The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: jaykay on April 15, 2014, 01:45:25 pm

Title: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: jaykay on April 15, 2014, 01:45:25 pm
All lambs born, everyone out in the nursery field  ;D And it's sunny  :sunshine:

(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/fd6e6f98405d7d6b35a81794606d3048_zpsde7e47d6.jpg)

(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/111eec68aa41ed9278a5ff3ef35ac4f2_zps87163f74.jpg)

(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/c3f4839aa3145b70dd5e280588fe0df1_zpse1a6bfa5.jpg)

(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/a8cad5c09de1c126ed8e03df654aacbc_zps79cf879d.jpg)

(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/2ef2e158e673aa490ec17b946b38b429_zps04e1b7fc.jpg)
Title: Re: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: mowhaugh on April 15, 2014, 01:52:16 pm
Lovely!
Title: Re: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: Ladygrey on April 15, 2014, 02:03:09 pm
They all look so lovely :) I wish I had gotten some katmogets this year!!

I have 3 more to lamb still and one of them is a katmoget so fingers crossed  :fc:
Title: Re: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: jaykay on April 15, 2014, 02:17:38 pm
 :fc:

My tup was a katmoget, so most of my lambs are. I'm going for gulmogets, I've got three ewes/hoggs now, and the moorit gulmoget in the blue sky pic, has had a very nice grey gulmoget tup.

So I think I am going to keep him, to put onto my shearlings, and then get a Blue Texel to put onto the others next year, and see what happens. I'm hoping the blue recessive in the Texel will still allow the lambs to be coloured - but with Texel conformation and finishing. We'll see.
Title: Re: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: Ladygrey on April 15, 2014, 03:40:24 pm
I see! How lovely! I want my next tup to be a moorit :)

Blue texel should produce some lovely crosses! they are a fab sheep  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: Anke on April 15, 2014, 04:00:03 pm
Did you sponge your ewes? And if yes did they all lamb within a couple of days?
Title: Re: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: jaykay on April 15, 2014, 05:34:58 pm
I did sponge them, in two batches. The lambing was pretty much within two days each time, with 48 hours in-between, whereas I'd left 4 days between the sponging.

I shall do it again. As far as the sheep went, it's limited 'going to bed at midnight and getting up again at 5am' to about 8 days. And something has been going on for most of that time. Last year, I took a fortnight off, got up and did all the checking and nothing happened for 10 days, then they started to lamb as I went back to work.......

The goats haven't quite co-operated but they're pretty much at the same time this year too.
Title: Re: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: SallyintNorth on April 15, 2014, 07:32:45 pm
Lovely pics - lovely sheep! 

I'm glad the sponging worked for you; much more satisfactory this year, by the sound of it.

I love the idea of the Blue Texel - the fleeces should be nice too.  You may interest me in some of your ewe lambs if so ;) (if you're interested in selling them for breeding, that is.)

My little fleece flock, having delivered 75% females last year (3 of 4), has reversed the trend and this year I have 7 boys and just 3 girls.  Probably just as well - it defers the hard decisions of who stays and who goes ;)

At the moment I am thinking I'll get a pure Shetland for them this time - shame your Jack is related to my 3 hoggs, he's giving nice lambs :)

Here are Pickle and Pie - mum is a Shetland x Castlemilk from Alma, grandpa is Alma's Jack Frost.  Other players include Charollais, Beltex, BFL and Swaledale!
Title: Re: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: Anke on April 15, 2014, 08:10:21 pm
Thanks Jaykay - mine were sponged as well, all NINE of them. (Decided to have a bit of a break from commercial sheep and only kept Shetlands and my Gotland crosses, used Shetland tups on them), and I wans't keen to get up at 4.30am every morning for about 5 weeks...

Mine are due to start on Friday the first 5 that is, unfortunately Tuppy had to have a repeat on four of them... But I am still hoping to have it fairly condensed  :fc:
Title: Re: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: jaykay on April 15, 2014, 08:13:15 pm
They're cute Sally!

The tup was Smokey not Jack. Is he too closely related? Cos I have a couple of very nice tup lambs if not, selection of colours?

Oh, that's a pain Anke. Fortunately mine all 'held' the first time.
Title: Re: Yows and lambs enjoying the sun
Post by: Mammyshaz on April 15, 2014, 09:20:27 pm
Lovely piccies, love the fleece colours of mums and lambs  :spin: oh and a panda amongst them  ;D