Sheep Chat Thread

[kuntrygirl]

Thanks for your input. I wasn't sure if as they got older, they would have health problems.

I had a wool wether that lived to be 11 years. His mother (at my friend's farm lived to be 14) I used his full brother as my senior ram for 5 years. I only culled him when he killed the new junior ram I had bought just before breeding season. I think it is very important to breed for health/longevity. I was reading a sheep book written in England where some of these families have been raising the same breed of sheep 200 to 300 years! They have ewes that can lamb twins at 23 years of age and not die from it! I believe it is really been an under appreciated feature in American breeding. With or disposable attitude that everything can always be replaced/ that there is always more, we have not focused on improving this which I believe also selects for better immune systems and better teeth by default.

Glad to know this. A couple of my girls are older and I didn't want to have to get rid of them. I'm glad to know that they can live long healthy lives. I was under the impression that due to their age, they may die while giving birth and I didn't want them to die that way.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I am having to bottle feed 2 of the lambs that were born last week. BOTH mothers rejected them. :/ I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I would be bottle feeding a lamb, yet 2 lambs!!! It was touch and go for the little brown lamb for the first few days. I didn't think that she was going to make it. She was weak, barely walked and very quiet. I tried to bottle feed her and she was taking may 1 ounce of milk replacer at first. She then increased to sucking 3 ounces of milk replacer. She also had diarrhea AND just a few days had a temperature. I have been giving her 3cc's of Pepto (researched online). And her bottom is not full of diarrhea like it had been before. I don't think that we are totally out of the woods but we are 90% better today than we were days ago. Her temps (rectal) are good and she is sucking 9 ounces of milk replacer as of this morning. I'm also giving her a bottle of water as well, to make sure that she does not dehydrate. I am feeding 2 to 3 times a day with the 3rd bottle being water. I won't be comfortable that she is 100% ok until she is about 2 months old. The brown lamb does not weigh as much as the white lamb, but she is gaining weight every day. The last couple days were the VERY first time I saw her jumping around like a clumsy 2 year old and the way that new born lambs are supposed to jump around. I was so happy to see that. I hope that she makes a full recovery.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Twins born overnight.

 

[postalpoultry]

I am sooooooooooo jelous Kuntrygirl!!!!!!!!!! They are adorable

 

[postalpoultry]

I am having to bottle feed 2 of the lambs that were born last week. BOTH mothers rejected them.

I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I would be bottle feeding a lamb, yet 2 lambs!!! It was touch and go for the little brown lamb for the first few days. I didn't think that she was going to make it. She was weak, barely walked and very quiet. I tried to bottle feed her and she was taking may 1 ounce of milk replacer at first. She then increased to sucking 3 ounces of milk replacer. She also had diarrhea AND just a few days had a temperature. I have been giving her 3cc's of Pepto (researched online). And her bottom is not full of diarrhea like it had been before. I don't think that we are totally out of the woods but we are 90% better today than we were days ago. Her temps (rectal) are good and she is sucking 9 ounces of milk replacer as of this morning. I'm also giving her a bottle of water as well, to make sure that she does not dehydrate. I am feeding 2 to 3 times a day with the 3rd bottle being water. I won't be comfortable that she is 100% ok until she is about 2 months old. The brown lamb does not weigh as much as the white lamb, but she is gaining weight every day. The last couple days were the VERY first time I saw her jumping around like a clumsy 2 year old and the way that new born lambs are supposed to jump around. I was so happy to see that. I hope that she makes a full recovery.

Sounds like you are doing right by her. colostrum replacer may have helped with that diarrhea in the begining but sounds like you are over that hump now! good job and good luck!

 

[Penny Hen]

Glad to know this. A couple of my girls are older and I didn't want to have to get rid of them. I'm glad to know that they can live long healthy lives. I was under the impression that due to their age, they may die while giving birth and I didn't want them to die that way.

Keep an eye on their teeth and their weight. Don't let them get too fat it will pull on their hearts. In fact if you let them drop a little lean right before breeding season you can up your fertility rates. It is an Aussie technique. Also I feed alfalfa pellets instead of grain for flushing. Or last year I found a source of alfalfa hay local that was cheaper and I knew what was used on the fields because I knew the man who grew it. Higher protein vs. carbohydrates (grains) will give you a greater percentage of females. Look it up on the Cornell Unv. Ag dept website. I have fed that way now for 6 years and it gives me 65 -70% females. Before I was getting about 30% females. I have had more twins and triplets since feeding the alfalfa.

When you see your girls getting tired all the time or if they have always twinned and nothing else changes and they single, then you might think of retiring them. If their teeth still seem good and you are attached to them let them set out a year and take a breather. Then let them try again. I know one shepherd who had a granny sheep that she used to keep company with the weanling girls (keeps them from doing stupid things). She was 17 and hadn't been bred in 3 years. She jumped the fence that year to get in with the ram.

