Breeding Plans for Market Lambs

[Bicoastal]

I am completely confused on when I should breed my Katahdin ewes. I know of breeders in my region (Mid-Atlantic) lambing from Dec through April. Of course they all believe the month they lamb is the very best time. I am so confused!

My plan was to target the major holidays, specifically Eid just a few days away. Prices at the local sale at the beginning of March were excellent. The next Eid holiday is June. In between, the local market will be flooded with lambs in May-June and the prices will drop. Next major holiday to target is Christmas.

I just met with a successful breeder of registered Katahdins. I had no idea some producers kept their "lambs" for a full year. I thought the goal was to sell as soon as possible! My original plan was Fall lambing to sell small lambs for Eid at the end of March. It didn't work out. Now that I know a bit more, I am even more confused. Decreased fertility in the heat of the summer. Parasites in Spring, high heat and humidity in Summer.

Those in the Mid-Atlantic, when do you breed your ewes and why?

 

[Baymule]

I raise Katahdins in East Texas. I just concluded lambing. It started in November and ended in March. My sheep didn’t listen to me about this birthing business. 43 lambs, lost 3, 1 bottle baby, didn’t lose any ewes. Had to pull a couple of lambs. I wanted Fall lambs. I got fall lambs…….late fall…….early winter……..Pearl Harbor Day (and my brother’s birthday) ……. New Year’s Eve…..stormy winter…….and finally early spring ain’t here yet.

Last spring I had 31 lambs. I also got over 4 feet of rain over a few months. Epic floods. It warmed up, parasite bloom like I’ve never experienced. Even working closely with the vet, lambs were dropping dead. I lost 11. Survivors were wretched, stunted little things, took them to auction and got the worst prices I’ve ever had. I kept 7 ewes, wondering if they would even grow—and they did. Haven’t wormed them since and they are fine. I’m guessing they have worm resistance that’s outa this world. I’ll put them with a ram after the summer solstice in June. Gonna try the shortening days of summer just for giggles and grins.

I’ve been raising sheep for 10 years. If you figure it out, please let me know!

 

[mysunwolf]

We would usually have two lambing groups, an early group in January/February that was the older ewes, and a later group in March/April that was the maiden ewe lambs. I really liked lambing in winter because we saw less navel ill, fewer parasites (not keeping them over the hottest months), and could sell them ASAP. Some people think it's cost-effective to keep lambs longer than needed, but if you look at labor, vaccine, feed, dewormer costs vs. price per lb it really doesn't make much sense as far as how we were doing things. So we would sell straight off their moms when they were the right weight to go to market (depended on how the markets were looking).

If you can do fall lambing, that generally works best because most sheep are seasonal. Fall lambing should come easier to Katahdins than other breeds! My Katahdins still never wanted to lamb out of season, and so breeding in May didn't ever work out (didn't achieve a lot of pregnancies). But, no harm in trying and then if they don't lamb, you can breed them again in October. You can also consult a vet and try to use drugs and/or light manipulation to stimulate ovulation out of season.

First focus on making sure you get your management right for a couple years, and then you can make small changes and try to hit the markets just right as you get more familiar with sheep rearing (if you aren't already?).

 

[Sheepfarmer22]

We would usually have two lambing groups, an early group in January/February that was the older ewes, and a later group in March/April that was the maiden ewe lambs. I really liked lambing in winter because we saw less navel ill, fewer parasites (not keeping them over the hottest months), and could sell them ASAP. Some people think it's cost-effective to keep lambs longer than needed, but if you look at labor, vaccine, feed, dewormer costs vs. price per lb it really doesn't make much sense as far as how we were doing things. So we would sell straight off their moms when they were the right weight to go to market (depended on how the markets were looking).

If you can do fall lambing, that generally works best because most sheep are seasonal. Fall lambing should come easier to Katahdins than other breeds! My Katahdins still never wanted to lamb out of season, and so breeding in May didn't ever work out (didn't achieve a lot of pregnancies). But, no harm in trying and then if they don't lamb, you can breed them again in October. You can also consult a vet and try to use drugs and/or light manipulation to stimulate ovulation out of season.

First focus on making sure you get your management right for a couple years, and then you can make small changes and try to hit the markets just right as you get more familiar with sheep rearing (if you aren't already?).

I thought Katahdins were non-seasonal? My Katahdin ewes and Barbados Blackbelly ram were all together last fall-winter and got the first lamb a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Baymule]

Katahdins are supposedly non seasonal because they are based on the Saint Croix breed. But since they are a composite breed, the other breeds in their genetics can lean more to seasonal. Even the Saint Croix can become more seasonal because in their native land, there’s not much “seasons” it’s a tropical island. Here, there are more pronounced seasons, short days and long days. Summer breeding can still fail to settle the ewes because the heat can render the rams “seasonally” sterile. Those big balls can’t hang low enough to cool off. Ice pack anyone?

Basically it’s a crap shoot.

I moved my flock twice and that threw them off. I moved them here August 29, 2022. Going on 3 years. I put up cow panel pens, my very own version of Pallet Palaces, complete with room service and an animal cracker on their pillow, to set the mood. Lambing is all over the place. I am an idiot.

