Sheep & Ram

[gerpsych]

Hi,

I am looking for some advice. We have just acquired 6 ewes and an intact ram (all Welsh Mountain Sheep). We had intended to keep them all together (They are about 1 year old). What would be the disadvantage of this. Do we need to separate out the ram. We have three paddocks but they are all adjacent to each other. Any advice welcomed.

Cheers

Alan

[Niele da Kine]

Well, you'll end up with a lot of little sheep. Did you want your herd to increase?

[Potter's Farm]

We only have 1 sheep and 1 ram, however, we do have a small herd of goats with an intact billy. We let them live as a herd all year round and have encountered absolutely no problem.

[oldjerry]

Obvously,the animals in a wild state would live together in mixed herds,and husbandry is the bit where the human steps in and changes things a bit to help feed herself and her family.The ram can run with the ewes,but if they become pregnant,they'll be happier separated(if he was a wether that would be different,and they'd benefit from him being around).As for the goats,they'll run together,but not if you plan on milking them(the milk will stink,like the pasteurised crap they sell in supermarkets.)

[Potter's Farm]

We have been told that having the billy in with the girls will taint the milk, but we didn't find that at all this year.

[oldjerry]

Well that's OK,I can't explain it,and we kept goats for yonks,but NOTHING about them surprises me! You sure he's completely intact?....................Has he got a manbag?........Bw's anyhow.

[Potter's Farm]

He has a very large 'manbag'!!!! And he fathered kids this year too. He's not your typical billy though, very docile and not overly smelly - we did think he was sterile for a while.

[oldjerry]

Sounds like he's worth breeding your next billy from.There's nothing(on 4 legs at anyrate) as peverse as a goat....I was working in a garden 5 or 6 years ago and I noticed the lady's small herd of Golden Geurnseys stripping a Laurel hedge in the next field...... I legged it to stop them,faster than I'd moved in sometime,only to be told that they ate it regularly without any ill effects,and they WERE all still there the week after!