Picky sheep or spoiled

[Shepherdess219]

So I’m getting down to the last of my hay waiting for grass to come in on the summer pasture. The girls are not wanting to eat the alfalfa stocks and the bits of grass you can see still in there. Normally I clear it out and use it for bedding or pile it so they can pick through it, which they don’t usually. I do see the odd one picking through the pop pile 🙄.

Is it mean to make them? They just look at you an say excuse me, this isn’t fresh, nor is it all grassy like you know we like. I’m like eat it! Don’t you know there are starving sheep in Africa! They do have some pasture to go out and nibble at, but it’s short. Does anyone else see this with their sheep? I have dorpers if I makes any difference

 

[Baymule]

Mean ol’ sheep Mommy!! LOL LOL Mine also yell bloody murder at me. Just weaned lambs, milk bags are full and tight and this mean ol’ sheep Mommy won’t let them on the lush spring grass until their milk dries up a little.

 

[Shepherdess219]

That is mean of you! I keep at least one lamb on each mom (all the girls together), then wean the ram lambs off). By the fall market time everyone has pretty much weaned naturally. Moms get almost a month off before breeding again.

 

[Baymule]

Normally that is how I wean too. But I’m trying to get the ewes back in condition to breed for late fall lambing.