Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

Mike CHS

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This lambing cycle is spread out more than ever before for some reason. Our #8 ewe had twins this afternoon and we moved her in with the other 9 that had lambed. There are three ewes that look like they should lamb literally tonight and then there will be 7 more to go. #54 has an udder that looks like a goat and her lambs are visibly moving. We had cut way back on the number of breeders planning on a short cycle but it isn't working that way. Our ewes name tags are based on when they were born so number 8 was among our first lambing season. It's nice to be able to walk out and pick up one of her lambs and she will follow bringing the other. She was at the most distant point from where I wanted to take her but she acted like it was no big deal. This next season will add the 11 yearlings or maybe less depending on who winds up on the cull list.

It is getting to be a pain getting in and out of gates at the barn since all of the tame lambs want to follow wherever I go. Little Bit is taking 16 ounces at a feeding and his Momma is watching his every move although she has no milk. Our 26 ewe that had the C Section is doing great and is enjoying fresh cut grass being brought to her plus she has feed available. She isn't making a lot of milk so we are augmenting by feeding her twins.
 

farmerjan

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Yeah, gates are fun with the whole Pied Piper's group following along:lol::barnieNot.

Funny how when we want to shorten up the calving season, something just doesn't work... and when I put the bull in and he gets left in there for 3 months because we get too busy with other stuff to get him out, it seems they all calve in less than 30 days. The weather seems to really affect our breeding more lately though. The springs have been short or non-existent and it gets hot quick so the cows either get bred right away when the bull goes in if they are at least 30 days fresh... but more often they don't get bred til we get a little cool off like in July.... so the spring calvings the next year get strung out all over the place. Fall calvings seem to be more uniform for us with the bulls normally going in around 3rd week of Nov.... and calving by early Sept.... we have carried over some cows lately to the "next calving" season and then they normally calve early in that season because their calves are over 90 days old so their repro system is well back to cycling normally.
Different with the sheep and getting them to cycle "off season" , so you get lambs now for spring sales is harder to do.. nature says they are supposed to lamb in the spring.....cattle also tend to calve more often in the spring if left to PURELY natural cycling/breeding.... but not as much. Then there are all the hormones and such that you can really manipulate them... it does help to get a tighter calving window though if they are synchronized to come in heat at the same time and then bred AI and then use a clean up bull. Sometimes with synching them, they will recycle in 14 days if not bred and then will usually catch....
 

Mike CHS

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We plan on having the ram with them for 4 cycles and it has worked well since we started. So far they have all gotten bred but we have less twins/trips. The trade off still works as we are selling lambs when most are just starting to lamb. I'm not sure how long that will continue since I know of several other sheep farms that have started breeding when we do.

I actually have enjoyed having fewer multiple births since the singles grow out faster and they have brought a selling price that was still higher than the multiples.

The first picture are the ram lamb on the left and the brown faced ewe lamb. On the bottle is Babs on the bottle and Toby waiting his turn. Little Bit gets his bottles through the fence since he stays with his Mom.
 

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Mike CHS

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I took this picture as I was coming down the drive way. It's a pretty view when everything is greened up. Seven of these girls still need to lamb and all of those further out in the paddock are yearlings that are not bred.
 

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