 

[WallabyOfChaos]

Higher protein vs. carbohydrates (grains) will give you a greater percentage of females. Look it up on the Cornell Unv. Ag dept website. I have fed that way now for 6 years and it gives me 65 -70% females. Before I was getting about 30% females. I have had more twins and triplets since feeding the alfalfa.

Could you post the link to that article for us? A Google search yielded nothing for me.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 Higher protein vs. carbohydrates (grains) will give you a greater percentage of females. Look it up on the Cornell Unv. Ag dept website. I have fed that way now for 6 years and it gives me 65 -70% females. Before I was getting about 30% females. I have had more twins and triplets since feeding the alfalfa.

 Could you post the link to that article for us?  A Google search yielded nothing for me.

x2

 

[kuntrygirl]

Glad to know this. A couple of my girls are older and I didn't want to have to get rid of them. I'm glad to know that they can live long healthy lives. I was under the impression that due to their age, they may die while giving birth and I didn't want them to die that way.

Keep an eye on their teeth and their weight. Don't let them get too fat it will pull on their hearts. In fact if you let them drop a little lean right before breeding season you can up your fertility rates. It is an Aussie technique. Also I feed alfalfa pellets instead of grain for flushing. Or last year I found a source of alfalfa hay local that was cheaper and I knew what was used on the fields because I knew the man who grew it. Higher protein vs. carbohydrates (grains) will give you a greater percentage of females. Look it up on the Cornell Unv. Ag dept website. I have fed that way now for 6 years and it gives me 65 -70% females. Before I was getting about 30% females. I have had more twins and triplets since feeding the alfalfa.

When you see your girls getting tired all the time or if they have always twinned and nothing else changes and they single, then you might think of retiring them. If their teeth still seem good and you are attached to them let them set out a year and take a breather. Then let them try again. I know one shepherd who had a granny sheep that she used to keep company with the weanling girls (keeps them from doing stupid things). She was 17 and hadn't been bred in 3 years. She jumped the fence that year to get in with the ram.

I'm glad that you mentioned weight. You are the 3rd person that has mentioned weight to me. I confess that I do keep my ewes "too fat".

I have to let them lose weight. I will look into finding alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay. For some reason, I thought that alfalfa hay was too rich for them. But I guess it's not.

I have a total of 7 ewes and 5 lambs right now . What feed/grain portion do you suggest that I should feed 7 ewes on a daily basis? They have access to hay every day and I put them in their outside pen that has grass for grazing when the weather is nice and I try not to put any feed when they are grazing. When the weather calls for rain, I move them to an inside pen (where there is a shed) but there is no grass but there is always hay and I keep feed in their feeder. The crying is what gets me. I think if they are crying, they want to eat and I cave in and give them feed.

I know one shepherd who had a granny sheep that she used to keep company with the weanling girls (keeps them from doing stupid things). She was 17 and hadn't been bred in 3 years. She jumped the fence that year to get in with the ram.

LOL @ she jumped the fence.

 

[Penny Hen]

I'm glad that you mentioned weight. You are the 3rd person that has mentioned weight to me. I confess that I do keep my ewes "too fat".

I have to let them lose weight. I will look into finding alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay. For some reason, I thought that alfalfa hay was too rich for them. But I guess it's not.

I have a total of 7 ewes and 5 lambs right now . What feed/grain portion do you suggest that I should feed 7 ewes on a daily basis? They have access to hay every day and I put them in their outside pen that has grass for grazing when the weather is nice and I try not to put any feed when they are grazing. When the weather calls for rain, I move them to an inside pen (where there is a shed) but there is no grass but there is always hay and I keep feed in their feeder. The crying is what gets me. I think if they are crying, they want to eat and I cave in and give them feed.

LOL @ she jumped the fence.

Ohhh, They have you WELL trained!

Hasn't anyone told you that SHEEP LIE! Check the Story book on How to Raise Sheep or any other good beginner sheep book. They will have the feed charts for the size and use of the sheep and their feed requirements. If you break their food requirements into a morning and evening feeding they will be less restless. Feed on a schedule. You can also devise ways to make it difficult for them to eat it all up fast. This makes them slow down and it is more natural like grazing.

I like feeding the alfalfa because they do not need to eat as much. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. You only need to feed them 2/3 what you would any grass hay! I know the charts make you do number crunching but it is so much better than having a lamb that grew too big get stuck and you are there in the dirt with your feet on the ewes butt hauling on the lambs hind legs because it was too big to turn around and even only pulling with her contractions and putting your thighs and back and every muscle in your just 2 years out of the Army body, it still takes 10 minutes to deliver that lamb and she is cold and blue and not going to breath. That was my first year in sheep.

Oh that also goes for Serecia hay. Serecia is a cousin to alfalfa. Serecia may only be a point lower in the protein but you can overfeed with it easily.