Author Topic: Weaning question (Read 2616 times)

Azzdodd · « **on:** April 08, 2013, 09:15:34 am »

I only have the one field and find it pretty hard finding weaning ground was that bad last year they had to come to my garden! Haha with my goats I don't even wean mum does naturally an then goats are sold at 8 weeks....my question can I just leave the lambs with mum till there ready to go to slaughter? Or will staying with mum affect there growth rate

jaykay · « **Reply #1 on:** April 08, 2013, 09:25:15 am »

I leave my lambs with my ewes til about August. Then I spean the boys but the girls stay with their mums, who have pretty much stopped letting them feed by then.

Bionic · « **Reply #2 on:** April 08, 2013, 09:25:54 am »

jaykay, can you explain spean please

Tempest_25 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 08, 2013, 04:49:24 pm »

leaving the lambs with the ewes is normally completely fine, it just depends on your worming regime. The reason why many farmers separate their flock is for management ready for the next breeding system as leaving wening/weaned lambs with the ewes will meant they will get more worms and this could stunt their growth if not wormed/the wormer used has resistance in your sheep.

jaykay · « **Reply #4 on:** April 08, 2013, 04:57:24 pm »

Sorry Sally, speaning (pronounced 'spaining') is the local word here for separating the lambs from their mums.

The chap who owns the land next to me, but whose main farm is elsewhere, brings all the ewes up here when he's speaned their lambs - cos his wife doesn't like to listen to them shouting for their lambs - earplugs required for a couple of days

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #5 on:** April 08, 2013, 05:02:24 pm »

We generally try to get the bulk of our lambies away straight from their mums with as few interventions as possible. At some point end July / August we have to take any remaining entire males off...

and then the remaining lambs a month or so before tupping.

One reason for speaning (pronounced 'speening' further up country, jaykay!

) is so that the lambies can be put on the 'fogs' - aftermath when the grass has been cut and baled. It's clean ground and soft, fresh grass for their little mouths. The ewes go onto the poorest ground at that time in order to dry off.

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #6 on:** April 08, 2013, 06:04:33 pm »

I castrate the male lambs (as they are here for 18 months being primitive ish Shetlands) and I leave all the lambs with mum to wean naturally. Haven't had any issues with that. Might consider weaning a bit earlier if we ever fence the hay fields to allow us to run the lambs on the hay fog but that's not the case at the mo.

Remy · « **Reply #7 on:** April 08, 2013, 06:34:49 pm »

I've always left the lambs with their mums till slaughter, by the time they are ready it doesn't appear to have affected their growth.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #8 on:** April 08, 2013, 08:39:58 pm »

Weaning isn't just for the lambs - with a year like this the ewes will probably need to put on a fair amount of condition before they go to the tup. I think many of the bigger farms where they were on poor ground to dry off then just flushed for a few weeks to produce more lambs have seen ewes in very poor body condition losing lambs or running out of milk. I prefer to keep a fair amount of condition on my ewes all the time if I can - never know what's going to be next on the weather front these days.