Author Topic: splitting wether and ewe lamb from pergnent ewes (Read 4567 times)

dt400 · « **on:** April 14, 2014, 08:04:00 am »

Is it necessary to split them prior to lambing, we have four pregnant ewes and one wether and one ewe lamb.

Thanks clive

jaykay · « **Reply #1 on:** April 14, 2014, 08:18:23 am »

No. I have left my gimmer hoggs (last year's female lambs) in with my lambing flock, it was just easier.

Actually, the hoggs are all offspring of ewes I still have in the flock, and they are now teaming up with mum and the her new lambs, playing 'big sister' quite nicely.

I don't have any wethers this year but if I only had one I'd leave him in with everyone else.

in the hills · « **Reply #2 on:** April 14, 2014, 08:41:15 am »

We had problems with our previous years wethers starting to pursue, try to mount and generally pestering the ewes as they got within a few days of lambing.They had previously been fine with them and it must have occurred due to the ewes giving off a certain smell (due to changing hormones) as they approached lambing.

If you can be there to watch closely you could leave together and split if a problem occurred. We have decided not to leave wethers in with ewes once they get close to lambing. Ours would have interfered with a lambing ewe. Could you put the ewe lamb and wether together in a separate field?

devonlad · « **Reply #3 on:** April 14, 2014, 10:49:13 am »

we don't usually split last years from this years but this year we did. We had 3 of last years ewe lambs who as lambing got closer began to pester the ewes, we can only presume for milk. One poor girl was getting besieged by the 3 of them and getting a right old buffeting, and as a result we took them out. we let them all back in together last week with all the lambs born and much sturdier. no apparent milk chasing now though the 3 of them seem to have regressed to lamb-dom and every evening the twilight lamb parade up and down the fence has 3 rather bigger "lambs" bounding and gambolling with them. very amusing to see.

dt400 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 14, 2014, 11:24:07 am »

Hi
They are all together at the moment, with no problems, should we keep a eye on them and see how things progress.
By the way there hebridean sheep.

Thanks

Fleecewife · « **Reply #5 on:** April 14, 2014, 11:45:11 am »

The only time I have left a wether hogg in with lambing ewes it proved to be a bad move and we had to get him out. As In the Hills found, the hormone smell confused him, he forgot he has been castrated but knew he was frustrated so as soon as the ewes started the birth process he was in there stopping them from lying down by pawing and butting and generally trying to mount them (we put him in with the tups where he found just what it was like to be on the receiving end of all that attention

). He was a Manx Loughtan, the ewes were Hebs and Shetlands.

Ewe hoggs on the other hand are usually fine in the birthing field and I believe they benefit positively from seeing the whole process, so when they lamb the first time themselves they know what new lambs are and what they smell like, so they don't get a terrible fright when they produce one themselves. Sheep love to be in family units and soon team up with the lambs.
The only exception to this I have found is with Soay hoggs - little b^663r$ had to be put out.

Anke · « **Reply #6 on:** April 14, 2014, 01:43:11 pm »

If you have the extra space I would take the youngsters out until the new lambs are born and are all properly mothered up. It would just reduce the worry about it, and you possibly having to split them once ewes are already trying to lamb (in the field I presume) when you can cause more harm by disturbing them if you find that the boy chases the mums-to.be after all...

in the hills · « **Reply #7 on:** April 14, 2014, 02:07:51 pm »

Ours are Soay. Our wethers were total pests and I don't think you could have safely left the ewes in with them. They were all normal and perfectly calm the evening before and by the next morning were endlessly following/pestering the ewes. Happened quite quickly. We had several wethers in there and it was all of them. After posting on here, thanks FW

, we ended moving them and it was hassle because the wethers were a bit 'excitable' and so not so easy to deal with as they normally would have been. We did have one ewe lamb in too. We moved her as well but I have to say she wasn't causing any problems.

If it were me I would split the 2 youngsters off now and as Anke says its one less thing to deal with. Also I suppose something could happen at night. We'd had problems with having the tup in with the ewes during lambing the previous year but thought the wethers would be okay since they hadn't shown any 'rammy' behaviour at all. Wasn't the case.