hooked on lambs

Yes, every breeder of shetlands is hooked on lambs. They are the ultimate fun livestock baby. Just born they leap-frog towards that wonderful milk bottle....mom's that is. A half hour later they find they can jump. Jump, jump....jump again....just like a dick and jane book. Oh look! Look at me...I can jump. I can run....I can kick up my heels and race with other lambs. Who can watch the lambs race....one or fifty, without smiling or out-right laughing?

How do you breed for lambs? Do you put the closest ram into a pen with the closest ewes and see what comes out? Are you an elitist? Fumbling with hormones and frozen semen, making designer lambs? What is your market for lambs? Do you sell lambs? Do you ship them for meat? Do you wether all your boys and raise them for fleece? What is your market for fleece? Can you sell your ewe lambs? Why? Why not? Who is out in your pasture right now? Can you move them on to some other shepherd?

If you plan what to do with your lambs after they arrive on the ground....you are too old-fashioned to last as a breeder in the 21st century. This all boils down to marketing. Marketing starts with a plan....and that means before you stick a sponge you-know-where. Or grab a horn to capture a ram. Your ram is 50% of your crop. However many ewes and rams you use in the fall, you need to know your ram is salable. What is the sign of a great salable ram? Horns....well, horns are the former sign...until so many breeders became frustrated by close horns, and puny horns that a whole new field of breeding started in shetlands the polled...or horn-less ram. This epidemic has been encouraged by designer semen that came with polled genes. So now, you get to choose wheather your rams have horns or "snails" whatever those are. I suppose you can already tell....I am a horn snob. I like horns on my rams. I prefer wide horns on my breeding ram, because the ram lambs he produces will likely have good horns even if their mother carries bad horn genes. I also prefer to use a live ram as opposed to spending bags of money on designer frozen semen that may or may-not "take" ....and lambs that may or may not have flaws. I'm a cheap type breeder. The old-fashioned way to breed is fine. I have been known to spend bags of money on buying a ewe or ram that seems to be good for my breeding program.

What I am getting at....is ....if you bred lambs this year without knowing why they were salable. You made a mistake. Don't do it again! This farming-business if far too expensive right now to waste your crop because you didn't have a plan.

Get a book on marketing. Read it. Make charts about why you can sell your next lambs locally or why not. Decide on a plan for selling lambs period. Do some research on what is selling. Look to see what is not selling....and where. When I first started breeding I started a web page. If you don't have one....you shouldn't be breeding. It is required for professionalism. To that end....I have just dropped my web presence, so if you are looking for me...I'm not there..... Even if you just tell how to email you, the breeder, and show photos of your sheep....you need a web page. You also NEED a blog. Maybe you need to chart out things to say in your blog....maybe you talk too much....like me...anyway. It is expected...and it is necessary. Go look at other's blogs. The best thing to do on blogs is show pictures of your sheep for sale with fabulous supurlative words about them. Study those words...and always use them....best, friendliest, show-quality, rare....unusual....Then make sure they are also expensive. I see folks now having two blogs....they are free. One for everyday salesmanship...and one for super-duper-salesmanship. You better do that too, if you want to sell lambs this year.

I may start one too. "Super-duper surprise ewes and lambs, get-em while they are still here!"

It will help if your lamb has some salable quality. Some breeders show at livestock shows. We put one on at Jefferson, Wisconsin. If you haven't shown before, come to see what goes on...bring a sheep...we will show you what to do....and when you have seen what wins prizes then you will know if you want to show your sheep at livestock shows too. There are qualities favored at shows. Big shetlands, close horns on rams that are already curled once for lambs, and twice for adults. Big wide back ends....kind of like saw-horses. Long bodies and long legs will help. Most judges have no clue what is good fleece...but it seems the longer the better, unless it already looks and feels like a rug. It is a specialized field. You will like it if you can bring sheep for sale....because real people actually come thinking they can buy sheep. The "win" of a prize qualifies you are a "show" breeder. Then you advertise that your sheep won prizes at a show...and it causes people to think your sheep are better. Maybe they are...maybe they arem't...but it is another marketing tool.

