[17AndCounting]

I have 2x ram lambs that I will need to sell, preferably via here to someone who will use them for tupping or to run with a wether rather than freezing. One is a Hebridean, the other a Black Welsh Mountain. They're unregistered.

They're only 3 weeks old at the moment so they're still with their Mums. I can split them off into another field when they're older but I can't keep them in the longer term because I have other rams already and I can't risk them mating with their Mothers.

My question is when should I be looking to sell them?

[SteveHants]

weaning at 4 mos is fine.

[Fleecewife]

As a matter of interest, why didn't you ring them?  It makes management so much easier if you have limited space, and you could have kept them for the freezer at 16 months

[JMB]

I think ringing them is meant to be done as early as possible but I know people who do this alot later than 3 weeks.
J xxxx

[Fleecewife]

Yes, it should be done before 7 days.  We had probs trying to catch some of ours even at a day old     They can still be castrated later, using a burdizzo (looks grim) or surgically by a vet, so it's worth being organised, looking ahead and getting them done with a ring.

[17AndCounting]

I didn't ring them as I bought them with ewes as lambs at foot. I haven't had them since their birth.

[Rosemary]

I didn't ring them as I bought them with ewes as lambs at foot. I haven't had them since their birth.

We had a calf castrated by burdizzo for reasons to long for here - it looked much worse than it seemed for him, because he barely flinched Might be worth considering if the vet is passing anyway.

I'm sure it's illegal to castrate lambs with a rubber ring after 7 days old.

[SteveHants]

I didn't ring them as I bought them with ewes as lambs at foot. I haven't had them since their birth.

We had a calf castrated by burdizzo for reasons to long for here - it looked much worse than it seemed for him, because he barely flinched Might be worth considering if the vet is passing anyway.

I'm sure it's illegal to castrate lambs with a rubber ring after 7 days old.

It is illegal here, yes.


I don't castrate/tail and I've never had any problems, just make sure you put the ram lambs somewhere they can't get to the ewes.

[Bionic]

I have 2 rams lambs, one nearly 7 weeks old and the other nearly 3 weeks old, that I didn't ring because they are from a good pedigree so am hopeful that they will find a home where they will be used as rams.
If thats not the case though will they be any good for meat this year?
I don't have the space, or the inclination to keep rams long term so if not good for breeding I had thought of sending them off and also getting their skins/fleece turned into rugs.
 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I've sent off one January time (didn't get castrated as wasn't happy that one had dropped by the 7 day limit) and he tasted mighty fine.

[SallyintNorth]

We burdizzo all our male calves and they barely flinch.  In fact, a lot of them don't flinch.  There's a lot of technique to it to get it right though - it's all too easy to not do a thorough job, but think that you have.   It takes a lot of physical strength, too.  Thankfully BH has buckets of both technique and strength! 

You can get the vet to castrate older lambs if managing entires would be tricky for you.  I'm not sure what it would cost, but as with most things it's bound to be cheaper if you can take the ram lambs to the vet, rather than have the vet to the holding.

[Rosemary]

Cost us about £10 to have a lamb castrated - the vet was here anyway.