Smallholders Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Introducing lamb to flock  (Read 200 times)

sheeprm

  • Joined Mar 2023
Introducing lamb to flock
« on: March 07, 2023, 12:28:33 pm »
I’m after a bit of advice please. We have 5 rescue ewes approx 5yrs old.
We’ve taken on a make lamb. He’s been castrated. He’s now 1 month. There ewes are showing him aggression by head butting him. I’m always there to supervise but I’m not sure how to progress his outdoor time with the risk of him being hurt. It tends to happen more near the barn area not so much on the open field. I tried putting him in a hurdle pen in the barn but he stuck his head through and they tried to head butt him then too.
Does anyone have any advice on how to go about this please?
Thank you very much

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: Introducing lamb to flock
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2023, 09:22:31 am »
In an ideal world you would get a second lamb , roughly the same age to be his friend and comfort him ,  the ewes and he need to sort out a pecking order and head butting is the method , so keep introducing him a little bit and over time he will find his place in the flock and maybe one of the lower ranked ewes MAY befriend him

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Introducing lamb to flock
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2023, 05:31:18 pm »
I agree with Shep53 - you will have to get a second lamb.  For a sheep, as they are flock animals, being effectively alone is extremely stressful. The ewes are keeping him at bay even though they don't have lambs of their own - that's their innate behaviour towards a lamb which is not their own.  A stressed sheep of any age will not thrive.
Once your TWO lambs have grown beyond a few months they will gradually mix with the rest of the flock of their own accord.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

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SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Introducing lamb to flock
« Reply #3 on: March 10, 2023, 10:42:33 pm »
What Fleecewife said
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

 

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