Yes, I am hooked at lambs. I am looking at those cute little ewe lambs, who although they didn't come with flashy spots....had flashy rams as sires. You know the type of ewe lamb, the one that follows you at a couple of feet, and when you turn around and talk to them they back up, but still look at you with those "bedroom eyes". I have to thank Garrett for that phrase, but I have heard Robin talk of choosing lambs to keep based on those expressive eyes. I wiggle my fingers at that shy ewe lamb...and she comes close to smell my fingers then backs up again. Just out of reach, in case I have my own ideas of catching her, and giving her a hug, and a kiss, and a pet under the chin. No....those moments are days in the future. Polka has a little bag now, and she has taken to following me and snuggling me for a pet. I give her kisses too. She doesn't seem to mind. Perhaps she already know she is scheduled for a new home. This may be her way of saying good-bye. It sure doesn't make it any easier for her shepherd. I remember her birth. Third in a bevy of triplets. The best looking too. Mom didn't have any milk, so I watched for a ewe to foster her....it took two days. Plum was a yearling hiding under a tarp for her first lambing. I crawled under the tarp, talking quietly to the new mom, Holding poor little wet Polka under a towel, Gripping her little legs under her, so she wouldn't stand and scare her foster mom. Both lambs side by side, finally....Plum licked them both as her own lambs, and the natural ewe learned to suck...finally it was Polka's turn...she leaped at the chance to taste her foster mom's milk. The two grew up as sisters. But Polka paid me back the next year, as she walked into the pen with her new-born ewe lamb, di-si-do....and let a new orphan lamb suck on the other side. Polka looked from one to the other as if she knew she had needed that help once herself.

It's pouring rain outside my window. I still have two fat ewes, but the barn is too crowded with lambs and moms to bother them in the downpour....looking for a ewe making little lamb-sounds. I'm expecting plain little lambs, now. But I see breeders who think those lambs are still salable. Maybe if they are ewes...but rams that are plain need a boost these days. What will be the next big sale in shetlands? I would think that after selling all those broken patterns as spotted kats and spotted guls...that someone should come up with a well patterned katmoget....and gulmoget. Show them what the pattern really is. Provide the best. Specialize. Charge a lot too. Your lambs are worth it!

who, where, when?

Someday, I will get organized. It is also likely true....that I have never considered organization very important. Oh well, maybe I'll be better next year.

The reason I make these announcements, is that I pretty much know who, and where....but when can escape me.

Some of our fences have gotten propped up. Some haven't. The grass is growing....but not where there are fences. That results in constant trials of who is in the woods...and how do we get them out? There have been three days when no one in the ewe pasture got lost. Maybe the rams were lost those days....but I don't remember. I think one of the brown and white ram lambs is gone...but, haven't had the ewes in long enough to make sure. Glory finally found her ram lamb....so I am hoping the missing ram lamb will show up someday.

Some of the ewes are getting to their new homes, some are still here. We are still having rain often. Between delivery trips, I have not done any shearing. Maybe later....when the drought starts again.

I do still have about a dozen ewes who should move on to new homes. If you have a cause to look for an extra ewe....ask about who is still here. I also have a few that are still expecting. Any ewe lambs still here, need to go to new homes this summer. The first batch of lambs will turn 8 weeks old this week. It would be nice to get young ewe lambs a place to live before July. They are just beginning to have real personalities.

Photos of some nice little ewe lambs who are waiting to be adopted. Maybe they can sneak their mom in too, if you have room.

Shy little ewes, looking for homes with fences, and grass and hay....learning to eat a little grain....if their moms don't get it first. Will give their adopted parents many years of companionship. Odd colors and recessive spots a possibility. Contact birth mom.

bopeep's sheep

Lamb Number 539 and lamb number 540. I bought my first sheep, three shetland ewe lambs....in 1999. Think about that. I have been breeding for less than 10 years. How do I believe that I know ANYTHING about the shetland breed? I have friends, who have bred shetlands for almost twice as long. My last twins born a few days ago were numbers 539 and 540. OK, I may not have been breeding for more than ten years, but I have bred a few lambs. If a breeder had 20 lambs every year for 20 years. They would have bred 400 lambs. I just did mine in less time. I have seen some interesting things in my lambing seasons. Not everything....but a few. I have seen some health problems....not all....but a few. I have seen some spots.....not all...but a few.

Now that I am looking back at lambings and not forward, what do I regret?

I regret that I have only come close to a natural bielset. That was my original goal in breeding spotted sheep. I failed. I believe there is one flock across the pond that has natural bielsets. I doubt that there is another shetland breeder out there in the world, with any interest in just a bielset. Breeders seem to want to only breed spots that they have already seen...or bought.

How sad.

There is a big poster showing possible shetland spots. That poster inspired me the day I put a deposit on my first sheep. Who is breeding for the spotting on that poster? Why do you all claim to be content with only one type of spot? Why should all shetland breeder follow the bidding of a few?

Where is your sense of adventure?

