Smallholders Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Shearling ewes and rams  (Read 4461 times)

zwartbles

  • Joined Sep 2011
Shearling ewes and rams
« on: April 19, 2012, 11:24:26 am »
We need to rest some pasture and have to ask, can we safely graze shearling ewes in with our two mature rams?
Wil this result in damaged ewes or the two rams fighting ?
All advice welcome ! Thanks.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Shearling ewes and rams
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2012, 11:37:58 am »
I can't see the ewes being harmed, but the rams might fight - they usually settle down quite quickly.  You will end up lambing at a strange time of year though  :sheep:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Shearling ewes and rams
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2012, 12:34:34 pm »
I have a similar question ... assuming the breed of sheep is one that is a seasonal breeder, at what point in the year do they stop cycling?   (i.e., if they start in Sept, when do they stop)

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Shearling ewes and rams
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2012, 01:32:31 pm »
We have an old unbred Shetland ewe who is still happily cycling - and yelling for the boys  ::) .  I don't trust that my ewes (all supposedly seasonal breeders) will ever have a time during the year when they will definitely not get pregnant in the presence of a tup.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

lachlanandmarcus

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Shearling ewes and rams
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2012, 01:56:29 pm »
They stop when they are up the duff, thats the only safe thing to assume.

If you put them in, assume you will be lambing 5 months later and you wont go far wrong, they would have to be more primitive than Shetlands to be truly seasonal....

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Shearling ewes and rams
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2012, 02:45:24 pm »
They stop when they are up the duff, thats the only safe thing to assume.

If you put them in, assume you will be lambing 5 months later and you wont go far wrong, they would have to be more primitive than Shetlands to be truly seasonal....

I don't even trust our Soays and you can't get much more primitive than that  ;D :sheep:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

zwartbles

  • Joined Sep 2011
Re: Shearling ewes and rams
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2012, 03:54:15 pm »
Ah well, won't do that then !!

plt102

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: Shearling ewes and rams
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2012, 04:26:32 pm »
Would they get pregnant with lambs at foot? Our shetlands are notorious escapees!

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Shearling ewes and rams
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2012, 12:40:15 am »
Would they get pregnant with lambs at foot? Our shetlands are notorious escapees!
Hah, we thought that.  Floosy got in lamb with her twins still at foot (hence her name); mind, she's a more commercial (Texel x mule) type and the lambs, though still suckling, were around 4 months old by then.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

 

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