Frequently Asked Questions A-Z Sheep Farm Oregon, Wisconsin  

Question Index
	1)   Sheep shearing time? 2)   When see young lambs? 3)   Farm tour? 4)   How many sheep? 5)   What do sheep eat? 6)   Gestation period 7)   Lambs per ewe? 8)   Age of ewes? 9)   Why ear tags? 10) Why shear when cold?

1) When is the best time to see sheep shearing at the A-Z Farm? Spectators are invited to the farm for shearing on February 17, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 2) When can we see young lambs? Lambs are born in March each year.  During 2007, we will welcome guests on March 11, 18 and 25 to see newborns and possibly witness the birth of a lamb. For these dates all activities are held inside. 3) What is included with the A-Z Farm tour? Early spring visits will be indoors when the lambs are being born.  Visitors will also see chickens, rabbits and other animals that live in the barn.  Later, visits will be outdoors when the sheep are on pasture.  Tours will include a hayride.   Farm tours are by reservation. 4) How many sheep do you have? Usually we have 100 ewes and 4-5 rams. 5) What do the sheep eat? While in the barn the sheep eat corn, hay, water and trace mineral salt. When outside on pasture the sheep eat grass and trace mineral salt and drink water.  During cold weather, they are fed hay, salt and water. 6) What is the gestation period--or pregnancy--the length of time from breeding to the birth of the lambs? This is approximately 145 days. 7) How many lambs do the ewes or mother sheep have? The ewes may have 1, 2 or 3 lambs.  Sometime maybe 4 lambs.  We have a lot of triplets (3 lambs).  One year a ewe had 5 lambs and raised them with little help. 8) How old are the ewes? They may get to be 10 or 12 years old and still have lambs. Our ewes commonly have their first lamb at one year of age. 9) Why and what are the ear tags for (the things in their ears)? The ear tags are similar to ear rings. They are either plastic or metal and have numbers on them so we can identify each individual.  This is to allow us to keep records. 10) Why do you shear the ewes when it is cold and before lambing? To keep the wool clean of straw and manure. The ewes stay in the warmer areas of the barn for their comfort and that helps the newborn lambs keep warm. There is no long wool getting in the way for the birth of lambs. It is easier for the lambs to find their first meal. If a ewe has long wool and lies down on a lamb, she may not feel it under her, but she would feel the lamb if she does not have the long wool. It is easier to see the condition of the ewe and increase her feed if needed. The barn is less humid after shearing. It is easier to see when she is starting to give birth to her lambs.

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Updated: January 7, 2007