What Breed of Sheep Are These Babies? Photos Page 3

[Sheepshape]

Two ewes would be my choice....with the added bonus of maybe borrowing a ram and having LAMBS.....then I'm a bit lamb obsessed. Two wethers or a wether and a ewe would also generally get on well....ewes still being a bit more predictable in their behaviour than males

Personality is inherited to a fair extent in sheep....so. like dogs, always look at the parents before buying the offspring.

Dietary needs of sheep and goats are different, e'g copper requirements quite high in goats, whereas copper poisons sheep at the same level of intake, but they CAN be kept together if you have a nice rough area for goats to browse and a more lush area for sheep to graze.

With regards to food supplements, around here, where sheep outnumber people 3:1, we hay/silage supplement sheep when the grass stops growing and feed ewe 'nuts' to pregnant ewes in the last 4-6 weeks of pregnancy and during the first 6 weeks or so of lactation. (My ewes tend to be a bit fat as I give them too many treats, though!).

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[thailand]

Norseofcourse.....that is a very good question! Yes, what breed indeed. The old man looking after the lambs (his son breeds them but is currently away in Spain) didn't have a clue about what breed they are. Their eyes are clean and clear, nostrils clean and clear, ear look good, bottoms are clean no problems. Overall very clean looking babies. They are currently being bottle fed 4-5 times a day with UHT milk. Guess this is ok?? I took photos Anyone able to tell me what these babies are please?

There is one 2 week old ram, and twin 10 day olds - a ram and eweling? (Sorry....brand new to sheep so not sure of the correct terminology). DH is thinking we might only be able to get one lamb, so I'm thinking the eweling might be the better choice then, smaller when full grown etc.

Anyway, here's the photos taken just 20 minutes ago

 

[thailand]

Hi Sheepshape, you posted just as I was getting ready to. Outnumbered 3:1 aye....well I'm a Kiwi from New Zealand (living in Thailand) and back home sheep waaay outnumber people LOL

Nice to meet you!

 

[Green Acres Farm]

I do think there are some goats that will stay on the leaner side no matter what. They are animals and will still be unique.
I do think years ago dairy goats were much leaner but there has been a good deal of discussion on the subject and the consensus is that the wacko animal rights people thought everyone was starving their goats and that is when the pounds started packing on.
I have heard this from dairy goat people that have been in goats forever and several of my vets have said the same thing. My one vet said the show goats are far fatter then they should be.

The 2 vets who I talked to, one who offers BCS, both assured my that my Saanen doe who I thought was too thin looked fine. I definitely had the impression with both that lean is okay and healthy.

 

[thailand]

Hey everyone, hope you don't mind but I figured I should change the title as it's now turned towards the possibility of a baby lamb. Should I have started a new thread instead?

 

[Southern by choice]

I would not get a single. Sheep are flock animals and like their own kind. Get two. Ewes. This way down the road you might be able to breed them and have food for the freezer as well.

 

[Sheepshape]

Hi Sheepshape, you posted just as I was getting ready to. Outnumbered 3:1 aye....well I'm a Kiwi from New Zealand (living in Thailand) and back home sheep waaay outnumber people LOL

Nice to meet you!

Thank you,thailand.....nice to meet you, too. But a Kiwi unfamiliar with sheep? Still,no time like the present to start. I didn't know one end of a sheep from the other up until about 10 years ago....well, that's maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but I'm addicted now.

I haven't a clue what those sheep are....but they look VERY pretty.....sheep over here tend to be of the woolly, squat type, much like the folk.

Sheep don't do well as singletons as they are a flock animal...so aim to have at least two.

Baby sheep are all lambs...males, ram lambs, ewes are ewe lambs. After a year and if they lose their 'bits' it gets more complicated. Males who are castrated are called wethers. Lambs over a year of age (and hence will have been sheared once) are called shearlings or yearlings. All rams over here (and in some other countries) are called tups, and the mating season the tupping season with ewes being 'put to the tup'.

I'm sure you will enjoy sheep, they are great animals to keep.

 

[babsbag]

The milk is ultra-high temp. pasteurized??? If that is the case it should be fine for them. Most of the milk we buy in the US is UHT, people just don't know that it is. It doesn't make cheese readily, (that is how I know about UHT) but I have fed it to goat kids numerous times.

They are adorable and steal two if you can

 

[norseofcourse]

I showed a friend the pictures and her best guess was Katahdin and/or St. Croix and/or Dorper.

Do they have to shear them or do they shed? Did you get any pictures of adults? Are the brown spots on their backs colored wool, or markings the farmer put on so he can identify them?

Two lambs would be best - any chance they might have more lambs sometime soon and you could possibly get another ewe lamb? Then as others have said, you'd have the possibility of someday breeding them...

 

[thailand]

Thanks Babs for the info on UHT milk. Good to know that I can indeed use that to feed lambs/kids.
Norseofcourse, I did ask about shearing and was told that IF we wanted to shear them then the best time to do that is the rainy season (hot/humid)...but it sounded like it might be optional, not sure. I did ask if they will have horns and was told no. The brown spots are definately colored wool not identifying marks. I've been doing some internet research myself and have been reading about sheep that don't have to be shorn. Is that what Katahdin, St Croix and Dorper are? I understand that there are some sheep breeds in Thailand which have been imported here by expats. Overall sheep numbers are miniscule....they are just a livestock that Thais have not explored.

Sheepshape....yeah a Kiwi who grew up surrounded by sheep but doesn't know that much about them....it's hilarious aye! LOL In New Zealand we have 29.6 million sheep/4.5 million people!

Unfortunately I don't think I can persuade my DH to take two....will probably just be a singleton. Can I make this work? I am home all day and we have 9 children, 3 dogs, 5 cats, 25 chickens, 7 lovebirds, 1 parrotlet, 2 rabbits, 1 turtle and 3 goats.....will that 'do' for company?