Newbies

Hi all.
We're new to this life, moved in January. Currently have 10 chooks, 5 1 day old chicks and 5 sheep purchased last week. What I would like to know is do we need to buy a ram or just lease one? We're concerned he might get a bit frustrated only having 5 ladies to romance!
Would appreciate any advice.

Ha ha, your choice really, he'll be happy with how ever many. Decision time comes when if he breeds daughters, you have to sell or separate them. Or change your ram. So if there are an abundance of nearby rams, well just borrow one. If you are going to eat the ewe lambs before they are breeding wieght, no problem. How old are the ewes you have, they will produce for 5-7 years.
Someone with more experience will soon be along. In the mean time all the best.

Where is Waikata?
Have you asked the neighbours if they have a ram? Most ewes will not let a ram bother them if the time is wrong, so it does not matter whether he has 1 ewe or 40. Most farmers run more than 1 ram if they have more than 40 sheep, and although we have fewer ewes than that now, we run at least 2. One year 2 of the 3 rams we had did no mating at all, and last year one of the 2 we had only did anything at the start and end of the time he was with the girls. This year we have 2 un-tried rams so they are getting 17 days with their own coloured ewes, and the next 34 days all in together. Then they will be taken away from the ewes and only have each other and a donkey for company. At one time we had 6 rams, and kept them in a ram-proof paddock. But it was not ewe-proof so a couple of ewes got in with the rams, had their 10 minutes then got out again, so we had 2 early lambings . Some rams prefer ram or wether company rather than ewe company .....
Check the teeth condition of the ewes you have bought. Don't mate any with gaps, because they won't be able to graze enough grass to provide nutrition for lamb/s in late pregnancy.

Thanks for that. Lots to learn I think...including how to spell... Waikato.

Hi Niglis, welcome to the forum. I realize the Waikato's a big area, but if you're anywhere near Hamilton/Cambridge, there's a shearer based in Tamahere called Edsel Ford (aka The Lifestyle Block Bloke). He does a great job, and also keeps a number of rams, which I'm assuming he might loan out to LSBers with small flocks. Whatever you do, don't buy or borrow someone's 'tame' or 'pet' or 'ex-Calf-Club' ram - friendly rams can turn nasty without warning and are a menace and an accident waiting to happen - a bowling ball backed by 70-80kg of muscle!

That's good to know! We're actually in the Matamata/Waharoa area so he's not too far away. Thankyou.

kaybe, my rams and bulls and billy-goats are never nasty .... seldom nasty .... sometimes nasty ..... but mostly they just come up behind me and give me a little headbut to remind me to scratch it. Unfortunately, a small headbut to them is a might bash to my back or knee joints that send me flying.
Niglis, tame males of any sort are dangerous. They can be very unpredictable, even human ones.