[OhLaLa]

I'm not a commercial farmer, the few sheep we have are just for our own needs.

What is a good age for my ewes to be before tupping? It seems a bit older is preferred but have read it's ok to tup after 9 months.

Your experiences please.

  

[lachlanandmarcus]

If its a hefty well grown ewe lamb being put to a small ram, then maybe ......otherwise I would wait. Altho the experience they get lambing is useful, the likelihood of complications is greater, and it could check the ewe lambs own growth.

I usually try to be more conservative than any commercial farmer as a rule of thumb, and since even some of them dont risk it, I reckon its better not.

But interested in what others think, I guess it partly depends on whether theres a big commercial imperative to do so.

[suziequeue]

I agree. Not the theaves. They haven't had their sex-ed classes yet ;-)) Anyone else is fair game

[OhLaLa]

Thanks for replying. Wait until they are how old?

  

[Fleecewife]

Ours are born in April and go to the tup in Nov of the following year, so 18-19 months.  I don't deliberately breed my ewes as lambs but on the odd occasion when they have got their own way they have been fine.  It is better to breed them as shearlings, but not later - by the time they are two and a half and unbred they are getting too fat, or stuck in their ways, to lamb so easily.

[lachlanandmarcus]

we do the same as fleecewife, basically they dont go the first autumn of life (same year as born) to the tup, but they do go their second autumn.

[Hermit]

Another agreeing with Fleecewife here, but we have one little tart that got in with ram and was ok lambing. Funny cause she is still trouble now being 3yrs old.

[Cinderhills]

Yep, agree with Fleecewife too.  Ours were about 18 months when they went with the tup.  I was told by the local shepherd that they should be with the tup by 2.5 years too or it's too late.

[Freddiesfarm]

As a commercial farmer, we would put a ewe lamb to the ram if she is 40kg plus and well grown.  I lamb the main flock in February but the ewe lambs are not until April, that way we can give them great grass for them and the lambs

Plus important to keep an eye on them as they tend to change their teeth from baby teeth to the new two front teeth just when you would lamb them and you need to make sure they are taking in enough food to feed themselves and lambs, i.e. concentrates.

We normally avoid leaving ewe lambs with more than one lamb, just because of the condition it takes from them, plus they can only count to two once they are two years old!!!

We also never keep offspring from ewe lambs due to slower growth rates.

Any lambs which don't go to the ram this year would be put to the ram to lamb in February the following year.