The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Remy on April 02, 2012, 09:19:33 am

Title: First lamb
Post by: Remy on April 02, 2012, 09:19:33 am
Having been waiting impatiently since yesterday which was D day, I did my early morning check today to find one live lamb and one dead  :(.  It was my extremely flighty Herdwick which had lambed and she was one I didn't really want to have to interfere with as she would have got very stressed - so she saved me that scenario, but a pity I didn't check earlier as I might have been able to get him going (hindsight is a wonderful thing).  There appears to be nothing wrong with the lamb at all so at this point I'm not going to worrying about SBV!   The other little fella seems fine.

Just a query about this lamb - would this little boy be worth more kept entire?  Also does anyone know about registration of Herdwicks - this ewe doesn't have any papers etc so if I wanted to sell the ram as a purebred how would I go about it?

Anyway here he is!

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/greydales/Sheep/P1080128.jpg)

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/greydales/Sheep/P1080121.jpg)

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/greydales/Sheep/P1080126.jpg)
Title: Re: First lamb
Post by: khajou on April 02, 2012, 09:49:49 am
Well done on your first lamb.
If the ewe hasn't any papers I suspect she is not registered, therefore the ram lamb will not be able to be registered. Some breed societies have 'appendixed' sheep which is a way of upgrading non reg over a few generations to registered, but I think that only applies to females. Best to castrate him and sell him on as meat or lawn mower.
Title: Re: First lamb
Post by: jaykay on April 02, 2012, 09:58:23 am
He's a little sweetheart  :love:

Most tups don't make breeding quality - of course, far fewer tups are needed than ewes and they make such a difference to a flock it's essential that they're good. The Rough Fell folk used to reckon that 1 in 500 tup lambs had what it took, which means that if you're only breeding penny numbers you might produce that sort of quality once in a lifetime.

So enjoy him, castrate him and eat him would be my advice.
Title: Re: First lamb
Post by: Remy on April 02, 2012, 10:18:53 am
Oh well at least that has made the decision for me, I don't suppose I'd be lucky enough to have the 1 in 500  ;D, shame he wasn't a ewe!
Title: Re: First lamb
Post by: sabrina on April 02, 2012, 10:22:35 am
Very sweet, at least he is alive and being looked after by hi mum  :)
Title: Re: First lamb
Post by: squeasy on April 02, 2012, 01:56:45 pm
He is lovely  :-)
Title: Re: First lamb
Post by: SallyintNorth on April 03, 2012, 03:19:12 am
What a smasher.   :love:
Title: Re: First lamb
Post by: Tilly on April 03, 2012, 08:28:39 am

He is a very handsome little chap  :love:
Well done Remy  :wave:
Title: Re: First lamb
Post by: MrsJ on April 03, 2012, 07:12:03 pm
That's just too cute! ;D