one ram.
I think that would be too much hassle and too many enclosures all over the place to keep up with that. I was mainly thinking of keeping one ram, let him breed the two ewes for 2-3 yrs, their lambs and all and then get a new ram and sell off the original or wether him to be the new rams friend.

I'll check the link you posted, too.
 

secuono

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Read it over. New Q, do sheep NEED ear tags? I rather have nothing on them, I may tattoo their ears like I will be doing with my meat rabbits.
Also, how many days until this breed of sheep delivers? Or is it the same for all sheep regardless of breed or size?
 

aggieterpkatie

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Sheep don't *need* eartags unless you're selling them off the farm (look into Scrapie tag regulations). If yours come with Scrapie tags, I'd leave them in. It's up to you if you want to tag any lambs born though.

And all sheep have gestation of ~148 days. It can range from 145-150, give or take.
 

secuono

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aggieterpkatie said:
Sheep don't *need* eartags unless you're selling them off the farm (look into Scrapie tag regulations). If yours come with Scrapie tags, I'd leave them in. It's up to you if you want to tag any lambs born though.

And all sheep have gestation of ~148 days. It can range from 145-150, give or take.
So if I want to sell any lambs as food or pets or w/e, I'd have to tag em first? The ones I'm buying then should have them, no? Does it cost anything or need a vet to test them or something?
 

aggieterpkatie

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You'll need to look up the APHIS rules for which animals need Scrapie tags. They are free, they'll send you the tagger and tags. Just call your local APHIS and they'll get your name and address and send you the stuff. I eartag all my sheep. Not only does it help tell them apart (not so much for me, but for others) and because sometimes I show, sell animals, etc. The Scrapie tags aren't saying your animals are Scrapie free, they're just there so that animal can be tracked to the farm where it was born.
 

secuono

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What happens if I refuse to tag them?
I don't show or take them to auction or the butcher.
What about the adults I buy off of another person, if they have no tags, they weren't born on my land?
 

20kidsonhill

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secuono said:
What happens if I refuse to tag them?
I don't show or take them to auction or the butcher.
What about the adults I buy off of another person, if they have no tags, they weren't born on my land?
In virginia they should be scrappie tagged by the farm that they were born on, or registered and have the tattoos in their ears that go with their registration, when they leave the original farm they were born on. They are suppose to carry this form of identification with them through out their lives, no matter how many farms they go to.

HOw many people really follow these practices? For sure not everyone.


Call the extension office in your county to ask about scrappie laws? ask what they suggest if you purchase animals that do not have scrappie tags on them. I really don't know what the laws are on that. Or what their advice would be.
 

SheepGirl

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secuono said:
SheepGirl said:
secuono said:
My breeder for the Babydoll sheep is selling them all off!!!
I need to know which to buy now. Please help me choose!
The Ram area is not fully secure yet. I can make the field secure[little bits here and there they might crawl through] secure over the weekend. The barn area for them is also nearly done, just need to add fencing to keep them from the hay storage.
Should I get Lamb ewes and hope I can find and afford a Ram next year?
Or should I get two Ewes and a Ram and have them out together now? I'd love 3 ewes and a ram, how does color work? If I get a black ram and white ewes??

"We have nine for sale: a white ram and a black ram (born 2010), two white ewe lambs (born 2011), three black ewes, and two white ewes (ewes range in age)"

Thanks!!!!
Okay, so what I am getting from this information is that:
1) There are 2 yearling rams
2) There are 2 ewe lambs
3) There are 5 mature ewes

I would get one or both of the yearling rams. Because you are new to sheep(?) I would get at least two mature ewes (and not the ewe lambs). By getting two rams and two ewes, you can breed them and their offspring together.

For example, you have Ram A and Ram B. You also have Ewe C and Ewe D. You can breed A to C the first year and B to D the first year. The next year, you can breed B to C and A to D. So far you will have AxC, BxC, AxD, and BxD lambs. You can cross the AxC and BxD lambs for non-inbred sheep and you can cross all the half siblings together for 12.5% inbred lambs (which you can send to market). After two or three years of using the first two rams, you can sell them and buy one or two more rams to introduce new genes into your flock.

(Sorry if that was a bit confusing--I hope it made some sense! :))

ETA: Look at this link for an idea for breeding your sheep if you do only end up with one ram.
I think that would be too much hassle and too many enclosures all over the place to keep up with that. I was mainly thinking of keeping one ram, let him breed the two ewes for 2-3 yrs, their lambs and all and then get a new ram and sell off the original or wether him to be the new rams friend.

I'll check the link you posted, too.
You would just need one pen per breeding ram so you can separate the different breeding groups. So if you had a pen for your ewes and a pen for your three rams, you'd only need one more pen because you can convert the other two pens into breeding pens.

But anyway, as to your question about the Scrapie tags, if the breeder doesn't have a premises ID, then they need to call their local USDA/APHIS office and get one. I think they are still sending out free tags and applicators. If your sheep don't come with Scrapie tags, not only is it illegal for the mandatory program, you need to write down the breeder's name, address, and phone number, in case anyone comes knocking on your door. The rule is any lamb or sheep over 18 months old needs to be identified with a Scrapie tag. And any sheep or lamb under 18 months old NOT moving into a slaughter channel needs to be IDed, too. Check this out.

If you have any more questions, look at http://eradicatescrapie.org
 
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