[spidge]

Having recently started a small flock of (store) lambs, my kids are badgering me to get some tiny lambs. As a newbie, I didn't know if is would be better to get a couple of orphan lambs, appreciating they will need bottle feeding twice a day etc. Or, get a ewe with twins and let her do most of the work. I've got a feeling this might be better and potentially, breed from her next year when I have learnt much more about sheep in general.

However, I'm concerned that I might have a problem with weaning. I only have just under 2 acres which i rent, so i am not in a position to separate the ewe and lambs easily. Could anyone just confirm that this is what you need to be able to do when weaning lambs. Are their other options? At this stage, I am guessing that the lambs would be sent for meat at some stage.

Many thanks!
Simon

[crobertson]

I personally would go for a ewe with lambs at foot as we started with orphans which are super cute but become a massive pain very quickly! Even trying to check the water bucket they're jumping up you and pushing you out of the way which when they become adult size can be a problem.
I wouldn't breed anything that under 18 months anyway so that they are around 2 years old when their first lambs are born so that would fit in with you putting them to the tup next autumn. And if at all you could, a ewe with twin ewe lambs would be perfect, I'd run ewe lambs with their mum and they'll wean naturally, she'll tell them when its time to stop drinking milk

[spidge]

Thank you. I have a ewe with two ewe lambs earmarked to collect this weekend, so if they look as good as they do in the picture I'll get them.

[bj_cardiff]

I'd go for the ewe with lambs too, pet lambs need feeding 4 times a day, not two and you should keep them indoors when their small as they are vulnerable to predators.

You could leave the lambs to wean 'naturally' however this is really hard on the ewe and she might not be in great condition in the autumn, meaning you'll have less lambs the following year. Do you have access to a shed or barn? You could keep the lambs indoors for a while to let the ewes dry off. I'd leave them for a month and put the lambs back in. The ewes won't allow them to drink then

[Dans]

We keep our sheep on about 1.5 acres fenced into 5 smaller areas. This lets us rotate grazing. When we had to wean our lambs last year we moved the ewes on to the next area and left the lambs behind but they could still see each other through the fence. After I think 2 weeks we put the ewe lambs back in with the mums. As the area isn't huge we were able to do the fencing between areas ourselves over a few weekends so it wasn't too costly either.

Dans

[SallyintNorth]

It's not really very kind to have a ewe on her own with only lambs for company.  She will feel responsible for the whole flock with no other adults to help her bear the load. 

Could you get a pair of ewes with lambs at foot?  Or this one you've identified plus a barren ewe?

[spidge]

It's not really very kind to have a ewe on her own with only lambs for company.  She will feel responsible for the whole flock with no other adults to help her bear the load. 

Could you get a pair of ewes with lambs at foot?  Or this one you've identified plus a barren ewe?

Understood. The other lambs on site are approximately 6-7 months old. Would this still be an issue?

[SallyintNorth]

It's not really very kind to have a ewe on her own with only lambs for company.  She will feel responsible for the whole flock with no other adults to help her bear the load. 

Could you get a pair of ewes with lambs at foot?  Or this one you've identified plus a barren ewe?

Understood. The other lambs on site are approximately 6-7 months old. Would this still be an issue?

In the Cattle Welfare Code it states that all bovines should have company of their own "age and stage" - so calves with calves, heifers with heifers, and cows not just with other adult bovines but with other female bovines who've had calves.  It's not exactly the same for sheep, but there are many similarities.

However I do appreciate your situation - perhaps this might be the lesser of two evils.  I'd still think about getting a second ewe, though, if possible.

I should admit that my own Jersey cow has only her own nearly 2-year old heifer and the set-on bullock she reared with it for company at the moment, the other cow having been barren and therefore sent off.  Poor Hillie won't have another actual cow for company until Flare calves.  Ideally we'd have kept Katy until then, but we are very short of land over the winter - and I'd already kept Katy an extra six months, purely to be company for Hillie until the last possible moment.

[twizzel]

I would just stick with what you’ve got at the moment. This winter has been hellish and the grass very slow to grow this spring. Bringing on a ewe and lambs will create a lot more work and if you’ve got less than 2 acres you may find you’re pushed for grass a little later on. We bring our ewes in for weaning onto straw for a week then a couple of weeks very restricted grazing to dry them off. Little lambs don’t stay little forever and can be wild little things, not the easiest to handle. If you don’t plan on putting that ewe back to a ram this autumn you risk her going overfat and having subsequent problems getting in lamb/lambing again. Sheep are best suited to breeding every year or they essentially have 12 months holiday and get really fat. I would just stick with what you’ve got and learn about sheep from your store lambs you bought.