why is there a 'lambing season'?

[Bomber_Harris]

why are sheep farmers always busy as fudge this time of year with sheep giving birth to loads of lambs?

don't sheep have sex all year round like most creatures?

- Bomber

 

[Campbell]

Pull up a chair Bomber and we will explain...............

It's all linked to daylight hours and years of breeding. November the 5th for April the 1st.

 

[neilo]

why are sheep farmers always busy as fudge this time of year with sheep giving birth to loads of lambs?

don't sheep have sex all year round like most creatures?

- Bomber

Simply, no they don’t. Or rather, most breeds don’t.

Mother Nature helped sheep (like many herbivores) to evolve by giving birth in the Spring, when the nutritious grass starts growing, in order to provide the nutrition required for the lactating dam.

 

[Exfarmer]

why are sheep farmers always busy as fudge this time of year with sheep giving birth to loads of lambs?

don't sheep have sex all year round like most creatures?

- Bomber

Very few creatures freely procreate, be thankful you are a human male ( i assume ) as you are one of the blessed group where the female likes recreational sex . Most only come on heat( and happy to engage in such matters) once a year

 

[neilo]

Very few creatures freely procreate, be thankful you are a human male ( i assume ) as you are one of the blessed group where the female likes recreational sex . Most only come on heat( and happy to engage in such matters) once a year

Chance would be a fine thing....

 

[Bomber_Harris]

Very few creatures freely procreate, be thankful you are a human male ( i assume ) as you are one of the blessed group where the female likes recreational sex . Most only come on heat( and happy to engage in such matters) once a year

ah of course, before the Bomber Horse Racing Syndicate came into existence we had shares in some greyhounds and the female ones couldn't race at certain times during the year when they were "in season"

- Bomber

 

[Exfarmer]

Chance would be a fine thing....

Which ,recreational sex, or once a year

 

[holywell farmer]

Simply, no they don’t. Or rather, most breeds don’t.

Mother Nature helped sheep (like many herbivores) to evolve by giving birth in the Spring, when the nutritious grass starts growing, in order to provide the nutrition required for the lactating dam.

Maybe try breed sheep with genetics that they can lamb in summer.

 

[glasshouse]

why are sheep farmers always busy as fudge this time of year with sheep giving birth to loads of lambs?

don't sheep have sex all year round like most creatures?

- Bomber

Nature

 

[neilo]

Maybe try breed sheep with genetics that they can lamb in summer.

There aren’t many, and in terms of commercial lamb production, they are usually seriously lacking in one way or another.

Surely better to work with nature, rather than try to fight it constantly? The price premium usually isn’t there to justify a high cost system, which lambing when cheap (grazed) feed is less available entails.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Maybe try breed sheep with genetics that they can lamb in summer.

That's why there's a southern hemisphere, the upside for us is that our lamb is ready for the northern hemisphere winter and Easter, which is when the demand is highest for most of the lamb consuming nations.
Likewise our local demand is highest over summer when it's BBQ weather, in some cases it's as profitable to lamb late and sell later, when the price has gone up a little... huge seasonal variation in farmgate price.

 

[Blaithin]

Surely you can breed them for whatever season you like.

That or the Canadian sheep lines are greatly altered since lots of them start to lamb in December and January

 

[Paul E]

Most of my brothers' sheep have sex very often.
Whether they like it or not!

 

[CharcoalWally]

It's so we can have Spring.

 

[jondear]

Most of my brothers' sheep have sex very often.
Whether they like it or not!

 

[yellowbelly]

It's questions like these that make you realise just how disconnected the general public are from the way farming works (don't take this personally @Bomber_Harris , why should you have known?)
Stuff we just take for granted is quite alien to most of them.

Despite Open Farm Sundays, etc, etc there's still a lot of education needed.

A woman in the village once said to me, "Oh, isn't spring early this year ? Just look how early it's made the daffodils come out and how early your lambs are being born."
She found it hard to get her head round the fact that they couldn't possibly be born sooner that a hundred and forty odd days after I let the tups out

 

[Derrick Hughes]

A bet a lot wished the lambed out this year . Spent on an overcoat and it didnt rain

 

[Derrick Hughes]

why are sheep farmers always busy as fudge this time of year with sheep giving birth to loads of lambs?

don't sheep have sex all year round like most creatures?

- Bomber

You can lamb in January or May . So you can choose to a degree . After May thecget fed up with waiting and get bored

 

[Bomber_Harris]

Most of my brothers' sheep have sex very often.
Whether they like it or not!

I was a bit slow on the uptake but I get it now

 

[JP1]

Maybe try breed sheep with genetics that they can lamb in summer.

@CopperBeech has a thread running on just this subject