Lambing ,which month?

Question

is going to be the busiest in 2008.

Answer 1

i think it varies slightly with different farms, but usually between feb - may

Answer 2

March is usually the busiest month followed by April. From about the 2nd week in March everywhere you turn there will be lambs! Some folk (well sheep) lamb earlier but most wait for the weather to warm up first, and the grass to start growing.

Answer 3

Ewes have a gestation period of about 150 days. You breed your sheep to lamb when you want them to. Usually you will want them to lamb as early in the spring as possible, but with the chance of bad freezing weather is over. The answer to your question where I live would be March, but this would be a different answer depending the area you live in. In the north this may be May or June, more south, January or February. This link will show you when to breed to have your lambs born when you want them.
http://www.hawksmountainranch.com/gestationchart.html

Answer 4

It kind of depends on what market you are breeding for. I live in Idaho, high mountain desert area (4700+ feet elivation for my farm).

There are a LOT of sheep farms here. Almost all of the sheep go to rangeland pasture in the spring and summer, with their Basque sheperd, a couple of horses, and the herding and guardian dogs.

Most of the lambs here are born at the end of March, begining of April. This gives them time to gain a bit of size, before they must start keeping up with the herd, and traveling over miles of ground every day.

They usually start going out to rangeland about May in my area. It's really something to see a herd several thousand strong being driven down the highway in front of my farm.

As I said it depends on what market you are trying for however. Some farmers are trying for the Easter market. They will be raising "hot-house lambs." These are usually lambs born in winter, and usually live almost their entire lives in barns, or some type of shelter, since the weather is far to harsh for them outside.

Some farmers will be breeding for very specific ethnic markets, like for Muslims, and trying to hit the Ramadan market (usually around October).

I raise meat goats, almost all of my customers are Muslim, so I try to breed for their holidays.

Sheep usually only have one lamb crop a year. With goats I'm breeding two kiddings a year. My first crop was born in February of this year. I'm now in the middle of my second crop of kids for the year (December).

Farmers breeding for wool crops (quiet unusual in the U.S.) may not breed at all some years! The ewes will put all of their energy into wool, instead of wool, and the baby lambs.

There's yet a third farmer who has an entirely different lambing season. Those are the farmers who make artisian cheese from sheep milk. Some of them breed so all the lambs are dropped all at once. Others are breeding a few ewes every month or every other month. That way they always have sheep producing milk, and are able to make their cheese all year around. (Sheep will only milk for 6-8 months, unlike cows & goats)

Still the busiest 30 days will the last two weeks of March & the first two weeks of April for lambing.

~Garnet
Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 5

I grew up on a property in south west Queensland, Australia. Our lambing season started in April. Apparently, in the UK, April is the month most of them start their lambing season as well.

Answer 6

It depends what Continent you are on. In Australia and NZ, seasons are opposite of North America. Americans lamb in the spring and as I understand it that is fall down there.

Answer 7

from January,mmmm leg of lamb mmmm! mint sauce gravy -new potatoes mmmmmmmmmm!!

Answer 8

OUR LOCAL KEBAB HOUSE DOES 12 MONTHS OF THE YEAR ... HE,S ALWAYS BUSY

Answer 9

No Comment !

Answer 10

up to the sheep.