Ohiogoatgirl's Escapades & Adventures- Pulse check! pg14

[ohiogoatgirl]

I keep waffling about keeping Butthead another year.

For next year-
~I don't want to breed him to the shetland/cormo ewes again. I will have them and all their daughters to breed to Fitzwilliam.
~If I keep him I would probably breed him to Pigpig and Midget again unless I get something I really don't like.
~If I keep him I would breed him to the Icelandic cross ewes I want to get from the person a few miles away. I really think he would throw some amazing lambs with those ewes.
~I will be keeping my eyes open for a nice ram of other breeds still but I would be holding that back for the following year most likely. I am going to have such a hard time not keeping everything!
~If I do decide to keep him another year he will definitely be sold after breeding. I will have too many options between keeping back ram lambs and buying to keep him longer. I have a lot of things I want to try and see what I get and what does well here.

So... Tentative breeding groups for next year would be something like-
~Fitzwilliam- Shetland/cormo white ewes (x4 of them), Daughters of Butthead,
~Butthead- Pigpig, Midget, Hair cross ewe (If she stays), Icelandic cross ewes

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

The more I think about it... I am most likely going to keep a ram lamb back from Butthead, so it wouldn't make sense to keep him. I would like a bit more of his meaty frame but I can work on that more over time. I am hoping his high twinning rate holds true here!

Keeping a son of Butthead would work well for what I would be planning for him if he stayed. Plus I hope to raise him to be a gentleman, like Fitzwilliam is so far (fingers crossed! knock on wood!!!), and I won't have to deal with Butthead's annoying behavior. Although, to be fair to him, I haven't had to really reprimand him since mid June really. In the spring I pinned him to the ground and pretty much sat on him several times, then in mid June he thought he'd pull a fast one on me (tryin to eat ALL the feed instead of just a portion for him) and I had to kick him out the shed.. And in kicking him out I gave him a good what-for and flipped him a$$-over-head out the doorway. Since then though it is mainly that he tries to bully everyone at feeding time. When I start putting out hay again (real feedin out, not just for snacking) we will see if he starts up trying to hog all the hay too.

So...
Depending on what happens with me keeping a ram lamb this spring.. The number of ewes I end up with total after lambing.. And if I get the barn built in the spring/summer..
I could see bringing in some of the Icelandic cross ewes and maybe some Border Leicester ewes (or other more longwool breed) in and just using Fitzwilliam and whatever ram lamb I keep back.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Have I mentioned I waffle about decisions?
I am sitting here reviewing the blog posts of Buttheads offspring the last breeding he was at the farm I bought him from. Five ewes, all twins, 2 rams and 8 ewes lambs. Half white, half colored patterned.
Also I forgot she mentions his age, so now I know for sure he is 5 y/o.

Sooooo...
Reasons I want to keep him-
~twin rate!
~beautiful fleece
~heavy fleece
~meaty type
~scurred
~I can breed him to medium wool ewes and get fine, medium/fine, medium wool lambs that I want
~if I keep him one more year I will have that many more lambs from him and not feel so bad about it once I have the flock numbers up

Reasons I don't want to keep him-
~he gets annoying at feed time
~his wool is finer than I am aiming for overall
~now and then he tests me and I have to kick his a$$
~I know I am going to want to keep everything (don't blame me they are so cute and I love wool! )

Tentative breeding plans for 2018 would be...
Fitzwilliam- 4 white shetland/cormo ewes, black shetland/cormo ewe, black shetland, Butthead's daughters
Butthead- Midget, Pigpig, hair x ewe, Fitz daughters (from the two black ewes), and probably some Icelandic x ewes

From there I would most likely keep back a really nice ram lamb (or two )... Sell Butthead and either sell or butcher Fitzwilliam... And depending on my numbers and what sort of fleeces I end up with at that point I will decide on what else I want to bring in and ewes or a ram.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

The boys are gettin musky! This morning everyone was damp from the heavy dew thanks to yesterday evening light rain. So you could really smell it.
Butthead got his face all dirty but wouldnt let me get a decent pic.
Breeding groups go in together about two weeks away! Already cant wait for #lambinglive2018 Lambs everywhere!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZTbWwtH04f/?taken-by=girlwalkswithgoats

Every day the sheep lick the feeder clean. Every day Midget and Pigpig have to check the bucket and make sure I'm not holdin back any extras! (video clip)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZTadvCnvmy/?taken-by=girlwalkswithgoats

