The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: DartmoorLiz on September 28, 2015, 12:36:36 pm
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I didn't want to hyjack the previous thread but I was wondering if anyone has any remarkably old ewes still breeding. I don't know the age of my oldest ewes because of a historical lack of records or tags but I'm assured some are over 10 years old. Is that possible?
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We had a blackie have a lamb at 15. Unusual but not unheard off. She was a great mother.
She lived till almost 20.
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As I have said in the previous thread, breed does make a difference. I keep Primitives and have had several ewes which have lambed, with healthy twins, at 15, and every year up until then. There have been others I have had to retire at 10, as they can't keep condition on through gestation and lactation.
My oldest ewe at the moment is 19, the next down is 18, and the oldest to lamb this year is 15.
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My oldest ewe is a shetland cross, I bought her 4 years ago, she was a full mouth ewe when I bought her and she had been with the last owner for 6 years before that but the owner had no idea how old she was when she joined that flock, so I cannot say how old she is now, she is at least ten I suppose
She resembles a shetland, weighs 40-42kgs, but she has shape to her and her lamb/lambs reach 40kgs in June/July each year, she has a much better body than any of the other shetlands and is much broader, her lambs have bred each year as ewe lambs are are bigger than she is, even when she was put to a shetland
The last owner told me she was a shetland/hebridean, but there is no way she is, she must be half chunky breed of some sort :thinking:
I have known many old ewes, the oldest being a suffolk/texel cross who died when she was 17 I think
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Look after them an they will look after you I say you treat them well they will give you lambs for longer
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She resembles a shetland, weighs 40-42kgs, but she has shape to her and her lamb/lambs reach 40kgs in June/July each year, she has a much better body than any of the other shetlands and is much broader, her lambs have bred each year as ewe lambs are are bigger than she is, even when she was put to a shetland
Colouring depends on the cross. Our Badger Face x Southdowns come out looking just like any other white faced mule you'd see at market, sometimes with slight mottling on the face and more wool at the top of the legs. The very distinctive BF (Torddu) colouring never appears.
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She resembles a shetland, weighs 40-42kgs, but she has shape to her and her lamb/lambs reach 40kgs in June/July each year, she has a much better body than any of the other shetlands and is much broader, her lambs have bred each year as ewe lambs are are bigger than she is, even when she was put to a shetland
Colouring depends on the cross. Our Badger Face x Southdowns come out looking just like any other white faced mule you'd see at market, sometimes with slight mottling on the face and more wool at the top of the legs. The very distinctive BF (Torddu) colouring never appears.
Yes I have found the same, have only ever had white crossbred lambs out of the shetlands, no matter what colour mum is, and no matter what the sire I have used is, although some of the white lambs have had brown legs (or a few brown spots)
My little old shetland (above) is very deeply fawn katmoget marked, she always has white lambs
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My oldest girl is 17 but had her last twins at 14, I decided then to retire her before I risked anything going wrong, she is now totally spoilt and keeps the ewe lambs company.
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Thanks all. It looks like there's plenty of life in the old girls yet.