Hi everyone! I have 3 sheep, an ewe and her twins, and was wondering if their behavior was normal. They are almost as tall as her at 4 months, although not as heavy, they weigh 40 pounds each and she weighs 75, definitely not a meat breed. When they go to nurse they are not gentle at all, lifting her up and headbutting. This caused her to only nurse for two or three seconds. Would this cause any problems for them in the long run?
Sheepshape
Herd Master
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2012
- Messages
- 1,706
- Reaction score
- 3,095
- Points
- 373
Sounds entirely normal to me. Bang into udder, mum's rear lifted, stay for about 2 seconds, then mum moves off............This will continue for a month or two if they are left with her. If they're ram lambs I'd take them off her soon, as they will develop an 'unhealthy interest' in her.
- Thread starter
- #3
Thanks! And yeah I'm already looking for another one to replace him... If not he'll go to freezer camp because lamb meat is very expensive here but live animals are very cheap.
Jennifer Hinkle
Loving the herd life
Our lambs do the same thing to the ewes. We will be separating ours at around 3 months, especially the twins we have(one ram, one ewe). The ewes tend to start to refuse to let them nurse, thats why we do it around this time, besides they are getting bigger.
Greetings and welcome to BYH! So glad you joined us. There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!
PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!
PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!