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I just realized that Fitzwilliam will be 6.5 months old when breeding groups go together. His dad (Pythagoras) was a bit younger and much smaller when he bred Pigpig and Midget so I have faith in him
And got my fingers crossed for Butthead to keep his twinning rate up! So stoked!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZHsKonkCG/?taken-by=girlwalkswithgoats

My handsome boy! Fitzwilliam seems anxious for his girlfriends
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZd80Y4Htp8/?taken-by=girlwalkswithgoats

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I was just reviewing the farm blog of the person I got Butthead from. Not many pics of his lambs prior to 2016 lambing. But looking at the ewes and lambs color and pattern I am hopeful that I have good odds of at least getting some color and/or patterns from him even though most of the ewes are white.
And for Fitzwilliam I am thinking the odds are highest for black and moorit lambs. And given the mystery background of Pigpig (his mom).. and that the shetland ewe has a white spot on top of her head.. and that Pythagoras (his dad) was moorit with white on the face (and Py's dad was moorit and plenty of white on head and body)... I do have fair odds of getting some pattern and color from him as well.
I do not understand much yet about the color and pattern genetics but I am going off of what I am seeing and learned so far. Plus thankfully some things are similar to rabbit genetics which I know more of.

All in all I am estimating lamb color/pattern vs white to be either 50/50 or 60/40 leaning to more white lambs. Since I don't know the background of the white shetland/cormo ewes this is really just guesswork and daydreaming

8 or 10 days until the breeding groups go together!

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

This is how excited I am about lambs you guys...
Last night I had a dream that I went out to do chores.. And there was a lamb!... I do some more stuff.. Start walkin around the paddock.. Another lamb!.. More lambs!.. FOUR MORE LAMBS?!...LAMBS.LAMBS.LAMBS.LAMBS!!! hahahahaha! Lambs everywhere I looked! Way more lambs than I could get with nine ewes.. Unless everyone had triplets and quadruplets Hahaha which is unlikely.. I do realize it is unlikely to even get all twins, even if it would be really awesome

So given the funny dream.. I was thinking.. If I get one live lamb from each ewe I am looking at (statistically 50/50 or 60/40) somewhere from 3 to 6 ewe lambs to keep. And in the (unrealistic) odds that I got twins from everyone I would be looking at somewhere from 6 to 11 ewe lambs to keep.
So without buying any I would be at anywhere from 12 to 20 ewes this time next year. And I do want to bring in at least a couple ewes from one person next spring if nothing else.
Which brings up another reason to keep Butthead another year.. I may get a few ewes that I get a ram/twin rams from and not ewes. So keeping him another year adds to his ewe lambs I will be able to keep back. Especially if I end up with a ram heavy lambing this spring.

I guess I talked myself into keeping him eh.. I may have also been imagining fleeces of his offspring a lot.. And fleeces of his possible offspring bred to some IcelandicX ewes.. And his offspring bred to a border leicester.. Don't blame me! I am a sheep AND fleece addict! I cant help it!

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

7 or 9 days until breeding groups go together! Y'all gonna be like Hahahaha..

~2017 breeding (2018 lambing)
Fitzwilliam:
-black shetland, black (dark moorit?) shetland/cormo
Butthead:
-pigpig, midget, hair x, 4 white shetland/cormo

Following breeding groups as of my current goals and mind wanderings.. Hahahaha..

~Possible 2018 breeding (2019 lambing)
Fitzwilliam:
-Butthead's daughters
Butthead:
-pigpig, midget, 4 white shetland/cormo, black (dark moorit?) shetland/cormo, black shetland, hair x (depending on her lamb/s this year),... And possibly Icelandic x ewes I buy

~Possible 2019 breeding (2020 lambing)
Butthead son:
-Fitzwilliam daughters, others depending on wool qualities
Border Leicester ram ?
Icelandic x ram ?
Jacob ram ?

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Current ram breed interests for the future.. In order of current interest level.. Actual acquiring of sheep of these breeds will probably be based mostly on if a really good deal comes up and I can pinch the pennies haha.

~Border Leicester
~Icelandic
~Finn
~Jacob
~Tunis
~Blue Face Leicester
~Suffolk
~Corriedale
~Merino

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Breeding groups went together 10/3. I have been so crazy at work that not much has gotten accomplished. On my days off I don't even get caught up on stuff that needs done in the house, let alone working on fence or any of the other big projects that need worked on. It is getting me down

This weekend is the festival that I take part in every year with the spinners & weavers guild and the historical society. So from Thursday through Monday I will be at the Mill grounds as early as I can get there (after chores) until things are wrapped up in the afternoon/evening. I am so excited, this festival to me is like being a kid and having a four day birthday party.