Will my lambs be tame when I pick them up?

Lambs will be with their mothers and weaned upon leaving our farm for their new home. Once weaned, that is when the bonding really begins! While this breed overall is known for being gentle, friendly, and docile, you will naturally find some that are extra friendly and some that are extra wary. The way through a Babydoll’s heart is through their mouth. Once they learn that you are the one that feeds them and cares for them, and no longer their mother, this is when learn to trust you and become your best friend.

I spend a lot of time amongst my flock. My sheep are use to seeing me around and most of my ewes will come up to me for rubs and scratches. Lambs on the other hand are typically born a little shy and wary. They hang back even if they have the friendliest of mommas. I set the ground work for you by having myself and my kids around them often. As they get older they do get a little bolder and will come smell me out of curiosity.

If possible, I would recommend keeping your lambs in a small pen when you arrive home with them. Let them get use to the idea that this is their new home. Feed them hay and water by hand for 2-3 days. They will start to trust you. The next step will be to let them outside during the day. Depending on your set up, you can keep the water inside so that they learn to keep coming into the barn. You could also try locking them in the barn every night. I have done this in the past for predator control and it is also a great way to train your sheep to come into the barn. They start to learn the routine and I would start to find my sheep already waiting for me in the barn at nights. All I would have to do is close the door. It can be really helpful down the road to have your sheep use to the idea of coming into the barn when you have to handle them for shearing, vaccinations, hoof trimming or any other type of management needed. It helps to keep the stress lower when it comes time for these needs.

To take the next step in taming your sheep, you will need grain or some sort of treat. I have used both oats and barley. Start by pouring a little bit in a feed tub for them. Let them learn that they really like what you are providing them! Be sure to shake the pail and call them every time you feed them grain. Training them to this sound will be super helpful down the road. It won’t take long, and the lambs will look forward to you coming to feed them grain in their feed pan. The next step will be to let them eat out of the pail as you hold it. It might take some coaxing but if they want the grain, they will eventually come to the pail. And the final step is to feed them a handful of grain from your hand. Once you have mastered this, your Babydoll lambs will likely come up to you anywhere in the yard or pasture if you call for them.

Some of my ewes are happy with getting scratches from me. But others are only interested if I have some treats to hand out. And I still have the odd one that is taking a long time to win over. So, there can definitely be a range of personalities within a flock. The more time a person spends with them, the more success you will have in socializing them.