Mike CHS
Herd Master
I actually hear every word you write so we are good. 
Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along
- Thread starter Ridgetop
- Start date
Devonviolet
Herd Master
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2014
- Messages
- 3,402
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- 8,170
- Points
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- Location
- East Texas - Near Sulphur Springs
Bay talks like a home grown Texan. Nothin' wrong with that!You got that too!
Bruce
Herd Master
Rhymes with aint, as in Fahr aint!By the way, is that word, cain't southern for can't?
Senile_Texas_Aggie
Herd Master
Mike CHS
Herd Master
I have read that a Texan accent is a southern accent with a twist but not sure how to describe what "the twist" is.
Baymule
Herd Master
Awl Ah kin say iz that ah got tha double whammy. Suthern and Texan acksent awl wrapped in uh package uv slow talkin' FUN!
- Thread starter
- #439
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Don't forget "Bless your heart" - which I understand is southern girl speak for "I don't like you much and hope you burn" but allowable in public conversations. I think it equates to air kisses among the Hollywood crowd.
- Thread starter
- #440
Ridgetop
Herd Master
So weighed, vaccinated, and docked Thursday.
New Dorper ram lamb weighed 13.8 lbs. at 2 days old.
Oldest Dorper ewe lamb weighed 23.8 and averaged 6.9 lb. gain per week in last 2 weeks.
Dorper X Dorset twins, large ewe and much smaller brother, weighed in at 18.2 and 16.3 respectively with a weekly gain of 5.9 lbs. for the ewe and an impressive gain of 6.4 lb. for her brother.
The 3 older lambs are already showing the spinal crease that indicates a thick loin developing. Really like what this Dorper ram is bringing to the barn. Very pleased with the lambs and their gain so far.
Next week we will ear tag and open the pens into the creep for the lambs to be able to eat 24/7. I am interested in their weight gain under these conditions, as well as the differences in the purebred Dorpers and the Dorper X Dorset twins.
Several variables in the comparisons have to be taken into consideration:
1. The 2 purebred Dorpers are singles out of FF moms. Singles tend to grow faster, but they are out of FFs who do not produce as much milk as older ewes.
2. The Dorper/Dorset crosses are twins which usually grow slower. However this ewe is a raising her 4th set of lambs so the milk production should be higher.
3. OTOH, the Dorset ewe has only raised 2 single lambs and slipped her 3rd lamb early last year due to the fire evacuation.
4. This is an extremely small sample to reach any definite conclusions.
Mainly, I want to see how these Dorpers do in reaching a market weight of 100 lbs. in approximately 4 months. The Dorper ewes and rams are slightly smaller than the Dorsets, but the birth weights and rates of gains seem to be approximately the same. The Dorpers are easy keepers and do well on less grain and hay than the Dorsets. We have no pasture yet since we only have edible forage in the spring if we get enough rain. If our rainfall is negligible we will have almost no graze or forage and have to feed all "carry" feed. We are lucky to get good alfalfa - expensive but high in protein. Supplemental grain is our biggest expense if we have to grain heavily to produce weight gain, heavy milky lactation, etc.
Hypothesis: The Dorset lambs reached 100 lbs. (butcher weight) at 4 months in a creep situation with free feed alfalfa and grain. Based on my reading about these Dorpers, they will produce lambs on less feed. The lambs will grow and gain to butcher weight in 4 months on less feed than the Dorsets. This will cut down my overall costs of lamb production.
As an added bonus, the better ewe lambs from these purebred Dorpers can be sold as breeding stock. Since I want to sell the last of my Dorsets, and replace them with more expensive Dorper ewes, I need to be sure that the Dorper lamb rate of gain matches or exceeds the rate of gain of the Dorset lambs raised under the same conditions. I have my rate of gain weight charts from previous years to compare to as well. Last year was a disaster lambing year. Year before was very good with lots of lambs, forage, and good gains with 13 lambs on the chart.
New Dorper ram lamb weighed 13.8 lbs. at 2 days old.
Oldest Dorper ewe lamb weighed 23.8 and averaged 6.9 lb. gain per week in last 2 weeks.
Dorper X Dorset twins, large ewe and much smaller brother, weighed in at 18.2 and 16.3 respectively with a weekly gain of 5.9 lbs. for the ewe and an impressive gain of 6.4 lb. for her brother.
The 3 older lambs are already showing the spinal crease that indicates a thick loin developing. Really like what this Dorper ram is bringing to the barn. Very pleased with the lambs and their gain so far.
Next week we will ear tag and open the pens into the creep for the lambs to be able to eat 24/7. I am interested in their weight gain under these conditions, as well as the differences in the purebred Dorpers and the Dorper X Dorset twins.
Several variables in the comparisons have to be taken into consideration:
1. The 2 purebred Dorpers are singles out of FF moms. Singles tend to grow faster, but they are out of FFs who do not produce as much milk as older ewes.
2. The Dorper/Dorset crosses are twins which usually grow slower. However this ewe is a raising her 4th set of lambs so the milk production should be higher.
3. OTOH, the Dorset ewe has only raised 2 single lambs and slipped her 3rd lamb early last year due to the fire evacuation.
4. This is an extremely small sample to reach any definite conclusions.
Mainly, I want to see how these Dorpers do in reaching a market weight of 100 lbs. in approximately 4 months. The Dorper ewes and rams are slightly smaller than the Dorsets, but the birth weights and rates of gains seem to be approximately the same. The Dorpers are easy keepers and do well on less grain and hay than the Dorsets. We have no pasture yet since we only have edible forage in the spring if we get enough rain. If our rainfall is negligible we will have almost no graze or forage and have to feed all "carry" feed. We are lucky to get good alfalfa - expensive but high in protein. Supplemental grain is our biggest expense if we have to grain heavily to produce weight gain, heavy milky lactation, etc.
Hypothesis: The Dorset lambs reached 100 lbs. (butcher weight) at 4 months in a creep situation with free feed alfalfa and grain. Based on my reading about these Dorpers, they will produce lambs on less feed. The lambs will grow and gain to butcher weight in 4 months on less feed than the Dorsets. This will cut down my overall costs of lamb production.
As an added bonus, the better ewe lambs from these purebred Dorpers can be sold as breeding stock. Since I want to sell the last of my Dorsets, and replace them with more expensive Dorper ewes, I need to be sure that the Dorper lamb rate of gain matches or exceeds the rate of gain of the Dorset lambs raised under the same conditions. I have my rate of gain weight charts from previous years to compare to as well. Last year was a disaster lambing year. Year before was very good with lots of lambs, forage, and good gains with 13 lambs on the chart.
