The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Cobra on July 01, 2010, 07:03:13 pm
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So the question for today.
You've got some Ewes and your ready to get the love on: (Not personally obviously :-\)
Do you buy a ram to keep and breed from or do you have one come and visit, or is the paperwork to much hassle for this now a days. If you do have someone bring a fella round, how do they charge for this, what would you expect to pay?
As usual this is where someone answers with a method that I hadn't even thought of :D Thanks peeps :sheep:
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We have a very friendly lady who has a small flock and two rams. She let us put our ewes in with hers last year. I dont think you should have one ram on his own as he would get lonely.
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seee i dont think the paperwork/movement forms are that bad, its pretty user friendly....now the single farm payment forms...thts another story, right nightmare, in fact we take ours to the local FUW and they fil them in for us lol
Getting back to the point though, we ll buying new rams in :) :wave:
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We've also been told that your best either having one ram or three. Cos if you put two in they may spend most their time fighting - whereas if you have three there is alway one left to do the tupping.
As Helen said, we are going to buy some in this year, but you must remember that its not highly recommended to put the rams back on any offspring. So if your expanding your flock by keeping the girls and you want to breed from them its not advisable to use the same rams.
Ta
Baz
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I have had 3 lots of lambs now and have borrowed a Ram each time, they were always young first timers but it cost me nothing and they were always successful.
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Thanks for the replies very greatful as always; no fear of interbreeding here never done it and always kept a keen eye on whos, who.
If I was going to stock larger amounts, I would have rams; right now I'm staying with the few, so getting a fella in for a visit is going to be my best option; Thaks all, thats helped me make my mind up.
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Or bring your ewes round to someone else for about 5 - 6 weeks, if they also have a small flock and resident tup is not overworked... Just need to be careful about bringing anything nasty back with your ewes (scab, fluke, worms etc,), but obviously not too onerous if you think about it beforehand.
Depends also on the breed of sheep you have, and how near suitable tup(s) are, pedigree vs commercial.
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Depending on breed, whether registered and expensive or not, you can buy in a ram lamb, then when he's done his duty, put him in the freezer :yum:
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Depending on breed, whether registered and expensive or not, you can buy in a ram lamb, then when he's done his duty, put him in the freezer :yum:
Oh! you can be so cruel :o (Note to self) Order in plenty of mint sauce ;D :yum: :yum:
At this moment in time, I have no sheep here: I'm concidering either Jacob, Lleyns or Dorset. I am prepairing myself for whats to come ;)
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we have Jacobs and are looking at Lleyns ;D
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If you wait until the winter you could buy some pregnant ewes that way you would not need a ram until next year. The other advantage of doing it this way is that you can keep your first batch of ewe lambs to breed as they will not be related to the ram you buy afterwards.
I would not recomend eating a ram as they taste yucky. To save the cost of buying a ram you could keep the best ram lamb and sell its mother. This only works if you are doing pure breds