Sheep not growing

[Jennifer Hinkle]

I have a question about my Hair sheep. We had a set of American Blackbelly Hair sheep twins born last January. It was the ewes first lambing. They are small and seem to not be getting any bigger.
This year we had another set of twins born this January and they are already bigger than the ones born last year. Also the ones born last year seem to not be breeding. Does anyone have any advice or know why it is this way. I can't figure it out.

 

[Donna R. Raybon]

Too much inbreeding leads first to diminshed size and infertility.
That would be my first guess.

 

[Jennifer Hinkle]

Too much inbreeding leads first to diminshed size and infertility.
That would be my first guess.

They are not inbred. I do not inbreed my animals. I started with an unrelated Ram and Ewe. INBREEDING Really? And besides that Her offspring this year are fine. And she was bred to the same Ram. Once again I do not Inbreed my animals.

 

[Jennifer Hinkle]

Can somebody give me some real advice about my question. I am trying to raise my sheep to be profitable and enjoy doing so, I would appreciate some help with this. Any advice is welcome. Inbreeding is not a possibility. My two Ewes I started with are 3yrs old and I have had them since they were 6mo. old. The Ram is 1 1/2 years old and I have also had him since he was 5mo. old. They came from totally different people and totally different places. and at different times.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

If you attack everyone who throws an idea out there you aren't going to get much help.

The advice about inbreeding was not off base and the poster didn't have any background. She was trying to help. I have raised pygmy goats for years and when I was actively breeding for the showring I DID practice inbreeding. I got beautiful goats, but the end result after decades was an overall decrease in size.

I'm not a sheep person, so I'll just toss out some general ideas that pertain to most livestock.

Perhaps a ewe's first lambs are not as hardy - likely because mom might not have had as much milk her first lambing.​

What about parasites? They can sure slow the rate of growth. Maybe you take care of that, but I'm just throwing it out there as an idea. Coccidia will also stunt growth. Feed? Browse? Are the new lambs getting a different diet? Is there any possibility of dwarfism in blackbelly sheep?

Hope you find the answer you are looking for.

 

[Baymule]

I have a ewe whose first lambs didn't grow off like I wanted them to. I was going to keep the ewe lamb to add to the flock, but I sent her to slaughter along with the wethers. She has since then always twinned and they have been bigger than the first two. Why? Durned if I know. My advice is to slaughter the two undersized lambs and put them in the freezer.

Breeding an undersized female animal of any type will often lead to birthing problems. You can lose the offspring and sometimes the female as well. You only have to do that once to leave a lasting impression.

Are they the same sex? I know in horses and cattle, in a male/female twin birth, often the female is a freemartin. Freemartin does not often occur in sheep and goats, but it can happen.

Freemartin; a hermaphrodite or imperfect sterile female calf that is the twin of a male calf whose hormones affected its development.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemartin

 

[Baymule]

Stupid double post.

 

[Latestarter]

Since her second set of lambs are growing out fine, I'd guess it was just a fluke due to her first go-round. As others have suggested, I wouldn't breed the undersized sheep, but cull them. Sorry I can't add or suggest anything as a potential cause...

 

[Sheepshape]

Lambs born to young ewes sometimes are very small as others have said......I've got a couple right now. Some of these tiny lambs never get as big as you'd expec, some do. My avatar shows a tiny lamb who is now a very large ewe.

Parasite infestation is a common cause for stunting. Feeding inadequate amounts during the period of rapid growth (or a relative fall-off in ewe mum's milk due to illness or underfeeding) can both cause undersized animals. Singletons are bigger than twins are bigger than triplets. etc

Sometimes lambs just inherit 'small' genes.....the parents may be well-sized, but some little guys may have been amongst their ancestors....being short doesn't stop them breeding.

I try to avoid breeding young animals (neighbour's ram doesn't always comply), don't in-breed, feed animals very well etc.....and still end up with a few tiny little souls. Some of these 'tiddlers' go on to grow late.

 

[Donna R. Raybon]

Chill already! At its best nothing wrong with linebreeding or inbreeding. Study lineage of any domestic breed that is consistent in quality and there is both behind them. You asked for this groups experience.