[tommytink]

I don’t band my ram lambs. The oldest lamb in the group is approx 14 weeks. Last year I weaned them around 14th June and I was planning on the same again, so this weekend/early next week.
Prob a question without an answer but, when are they really a risk to impregnating the ewes?
I haven’t seen too much messing around in that respect, and the ewes usually tell them off on the odd occasion they do. I have my yearling ewes in with the ewes and lambs and tonight I saw them pestering one of them. Whilst I don’t think catching a ewe would be too possible if they’re still lactating etc I’m not sure about the yearlings. They’re a native breed, but could they cycle this time of year?? I thought about maybe separating the yearlings off but would it be okay for another few days?

[SallyintNorth]

Last year I had an Icelandic x Shetland ewe and a Wenselydale ewe produce 3 lambs between them in August and a Manx ewe produce a lamb in October.  There is no such thing as an off season, not for any breed as far as I can tell!  (The tup was a particularly diligent Shetland, now known as Nigel Ever Ready Golden Balls.)

  Whilst I don’t think catching a ewe would be too possible if they’re still lactating etc

is another dangerous myth. 

[tommytink]

Thanks Sally.

These lambs are around 14 weeks and less. I know I read a lot of people say they wean around 16. I don’t know whether realistically the ram lambs would have any juice in their tanks to get any of the girls in trouble yet, or if it’s all just a bit of acting out. I guess that’s my question. Especially as I have my yearlings in there too. As I said I haven’t seen them doing it a lot; older ewes butt them away but the younger one last night just tried to run away. None of them are standing.

[Richmond]

Glad you brought subject this up Tommy. I have a 6 week old entire Soay ram lamb who mounts everything. His testicles were too tiny to band and he was the only boy left entire, but his "play" consists almost entirely of mounting everyone repeatedly - mum, twin sister and all the other lambs   
It's quite funny to watch, particularly as he's so small, but I'm wondering whether I should be weaning him sooner than I had planned (August).

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

HI
i band all my ram lambs


all the pedigree's tups nuts (easy to say) have fallen off but out of the 4 Hampshire X lambs 3 seem to have bust the band.

i usually wean at 16 weeks but will bring that forward a few weeks to 12 weeks just to be sure!

[SallyintNorth]

Experienced farmers reckon 6 months minimum for a tup lamb to be able to work on purpose - but most would separate tup lambs from ewes by 4 months because they've been caught out before!   It's a case of weighing up the risks and rewards for your own particular situation.  If you - and the lady or any of the ladies in question - could not cope with an untimely pregnancy, then it's perhaps a risk not worth taking. 

[landroverroy]

I don't castrate my ram lambs either and they are sold fat off the ewe at 4 to 5 months old. I cannot recall any of my lactating ewes ever getting pregnant again while still feeding. Any ram lambs not fat at 5 months old are then separated from from the ewes.


As to the ram lambs impregnating your yearling ewes - well it's always a possibility but I would have thought unlikely at under @20 weeks old. But you can never say "never."

[tommytink]

Glad you brought subject this up Tommy. I have a 6 week old entire Soay ram lamb who mounts everything. His testicles were too tiny to band and he was the only boy left entire, but his "play" consists almost entirely of mounting everyone repeatedly - mum, twin sister and all the other lambs   
It's quite funny to watch, particularly as he's so small, but I'm wondering whether I should be weaning him sooner than I had planned (August).

When they’re little and do it it’s funny, then when they get older it starts to make you think about these things doesn’t it?

Last year I just went by when I thought they were truly being a nuisance. Prob wouldn’t be too worried this year if I didn’t have yearlings in there but think they should be okay till next week. Not seen anyone playing wheelbarrows today at least!

I don’t band - I’m fortunate in that I have smaller field parcels to be able to separate, whether it’s true or not they’re meant to grow better when entire, and call me soft I just don’t like it the thought of it. Plus I tried the first year and failed miserably 

[SallyintNorth]

My ex used to prefer not to band, but he said they had to be away by early September or they stopped growing and became "woody", as the hormones took over and they became more interested in sex.   

Then we had a couple of years with movement restrictions and decided to band everything so we didn't have to be sending entires off when it was suboptimal, and or be stuck with them into the autumn.  He continued to get top grades, but we did maybe need to manage food intake a little more closely to stop the greedier, lazier wethers getting too fat.  As we supplied Morrisons, who prefer grass-fed or as close to it as possible, feeding  less and keeping them on a week or two longer worked fine for them.  Prices of course fall from July onwards, so we might sometimes get 15p or even 50p per kilo less for that two week deferment.  Most years we felt that the savings on cake pretty much equated to any reduction in ppk.  And we appreciated not having the stress of making sure all the entires were away by September, even if they would have benefitted from another month.

Plus, weaning also gives them a check, so with all boys ringed we could send everyone off their mothers and no-one had to have a weaning check.