[lee.arron]

I decided as i dont have many sheep and want to build up my numbers that any females born i was going to keep . so far ive got 4 boys and 1 girl. the plan was all go to market at 6 months origionally but as im having more to do with the lambs the market place is looking more and more less likely and i was wondering if selling them as possible tups for breeding , their dads a big  full bred texel and the babies are looking just like him already and seems a waste to go as meat  .  Does this sound like a plan or unrealistic and how would i go about it.

[colliewoman]

What are the mums?
My personal thinking is unless they are a cracking example of their breed, I would send them to market or eat them.
There are loads of ads out there for tups and you MIGHT struggle selling them as breeding tups, which would then leave you with a bunch of entire rams to deal with.
Things do seem to change, but the last time I kept sheep the markets weren't so favorable to entire rams for the meat market.
But like I said, it mught be different now.
Personally this time round, I am going to wether everything, and keep them for fleece animals. If the fleece is no good, they will go in the freezer.
Good luck whichever you decide

[robert waddell]

you don't say if the mother is texel and if both are pedigree
to many tup lambs are kept in the hope that they will make a good tup
lots of pedigree tups went unsold last year and good ones at that

[lee.arron]

mothers are mule really unsure what the crosses are between.  and ones a pure charollais. got a few days to think wether to castrate them its  too late for 2 of the boys i kept them entire.  jut hope the rest are girls now

[lachlanandmarcus]

Castrate them in the scenario you describe, IMO would be the right call. It isnt difficult and vet can show you if unsure and your fences will thank you for it :-))

[woollyval]

It is so easy to think' how sweet' and not want to eat/sell them....However in 6 months time when you cannot sell them and they are fighting and trying to get to your ewes you will regret the choice! Castrate anything that is not a superb example of a sheep.......preferably pedigree! Sorry but thats what breeding sheep is all about!

[lee.arron]

I can see how it will become a problem in 6 months time so thats one decision made theyre being done. thanks for the advice people

[SteveHants]

I never ball ram lambs if I can help it. Doesnt seem to make much difference to the price if you sell them on light.

[Sylvia]

I've got Shetlands and keep the lambs for at least a year before slaughter so they have to be castrated. I use rings and hate doing it. I've got my legs crossed on their behalf for a couple of days afterwards

[lachlanandmarcus]

Yep ours are Shetlands too and they dont go off until the following year so castration means they get a much longer life and altho I dont enjoy doing it Ive found it a lot less distressing to them than I expected. I also let th lambs wean naturally from Mum, I dont separate them until tupping time, which hasnt caused any issues but again, is only possible because the boys are castrated.

[Mel Rice]

If you dont castrate what age do you have to remove the little boy(s)?

This is my third year of lambs...all girls so far (I only have two mums)

[robert waddell]

four to six months if they are intact you will see them riding each other  that instinct to get one in is always there
the same argument for sheep as with pigs   castrated you have no management problems  leave them intact you may be lucky or not it is your preference

[SteveHants]

I wean at 4mos. The reason I dont castrate is that I lamb outdoors on an easy care system and I dont do anything that has the potential to interfere with mothering or give a site for infection if I can help it. The slightly reduced price is worth it in terms of numbers of lambs reared.

[cooper956]

castrate them how old are the older 2 it may not be too late big mistake geting atached to them we already have 2 wethers (pet lambs) from last 2 years this year we arnt keeping any all going to market or in the frezer its no good feeding loads of wethers and as tups they would be worth no more tham meat price and probly would end up there anyway there are plenty of cheap pure breed tups so why would you buy a cross breed?
if you are just geting atached to things and wanting to keep then all or home them (you think thats what your doing but  buyer will send them in and make on them) then i sugest you just keep a feild of wethers and dont tup the ewes 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I wean at 4mos. The reason I dont castrate is that I lamb outdoors on an easy care system and I dont do anything that has the potential to interfere with mothering or give a site for infection if I can help it. The slightly reduced price is worth it in terms of numbers of lambs reared.

I also lamb outdoors; havent found any mothering problems with the castration:  but to be fair the Shetlands I have, I havent had a single problematic birth or mothering problem in 4 years so far, so maybe just lucky!