Keep or Sell? Names?

[thistlebloom]

Names...
Luvewe, or if you want it to start with an R- Ruvewe,
(for a little Christmas Story twist )

 

[Baymule]

This lamb has wound herself around my heart. She MAA MAA's at me, follows me like a dog, eats from my hand, loves to be rubbed and scratched and is growing into a well built little gal. Still has growing to do, but it looking like she is staying. I sit on a milk crate and she roots in my pocket for treats. So far, I've been calling her Lammy. I know, dumb, but y'all got any better ideas?

 

[Simpleterrier]

Lambchop?

When they are friendly like that u don't have to run them down on kill day

 

[Baymule]

Lambchop?

When they are friendly like that u don't have to run them down on kill day

haha, leave it to you to come up with something like that! haha Your twisted humor matches my own.

 

[Simpleterrier]

Yes I'm glad you understand.

I just understand the reality of life.

U could eat lambchop and tan her hide and hang it on the wall next to the painting.

Or get her stuffed and have a family squirrels ridding her smoking cigars.

 

[messybun]

She looks pretty to me, so I’d vote to keep her and see what she produces.

 

[Beekissed]

Keep and call her Corazon....Spanish for "heart". I like her looks!

 

[Ridgetop]

Now I want to say and remind you of wanting to go to pure Katahdins,

Not sure about Katahdins but with Dorpers you can register percentage ewes when out of a registered ram. You might want to check on this since if you really want to keep her, Ringo is a registered Katahdin. If you can register her as a percentage, each time you breed her successive progeny to a registered Katahdin you will be able to register them as a higher percentage. At a certain percentage they count as and can be registered as purebred.

I would not be too quick to sell her female offspring out of Ringo either. Remember that when doing an outcross breeding which is what produced this ewe lamb, you always come back to the line you like (Ringo) to imprint and strengthen those genetics while retaining the hybrid vigor that you liked in the outcross. A closely related ram could be used, or just breed to Ringo again to produce a very tightly bred daughter that will have doubled up in his good qualities. If there are any flaws in Ringo or his close relatives, watch the resulting daughter cross carefully for them. If she shows any of them you can cull her then. Double breeding of father/daughter, mother/son, brother/sister is a time honored way of doubling up the best genetic qualities of an animal or their bloodline. As long a you realize inbreeding also doubles up any weaknesses and are quick to cull those individuals, you can improve your flock faster.

When selecting registered stock, compare their pedigrees and decide what you are aiming for in your new flock. Choose those animals that have the same bloodlines instead of just buying unrelated animals because they are registered. The safest way to start a flock s by line breeding. This is breeding related animals and bringing in new blood through a registered ram as you need it The ideal you aim for should be a flock of animals that are very similar in type, growth patterns, etc. At that point you have reached a good place from which to branch out and try new bloodlines you think will improve what you have produced. Just remember that not every cross will be successful and not every bloodline will blend or "nick" with yours.

Building a good herd or flok of larger livestock is a long time commitment. If you want fast results go with rabbits. Rabbits are a great way to learn abut genetics since they breed and mature so fast. A crummy litter only takes up 4 months of your time as opposed to losing a full breeding year with larger animals. I love rabbits.

I could keep her for another year and breed her to Ringo. See what she produces and how her parasite load is.
If you decide to sell her you could sell her with small lambs at side for a possibly larger return. Be sure to enlarge and frame those photos of her and hang it as a group with the painting.

 

[farmerjan]

@Ridgetop is completely right. We have several cows that are related back to their sires, on both sides, and have bred several directly back to their sires. Sometimes it is planned, sometimes it is just because they are a certain pasture when I pick out what bulls are going where. Have kept several daughters/granddaughters for future breeding because they have the characteristics that I want. We have a bull now that just does not click with our cows very well and I want to sell him. He was bought to use as an outcross and NOT impressed with the calves.
We have bulls that we bought back in 2011 and 2012.... they do what we wanted so they keep getting used. Both are easy calvers and they get rotated back on heifers because they put small calves on the ground that the heifers spit out like popcorn and go on and grow decently. Good dispositions, easy on the cows when they breed.... Have 2 older, bigger bulls that are not for use on heifers, and there have been a few calves that have been outstanding and many good ones. Those boys will stay until they either get an attitude, or they aren't fertile, or they get too arthritic to mount cows. Consistency is the key.
I would definitely look into the possibility of the percentage thing.... might not want or need to cull as many as you think if there is a possibility of "breeding up" and your ewes are consistently producing nice lambs. Sure cull the ones that aren't as parasite resistant.... but maybe you can improve on what you have without selling all the favourite and good ones just because they don't have papers.
One of my registered dairy farmers told me once.... the papers might help sell breeding stock, but they don't make them milk better and they don't make em taste any better....sure, breeding for better milking is part of it, but he has a point. There are alot of decent productive animals that don't have a pedigree written on a fancy sheet of paper.... and there are alot of papered animals that are mediocre too.

 

[Baymule]

I do have a few good ewes that I want to keep and keep ewes from them. That coupled with good quality registered ewes will build me a good flock. I want the very best ram, son of Ringo, to

The name for this little ewe has been decided. I sent pictures to my DD last night to show to the little girls (age 4 and 5) and she sent me a name this morning.

Frimplepants! That doesn't roll off the tongue too easily, already calling her Rimple. LOL