We have lambs!!!!!

[KodeshAcres]

Only need one ram and if kept, wouldn’t want to breed him back to his mother.
Rams go to auction, the freezer or the very very best get sold for a breeding sire.

To make it worse, usually the rams are colored up the prettiest and their twin sister is white. Plain as vanilla pudding!

@Baymule Weller will either be going to freezer camp or sold. We do not plan on keeping him or breeding him to any of our ewes

How do I know if he is breeding sire material? When do I have to separate him?

 

[KodeshAcres]

That's Weller, of the curly butt.

I think he needs to be kept.

I wish

Cute the way "freckles" has brown marks on each ear. Perfectly matched, like parentheses.

He is too cute! Too bad we can't keep him, I'm sure he would make the best greek lamb balls

 

[Baymule]

@Baymule Weller will either be going to freezer camp or sold. We do not plan on keeping him or breeding him to any of our ewes

How do I know if he is breeding sire material? When do I have to separate him?

I’ve actually seen ram lambs breeding ewes before 2 months old, just not fertile yet. But at 3 months old, they are fertile and sure can mess up your breeding schedule. I wean rams at 2 to 2 1/2 months old. I leave the ewe lambs until 3 months, 4 months at the longest and by that time the ewe is about dried up anyway. If the ewe is getting run down in condition, I wean at 3 months. Almost never at 4 months.

Band or castrate Weller soon. It’s easier to grow out a wether for the freezer. You can run him with the ewes until freezer camp. I used to castrate my ram lambs and named them all Dinner. Now I just don’t bother with a name. I only castrate a few, rest go to auction after weaning.

Breeding ram. Long straight back ( lamb chops). Fullest hind quarters (leg of lamb). Good hair coat. Wide chest, no narrow shoulders. No horns or scurs. Personal choice. They are allowed but I don’t like them. Occasionally a ram lamb will have little nubs, he’s gone to auction. Thankfully it’s very seldom.
And I like a good attitude. I won’t deal with a mean ram or any other animal. Young rams can be feisty but most settle down. I have 2 young rams. Both have had one breeding season, Rocky is calming down. Little Ringo is still a jerk, but it starting to get a glimmer. I keep a hoe handle by the gate. If either one starts backing up preparing to ram, if close enough, I’ll slap their nose. Never their head! If not close enough, I poke them with hoe handle, never hit and definitely not on their head. Both run to the fence for animal crackers. If they are in my front yard, I’ll sit on the porch steps and give them animal crackers.

 

[KodeshAcres]

Weights 2/25/25. 3/4/25

Olive 16.78lbs. 19.44lbs

Weller 17.02lbs. 19.54lbs

Bathsheepa 16.62lbs. 19.31lbs

Penelope 16.62lbs. 18.94lbs

Gwynn 45.22lbs. 46.42lbs

I just realized Gwynn lost a bit of weight since last week not sure what’s going on there.
***Corrected Gwynn’s weight, went back out to weigh her again since I was concerned about the difference***

 

[SageHill]

Awe!!! CUTE!!!

 

[Margali]

Snickers is pretty laid back. If you don't want to castrate Weller you could put him with Snickers as a buddy until butchering time.

 

[KodeshAcres]

Snickers is pretty laid back. If you don't want to castrate Weller you could put him with Snickers as a buddy until butchering time.

Oh that would be great! I’ve been wondering about Snickers if he’ll be more aggressive/agitated now that the 2 ewes have lambed, we still have him next to them but in a different paddock.

 

[fuzzi]

View attachment 115715

"Psst. Wanna hear a secret?"

 

[farmerjan]

And then they turn into sheep . . . .

That's how I always felt about the hogs/pigs... They are sooooo adorable and soft when first born, so cute, and watching them start the running around, playing, then just dropping flat down... to jump up and run again. By the time they are 40 lbs they are no longer those cute adorable little things, but abnoxious, I want feed, and I will find a way out; under/over /or squeeze through a spot, pain in the butts.... then when they get to about 200 lbs, I like them again...