Little Lambs Eat Ivy ...

[MissPrissy]

I do have a good size protion mowed where we walk through the feild - I like to see under my feet and where I am going. They have NEVER been on a pasture and seem as if they are unsure of what to eat. I know they can get bloat like my goats so we are rationing the feed. I gave them feed when we got them. This morning I gave them a very small ration and I will do the same this evening. They are really good size, the females easily over 50lbs each. The male is twice that size. You wouldn't believe the living conditions nthey came out of.

I plan to let them in with the goats but only after I see how they are healthwise. Like I said they have NEVER been on grass. The rams in the herd they came out of are HUGE and they were said to be extremely aggressive at certain times with women - you know?? - I really have no intentions of keeping a ram.

The girl that had them said they had to be wormed every month?

We really have to stay on top of worming lambs here. Every two months for the first 6 months for sure... then 9 months then again at 12 months right after lambing and before they get out on the pasture again. If you do not want to overworm, the only option you have is to get fecals done each month then worm only when needed.

Nothing has lived on this soil in 4 years. I know organisms hang around longer. I also know my feild is sweet and clean compared to the toilet of hard packed bare dirt they lived on up until yesterday.

At 110 this boy will be ready to go to market in the next month. They don't look it but these 'lambs' are really big especially the male. He is 3 months old and twice as big as many of the lambs that were there. At 7 months this ram wiegh over 200lbs or more.

I don't know why I was told to breed them at 5 months if you should wait until 1 year old.

Again, I'm troubled by his testicles.

I am too!! Picture wooly softball.

Also, get those ridiculous ropes off them. They have plenty of wool to grab into if you need to move them.

The ropes were to mark the lamb ewes she was willing to sell. Right now I can't get my hands on them to take them off.

I really don't like animals we can't handle/pet/etc. But this case I felt the need to rescue them. If they were going to get sick I really think they would have in the filthy they were living in.

I am just learning as I go, trying to do best by the animals in my care.​

 

[MissPrissy]

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They were wormed monday with the ivermec drench. I have 30 days to wrap my head around it all.

 

[MissPrissy]

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Thank you for the vote of confidence! I need it!

 

[Tutter]

Miss Prissy,

We had sheep for many years. Mine, like Greyfields, lived with my goats oftentimes, without any difficulty.

Let me tell you a story about a ram. We'd had several breeds of sheep, but the only males we'd had were wethers.

One day the man who owned the local feed store spoke to us while we were there, and expressed concern about a ram he'd bought at auction. He was selling the business and moving out of state, and the ram was so large that no one wanted anything to do with it.

After discussion, we agreed that perhaps it was time to get a ram on the premises, and do a good deed at the same time; the price was right.

I wish I knew what breed he was. Maybe a mix for size. Because when we went to pick him up, he was huge. Not big, not exceptionally large, but huge. He said he weighed in at 350 lbs., and we later weighed him on a hwy scale, and that was correct!

He was fairly mellow, thank goodness, but he'd been abused, and so it wasn't a perfect situation. Still, there were never any serious incidents throughout the rest of his life.

As for the softballs, try basketballs. I'd never seen the likes. In fact, our 7 yo got in trouble at school, and we were called down, when he told the teacher what his name was, when she asked. It was B*lls. (Don't look at me, he came with the moniker, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get the rest of the family to call him anything else.) She didn't believe him, and we got to explain.

My sheep were not wormed monthly. They were on a worming schedule, like the goats, but no, not monthly.

I've raised so many lambs and kids out of neccesity that I think doing it for a purpose, such as people-oriented animals, is a fine idea. As long as they get the colostrum, and you are willing to go to the trouble, then, why not? While I've had some sweet animals who were raised by mom, the ones raised by me were even moreso. And I have to tell you, if the mom is skittish, the little ones tend to be also, if they are raised by her/see her influence.

You know, I've never known anyone to use a ram for meat. They've always been wethered. Maybe you could sell the ram, after breeding him, to someone who wants a breeder, and doesn't much care if he's tame, or not?

Don't be nervous. You have handled all manner of farm critters which would make many persons nervous. This is just new to you, and the fact that they aren't well socialized is very much against what you believe, and are used to.

I think you'll feel better once you have some tame babies from them. But, sheep aren't like goats. I became very attached to some of the ones born here, but in the end, we chose to stick with goats. Maybe you will stick with sheep, maybe in the end, not, but you are exploring how you feel about it for now, and it's not been any time yet at all. Once you've had some time to get used to the differences, I know you'll do just great!

It will be an adventure, as it was for me (Especially having the largest ram in the county, when I'd never had one before!!), and all will be well, however you decide to proceed.

 

[ozark hen]

Well, I was wondering how things were going with the sheep? any improvement?

 

[MissPrissy]

Well, since you asked LOL

When I go out to the barn in the mornings they have been coming to the barn door doing that crazy bleating sound (will I ever get used to it???). I sprinkle a little feed on the step and they eat. Then we went to offering a little feeder with a sprinkle of sheep pellets and corn - just a taste - and making them follow us before getting it. We can approach them, sometimes touch them. They are getting a little more trusting but it varies through the day.

OH - the sound they make - it is crazy! Deep and strange to the ears of one with goats. The goats look around like "What in the world is making that aweful noise?" LOL

 

[ozark hen]

See? You just needed a little confidence.

They will be like pets before you know it. I was scared of the two piglets we got...they would run and scream when I approached them..and that was outside their pen. Now I have to push them away from me when I go inside their pen. That scares me now. LOL They see or hear me and they squeal loudly as they know I mean food. I guess it is the same with most animals for their caretaker. You will do great with them. Can't wait to hear more about them in the coming weeks.

 

[2manyhats]

Miss Prissy, sheep are not that different from goats. We have raised both. Some sheep never like to be touched and I agree that if you want friendly sheep, you'll have to handle the babies. We let mom do the nursing and just handle the babies alot. We bottle fed a ram and he was a bit aggressive once older. Too comfortable around humans I guess. Just like with your goats, never turn your back on the ram - even a friendly one. I had a serious butt bruise(I was lucky I was in the open and didn't get pinned against anything). We have always wethered the rams, but are picking up 3 ewe lambs and 2 ram lambs this Friday (getting back into the hobby farm) and the owner says that if you butcher fairly young, the meat is not tainted. We'll find out. Plan to butcher both boys in the fall and buy a breeder boy from different stock next summer to breed the ewes. Hope this helps.

 

[MissPrissy]

We were told the same thing about our ram lamb. If we butcher him around late August or September the meat should still be very very good even though he isn't castrated. The vet said as big as the ewe lambs are now they should weigh in plenty big enough to breed around the same time. Since they all came from different parentage we are hoping to let him bred the ewes and the off to market he goes.

 

[2manyhats]

Oh I forgot. You may get loose stool from the grass since they are not used to it. It will tighten eventually. I would worm the girls, but not the meat guys. There is a period of time that you have to wait after worming before they can be butchered for meat. Look into the wait period. We used to use food grade DE (diatemateous earth - totally butchered the spelling) in the feed and did very well at keeping parasites at bay. I will be looking into somewhere to buy it for all for all of my animals.