quick question ( sheep )

[boykin2010]

i know this is the wrong place to put this and i am supposed to put it on back yard herds but i posted it on there and i have had no responses so i thought i would try posting it here.
I have to ask this question. i have looked all over the internet but no definite answers so far. So the question is..

i am thinking of getting a small flock of katahdin sheep ( 3 or 4 ewes and 1 ram ) can i keep the ram in the same pasture with ewes year round or do i need to build a seperate pen for him for when he is not breeding? I would really prefer to keep the ram with ewes year round that way i dont have to fence in more pasture just for him and get him a friend.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Well, I don't have Katahdin sheep but I do have 5 Barbado sheep (1 male and 4 females) and I keep them together at all time. It works so well. In my opinion, I think that they will be ok all together.

 

[dewey]

I'm not familiar with that breed. My next door neighbor had raised sheep all his life in a 5 acre pasture that joined mine, with a barn attached to his for lambing and an extra, reinforced shelter area off the pasture for the ram. The ram got the special area for containment as needed after breaking my neighbors leg.

 

[Beekissed]

If you don't mind having lambs at any time throughout the year, it will be okay. If you don't want to give your gals any drying off period before breeding them again, this too will be okay. Unlike wool breeds, most hair breeds come in heat monthly and can be bred year round. If you breed indiscriminately, you will have to watch for nutritional status changes when ewes are lambing, nursing and then becoming pregnant again right away and try to avoid the side effects of any deficiencies.

 

[SillyChicken]

my brother who raises sheep and another local sheep farmer, keep the rams seperate from the ewes. The rams can be a handful sometimes and make daily management for the ewes and laming more difficult. They only put the ews with the rams during the fall.

 

[boykin2010]

ok this does help me some. i do want to breed the sheep and sell the extra ram lambs for profit. DO any of you have any idea what a good companion for a ram would be if he is seperate from his ewes. i know sheep get lonley if they are left alone. how big does the seperate ram pen need to be? ( if i decide to seperate them )

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
What do you think is a good drying off period. I have always had my ram with his girls but they only have lambs once a year. Is that too much?

 

[patandchickens]

I only have 5 sheep and have only had them since late April or so but had many of the smae questions as you do, so, for whatever it's worth, here is my take on things:

Quote:
The most common companion is a wether (neutered male), that is what I have for my Shetland ram. I separate him partly to control when the girls are bred, and partly (largely!) because it is SOOOOOO much easier to work around the girls when I don't constantly have to be vigilant and avoid having my knees rammed into real hard. (Would be even more of an issue with a larger breed). And this is with a very quiet well-behaved gentlemanly ram, not a Problem Child at all.

IMO it's best to give animals as much space as you can manage, I've been told that 20x30 is fine for a ram and wether but while the night-pen I use for mine *is* about that size, they also have pasture access during the day. I use portable electric fencing but always make sure there is at least one other "real" fence between the boys and girls at all times too. If you do not have good pasture for your ram+wether remember it will cost you more in feed since you will have to be buying hay for them.

Pat

 

[kuntrygirl]

This is the pen that I have for my 5 sheep. They have access to hay all day long and I let them out to graze in another area that has grass. I had this pen built for them because they were eating up all of the feed for my chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys.

This area is 30 ft x 40 ft.

 

[boykin2010]

ok thank you this does help me a lot. I really would prefer not to have to build a seperate pen but i am torn. I do want my ewes to be healthy but is so much extra trouble to keep a seperate pen for the ram. ie ( extra shelter, waterer, feeder etc. ) I will have to really think about this. There seems to be a lot of mixed opinions on this. Does this seem to vary if the ram isnt mean? If the ram isnt trouble could it be okay to house him with ewes? any more advice and pictures of ram enclosures would be great. Thank you