The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Vizor78 on October 14, 2018, 08:46:04 pm
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Hello everyone.
Due to circumstances we are considering not putting our ewes to the ram this year. We only have 6 and they all lambed down fine for the first time last spring (2018).
Does anyone have any experience of their ewes having a 'year off' and then putting them back to the ram the following year?? Is it likely to cause any problems either getting them in lamb again or at lambing??!
Many thanks :)
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Nope, no problems. I have done it a few times, even giving ewes two years off. They shouldn't need much in the way of concentrates over the winter, good hay should see them through in the event of snow/heavy frost or if/when you run out of grass.
I would however make sure that yo either have no tup around or he is well away from the ewes, as it isn't fair on him having the girls just the other side of the fence...
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Watch their condition, they will likely get fat and either have trouble getting in lamb or during lambing itself. Probably be wise to restrict grazing as it’s difficult to get the weight off once they’ve put it on. I had a ewe that didn’t rear her lamb this year and she was noticeably fatter than the rest despite trying to restrict grazing.
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We have done this several times with both Hebridean and Shetland sheep, but not any other breeds. Sometimes this has been at the other end of the age range from yours, so older ewes which have lost condition during pregnancy and milking, so we give them an extra year to regain condition. A couple of times we have not put a particular ewe to the tup in her second year, so first lambing at 3 - no problems at all. Again with young ewes which have had a year off there have been no subsequent problems, although we have made sure they get no extra feeding above hay and a lick over the winter.
I think it may depend on the breed of your sheep, as some breeds have more of a tendency to overeat and gain weight than others. Overall I think you will have no problems.
One year we were unable to lamb at all, so I lent all our younger (under about 6 years) ewes to a friend for that year, to breed for lambs for his restaurant. Perhaps you could do something similar.
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Yep I've done it. Just don't let them get fat.
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Like Fleecewife, I've found the primitive type of sheep can have a year off without too much problem. But any commercial sort is likely to get overfat unless you are extremely careful, and then have problems lambing.
The folks here rested 'Hatty' the Zwartbles last year as she'd lost a lot of condition rearing lambs the year before. By tupping time last year I was calling her 'Fat Hat' ;). We put her to a small tup for that reason - a Heb - and she went and conceived triplets ::). Then couldn't lamb them all; most difficult live lambing I've ever succeeded with (without calling the vet.). Two survived, we let one pass away. She's reared them well but is now called 'Hat Rack', having lost a load of condition, when others rearing bigger lambs on the same ground have held their condition better.
What type are yours, and whereabouts are you and on what sort of ground?
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As others said, only issue be becoming overweight and that will impact subsequent tuppings- the ram won't fancy them for starters!!
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I can assure you that the ram won’t give two hoots if they’re condition score 2 or 5. He’d fall in love with a covered box if it smelled right ;)