Lambs not growing up?

[burgerhouse]

Hi,

I am currently in the month of June in a multiplayer server with some friends. I rounded up a few bighorn sheep and a bunch of lambs in a pen back in February and my lambs are... well. Still lambs. I thought that they only take 2 weeks to mature, they are well fed and have direct access to sunlight but 4 months later they are still little babies??

Any ideas?

[Echo Weaver]

Are you keeping them far from your base? I wonder if this is a chunk loading issue. We've established that livestock pregnancies don't progress if you are too far from them.

[burgerhouse]

7 hours ago, Echo Weaver said:

Are you keeping them far from your base? I wonder if this is a chunk loading issue. We've established that livestock pregnancies don't progress if you are too far from them.

Yeah pretty far, around 600 blocks. Does the chunk have to be loaded for the maturing/pregnancy to progress?

[Echo Weaver]

2 hours ago, burgerhouse said:

Yeah pretty far, around 600 blocks. Does the chunk have to be loaded for the maturing/pregnancy to progress?

I don't think there's an official acknowledgement from the team about it, but I spent almost a year waiting for some pregnancies to progress in my old base so I could trap the babies and move them to the new base. I gave up and installed animal cages (this was in 1.19 with no rope leading mechanic), moved the ewes, and they gave birth the next day. So I'm sure.

If pregnancies don't progress, I bet babies don't grow up either.

However, as I said, you CAN trap lambs with a basket trap and move them to your base.

Edited August 10, 2025 by Echo Weaver