Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Rig sheep and ewe lamb  (Read 4140 times)

JMB

  • Joined Apr 2011
Rig sheep and ewe lamb
« on: September 15, 2013, 02:44:41 pm »
Hello.
We have rig sheep, 18 months old, with just one testicle which is still up inside his body.
I know that he could still, potentially, breed, but is this highly unlikely, unless it gets very very cold ? Or is it too risky to leave him with the flock? (We don't have alot of room, and the other option is to get rid of him, which looks likely, but I'm covering all my options...)
We only have a few sheep, and it wouldn't be a disaster if the ewe got pregnant, but we have a ewe lamb at 5 months old.
So my next question is, could she get pregnant at this age? ( shes a hebridean/shetland cross and very little) And if she did get pregnant, what would be the impact on her??
Thank you
Joanne xxxxxx
« Last Edit: September 15, 2013, 03:08:22 pm by JMB »

Hillview Farm

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Surrey
  • Proud owner of sheep and Llamas!
Re: Rig sheep and ewe lamb
« Reply #1 on: September 15, 2013, 05:04:17 pm »
There is a high chance of him getting them in lamb. And yes your ewe lambs can get in lamb from that age and if they are not up to a good enough weight then the ewe lambs can be stunted (height wise) and you risk getting stuck lambs if she is too small!

Get rid, he'll taste nice!

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Rig sheep and ewe lamb
« Reply #2 on: September 15, 2013, 05:14:38 pm »
Gotta agree, get rid.

We unwittingly kept one such and ended up with late May lambing hoggs - 147 days after the temperature plummeted to -15C...  ;)

So whilst the probability is that he'll fire blanks at the moment, there's a much bigger risk that he will successfully tup your ewes and your ewe lamb in deepest winter :cold:
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

JMB

  • Joined Apr 2011
Re: Rig sheep and ewe lamb
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2013, 07:58:36 pm »
Thanks for the advice.
I was looking for an excuse to keep him, but he will have to go.
Always worth asking the experts on TAS though
Xxxxxcc

 

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