I went to auction on Sat. and finally got some lambs ! 3 ewes and 1 ram .They are all about 20 pounds .I gave them there CDT and selium and 2 cc of penicillin just in case .There were at least 1,000 animals there.They are drinking from a bucket and eating hay and grain .Did I forget anything ? Do they still need milk replacer ?Some people told me they use cow milk with no problem .Thanks .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 18, 2000

Answers

Hi Patty. I dont' know that much about sheep but I have a friend who just went through a bad experience with losing a ewe from vaginal prolapse prior to lambing. I never did get to see the sheep because she's in another state but.....She bought market lambs and they are generally docked quite closely to keep the animal cleaner and make a more attractive carcass. Unfortunately, my shepherd friends and several judges have told me that such practice will encourage prolapse because it interferes with the muscles that support the vaginal opening, tailhead and such. I don't know if this were the case with my friend's ewe as I never got to ssee it but it might be something to check on and speak to a sheep-savvy vet or local shepherd. Since your selection indicates this is to be a breeding group, I wanted to mention it before you put too much money, time and heart into the deal. I don't mean to rain on your parade and wish you all the best with them.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), April 18, 2000.

If the lambs still need milk (and at twenty pounds I think they probably do -- any sheep raisers out there can comment on this) your best bet would be to get a milking goat. The milk is better for the lambs than cow, and milk replacer is expensive.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 18, 2000.

The responses brought another ?2 lambs are docked 2 are not .What are the pros and cons ?Can they still be banded ?

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 18, 2000.

Yes, you still can dock them, although it will be more painful for them now, and should have been done before fly season. They should be docked, because if they aren't manure will build up on the wool on their tails, especially if they have any loose stools (and that's very likely with newly purchased lambs, but also when they go out on fresh spring pasture they are likely to get a little loose). Flies lay their eggs in the manure, and pretty soon you would have maggots eating the tail. If left unchecked they can even get up into the lambs backside (no, I haven't seen it get this bad and don't want to!), and really cause serious problems, so better dock them now. Elastrator rings will work, but you will probably have to cut through the bone once things dry up.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 18, 2000.

Yes Patty, dock them, its a nasty mess when all that wool on their tail is connected to their wool on their thighs, unless you are going to eat them. But give them tetanus anittoxin, it will take at least 2 weeks for the tetanus toxoid in the CD&T to kick in and I wouldn't take a chance, course here in Texas, tetanus kills. Remember that the extra copper you feed your goats will kill your sheep, no loose minerals for them that are made for horses, cattle or goats! But other than that they are pretty much the same. Shearing is not like slick shaving a goat though! And they are also worse about parasites, when we were under the MISS-INFORMATION that sheep would be a great asset to the dairy, they would keep the pastures down, they always had high fecal samples when the goats would be fine. Have fun with you sheep, Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 18, 2000.

Patty, More important than their weight is their age. Size varies greatly from breed to breed. Lambs sre taken totally off milk at 45 days. Yes, goat milk would be much better than cows. Sheep milk has a lot more protein and twice as much fat as cows milk. Goats milk will come closer though still lacking. If you do have to bottle watch their stools both for scours AND lack of any. I lost both my bottle babies to constipation on sheep replacer. It only took a few hours from when we noticed something wrong to death. Yes it is cleaner to dock tails and it is supposed to make it easier to breed successfully however, One of my ewes was her previous owners "babies" and he couldn't bring himself to "hurt" her and she is no dirtier than the rest. we'll see on the other this fall. We don't bother to dock our Ram lamb's tails as they go in the freezer at 6-8 months anyway. By the way, am told in parts of Scotland they don't bother with the custom at all. Good luck! Sheep Are fabulous! They are my best friends! Yes they are for eating but only one or two actually get to be your favorites and you have to have some for breeding anyway. But they are fun, not intimidating, and not to hard to take care of except at 2 a.m. when you're lambing in 0 degree weather with no power in the barn! Then they are even more fun!

p.s. Not to be a downer but, depending on the breed you won't probably be able to breed these little guys until very late or even next year.

-- Novina West (lamb@stellarnet.com), April 18, 2000.

Just wanted to mention that do NOT give the CT&T antitoxin and Toxin together. If you do the toxin won't be effective. Give the CD&T toxin at least 2 weeks before, then the antitoxin or vice versa. This information was passed along to us on a list from an experienced breeder in Texas on another list.

Bernice

PS godd luck with the lambs. Oh... by the way.. with scrapie keep the sheep and goats seperate if possible.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 18, 2000.

I only gave cd/t .Should they get the other one too ?

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 18, 2000.

I was told only give antitoxin if disbudding or for cuts. You could give both.. make sure 2 weeks is in between.

Bernice

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 18, 2000.

Hello,

We use Covenix-8 for all our sheep for years, and have been very pleased with it.It has CDT + plus. ~~~~~~~~ The best milk replacer I found for the lambs,, that will not cause Scours... Lamb replacer mixed half strength from what if says on the label,, Once mixed, ad half as much again, of good fresh goats milk. ~~~~~~

Please stay away from cows milk,,, you have no idea how many lambs I see die every year because people use cows milk. But again it is up to you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have also found,,, that waiting to breed the ewes until they are 2 1/2 years old, saves you from alot of 1 year old maiden ewe deaths from lambing too young. Also found the 2 1/2 year old ewes make better mothers.

-- Bergere (autumnhaus@aol.com), April 18, 2000.

Definitely wait until next year to breed these sheep. At 20 lbs they have a lot of growing to do. My daughter started with bottle lambs and we did breed them the first year successfully, but had to pull two of the four ewes. Those were Suffolks. She has gone more to Suffolk crosses with much better success and the lambs grow much faster than the purebreds (we still have 3 of the original bottle babies).

Use lamb milk replacer or goat milk to help get some weight on them. We wean lambs at about 12 weeks if the mother hasn't already done it for us. There is grower lamb feed that should also help to get them going as well. My daughter used it only on the lambs she showed as it gets expensive after while.

Good luck with the lambs. My daughter has built her herd up enough that she has 9 lambs this year and that will pay for a semester's tuition at college! By next year she hopes to double her herd to 16 ewes and that should pay for the whole year and then some!

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), April 25, 2000.

Yes, wait to breed until the ewes are at least a year old. Most commericial breeders breed before that, but don't let that influence you. If you mean to keep the ewes for very long, think in the long term. They will do better if they have their growth first. I'm breeding 10 and 12 year old ewes that would have been mutton years ago for most commercial flocks. The problem: KEEP THE RAM AWAY FROM THE EWES. If you plan to keep him, you might want to find a wether for him to pal around with. I've used a six month old ram more than once and ended up with a full lamb crop. It depends a little bit on the breed, but they are potent very early on. My experience has been with Jacobs, Romneys, and a Jacob/Suffolk cross. You need a seperate, secure pen/pasture for the little guy until you want him in with those girls, or you will have lambs before you know it. HAve fun with your little flock. Sheep are wonderful animals, just keep you eyes open. Know them and what their habits are, and if anything changes, find out why right away. Find a good vet and get them familiar with your animals. Let the vet know you are serious about your sheep. Even if you are going to eat them, they deserve good care for their lifetime. It's very hard to overcome the "stupid sheep" prejudice and vets are no exception. My vet was a "horse person" and thought sheep were pretty expendable until she met Lamb Chop, Gramma, Loosey, and Chaquita. I think we've changed her mind. Good Luck, and welcom to the fold.

-- Maggie's Farm (elemon@peacehealth.org), December 24, 2000.