# About to breed my sheep.  Anybody else breeding in August?



## boykin2010 (Jun 15, 2012)

I am so excited. The first week of August I am planning on breeding all my ewes. I have 11 right now. 6 are purebred registered Katahdins and the others are commercial ewes (mostly Katahdin.) The breeder down the road is letting me rent one of her great yearling rams for a good price! They are both purebred registered Katahdins that are RR, have excellent EBV's, and are extremely parasite resistant. One of the rams looks like a paint horse and the other is solid white. I get to choose which one I want. This is going to be my third lambing season and I think it is going to be a good one. I really want to create my own line of Katahdins that are spotted. I used a spotted Kat ram last year and only had one spotted lamb.  I thought that since he was spotted he would be more likely throw spotted lambs but I know now that is not true.  The painted ram lambs mother and father were both solid brown. I may choose the white ram lamb because I think his genetics are slightly better and I would have the same chances of getting spotted lambs.  Anyway, I will be sure to post pictures of them when I choose one.  I was wondering who else is going to breed their sheep in August. Last year I bred in september but this year I decided on August.


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## bonbean01 (Jun 15, 2012)

We put the ram in with the ewes late summer...so far our lambs have all arrived in January to early February....so...yes...counting back five months...August sounds right!  

We'll be having our lambs at the same time!!!  Nice to have someone wide awake at the wee hours of the morning to post with


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## boykin2010 (Jun 15, 2012)

That sounds great! What type/how many sheep do you have?


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## bonbean01 (Jun 15, 2012)

We have 4 adult ewes and 2 younger ewes, one wether, one young ram that will be going to a friend's for his herd once he's weaned, and a proven ram.  They are all a Dorper/Kat cross and some show more Dorper and some more Kat.  

Lambing season is pretty exciting and exhausting even with a small herd...lots of sleep deprivation and I stress like they are my children, but can't wait


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## kfacres (Jun 15, 2012)

i leave the bucks out year round... I have a good market for off time born lambs...

however 95% of my ewes will lamb after jan 20 and before mar 15. 
90% of them will lamb after 2-5 and before 2-25, 
and 80% of them will lamb within 48 hours of each other sometime b/w 2-5 and 2-10.  

how's that for leaving the bucks out all year?


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## BrownSheep (Jun 15, 2012)

Our rams are mostly in with ewes year round except for June and July as we try to get lambs weaned and some ready for fair. They back in with the ewes around the third week of August. We generally lamb in march. We have had a baby in September though


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## boykin2010 (Jun 17, 2012)

I did not know so many people left their rams out year round until I started looking around.  I think hair sheep owners usually don't though because they do breed year round.  I have to separate my ram lambs no later than 12 weeks or they WILL breed their mother or other ewes. I put the ram in with 2 ewes late in the season last year because they were small.  Now one ewe delivered early April and the other hasn't lambed yet. Should go within the next couple weeks or so. 

Kfacres : I have really bad luck selling ram lambs.  Especially when they are born later. I guess it depends on your area.  Last year I had two lambs born late January and by Late September I still hadn't found a buyer. They were not even born late... I may have been asking a little bit much when compared to the other lambs/kids in my Area though.  I charged what I felt they were worth to me as far as meat goes.  We did end up having to butcher them ourselves but we ended up with meat.  This year I have 2 ram lambs that were born feb, and I haven't found any takers.  Probably will end up butchering them also. 

I am going to next week to look at the rams I choosing from.  I will take pictures and post them to see how y'all like them.


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## bonbean01 (Jun 17, 2012)

Boykin, I see you are in Georgia and thought you would have no trouble selling them at any time of the year for a good price.  Here, if you want to sell rams at the auction where the big buyers are, you leave them intact as some ethnic groups are strict on that...wethers for anyone else wanting to buy for meat.  Perhaps it is because we have the big buyers coming from Memphis to the sheep/goat auctions.. they are all sold and at a good price.

For a quick sale and not waiting for the monthly auction, people use Craig's List and there are many more buyers than sellers at any price and they go usually within the hour.  Heck, when I buy sheep pellets I am usually asked if I have any sheep for sale.

