Skip to main content

Facts about Lambs and Sheep



Sheep have been kept by Shepard's for over 11,000 years.
900 different breeds of sheep in the world.
Sheep farming is the oldest organized industry.
Some sheep are kept for wool and some for meat.
Female sheep are called ewes and male sheep are called rams.
Neutered male sheep are called wethers.
Most lambs will weigh around the same as a newborn baby when born 9lb.







Lambs will drink their mothers milk until they are 4 months old.
Twins are the most popular. Ewes can also have singles, triplets, quadruplets and even quintuplets.
Lambs can walk minutes after birth.
Lambs are born with 8 milk teeth.
Two teeth will fall out each year until the 8 teeth have been replaced
Some ewes need assistance while giving birth.
Lambs like to waggle their tail when they are happy suckling.
 


Sheep have a slit on their upper lip which allows selection of preferred leaves off the plants.
There are over one billion sheep in the world.
China has the most sheep in the world.
Sheep have a field vision of around 300 degrees so they can see behind them without turning around their head.
One years fleece is about 8lbs of wool.
Sheep are said to be the original domestic animal.
Lambs have their first shearing of wool at 8 months usually.
They begin to nibble on hay and grass at 2 weeks old.
Sheep consume 4.5lbs of food a day.
75 heart beats per minute.


Puberty starts at around 5 to 8 months.
Gestation is around 145 to 155 days.
The vigorous licking that the ewe does to the lamb is important stimulation for the lamb and helps trigger hormones that trigger the accelerated production of milk in the ewe.
Wild sheep are larger than domesticated sheep.
Lambs symbolise spring and all things pastoral.
Sheep do not have any teeth on their upper front jaw.
The expression ''Lamb of God'' means that Jesus is the son of God.
Lambs often need to be bottle fed by farmers if their mothers do not have a good milk supply.
 


Sheep are herbivores.
Sheep have four digestive chambers which break down their food.
Dolly was the first cloned sheep.
Sheep love the company of other sheep.
The Egyptians believed sheep were sacred.
Sheep have great memories, they can remember up to 50 individual sheep and humans.
They have poor eyesight but excellent hearing.
Life expectancy is 6 to 11 years.
Sheep milk is more nutritious than cow and goat milk.

 
 
Body temperature is 102 degrees and they take 16 breaths per minute.

Sheep show emotions through the position of their ears.
Sheep are extremely intelligent and great at solving problems, they have the same IQ as cattle and are close in intelligence to pigs.
Different noises sheep make display different emotions.
Sheep will eat specific plants when ill to cure themselves.
Sheep are great mothers and form close bonds with their young.
They can recognise their lambs bleat.



A Ram can service 35 ewes per day.
A yearling is between 1 or 2 years old who may or may not have lambed.
One pound of wool can make 10 miles of yarn.
Sheep have 2 teats.
Sheep can be found in desert areas and mountain areas.





Sheep can be milked to make great cheese.
Sheep have 2 digits on each hoof.
Sheep cannot get up if they are lying on their back, if they don't get human help they can die quickly in this position.




Comments

  1. Thank You !!!! Your blog has been very helpful :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your welcome, goodluck with your lambing season.

    ReplyDelete
  3. do you have any facts for lambs and when they need to be fed and what they require when they are first born and you raise them by hand.

    Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When the lamb is first born it needs to drink colostrum. Colostrum is the first milk produced by the ewe. It’s a highly nutritious energy source that helps the lamb to maintain body temperature and survive. If the newborn lamb does not have access to the mothers milk when first born you will need to give the lamb colostrum that you can buy from a farm supplies store, The colostrum is different to the normal lamb milk replacer. Colostrum contains antibodies that are vital to help protect the newborn lamb against disease. For the first 24 hours the lamb will have a better chance of survival if they are feed colostrum. Lambs will consume around 20 percent of their body weight in milk per day. This would equate to about 38 ounces per day for a 12-pound lamb (12 pounds x 16 ounces per pound x .20 = 38 ounces). This amount should be divided according to how many times the lamb will be fed per day. One- to two-day-old lambs should be fed a minimum of four times a day, while older lambs can be fed only twice. A warm, dry pen is important for the health of artificially reared lambs. Another important aspect of bottle feeding is to get the lambs started on dry feed and water as soon as possible. Have fresh lamb creep feed (20 percent protein) available to these lambs at one week of age.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Electrolyte For Sick Lambs

Electrolytes are responsible for keeping the body hydrated so that the muscles and nerves can function properly. Electrolyte solutions help restore electrolytes lost by the lamb during sickness due to dehydration. Its best to feed electrolytes 30 minutes before or after feeding as electrolytes slow down the digestion of milk. You can purchase electrolyte tablets and solutions from your vet or you can try home made electrolyte. Commercial electrolyte solutions are preferred over homemade. A well made fluid electrolyte will be able to replace the fluid and electrolytes lost during scouring. It will prevent excessive dehydration which is a leading cause of death in sick lambs. A dehydrated lamb is an almost dead lamb. Home Made Electrolyte Recipe 1 Quart Water 2 Ounces of Dextrose(corn syrup) 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda Before you give the lamb the electrolyte ensure that that the lamb is not chilled. Mix the electrolyte with warm water. Try to g

Sheep Lambing Signs

In the hours before the ewe gives birth there are some noticeable signs that she is in labour. The ewe will be uneasy and show signs of sickness. No two ewes show the exact signs but there are many common traits. Its vital that you are aware of the signs so that if there is need for intervention you are on site. Check your ewes every four hours so that if a ewe is having difficulty she is not left to struggle too long on her own. Some ewes can be quite dramatic in the hours up to the birth and some can be quiet relaxed. I have seen a ewe that every year would clear the rest of the ewes out of the shed while she was in the process of lambing.   Signs of Lambing   The ewes udder will be bagged out a few days or a week before she is about to give birth. It becomes bigger and harder the closer to birth. The teats will stand out about a day before lambing. The belly sinks also around the day before birth. The vulva will get pinker and more swelled. Hollow area a

Bloat In Lambs

The main cause of bloat is thought to be a bacteria sarcina ventriculi. Warm milk entering the stomach creates perfect substrate for fermentation. From the fermentation of the bacteria excess gas is produced causing the expanding of the stomach. This aggressive bacteria lives on lactose. This bug is everywhere and is easily picked up by the lambs. The bloated stomach of the lamb can rupture killing the lamb. The other organs can also be crushed. Abdominal bloat in young lambs is clinically diagnosed by dissension abdomen especially the right side. Bloat can also be caused due to a lack of colostrum and over feeding.   Prevention You should really try to prevent this terrible loss by good farm management. Most farmers seem to loose their bummer lambs to bloat when they are 4 weeks old. Don't feed the lamb too quickly every 10 seconds you should stop and resume feed. The hole in the teat should not be too big. The strong sucking of t