Finishing Tup and Ewe lambs together

[countrylad]

Split the ewe and tup lambs off at speaning. The way it’s worked out the tups are on the best grazing, with the ewe lambs on the “2nd best”. As the ewe lambs are finishing do you run them with the tup lambs? If you do how long would you let them run together (max.) before you sent them off? Ewe lambs are finishing slower on the ground they’re on and I want to get some lambs off the ground for the last few weeks/up to a month before they go to finish them a bit better. Question of ethics too. Thoughts?

 

[Al R]

The entire ram lambs will melt as they’ll be chasing ewe lambs and the ewe lambs will melt as they’ll be wanting to get away from the ram lambs. I turned 11 ewe lambs that were ready in with some ram lambs to graze a field down recently, all 11 were 38-41kg, 2 weeks later they’d lost condition and had gone to 36-38kg.

 

[countrylad]

The entire ram lambs will melt as they’ll be chasing ewe lambs and the ewe lambs will melt as they’ll be wanting to get away from the ram lambs. I turned 11 ewe lambs that were ready in with some ram lambs to graze a field down recently, all 11 were 38-41kg, 2 weeks later they’d lost condition and had gone to 36-38kg.

That’s a definite no-no then. I think I’ll try and split the field. Or deal with the ewe lambs being that wee bit slower than I’d like. Thanks for the reply

 

[Al R]

That’s a definite no-no then. I think I’ll try and split the field. Or deal with the ewe lambs being that wee bit slower than I’d like. Thanks for the reply

The ewe lambs should grow on to be bigger framed lambs, the ram lambs will go leaner with age so they should always be priority to get rid of Plus ram lambs running around are a nuisance as they can’t join any other group apart from rams.

 

[countrylad]

The ewe lambs should grow on to be bigger framed lambs, the ram lambs will go leaner with age so they should always be priority to get rid of Plus ram lambs running around are a nuisance as they can’t join any other group apart from rams.

Yes, quite agree. Rams are max. 4 weeks from finishing. But some of the ewe lambs are maybe 8 weeks away. Only 4 ram lambs and they’re in the smallest field, with the rams and teasers, grass is still getting away, hence the question. Would have moved the older rams out and just left finishing ewe lambs and ram lambs. But as you say, they’d melt. Did have a fear of that!