Perhaps your area is flooded with too many sheep producers?


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## boykin2010 (Jun 17, 2012)

Thanks!  I HATE the auctions around my area.  I have had way to many bad experiences with those places. I will never buy or take an animal to the auction again.  I do however use craigslist. I do really enjoy Craigslist and have sold 13 sheep using that this year. The problem with Craigslist is people always try to buy your animals at ridiculously low prices. I don't  ever budge on my price though. Another big problem is they always want to come over and "look" at the animals.  I really don't have a problem with this but my family does because many of the people are shady. I think more people just want to come over and treat it like a petting zoo.  I've been pretty strict with visitors this year.  I like to talk with them on the phone many times before allowing them to come over.  There really are not that many people that have sheep near me.  I am the only person ever advertising on Craigslist.  I only know of three other people within an hour of me. I think sheep is just now catching on in my area. People are buying ewes like crazy and I sold ewes for more this year than the last couple years.  I raised my price and Still sold them in a heartbeat.  People in my area are starting to like sheep because the vast majority of the land is pasture. People were keeping their goats on pasture not realizing they are meant to browse.  The sheep fit most people better around here.  I think I may post the lambs back on Craigslist with updated pictures.  The pictures I have now are when they were smaller.


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## kfacres (Jun 17, 2012)

boykin2010 said:
			
		

> I
> 
> Kfacres : I have really bad luck selling ram lambs.  Especially when they are born later. I guess it depends on your area.  Last year I had two lambs born late January and by Late September I still hadn't found a buyer. They were not even born late... I may have been asking a little bit much when compared to the other lambs/kids in my Area though.  I charged what I felt they were worth to me as far as meat goes.  We did end up having to butcher them ourselves but we ended up with meat.  This year I have 2 ram lambs that were born feb, and I haven't found any takers.  Probably will end up butchering them also.
> 
> I am going to next week to look at the rams I choosing from.  I will take pictures and post them to see how y'all like them.


For me- I prefer Dec/ and Jan lambs-- they are worth the most as breeding stock, show sheep, and on the meat market.  
My Feb and Marchs will hit two of the major markets- minus the show sheep on.  
Anything born after the 2nd week of March- is destined for sale as a breeding peice- or the meat market- and almost soley the meat market on lambs not of the female sex.  
My Sept through November lambs can be worth the most dollars per head- as that's strictly a show sheep market due to rarity.  

I have not sold much towards the meat market in my time- however with lamb prices in the last couple of years, and my ever growing desire to be less involved with people I don't know--- I'm selling more and more to that sector of the industry.  I have developed quite a market towards the International Student population at some major University-- depending on where I'm at in the state.  

Anymore, I pick out the best ram lamb for myself- and maybe 2 or 3 to try and peddle-- anything else I just band and be done with it, I don't have the patience, nore desire to try and peddle them off.  When I was living down south with my parents- I had quite a commercial ram buyer's market going on- as I was also a sheep shearer for many people who just raised sheep; particularly junk yards... but when I moved- that market stopped.  

For me- ewe lambs are desired no matter when they are born, they can be July's and still be valuable-- just from the standpoint that they have a use.  I have not sent a ewe lamb to market in the last 8 years of raising sheep- all have been kept or sold as breeding stock, and that is lambing as many as 80 ewes a year.  This year I intend to send my first one- actually 2.  I have one parrot mouth (First one of those in a REALLY LONG time), and I have one ewe lamb which just has some structure problems-- and is just an unthrifty sheep.  Call it what you want, as I actually had some people here the other day who wanted to buy her-- to 'save' her-- but I don't care that sheep is not good enough to reproduce IMO--- and I would be doing myself, them, and the entire industry not sending her to town-- where she deserves to be.


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## bonbean01 (Jun 17, 2012)

KF...yes, the lambs born December or January go for the ethnic holidays and are in the greatest demand.  There is a large population in Memphis who want intact ram lambs for their holiday times...Muslims and Jews have something about the ram lamb needing to be intact.  Guess there is a shortage of these fellows since the buyers come this far for him, and they pay a goodly amount per lamb.  

