[Jacob-list] oops!

[wolfpen]

Shelly

You touched on something I know about having done the same thing with the
first ram I banded. He was a bottle lamb (not a Jacob) so I banded him
thinking he would be a nice pet quality sheep.  He never became aggressive
towards me, but the day the pet owner came to get him he knocked her to the
ground. She decided that he wasn't going to be a pet at her farm.  Then one
day I say him standing with his feet on the fence and it all became clear.
Well defined beneath the skin were two testicles.  I had gotten the scotum,
but had kinda forgotten something!  Beavis the Butthead was moved indoors
(to the freezer) and I learned to check a little more carefully. I raised
him to about 8 months first and there was never a problem.  I believe the
practice of just removing the scotum is used sometimes in raising freezer
lambs - something about thinking that they grow better.  So I would not
expect any health problems.  In my experience with Jacob lambs, it seems to
take around three weeks before you can get a grip on the testicles.  Does
this fit in with other breeder's experience?  I have one now that is almost
four weeks and I can just feel them, but can't get them down enough to band.
I'm worried that it may be too late to band - any advice?  As all my cull
rams go for freezer lambs, I haven't bothered banding in a few years.
Someone specifically wants this one as a wether so if anyone has any
thoughts on whether it's too late to band, I'd appreciate it.

Linda
----- Original Message -----
From: <SJohn21855 at aol.com>
To: <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
Sent: 18 May, 2000 12:22 PM
Subject: [Jacob-list] oops!


> Hi all,
>  Boy do I have a dilemma that I don't know what to do about. Hopefully
(not
> wishing any bad luck on anyone) this is something that someone else has
> experienced and they can tell me what to do.
>  After my lambs were a week or two old I banded them. I was SURE that I
felt
> testacles down below the rubber band. Well, yesterday I was out checking
out
> all of the lambs and lo and behold BOTH of the ram lambs that I banded
have
> no sacks but I can feel the testacles up in there stomach area. Now, both
of
> the lambs are freezer lambs, but, with the testacles up inside is there
going
> to be health problems before they are big enough to butcher?
> Thanks for the input.
> God Bless,
> Your not so bright fellow sheep herder,
> Shelly Johnson
> Wooly Acres
> Jacob sheep, Black Cotwolds, Icelandics, Angora rabbits, Austrialian
Shepherd
> and assorted other animals
>
> _______________________________________________
> Jacob-list mailing list
> Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
> http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list
>