[Jacob-list] wethering lambs

[Debbie Bennett]

I had read that the best time to wean commercial lambs was 7 - 9 weeks 
old. I tried it last year when I was offered pasture down the road for 6 
ewes. The rest of my ewes, kept nursing their lambs. All of the lambs 
that were weaned early (4 ewes and a ram are still here) are much 
smaller than the lambs that continued to nurse. When the ewes came 
back,after eating down the neighbors pasture, they didn't seem to know 
their offspring and don't hang out with them and sleep together in 
family groups the way the rest of them do. I won't do that again.
Debbie Bennett
On Monday, February 25, 2002, at 03:56 PM, Kathryn Shirley wrote:

> 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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