A NEW DIRECTION FOR THE OLD RAM

[Mike CHS]

Our ram was pretty typical of what the market is going for quality breeding rams and he was $600. Registered Katahdin ewes here are going for $4-500 for really good stock. I think it is high but it is being paid so it is what it is. Unregistered ewes here are going for $300 for really good stock or run of the mill can be had for $200.

Ram lambs for butcher are going for $250 in our area and they average around 120 pounds right about now.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G'day, those prices are really interesting.We sell our "cull"ewes for $150.00,which is about twice the "killer price.We sell selected rams for $300.00 which is 4 times the "killer price".So far the most I have paid is $100.00 for "stud ewe lambs".The least I have paid is $55.00 for ewes with Good Sound Mouths.I think that over 50% are in lamb by the look of them....T.o.R.

 

[Baymule]

I don't know what auction prices are, the prices I quoted are all by private sale.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

The prices quoted are all current private,except for the stud ewe lambs which were at auction...T.O.R.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

MOVING FORWARD with the new group.So far we have purchased 30 mature aged ewes of which 3 have lambed for 5 lambs.

There is a big difference between the Suffolk's and the Dorpers when it comes to lambing,because we have bred the Suffolk's for so long they accept the idea that from time to time I will be wandering around the flock and new lambs,whereas the Dorpers let you know from the "get-go" that you are "not" welcome in the lambing paddock.So today I had to move most of the "new" ewes to join up with the rest of our home-bred Dorper X's.I took Max with me on a long lead so they did not feel as though they could escape as I guided them up the hill and through the two gates to the next paddock.I was surprised just how quickly they "mingled " with their new "friends" and after a couple of hours the old hands had led them to the water-point and the mineral mix containers which they had a taste of and later on came back for another go while watering closer to dark.

There are signs that the rams has spurred them into "seasoning",that is the ones who are not already well in lamb,about half I suspect.They will in the next few days go into a new paddock which has a large stand of Poplars and another deciduous sp which are just starting to "break" after winter.These trees are vicarious suckers and I suspect that they will tame the new growth without doing any damage to the thicket which is great summer shade and shelter for them....T.O.R.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

CAN YOU OFFER SOME HELP AND ADVICE?I know there is a vast repository of knowledge in the group and so I would like to "tap" into it in the transition of our flock.Here is the problem as I see it.

All of the W H Dorpers I have seen are white hoofed and this can be a problem over time on "wet" country.Our black hoofed Suffolk's have never had a problem with their feet and so I would like to breed black footed W H Dorper ewes.The obvious answer is to use some B H rams ,but this will I'm sure compromise the long body of the W H's.So are there any of you who have had experience in this area,or perhaps you have a friend or acquaintance who has traveled down this path and may be willing to assist me with the benefit of their experience?

At this stage my thinking is to use a Suffolk ram over the W H ewes to see if I can induce the black hoofs in the lambs,then put them back to the W H 's and retain any ewe lambs which retain the desired change of color along with the "shedding" of the Dorper breed.I'm sure in all the years you have been breeding sheep this idea has crossed your mind and perhaps you have done some breeding experiments,if so ,what were you outcomes and results?

I am impressed by the ability of the Dorpers to graze forage which the Suffolk's were reluctant to eat and I think with a little help from myself they will "control" some of the problem sp which inhabit our farm.

I will be most grateful for any comments, opinions and references you can provide ....T.O.R.

 

[Bossroo]

TOR... You will have to be prepared to do some very close inbreeding and severe culling that will take quite a few generations to accomplish. Your best bet will be to contact a very reputalble University with a Animal Science department that has a professor that does genetic research with sheep for assistance. When I was working at a University we needed a line of mice that were virtual clones , it took us 27 generations of breeding an already inbred line of mice then breeding father to daughters and then to the female offspring bred back to their grandfather, and great grandfather, etc. , with severe culling of the majority of the offspring to finally get consistant results. I wish you the best of luck !

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G'day and thanks BR,I was hoping it would not be as complicated as that.At 75 my future in the sheep "game" is surly limited ,so I hoped that by retaining any black -hoofed ewes and from their lambs "sell' everything with white feet I could at least generate a basis of the flock with the trait I am looking for without compromising any other aspects of the animals.

Anyway ,when the flock is settled in and when most the Suffolk's are gone I will have a couple of years (i hope) to play-around with the idea...T.O.R.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Just because it "might" take that long doesn't necessarily mean that it will - says the eternal optimist!

 

[Bossroo]

TOR, your plan is a good plan and you will see some success fairly soon. But genetics is pretty complicated as what genes are dominant, co-dominant , recessive, modifier , or a gene needs another gene to express a characteristic , a gene is a new mutation, etc. On and on for each pair of genes. Keep in mind when you whant the dark hoof, you will also see other inherited factors that travel along with a trait that you may or may not want to continue, then you will want to eather select for the additional trait or select to eliminate it out. This is how a new breed is established. Keep it up, genetics is fun. Just for fun check out the color inheritance of lady Gould Finch or the Parakeet to see possibilities of what is possible.