Author Topic: What a wonderful Feb surprise! (Read 2065 times)

waterbuffalofarmer · « **on:** February 13, 2016, 06:28:18 pm »

One of my friesland ewes has given birth to a single, male, I have named him Paul (no idea why just liked the name)

The lambs will be Pedigree Torddu ( the lambs father) x friesland x Welsh ( interesting cross eh?)
The other one looks due to lamb in a day or two, their bags are big and so are their teats, so they should be no problem to milk. They must have been in lamb when we bought them, because I ran them with the ram in December, planning for them to lamb mid-end of summer, but now the milking will coincide with calf rearing

Looks like a busy few months ahead.

Rosemary · « **Reply #1 on:** February 13, 2016, 06:30:04 pm »

Photo please

waterbuffalofarmer · « **Reply #2 on:** February 13, 2016, 07:21:00 pm »

I'll try and add one tomoz, a bit dark atm

devonlady · « **Reply #3 on:** February 14, 2016, 09:29:54 am »

My Frieslands were always multiple lambers, the best I had one year from four ewes was quins, two sets of quads and triplets. The lambs were bottle fed after a few days and the ewes milked. The milk made wonderful butter, cheese, yoghurt and ice cream. The unwanted (that sounds harsh) lambs went for meat and though they were tasty they were big boned so meat to bone ratio was smaller.
I have to say that a single or even double lamber would have been sent away.
The good rams though were desirable as terminal sires in those days (forty years ago) giving multiple lambing, milky ewes. now the more muscely breeds. Texel and the like are in fashion but Frieslands are well worth keeping!