This fourteen year old ewe has lambed unexpectedly for the second time this year. I hardly expected her to live (She had been quite ill after her first lambing back in August), let alone do this. She has been a spectacular ewe with four working teats who has often raised quads (when she was younger).
She and another brilliant old ewe have been in a small ‘retirement’ paddock just in case they happened to raise a bonus lamb (in 2023) after a long and productive life (around forty lambs raised each – in paddock conditions).
I have had a very special young triplet ram in with them just so he doesn’t get hurt by the other rams as he has outstanding genetics and we really want progeny from him (later this year).
I was very surprised to see her with this (second, unplanned) out-of-season lamb at foot this morning. It is only one but it is a four-teated ewe lamb – so somewhat like winning the lottery for us.
Finnsheep can relatively easily be managed to lamb twice per year. We have clients with thousands of our Finnsheep in air-conditioned sheds eg in the Middle East) raising 6+ lambs per year over two lambings: http://www.finnsheep.com
The proud dad:
Here she is with a set of quads last year.
We do not usually lamb ours the second time because there is not enough stock feed here in summer to raise a second lambing well so it is too hard on the ewe and the lambs.
