[sokel]

Well this year seems to have flown over.
This was the first year we took on orphan lambs, they where born the first week in April and we got them at 2 weeks old. We have really enjoyed having them and being so friendly they have made our Wolfhound puppy 100% safe with sheep, They come up to say hello and she sniffs them on the nose then totaly ignores them.
When the time comes for them to go we are not really looking forward to it, Cant imagine them not being in the field. the first thing I do when I go outside is count the 5 of them and when I have been out and drive onto the drive I look to make sure they are all there.
Anyway Not sure yet when they are ready to go but do I
1: keep the girl and get her a friend and let the boys go 
2: do I let them all go and look forward to next years lambs 
3: Get a few ewes and have our own little flock and rear the lambs from them next year   
This was going to be so easy untill we gave them names 
what did you all do when you got your first orphan  lambs

[jaykay]

I vote for a mixture of 1 and 3 

[SallyintNorth]

Question.  Do you have a preference or yen for any particular breed?  When you look at GFDs, or Castlemilks, or Badger-faceds. or Zwartbles, or.. or.. or.., do your eyes light up and a smile come to your lips?

If yes, then sell this lot and get some of the breed you really love next year.

[sokel]

TBH I just like sheep. A friend did have shetlands for years and I loved the different markings/Colours he had and they where very friendly but then again I do like zwartbles and  there is 6 Jacobs down the road from me who come running up to the fence every time I walk the dogs past 

[JUNIOR MEMBER pufflepets]

hahahah Sokel.... you sound just like me 3 years ago.... but be warned, I have collected, bred and kept the lot and now, instead of having a few to sell, I need to sell about 24!!!! And I still can't let go! LOL!
I have made a pact with myself. If I sell the offspring, i will let myself keep my original 3 orphan girls who i am addicted to.
What I foound when i kept my orphan wether is all he did all winter was stand at the hayrack and trough and just ate and ate and ate. Cost me a bomb, ate the others share and generally got fat.... nothing else to do I suppose.
If you have orphan rams, definitely 'get rid'... I have had more than my fair share of nasty attacks from very friendly orphan ram lambs turn terrorists once their hormones fully kick in. No fear of humans, that's their problem!
Good luck.
p.s I also have the affliction of 'just loving sheep'...any breed, size, colour.... I am HOOKED!

[sokel]

I have the 5 lambs here the 4 boys are all castrated  and there is the 1 girl.
What age do the come into season ? Its just twice today I have come back to find 3 lambs from the next field chasing mine around 

[twizzel]

We had the same dilemma. Our 6 are 3 wethers and 3 ewe lambs. 1 of the ewe lambs isn't one we would consider for breeding but the other 2 are. So 4 are definitely going to slaughter, and 2 were a possible keep for breeding in the future.


We decided to send them all for the freezer, have more orphans next year possibly 10-15 with the aim of keeping 5 or 6 ewes if they are good enough. We couldn't see the point of keeping just 2 as there was no point buying/hiring a ram for 2 ewes! So as nice as our 2 ewe lambs are that we would like to keep, we have sold them all once slaughtered and will start again next year.

[Mallows Flock]

Oooh Twizzel... you are gooooooood. Send some of that willpower/ common sense my way please 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I have two pet wethers and a pet ewe. The ewe is head girl of the flock and also produces lovely twins every year. The wethers are ram companions altho we dont have a ram right now - one is black and white with a pink nose and one a very lovely moorit.
I ought to chuck one of the wethers but couldnt decide between them. So they stay.
Other than that, I find it a lot easier now Ive stopped breeding coloured ones (they are Shets) - I got too fond of them as individuals when they are all different. Now I only breed whites - boring but I find I can send them off easier.
In summary, I find sending off nearly all of them is easier if you allow yourself a pet one or two that doesnt go off - but you do have to set a ceiling on how many pets you will feed....:-)

[Mallows Flock]

lachlan..... is 42 pet sheep too many?
 

[omnipeasant]

Sokel. definately keep the girl. Get some company for her either ewe lambs or older ewes. At leastr she will be tame so will help the others to get tame.

Tup lambs get to the point where they are not funny anymore. Yes I cry when they go, but they are not pets when they barge you off your legs for food and put their feet down your welleis. perhaps if you wait until they are annoying it will be easier to let them go. I suggest that you don't try to be brave, have a good wail and get it over with.

[lachlanandmarcus]

lachlan..... is 42 pet sheep too many?

I think we both know the answer to that 

[Mallows Flock]

Totally agree.... i spent nearly 2 hours this a.m chasing round lambs that shoould be going one way through the gates but are so darn friendly they  are not scared of being shoo'd from the gateway so i can get truck and trailer in.... it was the first time I felt, despite much previous weeping, that actually, it is TIME to move to new homes. LOL
LachlanandMarcus.... Oh darn it!    LOL

[sokel]

What is the chances of  5 month old Tup lambs getting an almost 6 month old ewe lamb pregnant ?
My 5 are in our front field so that they can go into the stables if they want too and they do every night 
they also have access to one of the back fields through a 3ft gate.
The farmer next to us has put his Tup lambs in the field beside ours and 2 days running when I have come home some of them have been in with mine chasing them around !

[jaykay]

If you're lucking, at our latitude they're not quite in season yet.

All my females were the other side of the fence from the tup until last weekend and no-one was making up to him.

But if they were in season he certainly could do the job. Where is he getting in - can you do some fence bodging?