Mike CHS
Herd Master
It's hard to believe that Rose has 3 months to go. Poor Baby. 
Feelin' a bit sheepish...
- Thread starter
- #112
Beekissed
Herd Master
It's hard to believe that Rose has 3 months to go. Poor Baby.
I know! I guess that's what I would look like if I were carrying twins right now as an old lady....like my gut was about to drag the ground.
I feel for her and hope it isn't too rough on her to carry and have lambs. I'm not quite sure where one draws the line on aging sheep, when it would be a mercy to cull or, if just wanting more hooves on the ground to keep down grass, just separate them out at breeding time....but then I would have to keep the rams out of the grazing pattern for several months for one old sheep. Not a good thing.
I just love the old sweety.
Baymule
Herd Master
Your Rose reminds me of my Miranda Lambert. Miranda has a big belly, even when she's not pregnant. When she is pregnant, she is HUGE! Your ewes sure are looking good.
Baymule
Herd Master
Here's Miranda, NOT pregnant and she is currently nursing twins.
- Thread starter
- #115
Beekissed
Herd Master
Yep, that's a Rose body! That's the type B body that I'll be culling out of the flock. I love Rose and I know I'm going to love her mothering abilities, but I'll likely not keep any of her lambs with this body style. I'll keep them long enough to use them for grazing and hooves on the ground, but likely won't keep any for breeding back.
The other ewes have the body style I'm going for, so there should be options from their lambs to keep for going forward.
The other ewes have the body style I'm going for, so there should be options from their lambs to keep for going forward.
Baymule
Herd Master
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water! Look at that long loin on Miranda. She twins with every birth and has a milk bag that the goaties turn green with jealousy over. Her twin lambs from Ringo are very nice, but both are boys. 
I have three daughters from her, but they were sired by that raunchy Dorper ram. I Will cross my fingers for ewe lambs from her and Ringo for the next lambing. The two wethers she is raising are both very nice I sure wish the black one had been a ewe. He definitely took after his sire.
If Rose has a ewe lamb, you might want to keep her for the purpose of hooves on the ground until you can raise enough ewe lambs to start culling hard. I am keeping 3 out of 5 ewe lambs this year and sending one 3 year old ewe to slaughter. She will become tenderized round steak and pan sausage. I have a couple more that may not make the cut as I go forward that I might consider selling as bred ewes, they aren't bad, but they aren't great either.
ETA: Miranda also has great worm resistance too and THAT is one of my culling criteria. Right before and after lambing, when the worms crank it up, she still has extremely low numbers. Her black lamb shows worm resistance, the long loin and lovely hair coat. Her white lamb shows low worm resistance, long loin, hair coat, but is not growing off as well as the black lamb.
I have three daughters from her, but they were sired by that raunchy Dorper ram. I Will cross my fingers for ewe lambs from her and Ringo for the next lambing. The two wethers she is raising are both very nice I sure wish the black one had been a ewe. He definitely took after his sire.If Rose has a ewe lamb, you might want to keep her for the purpose of hooves on the ground until you can raise enough ewe lambs to start culling hard. I am keeping 3 out of 5 ewe lambs this year and sending one 3 year old ewe to slaughter. She will become tenderized round steak and pan sausage. I have a couple more that may not make the cut as I go forward that I might consider selling as bred ewes, they aren't bad, but they aren't great either.
ETA: Miranda also has great worm resistance too and THAT is one of my culling criteria. Right before and after lambing, when the worms crank it up, she still has extremely low numbers. Her black lamb shows worm resistance, the long loin and lovely hair coat. Her white lamb shows low worm resistance, long loin, hair coat, but is not growing off as well as the black lamb.
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- Thread starter
- #117
Beekissed
Herd Master
I know she has a long loin and she may also have good parasite resistance...and I will keep her lambs until I get enough hooves on the ground. But....and there's always a butt, isn't there? 
....Shine, May and June also have long loins and I've yet to see their parasite resistance and that goes for all of them....so I want to start as I intend to end. By culling for those with the right body style AND all the other good traits.
If you'll look at that body style, they are pinched in the hindquarters, so the loin doesn't actually extend the whole length of their spine as well as the loin on the type A bodies. They also don't have the thickness and length of hams that the type A bodies do, while having a heavier bone structure~heavier through the shoulders but no real meat. They have too much spring of the ribs, though some is good, too much is not so good.
I'll have to see how both body styles perform in lambing as well, where the type B may lamb easier due to all that room in their abdomen for lamb growth and proper birthing positions. I don't want to cull for appearances and lose the function....too many folks doing that in breeding towards breed standards...but I do want a meatier carcass while still retaining all the other good traits.
The final goal is all the good traits of the Katahdins, while having a certain uniformity of body styles as well. When folks buy off my place I want them to have some consistency of type AND good traits to show for it.
....Shine, May and June also have long loins and I've yet to see their parasite resistance and that goes for all of them....so I want to start as I intend to end. By culling for those with the right body style AND all the other good traits.
If you'll look at that body style, they are pinched in the hindquarters, so the loin doesn't actually extend the whole length of their spine as well as the loin on the type A bodies. They also don't have the thickness and length of hams that the type A bodies do, while having a heavier bone structure~heavier through the shoulders but no real meat. They have too much spring of the ribs, though some is good, too much is not so good.
I'll have to see how both body styles perform in lambing as well, where the type B may lamb easier due to all that room in their abdomen for lamb growth and proper birthing positions. I don't want to cull for appearances and lose the function....too many folks doing that in breeding towards breed standards...but I do want a meatier carcass while still retaining all the other good traits.
The final goal is all the good traits of the Katahdins, while having a certain uniformity of body styles as well. When folks buy off my place I want them to have some consistency of type AND good traits to show for it.
Baymule
Herd Master
It's all a work in progress, isn't it? It sure is fun!
- Thread starter
- #119
Beekissed
Herd Master
Don't know about y'all, but sometimes these sheep have me scratching my head. These nipple drinkers I have only stick out about 3-4 in. from the wall and the bowl/cup isn't any bigger than my cupped hand...and I have small hands.
Somehow, not once or even twice, these sheep manage to fill that cup neatly with poop. Now, this cup is not horizontal but a vertical cup, if you know what I mean....I could see this happening if it's just a bowl sticking out from the wall and they happened to back up to it once or twice, but I'd have trouble filling this bowl like that, intentionally, and getting all those turds to stay mounded up in it.
I can just see them snickering among themselves as they take turns backing carefully up to these tiny drinking bowls and aiming a big load of berries directly into that small receptacle....sort of a statement about what they think of these small drinkers.
But, how in the world do they DO it? SMH....
Somehow, not once or even twice, these sheep manage to fill that cup neatly with poop. Now, this cup is not horizontal but a vertical cup, if you know what I mean....I could see this happening if it's just a bowl sticking out from the wall and they happened to back up to it once or twice, but I'd have trouble filling this bowl like that, intentionally, and getting all those turds to stay mounded up in it.
I can just see them snickering among themselves as they take turns backing carefully up to these tiny drinking bowls and aiming a big load of berries directly into that small receptacle....sort of a statement about what they think of these small drinkers.
But, how in the world do they DO it? SMH....
Baymule
Herd Master
St least they don’t throw it at you. LOL