 

[Sheepfarmer22]

Katahdins are supposedly non seasonal because they are based on the Saint Croix breed. But since they are a composite breed, the other breeds in their genetics can lean more to seasonal. Even the Saint Croix can become more seasonal because in their native land, there’s not much “seasons” it’s a tropical island. Here, there are more pronounced seasons, short days and long days. Summer breeding can still fail to settle the ewes because the heat can render the rams “seasonally” sterile. Those big balls can’t hang low enough to cool off. Ice pack anyone?

Basically it’s a crap shoot.

I moved my flock twice and that threw them off. I moved them here August 29, 2022. Going on 3 years. I put up cow panel pens, my very own version of Pallet Palaces, complete with room service and an animal cracker on their pillow, to set the mood. Lambing is all over the place. I am an idiot.

I build Pallet Palaces for my animals too! I even call them that!!
I also use cow/hog panels. My ram was able to push down the then weakly set cow panel. I think because he smells ewes ready to breed. So maybe that could be an early fall lambing if i put him with them?

 

[Baymule]

It sure can’t hurt, let him in! Be sure to include a feed pan of alfalfa pellets as a romantic dinner gift! A splash of wine in the water bucket……LED imitation candles, up out of reach of course, Barry White songs…….

 

[Ridgetop]

We have registered White Dorpers and they breed year round. We are in northeast Texas and parasites are bad in a wet spring. Last year we lambed in May and lost a lot of animals. The survivors did not grow well. We transported the flock from California when they were lambing, and they were not used to the parasites.

First when it comes to breeding and selling lambs, check the holidays you are breeding for. Muslim and Jewish holidays and Easter change dates every year. Find those dates on your computer for the next year and plan to sell weaned lambs about a week or two before those dates.

Remember that most sheep are seasonal breeders which means that there will be more lambs on the market in spring and early summer. If you have non-seasonal breeders you can aim for out of season sales. You need to figure out what the best times of year are for selling in your area. Also don't forget to figure in the parasite loads during certain times of the year. Heavy parasite loads can cause deaths of lambs, as well as undersized lambs. Worming meds are not cheap.

Having found the best auction dates to sell at, now you need to figure out what size lambs to sell. Smaller lambs 45-60 lbs. bring better prices than 6 month and yearling lambs when you figure in the cost of raising them longer. If you have plenty of grazing you can hold the labs longer. You need to investigate what sizes bring the most money and that is the age/size you want to sell at. Lambing dates to aim for will depend on how large your lambs are at weaning. Weaning weights vary depending on the breed, individual flocks, and feedig programs.

Next you need to figure out the dates to breed. You need to allow 2 extra weeks since the ewes may recycle, and the ram if he hasnt been used for a while may not settle the first few ewes. Also avoid breeding during the hottest parts of the summer because older rams go temporarily sterile during heat waves. You can still breed using juvenile rams who will stay fertile longer. The normal period of pregnancy for sheep is 5 months & 5 days.

Based on the age of the lambs you want to bring to market. Weaning age can be 2-3 months, if you want to raise them longer, figure out when you want to sell and add that age plus the 5 months of pregnancy together. Then count back from the auction dates you want to sell at and that will be the breeding dates for your ewes. Make sure the ewes and ram are in good condition, and have been wormed if parasites are a problem.

This year we lambed in January. It was cold and rainy but we avoided parasites. We had 2 snow freezes lasting a week each, but because we have a pole barn with 2 sides we were able to use heat lamps in the jugs (lambing pens) and in the creep. The ewes and lambs went out to graze during the day. The first lambs arrived January 11. We sold our first group of 10 ram lambs 2 weeks ago. They ranged from 45-60 lbs. and were 8-10 weeks old. The second half of the ram lambs will go this weekend. Because I have exceptionally good bloodlines, I will hold the ewe lambs longer with an eye to selling breeding stock later. I also sell bred ewes occasionally so can hold ewe lambs longer.

I just met with a successful breeder of registered Katahdins. I had no idea some producers kept their "lambs" for a full year. I thought the goal was to sell as soon as possible!

Depending on whether you have registered sheep, are a well known breeder, sell show stock, etc. you can hold lambs longer since you will have buyers for your registered breeding animals. If you have private locker lamb clients tht ant yo to finish off a meat lamb for the and the price is good, you might hold a wether until butchering age. Also depending on where you live you might hold lambs longer if you are close to a processor that pays by the pound. Holding lambs longer also depends on how much pasture you have available since the longer you hold them the more they cost you in feed, time, and work. If you are feeding hay and have no pasture you can't afford to keep them past weaning.

Personally I like to sell my ram lambs at weaning. This means I also wean off the ewe lambs into a separate pen. If I don't like a ewe lamb she will also go to the auction for meat as well. I also cull for bad dispositions since I don't bother with crazy animals. The milking ewes go into a drying off pen where they put condition back on, are flushed, wormed, and gotten ready to breed again. Ewe lambs are bred at 10-12 months old depending on their size. I want them breeding asap. Yu cantpay for feed without lambs to sell. LOL

Hope this helps.