How many yuglet sokkets with a white tip on their tail can people want to see in their field? Whatever you call them, they all look the same after a while. Do you, a breeder, sell all your raw fleeces to one spinner? Why, if you don't..... do you let one spinner dictate what you raise? Do you only raise musket sheep because musket sells well. NO! You would be bored with all musket sheep....however many varieties of musket you could try to see. So why aren't you bored with only one politically correct type of spot?

Now, I am not talking about certain breeders....I am not naming anyone else....I am able to state my view of the state of shetland spotting without defaming anyone.

I DO want to compliment certain other breeders, however. My old friend Stephen Rouse, has reinvented the shetland spot by crossing patterns with spots. This type of spotting has influenced the spotting world in an exciting way. Who knows what will come out at the birth of these sheep. How fun! Spotted Gulmogets have energized the flecket births. Thanks Stephen.

Sandy Truckner has a wonderful invention....a line of Caped Fleckets. She has developed these spots all by herself...and everyone interested in developing spotted shetlands should be trying to acquire one. Nancy Larsen almost had a natural bielset, she has a lovely line of fleckets. Nancy sold me sheep, who finally produced spots for me. Grab one of her sheep if you can, she knows wool and has sold her own wool for many years. I've even bought and spun her value-added wool....and I haven't had time to spin much. I also want to thank Nancy K. and her own special bluff country shetlands....Her lovely photos of her spotted sheep and her incredible marketing abilities have caused her spotties to go all over this country and Canada. Good for you, Nancy. You know what you like and you can sell it too!

Now let's talk about the breeder who has gotten this far in my rantings.

You.

How many shetland lambs did you birth this year? How many do you want to sell? How, are you going to sell them? Do you have a plan? Did you have a plan when you bred those lambs? Can you make a plan to sell what you already have? Try!

The world is expensive to live in....the livestock industry is going to get more expensive. You HAVE to be able to compete! Otherwise, you will have to cut back to a few old friends like I am doing.....and how sad that would be!!!!

If you are trying to breed some exciting spots....I would love to contribute to your ideas. Write me. I have a little experience in crossing lines to get different spots. Maybe I can help you achieve something different and wonderful! You have got to specialize to get anywhere in livestock these days. Think about your ideal sheep....and try for it. If you think it is ideal, you can convince someone else it is ideal and they will buy it too.

All these little sheepies need a home. They all need a little love, just like us.

yes, I still see sheep.

For those folks who think I may be sold down and out. I still see sheep out there.

Lots of bouncy lambs.

I was going to say lots of small pretty ewes.

Yes, folks...for your information....shetland ewes are supposed to be a smaller sheep. That is their breed.

I didn't get into shetlands so that I could raise meat sheep.

Boy, you should have seen the stuff I had to erase!

I have this year, arrived at what I believe is the best yuglet flecket lamb. Lovely little spotties with varied spots and milti-colors. I see these lambs already playing with others of their own image. How do they know? I don't have mirrors in the barn. I am very impressed with these last remnants of my breeding program. I have always loved spots....and I love the variety caused by different rams and different ewes. How exciting. If you can't spin something wonderful from a flecket...you don't know how to spin.

If you haven't had a flecket born...you haven't lived.

Order of photos....Santa....big white spot ram lamb.....how adorable is that!

Pair of highly varied yuglet fleckets....were nose to nose before I snapped the picture.

Dang!

Waltz and her first twins...a big white spot and his sister. Ho hum. How ever did that plain moorit ewe manage to produce those lambs? He hehe, trade secret.

Hay ground...covered with sheep.

