Ausra Farms - Updated

[Wehner Homestead]

All that I can say is WOW! I’m some ways I agree. There may be a reason that demise is going to occur anyway. Also, if weak for some reason, those traits may not be best to pass on. On the other hand, I can’t handle suffering and would dispatch as necessary or at least give the best life possible until going to the freezer is appropriate.

As far as what Mike said, I can’t imagine coming home to the death and devastation if we left during Calving. I also can’t imagine the suffering that some of those animals must endure until the succumb due to the dystocia. Sometimes a simple repositioning or extra umph is all that’s required. Additionally, I wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy my vacation knowing that I was coming home to a stinking, rotting mess of chaos. (What a way to attract predators!)

 

[Mike CHS]

I guess I should have said that I don't agree with that approach. We aren't as hands on as some but we have had to take trips leaving one of us at home during lambing to make sure an emergency could be handled promptly.

 

[Alexz7272]

You learn something new everyday! I did not know that some people did that, I too would not be able to handle that. But I am too soft when it comes to animals and people. My struggling little guy passed while I was at work but my roommate was there with him. Got one more girl not doing so hot, so keeping a close eye on her. Unfortunately, my roommate/farmhand has not fed lambs before and I was trying to teach her last night and she just was not getting the concept and the lamb sucked alot of air and then I think she got some in her lungs. Not sure if we can recover from that but trying.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Mike- I never thought that was your idea of a good way to do things. Just wanted to clarify.

 

[CntryBoy777]

I certainly am not cold-hearted either and can't stand to see any suffering....human or animal....I was just giving a reason for a mother to push away a newborn. It can be difficult to accept that we can't fix or mend everything, but sometimes it just is what it is. Sorry to hear the little one didn't make it, hope the other one can....

 

[greybeard]

There are hundreds of thousands of sheep and cattle on ranches all over the West that give birth every year with no human within miles of them. Them mommas down in the saltgrass on White and other ranches along the Texas coast have calves that never see a human till it's time to wean or vaccinate and brand...and sometimes, only when it's time to load to send to market. For many, the owners or managers don't even know how many head of cattle or sheep they have. It's the same out West where cattle and sheep are moved to higher or lower elevations depending on grass or season.
There's hardly ever anyone around on the bigger places at birth time.

This county was the same way in the 60s when it was open range.

 

[Bruce]

I suspect scale as something to do with it. If you have 500 animals giving birth in the same couple of weeks, you can't keep up with all of them anyway. If you have 10, it is possible.

 

[Mike CHS]

We had to assist one out of 10 last lambing season. If that same animal needed assistance this year I would probably lose the lamb or the ewe or both. Last season they were on a dry lot that I could see both ends from any point in the lot. This season they go off on their own and stay for a day or more until they feel like their lamb(s) can be integrated with the rest of the flock.

I didn't mean to hijack the thread but it is an interesting topic about the different approaches.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

I definitely find it interesting. In some ways, alarming though.

 

[Baymule]

If I had to assist an animal to give birth, especially over multiple times, I would sell it. So far, my ewes present me with lambs and my input to the process is exactly zero. I don't have many ewes, so maybe as numbers go up, problems do too. But I don't want to keep an ewe that I have to bury my arm in her back end, or pull lambs or otherwise help her give birth. If I had a crisis like that, I would pull out all the stops to save ewe and lamb, but I would sell her after weaning the lamb.