Author Topic: Keeping a tup (Read 3842 times)

ThomasR · « **on:** August 11, 2015, 11:11:31 pm »

Hi I am getting in my first full time tup tomorrow and am wondering what is there that I need to know. This is not the first time I have had a heb tup as I rented one last year and he stayed a bit longer than expected and it ended up being 3 months I think. What do i do with him when he is not tupping? I have 4 tup lambs staying this year two will be going for meat and 2 will be kept and shown then eventually sold. When the tup is finished with the ewes and I put him back into the tup field will he fight with the lambs or will it all be ok and I am once again springing over nothing?

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** August 11, 2015, 11:25:22 pm »

No one can prophecy exactly what will happen, but usually an older tup fits in well with a group of younger tups, with minimal fighting, just to show them who's the new boss. We do this every year - last year's meat tups go off round about now, and the new season ones are taken off their mums before the end of August and put in with the older boys. The older tups chase them round a bit, just in case they are females in disguise, but it all settles down to peace and boys talk for the winter.

ThomasR · « **Reply #2 on:** August 12, 2015, 10:36:04 pm »

Ok thanks. What about reuniting them after tupping will they still be ok and how long do you keep the ewes and lambs apart for as I was on doing if I could reunite the ewe lambs and ewes.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #3 on:** August 12, 2015, 11:28:05 pm »

Same thing after tupping - bit of a punch-up, then all calms down. You can try the trick of packing them all very tightly together in a small hurdle pen for a few hours, then give them a little hard feed when you release them.

We don't separate out our ewe lambs until the ewes are going for tupping. The ewes seem to wean the lambs themselves, by kicking them in the head (!) by the time they are 5 months, which leaves a couple of months for them to regain any lost condition. If you do want to separate them for the ewes to dry off, others have mentioned 2 weeks.

Coximus · « **Reply #4 on:** August 13, 2015, 01:54:18 am »

not much to worry ive only just seperated out the ram lambs and put my two tups in with them - The two older heb tubs walk round as a pair and show the young-uns whose boss, and other than that just a bit of jossling. If you can get a 3rd ram, that would help - as they seem to get on better as 3 or more. 2 cant always establish a heirachy.

ThomasR · « **Reply #5 on:** August 13, 2015, 07:56:00 pm »

The tup is in there with my 3 tup lambs will be joined by another In a few weeks. I have had my ewes and lambs apart for over two weeks and not all of there bags have gone down yet.

ThomasR · « **Reply #6 on:** September 25, 2015, 08:52:56 pm »

Does anybody on here know of a raddel that works on Hebs? I have tried two different sorts, block/harness and the paste, both are really bright colours and both have not left the slightest mark on the ewes even though I put the paste on and he was jumping on the ewes hours later and not a mark i comedown to see pitch black sheep.

Bramblecot · « **Reply #7 on:** September 25, 2015, 08:57:35 pm »

Can't speak for Hebs, but the only colour that is obvious on my black Shetland ewes is yellow - either a raddle block or the wax crayon.

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #8 on:** September 26, 2015, 09:44:14 am »

With regards the ewes and lambs, once the ewes have been separated and put on poor grazing or hay to help them dry up they tend to stop lactating pretty quickly. Their udders fill up to start with and clearly become tight and uncomfortable but once the milk production has stopped the milk inside the udder is gradually reabsorbed and the udder reforms walling off any damaged ares and finally retracting back to its non lactating size and shape.

I have returned mine after a week without any problems as the lambs were more interested in their mothers as a source of comfort rather than food. But then I wean at about 14 -16 weeks so the the lambs milk feeds were pretty infrequent anyway by that stage and usually driven by the ewe.

I think I did once read that the recommendation is 3 weeks separation to be on the safe side but I think it's often about knowing tour sheep and your system.