[Hillview Farm]

My ewes went off to the ram three weeks ago. I've got two ewe lambs at home That are HUGE, One is a Suffolk cross and the other is texel cross suffolk. I'm not exactly sure of their weight (just very heavy)  they are a few inches shorter than the ewes so I would say they would be ok to go to the tup.

I've got access to a Suffolk cross ram, would he be ok? I only know of people with commercial breeds

What do you lot think?

[Old Shep]

what's he crossed with?


I wouldn't personally tup them this year - lambing a texel shearing to a texel or suffolk x texel tup is bad enough - but a ewe lamb? Not for me thank you - do you remember the giant turnip story???  Been there done that and don't want to go there again.  We are using a Lleyn on our shearings this year 

[Tim W]

My ewe lambs all go to an Exlana tup but any maternal breed would be good---this includes the suf x tex x char x mules & the pure charollais ewe lambs---anything over 32kg gets tupped . Almost everything over 36kg at tupping gets in lamb

If lambing ewe lambs the biggest trick is to NOT feed them. Let them have ample grass or fodder until Feb then hold them back until lambing
Most lambing problems can be avoided by feeding correctly

[Hillview Farm]

My ewe lambs all go to an Exlana tup but any maternal breed would be good---this includes the suf x tex x char x mules & the pure charollais ewe lambs---anything over 32kg gets tupped . Almost everything over 36kg at tupping gets in lamb

If lambing ewe lambs the biggest trick is to NOT feed them. Let them have ample grass or fodder until Feb then hold them back until lambing
Most lambing problems can be avoided by feeding correctly

The rams breeding is thought that the dam is a Suffolk cross mule put to a Suffolk. Do you think that would be suitable? They will defo be over 40kg!

[SteveHants]

I would be slightly hesitant to put them to a suffolk. If I was going to use a terminal, Id use a Charolais or a Southdown. If not, something maternal, Easycare, Lleyn, Wilts....

[ZaktheLad]

I'm with OldShep and would leave them to lamb as shearlings.  I had a very large charollais x suffolk ewe lamb that I put in lamb this last lambing (first time I have ever had a ewe lamb tupped).  I wouldn't do it again.  It was not so much the issues at actual lambing and she was a great mother, but the teats of ewe lambs are very small and extremely soft and very easily damaged.  My poor ewe lamb had a very badly bitten teat from her overzealous lamb and it was extremely painful for her and stressful for me in trying to ensure that she didn't get mastitis in the one half.  My ewe lambs from this year are being kept well away from any rams!

[Tim W]

My ewe lambs all go to an Exlana tup but any maternal breed would be good---this includes the suf x tex x char x mules & the pure charollais ewe lambs---anything over 32kg gets tupped . Almost everything over 36kg at tupping gets in lamb

If lambing ewe lambs the biggest trick is to NOT feed them. Let them have ample grass or fodder until Feb then hold them back until lambing
Most lambing problems can be avoided by feeding correctly

I would be cautious---better to use a maternal tup/easy lambing tup ---better a small live lamb than a big lamb that causes the ewe problems

The rams breeding is thought that the dam is a Suffolk cross mule put to a Suffolk. Do you think that would be suitable? They will defo be over 40kg!

[moony]

We have lambed small Texel X ewe lambs to a gigantic Texel. Never had a problem lambing but we have had a couple reject their lambs and other mothering issues.

[Ladygrey]

I lambed 3 ewe lambs to a charrolais last year, The lambs themselves were great but 2 out of the 3 had to have assistance and one very very large single ram lamb didnt make it

This year I only tupped shearlings and ewes not ewe lambs

I personally wouldnt use a suffolk as a ewe lamb sire, only time I would lamb ewe lambs now would be if I were scanning and the ewe lambs were tupped to a maternal sire such as lleyn, shetland, easycare types

I have no idea who is having what this year as my pedigree shetland ram broke out and tupped my commercials my commercial ram (hampshire down cross charolais) in turn tupped my pedigree shetland ewes

Going to have wilts horn/shetlands, texel mule/shetlands, Hampshire down/shetlands etc etc etc 

[fsmnutter]

We are covering our two goats milk reared orphan lambs with a Hebridean tup, because the other ewes we have are pure Hebridean. The two ewe lambs are texel/mule crosses, so much larger than the Hebs, and so I don't foresee any trouble lambing them.
Previously I have seen mules and mule crosses on one farm tupped as ewe lambs to a Beulah. The sleeker mountain types are easy lambed, hardy enough to be up on their feet and drink quickly, so did really well, but they still have a decent conformation as the Beulah (or Kerry Hill etc) type is a large enough sheep.
It seems to me that ewe lambs may still almost remember being lambs, and seem to be quite maternal, where I have seen plenty lambed at 2 years old that get up and run away from the lambs.
I think if they are well grown, and the ram is a fine headed/shouldered type that will lamb easily and be fit, then covering ewe lambs is OK, but echoing others that best not to overfeed.

[Marches Farmer]

You need to be very careful about feeding if you're lambing a ewe lamb.  It's not just about weight - she'll still be growing her frame as well as lamb(s).  If you don't get her scanned and feed accordingly you could end up with tiny twins or a huge single.  If anything's going to reject its lamb it's most likely to be a ewe lamb.  Think teenage mother.