castrate?

[duckidaho]

If I'm butchering for lamb at less than a year, do I have to castrate the boys?

I'm new at sheep and acquired 4 bummer lambs. I'm bottle feeding them goat's milk at the moment. They are super cute. Thanks, Russ

[duckidaho]

so I searched and read some previous threads. That was helpful. At what age do the girls start going into heat? Will they all be in the freezer by the time I have to worry about unexpected pregnancies?

[zephyrcreek]

Lamb is usually butchered at 100lbs (6-8 months). You will have a slightly faster growth rate if you keep them intact, but the meat flavor will change if you grow them out longer than the 6-8 months. Ram lambs are seperated from the girls at 4 month. Many people just band (castrate) so that they do not need to worry about running two flocks to keep everyone seperate. Banding is normally done just after birth, but can be done up to 4 weeks old. They need to have their CD/T shots before being banded as they will be at risk for Tetanus.

[duckidaho]

Thanks...speaking of shots...what shots do I need to do? I imagine I can get the stuff at the farm store. What is "CD/T"?

[suzyhomemaker09]

Originally Posted by duckidaho

Thanks...speaking of shots...what shots do I need to do? I imagine I can get the stuff at the farm store. What is "CD/T"?

Vaccinations for sheep and goats

[Callieslamb]

Are they all rams? If so, you won't need to castrate them. They mature early if there's a ewe lamb in the flock. CD/T is found at most farm stores in the fridge. Ask them.

[JHinCA]

IMHO, the only reason to castrate would be if you have ewes they have access to. We have found they will breed at a younger age and smaller size than we would have guessed.