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- #21
SageHill
Herd Master
A cuter pic. 😁
2024 SageHill Lambing (the newbie joins in)
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Ridgetop
Herd Master
Flock is growing.
When flock is small you keep every ewe lamb. As your numbers increase, your standards become higher and you start to cull. When you are at your number limit. you only keep one or two and sell off the rest. Eventually you reach the point that for each exceptional ewe lamb you keep you sell an older less satisfactory ewe.
Of course, most of us have a problem with that. LOL Our flocks get bigger until feed is scarce or priced sky high. Then we sell at least half the flock and rebuild. Hopefully by then prices have also gone up.
You will have a double market - meat at the auction and sheep trained to herd for others interested in herding trials.
When flock is small you keep every ewe lamb. As your numbers increase, your standards become higher and you start to cull. When you are at your number limit. you only keep one or two and sell off the rest. Eventually you reach the point that for each exceptional ewe lamb you keep you sell an older less satisfactory ewe.
Of course, most of us have a problem with that. LOL Our flocks get bigger until feed is scarce or priced sky high. Then we sell at least half the flock and rebuild. Hopefully by then prices have also gone up. You will have a double market - meat at the auction and sheep trained to herd for others interested in herding trials.
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- #23
SageHill
Herd Master
Tis my plan - good to know that I'm on the right track.Flock is growing.
When flock is small you keep every ewe lamb. As your numbers increase, your standards become higher and you start to cull. When you are at your number limit. you only keep one or two and sell off the rest. Eventually you reach the point that for each exceptional ewe lamb you keep you sell an older less satisfactory ewe.
You will have a double market - meat at the auction and sheep trained to herd for others interested in herding trials.
Though I have to admit that recently I'm thinking to possibly end the herding lessons as I make more with the detection stuff and it's less wear and tear on me and the sheep. I'd of course still work them with my dogs as that's part of my "style" and good for all. The original numbers I've been aiming for were between 20-30 and I'm getting there. Still need to figure out exactly the sheep. I admit I go "oooh lookie, I like that" and "oooooh that would be nice to have". 
which is all probably normal in the process. OH and color and spots 
.
OTH I have a nice ram (Dorper? Katahdin? cross?) out of the Dorper ewe (supposed) I bought that had been "with a ram" (yeah I know semi cringing out there not knowing for sure). He's putting nice lambs on the ground. A friend with a large flock for teaching has decided that finding lambs is getting too hard and will be using him for the the month of March (any input on that welcomed). She had two other rams lined up but both were sold.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
If the herding lessons are not as profitable, then definitely go with the detection training. You can advertise "small dog trained flock" occasionally in one or two of the herding mags. If someone is new to herding, they might be interested in buying a small flock of healthy sheep already trained to move for the dogs. That would be as opposed to buying some sheep from the saleyard with no health records and having to train the sheep.
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- #25
SageHill
Herd Master
Love that idea! I could still have a small number to do the occasional instinct test as well.
Still noodling on everything and how it will work out. Guess it’s a fluid thing.
Baymule
Herd Master
Loaning out a ram seems to be the nice thing to do for a friend, but he could come back bringing sickness, disease or treatment resistant worms. It’s not anything I would do.
If your friend needs a ram, sell her one of your lambs or give her one. Don’t take it back when she is done with him.
If your friend needs a ram, sell her one of your lambs or give her one. Don’t take it back when she is done with him.
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Certainly be prepared to quarantine the ram when he comes home -- if you DO let him visit another farm. Supposing there's breeding fees, too.
Be sure your ram has been vaccinated for " everything sheep" and deworm at pic up/return from other farm, at return. 😊
I used to do a fair amount of outside breeding when I was into the mini horses. Most mares came to my farm. I used segregated barn & runs, required vet tests for clear repro tract, etc. Never had an issue. My show animals received more frequent vaccines, quarantines at returns, disinfected stall at home & shows. Just extra protection and all was good. So was the $$ to breed and for mare care 👍
Be sure your ram has been vaccinated for " everything sheep" and deworm at pic up/return from other farm, at return. 😊
I used to do a fair amount of outside breeding when I was into the mini horses. Most mares came to my farm. I used segregated barn & runs, required vet tests for clear repro tract, etc. Never had an issue. My show animals received more frequent vaccines, quarantines at returns, disinfected stall at home & shows. Just extra protection and all was good. So was the $$ to breed and for mare care 👍
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Absolutely! We loaned a nice buck to someone who we thought was safe. (Another friend who was adamant about disease control used to bring the boy and his goats to shows with hers.) he came back with an abscess, and we later found out that the boy's showmanship doe had CAE! The buck went to the saleyard. His bloodlines were wonderful and his kids were great (for the other person). We wanted to keep him as a herd buck and had castrated the brother so we were SOOL. My son who had raised him and his 3 siblings as preemies was devastated.
We learned our lesson the hard way. We don't loan anything. If it leaves our property, it doesn't come back.
You have some cute ram lambs - sell her one. He will be trained to work with the dogs and go out on pasture.
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- #29
SageHill
Herd Master
Why is the best thing to do the most difficult?? Now I'm all concerned on what if anything he may bring back. 
She bought ~30 lambs last year and some came with coccidia. Would that now be in her soil? In which case that would mean my ram would get it and come home with it. Groaning inside. Damn.
She bought ~30 lambs last year and some came with coccidia. Would that now be in her soil? In which case that would mean my ram would get it and come home with it. Groaning inside. Damn.
purplequeenvt
Herd Master
Coccidia is everywhere. You already have it on your property. Healthy adults are fairly immune to it, but it can be hard on lambs and sickly animals.
Feeding off the ground/away from poopy feet helps a lot, but medicated grain is the biggest help. The grain I feed during lambing and then to the lambs is medicated with deccox. Using medicated feed has significantly lowered the times I’ve had to treat anyone with coccidia.
Feeding off the ground/away from poopy feet helps a lot, but medicated grain is the biggest help. The grain I feed during lambing and then to the lambs is medicated with deccox. Using medicated feed has significantly lowered the times I’ve had to treat anyone with coccidia.