bad ideas

Has this happened at your house?
Gosh, that lawn looks so good....it's a shame to cut it. Maybe we could put some sheep out there. It's fenced so they can't get to the road, and I'll stay outside and do some gardening.
Ha Ha Ha Ha.........Ho ho hooohho.
Don't ever think like this. It sounds too easy, and you know something will happen to make it a disaster!
Well, my first thought these days is what can my moms and lambs eat, since hay is not available....and a nice long lawn looked like a good substitute. So for two days I let ewe and lambs that were not sold out into the unbred side of the barn. That way they could follow all the other ewes out to the hay ground....where there are no fences.
Since the hay ground is about 1/2 mile away from the house....I don't always hear what is going on out there. I would like to know there is nothing endangering the ewes and lambs that have been sold.
What could be easier? The moms and lambs were fenced right next to the yard. I opened the gate and moms ran out to eat grass...the baaing lambs soon decided to follow the moms.
I got down on my knees.....not an easy job....and started creating a garden for my new Lavender plants...thanks to Angela! And I moved the lovely daylilies out of their pots....where they had spent last summer....The plants all went out in the south part of the yard.
As I was kneeling, I saw a ewe who didn't belong. OK....I don't remember which ewe I saw first. But as I looked up, I noticed more ewes that were not moms eating the long grass.
Sometime during the about two hours....a ewe had opened the gate into the other part of the fencing. All the ewes from the hayground were now pushing their way into the back yard. Some of the new moms and lambs were pushing their way out into the pasture side. Everyone was baaing....except me!
I wasn't even yelling....I couldn't be heard anyway. I finally got up, and went for the grain. As I passed the inside of the barn, I saw Donna....one of my first ewes....trying to push out a lamb.
Minor distraction, make sure Donna doesn't lose a lamb....she's 9 now...and not as agile as a younger ewe.
Armed with a bucket of grain....I began throwing grain, and calling baaing sheep. They didn't know the program.
As a shepherd, you know, sheep get used to a certain way of doing things. They hadn't been in the back yard before....so they didn't know which way to run. Half of the ewes came out and not many of the 70 odd lambs....who were now running back and forth wondering where mom went. Lambs wonder out loud....very out loud! During the din, my husband got the lawn mower going....thinking it would drive the sheep out of the yard. Actually, most just ran back and forth.
It did however, add to the level of noise.
I figured out how to move some ewes away from the gates with interior fencing. Eventually we got down to a dozen lambs running back and forth. I opened the gates wide enough to let lambs in but not wide enough to let ewes out. Finally the lambs got into the pasture fencing. They actually all got into the night fencing too. I really don't know how. But they were all mixed up. Two yearlings were watching Donna push. One or two moms couldn't find their lambs. So I went from one baaing ewe to the other looking for lost lambs. The yearling ewes lost interest, and I helped Donna clean the nose of her sputtering ram lamb. Off to find another lamb. I heard baaing from the jug, and looked right at the offending ram lamb, He wasn't baaing. Against the wall, there were fencing panels tied in place. Over them was a blanket....behind the blanket was a ram lamb. Wedged into the wall.....I untied all the panels and lifted the ram lamb out. Then I went back to revive the ewe lamb that Donna had just pushed out. I opened the sides. Everyone was now together.
Tomorrow...which in the sceme of things was today....the sheep could all go out to the hayground to eat. Heck with the hay crop...we need the grass.
So today, the ewes and lambs noisily made their way out to the grass....during the day many of them got turned around and wandered down the creek in the woods. They were trapped outside the pastures, and openings had to be made to let them back out. Oh well, what do you expect when there are no fences?
The second problem with today, was that the fencing at the edge of the hay ground was down from flooding. Logs and sticks, grass and leaves matted onto fencing took some posts down...took some with the fencing....all lay in a jumble at the edge of the pastures. So this afternoon, we took the posts off, shook off the matting....pounded posts back in, and reattached the fences. Only about 150 feet of fencing....but it made me feel better. At the end of the day, the fences could be closed to the hayground. Good, since with the lambs playing outside the night fencing. I quit. They can stay where they are tonight. Hopefully there won't be anything chasing them. The dogs can bark....and I'll rest. Go in the barn, you can find it. Go to sleep.
The flowers got watered today, from above...I didn't get that far myself. Sorry, I didn't look to see how much the flowers were watered either.
Don't let that back yard fool you.
It might be a bad idea.

dreary and not dreary

Are you stuck in a non-spring moment?

Today it calls for rain and storms.

again.....

Better than snow and ice...and floods....and wind storms...and earthquakes.

Whoops....

Had one of those too.

All it did was get me out of bed. Us northerners are used to earthquakes....so I just got up and checked the sheep.

Have you started lambing season yet?

I hope your girls don't make you wait too long.

We have had plenty of yellow lambs this year. Poor moms lick and wrinkle their nose.

We had an older ewe bred at thanksgiving last fall...so i am waiting for her to figure out how to push.

Top photo is Sprinkles...she is going to New York with her mom.

Others are of our last flood. Rams in their shelter, trying to ignore the water running over their dam.

Sorry, blogger didn't like my other photos....some days are just like that.

Going to check the barn in the rain.

sunshine

I saw it once today...

I have been encouraged to post nice photos for my friends who are not experiencing spring.

Flowers in the rain, and flood photos of the lambs pasture...before and after. You can see the lambs and moms out with their re-appearing lake. The after photo shows the fence still down outside the lamb area...and the condition of the ground after the flooding water scoured the grass off the dirt.

The cute lamb pictures are of Do si do and her first ram lamb...this is the lambs first walk outside the barn down to the pastures and the other lambs.

Ok, the top photos are from before the last flooding rains.

Spotted rams are cute cute cute.