We end up with lambs born in January...even with a ram in with them most of the summer...we get pretty hot here, so I'm guessing that has something to do with the timing since these are hair sheep and don't have a regular breeding season.  Have read that very hot weather slows down the ram's fertility and I'm guessing perhaps the ewes too?


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## BrownSheep (Jun 17, 2012)

I've read that as well.  Boykin, I raise mainly Dorset and Dorset crosses. They also have the ability to breed year round, but I haven't really had an issue with WAY out of season lambs. The one September baby was from a ewe whose lamb died in February. the ram was right there and bred her back when she came into heat. It actually makes me feel kind of like I have rabbits  .


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## kfacres (Jun 17, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> KF...yes, the lambs born December or January go for the ethnic holidays and are in the greatest demand.  There is a large population in Memphis who want intact ram lambs for their holiday times...Muslims and Jews have something about the ram lamb needing to be intact.  Guess there is a shortage of these fellows since the buyers come this far for him, and they pay a goodly amount per lamb.
> 
> We end up with lambs born in January...even with a ram in with them most of the summer...we get pretty hot here, so I'm guessing that has something to do with the timing since these are hair sheep and don't have a regular breeding season.  Have read that very hot weather slows down the ram's fertility and I'm guessing perhaps the ewes too?


Those early lambs for me- rarely go to butcher.. not when I can average 600 selling them as show lambs...  The leftovers- do make good muslim meat... interesting you bring that point up- I've never had one request an intact ram, and i sell almost every kill lamb to a muslim.

if the ram isn't fertile-- doesn't matter if the ewes are...


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## BrownSheep (Jun 17, 2012)

We don't have a large Muslim or Jewish population were I live, but we do have the Basque! My family is actually Lebanese. Which is where I think our love of lamb comes from. As for the Bascoes, if it's a big event they'll buy lamb. I don't sell any of my critters, except to my family members, but keep them for home consumption.


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## bonbean01 (Jun 17, 2012)

KF...yes...that is interesting about Muslim preference for intact or not rams.  Not sure if it makes a difference if they are ****e or Sunni?  No clue...I do know that at the kill time for Muslims or Jews, they need a Holy man to be there to do the blessing of the animal to make it fit for eating.

Will have to research that.  For our freezer, they are wethers so that they do not have to be separated with the chance of them breeding their mothers or sisters.


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## Remuda1 (Jun 17, 2012)

Sadly, it looks like my last ram lamb will not sell to an individual. He's been listed on CraigsList for a good while with only one email and one phone call coming of it. I will wait a few more weeks, if he doesn't sell he'll have to go to the freezer. I like him, it would be a shame. Would probably make a nice commercial sire.


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## kfacres (Jun 17, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> KF...yes...that is interesting about Muslim preference for intact or not rams.  Not sure if it makes a difference if they are ****e or Sunni?  No clue...I do know that at the kill time for Muslims or Jews, they need a Holy man to be there to do the blessing of the animal to make it fit for eating.
> 
> Will have to research that.  For our freezer, they are wethers so that they do not have to be separated with the chance of them breeding their mothers or sisters.


I have been involved with those Lebanese, and a group from Saudi Arabia.  In both cases-- they were nearly identical- but the butchering skills were lacking with one group.  In both groups- they face the lamb NE, say a silent prayer, a few other words, do a kinda sign of the cross-- and cut it's throat...  

They bury the blood, take everything but the gall bladder, stomach contents, and hide with them.  

pretty interesting group of people really...


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## Cornish Heritage (Jun 20, 2012)

We breed year round here BUT do take the rams out at times just for ease of handling. For example for the last two months we have had a different ram in with three different flocks of ewes. Earlier this week we took those three rams out, brought in a "clean-up" ram in case one of the ewes hasn't bred & so now just have one big flock again. The boys spent a couple days in close confinement before being let out today down to the bottom pasture. They young ewes that we kept back from the Spring are in another pasture with a new young ram. SO I guess you could say we have 3 flocks right now instead of 6!

We keep most of our ram lambs intact as the St. Croix have no taint. Just have to make sure they are away from the girls if we not want them to breed. 

Liz


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