[Jacob-list] wethering lambs

[Kathryn Shirley]

I would never deliberately make a bottle baby.  I feel that it is bad
for the lamb, bad for the mother and certainly wouldn't say much about
my ethics.

When I did wether, I wethered within 3-5 days of birth.  After that, I
felt it was too stressful.  Now I just leave everyone as rams.  If they
don't sell as breeders, the ethnic market or the sales get them.

I also do no wean my lambs.  They stay with their mom and their mom
weans them.  I will occasionally see a four month old run to their mom
for a drink when stressed.  I feel that leaving the lambs with the ewes
to naturally wean saves where and tear on me, the lambs, their moms, and
the equipment.  When selling young lambs, I try to wait until they are
at least ten weeks old.

Kate Shirley, Humbug Farm

Mary Spahr wrote:

> At what ages do other breeders wether their lambs, if at all?We have
> never wethered ours, so have no experiences with it.  I have a lady
> who was wanting small, wethered lambs to put on a bottle.  We have
> never pulled healthy baby lambs from their mothers to sell as pets on
> a bottle.  I assume that at 3 or 4 months of age, it is way too late
> to wether lambs.At what ages do others wean their lambs?  We always
> leave the lambs with their mothers and turn them all out to pasture
> together.  I guess we have never catered to the "pet market."  I have
> heard of Jacob bottle lambs being sold for $100 ea.!  We have been
> fortunate this year to have only one bottle lamb so far.  I would
> imagine that taking healthy lambs from their mothers would discourage
> her maternal instincts and maybe even cause mastitis.  I have never
> seen a bottled Jacob lamb that gets as big as others that stayed with
> the ewe.I know a pygmy goat breeder who sells kids at 6 or 7 wks. of
> age.  Am I being overly concerned and protective of our lambs? Mary
> Spahr
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