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Author Topic: Working a ram lamb  (Read 4465 times)

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Working a ram lamb
« on: July 06, 2009, 09:31:19 pm »
What would be a reasonable number of ewes for my ram lamb to cover this year? He's well grown - born late March and a single but I don't want to stunt his development!

shetlandpaul

  • Joined Oct 2008
Re: Working a ram lamb
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2009, 10:24:53 pm »
we had a lamb Shetland ram running with 8 females 5 Shetland and 3 Cheviot's. he took his time but he covered all the Shetlands and one cheviot we think he had difficulty with the size difference. but if you want them close together borrow someones more mature ram.

tirdu

  • Joined Feb 2009
Re: Working a ram lamb
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2009, 10:34:48 pm »
What breed of ram lamb??
 ???

hexhammeasure

  • Joined Jun 2008
    • golocal food
    • Facebook
Re: Working a ram lamb
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2009, 10:52:52 pm »
we have a policy of only using a ram lamb to follow the main tupping so he just gets the chance of a few (hopefully) often called a chaser round here.  we use two tups for 60 ewes and would only use the lamb when he was bought in to replace an older one say every 3rd year. most times we will buy a shearling anyway
Ian

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Working a ram lamb
« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2009, 02:58:52 pm »
Coloured Ryeland.

Hexhammeasure, so would your advice be not to use him?

hexhammeasure

  • Joined Jun 2008
    • golocal food
    • Facebook
Re: Working a ram lamb
« Reply #5 on: July 07, 2009, 06:06:31 pm »
you can use him just not on too many ewes 10-15 would be the maximum, at least for our suffolk lambs. I would also advise putting young rams on old ewes and old rams on young ewes
Ian

kaz

  • Joined Jul 2008
  • Ceredigion
  • Dust yourself off when life throws you down.
Re: Working a ram lamb
« Reply #6 on: July 08, 2009, 07:00:49 am »
We put a ram lamb with 4 ewes last year two young and two old. He managed to make one old and one ewe in lamb.Ryelands.
Penybont Ryelands. Ystwyth Coloured Ryelands.  2 alpacas, 2 angora goats, 2 anglo nubian kids, 3golden retrievers a collie and a red fox labrador retriever, geese, ducks & chickens.

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Working a ram lamb
« Reply #7 on: July 08, 2009, 08:50:25 am »
Maybe have to rethink this. Depends how important it is that they get in lamb, I suppose, and how quickly. I think Carol was quite keen to lamb earlier next year, so maybe he's not the best bet.

birkb

  • Joined Jul 2009
Re: Working a ram lamb
« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2009, 09:24:03 am »
I used a year old ram on 6 pedigree texels.  He was quite small compared with ewes.  Good results, all twins apart from one.  But would not do the same on larger numbers.

VSS

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Pen Llyn
    • Viable Self Sufficiency.co.uk
Re: Working a ram lamb
« Reply #9 on: July 09, 2009, 09:20:01 pm »
If you are going to use a ram lamb, give him ten at the most and tup them indoors so he hasn't got to do a lot of running about which will make him lose weight. Leave him in for one cycle only (17 days).
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Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Working a ram lamb
« Reply #10 on: July 10, 2009, 09:36:47 am »
Indoors insn't an option, but we can probably give him an enclosed space, to save his legs! And energy!

 

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