Sheep!

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I'm so STOKED! lol. I'm getting two Suffolk sheepas next year's 4-H project but i'll still be doing my bunnies. I haven't gotten them yet but i'm hoping to get them next weekend. I'll add some pictures to this in a while when the seller sends them to me. I'm getting a Ram (boy) and a sheep (girl). Their names are Tahoe and Meadow. Meadow may be pregnant for a winter lamb. I'll be so happy if she does have a lamb or two, or three or four. lol. Anyways they're going to stay at my dads house in a nicely large pasture with a nicely large shed.

So, have any of you owned sheep before? Know(n) anyone who has(d) sheep?

Emily

 

[BEAUKEZRA]

I absolutely love sheep :inlove:but I've never had one. Lambs have to be the cutest babies I've ever seen except for bunnies of course.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Yeah lambs are cute as bunnies But bunnies more, lol. Yeah i'm so excited.



I've been doing major research on them and how to show them. It seems easy, just like showing bunnies is easy.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

My son shows sheep and we have 3 suffolk sheep in our backyard at the moment! We have 2 ewes and 1 wether who should have gone to market but he's our pet sheep now!

We've had sheep over the past 3 years and usually I do well with the market lambs but this time we just couldn't send Montel. He's just such a puppy! He likes to eat cookies, and follows us and will shove his head under our hand to be petted!

Tamika is a brat and Layla is our BIG EWE - she is NOT a baby and if you call her a baby she will pin her ears and walk away from you. LOL!

Both girls are going on 1 year old so he can show them again next year. The last ewes are living on a mini-farm being sheeps!

You don't want to feed show sheep too much in the way of grass as they will get a grass belly. You are showing them for quality of meat even if they are breed sheep. So, you want muscle - and muscle on the butt is good. The best way to achieve that is walking them - and raise their front feet off the ground if you can - they make chariots for that purpose. If you know someone good with welding - they can make a walker that hooks to a riding mower or ATV.

Find out the rules to your state and local livestock stuff. We have a tag we have to get for ewes and all sheep have to have a tag regarding SCRAPIE - it's a disease they get genetically.

You'll either get them nose printed for your identification and then get tags at the county or they might have the newer eye scan. We have that.

Sheep are SO funny, but they can get sick easy like rabbits. If anything comes up be sure to message me. OH and they stink to high heaven LOL! But I love them!

Do you know that when you run your hands in a sheep's wool they will come out sort of oily? that's lanolin in their wool and it's used in lotions and all sorts of stuff.

Here's one of our wammies! It's Layla, The BIG EWE last June.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Thanks for all that info Bo B! I'll be sure not to let them eat too much grass. They'll get lots of hay and grain of course. I'm possibly getting this pair right here:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/grd/468695540.html

 

[Bo B Bunny]

You need to find out the rules for your 4H project. That wether is most likely not showable now - after 1 year they don't show them. (the neutered male) and they are definitely not full suffolk since the one has white in his head - I would guess he's a hamp cross - you'd have to show them commercial or crossbred.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

yes i'm planning to show them commericial or crossbred. The other two I may be getting, the ram has a crack in his hoof so i have to get it fixed before fair. The ewe will be ok. They aren't purebred Suffolk either. The ewe is pure, i mean but not the ram.

I can't seem to find the 4-H rules for the sheep. I'll try looking again.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

if they are neutered they are no longer rams - they are wethers. Most 4H clubs will not allow full rams.

Contact your 4H office and sometimes they can put you in contact with the chairmen or leader for that and they can direct you better.

I have a feeling that the wethers are older than being shown. If you can get a picture of their teeth (they only have bottom ones) I can tell you how old each one is.

They grow teeth according to age. I wish you could be here right now. The NAILE - North American International Livestock Expo is going on in Louisville, KY. I think we might go for the sheep shows this weekend! There are more sheep there then you'll ever see I think!

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Well i found out some information from last year's Exhibitors Guide. Both whether's and rams can be shown in there appropriate classes.I'll contact the sheep superintendent though as well.

I'm really wanting the ones posted in that ad down there because they are much younger, closer and even though $150 eachwhen I could get two for $100 and 6 hrs work, they seem much closer to purebreds and areoh so nice looking.

I wish I could be there too Bo B! Here'sthe 4-H website i go to:

http://thurston.wsu.edu/4-h


You can look around andfind any information I may not have been able to find yet....

 

[Bo B Bunny]

WOW! That's great you can show rams. I wish we could!

Definitely dig around before you buy them. Count their teeth tho. They start out with 4 little front teeth. (the back teeth don't matter unless you stick your finger in there...... we have one who will chew on us and I didn't know she would chew hard LOL)...... At ONE YEAR they will then have 6 front teeth and the 2 center will be larger. Then at TWO YEARS the 4 center ones will be big and they will get an additional 2 on the sides of those.

So if you see 6 teeth in there - they are a year or more old but not yet 2. Ok?

The top is just a plate - it's hard too tho.

I have an awesome feed mix that I can give you if you can get to a grain mill. It's often cheaper to buy in like 200 lbs at a time or so. Infact I have to get that this week! It's also a great combo that an old champion sheep farmer gave us. That's where BIG EWE came from Actually, that's where all three we have now are from. He has the nicest sheep

If you can get the new requirements - and you have questions, please let me know. We will get our new official books in January. Luke is a member of the Indiana Jr. Sheep Association too...... see if you have an organization like that. Even if you don't take the sheep to be shown, go to the shows and watch

This is a photo of SUPREME showmanship here. These are not any of their sheep. What happens is that they bring in 6 animals of each breed (sheep, beef, dairy cattle, dairy goat or meat goat depending upon what wins in showmanship, horses and pigs) and the Top showman from each barn competes and shows each breed randomly picked. My son is the second from the right He didn't win but it was SO cool and he did SO well. We never expected him to go to Supreme and never expected him to go for the horse barn ever LOL! They don't tell the audience who they are until it's over. We knew of course cause we know all these kids. The boy who won is a great kid! He's the boy getting ready to take my son's lamb. They were switching to see how each handled each lamb.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Wow great pic. so he's the second from the left? Or right? I can't tell lol.

Yeah I think i'm getting the ones that are in that ad (posted above) because the other two are possibly going to new homes already so yeah. Plus I need younger ones for better halter training.

Im just hoping my Dad is up for paying $300 for two sheep but i'm sure he is. lol.

Do you have problems with coyotes at your place? I am asking my aunt if i can have her old huge dog kennel as part of the sheep's enclosure or large shelter. My dad can easily fix on some plywood for sides, roofing and waa-laa and nice shelter with a door! lol.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

UGH! My right and left got mixed up LOL!

Facing the screen - left! LOL!

Yeah, a dog kennel (like big cage?) that's what we have and a small stall attached to it and they have another run that we put them in but we don't leave them overnight. We have coyote and that worried me but we have the dog outside and we haven't had trouble so far. We did have a big hawk sitting on top of their pen the other day tho! :shock:

I think you have a great plan there.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Ok. Yeah it's one of those huge dog runs for outside use. I'm not as worried as coyotes now because I just found two rotties. I'm looking for their owners. Maybe if no one claims them I'll give one to my dad for his late b-day today. They'll be good sheep guards.....maybe. They're so sweet though.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Well turns out i may not be getting sheep (at least not for awhile more) because my dad is planning on moving to Oregon and sheep can't be on my property because of our shared well thing.

I'm getting a new English Lop buck this weekend so it's all good. But i'm still looking forward to the day when I can have sheep. Thanks for all the info Bo B and i'll be sure to let you know whenI can get some.