How To Choose ... Market Lambs Vs Breeding Stock |May 2022

At Ewetopia Farms, we specialize in registered Suffolk and Polled Dorset sheep for breeding stock. But not all lambs have the qualities they should have to be replacement ewe lambs or flock sires. We are just starting to sort out our lambs now that they are three months old. I discuss what we are looking for in our "keepers" and what would go into the cull category. But this is just the first cut. They will be re-evaluated several more times before we make our final selections.

We also let our adult rams out to pasture and talk about pasture grazing and requirements for shelter.

With sheep farming, there is always something new to learn. At Ewetopia Farms, we try to incorporate learning opportunities when we encounter them as we go through daily life on our sheep farm. From lambing to breeding to selecting quality replacement lambs to removing manure to relaxing with the sheep - it is all part of our lives as Canadian sheep farmers!

I hope you enjoy this video. If you would like to follow along with us and experience life on a working sheep farm on a daily basis, please subscribe do that you don't miss a single episode! Thank you for taking the time to watch! We love to hear from you so be sure to leave a comment as well.

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[patriciaruppert]

Thank you for explaining how choosing rams is done. Very interesting. And having a guard cat for the rams is great. 🤣🤣

[michaelwalsh]

Thanks for the informative video. As you and others have stated the ram is half the flock and it's much harder to reduce or eliminate faults in a flock but it only takes 1 faulty ram and you've set back your progress. Thanks again for another great video

[MichaelB]

Appreciate your analysis of your stock. Very informative. Always enjoy your commentary and your personal sharing. Thanks!

[HBLDN]

Thank you for all the information, your sheep are exceedingly beautiful! I only found your channel a few days ago and your already one of my favourite farming channels . Your so down to earth and you have a lot to be proud of. Thanks again!

[cindyboard]

Scotty the livestock guardian 😂😆 Your rams looked like lambs out in the huge pasture!! Such a awesome sight to see them out on the emerald colored grass!! Your explanation of the selection process was very interesting information! The same qualities were important when we were choosing a bull for our herd. One cow gives one calf each year, however the bull produces all the calves in a year. Thanks for sharing and stay safe!!!

[GallonMilkProductions]

Once again another fun adventure. It's calming watching your daily chores even if they are boring at times to you as a farmer. Lots of us in the city or suburbs are jealous lol. I also had another question, I was re-watching a video you did before on bedding and was wondering if you had an opinion on farmers who used slotted systems (similar to how they do for commercial cows and always do for feeder pigs). it's allegedly cleaner and easier on the farmer for cleaning/hoof care as you just siphon it out, but I worry about sheep comfort levels on hard concrete or plastic. Sheep come from often rocky terrain in wild types or highland breeds so I didn't know if you had an opinion on how it would positively or negatively affect their health. Just a video idea lol. thanks as always

[LadyLithias]

I'm in the process of choosing a new ram, and the person who I'm getting a ram lamb from has discovered it's not as simple as it seems. We picked out the perfect lamb and she was working with him and the other lambs, and noticed that he had a split upper eyelid deformity (SUED) which is a specific genetic flaw that seems to go with Jacob Sheep and the four-horned gene. It wasn't *very* bad, but she wanted to connect up with me before she wethered him. Another four-horned breed was heavily culled for the deformity, and as a result, that breed has almost no four-horn specimens left, so the American Jacob society is allowing some to go through and get registered, but they are also tracking it closely. Interestingly enough, since I started my sheepy adventure with the ten offspring of my current ram as exemplars of what he was capable of, I was pleased that only one of his babies had the SUED issue. The Jacob society were fascinated by this, however, as that lamb was only a 3/4 Jacob, with a 1/2 Jacob ewe mum, and the lamb was polled, and had almost the worst SUED case possible. They thought it was peculiar since it's supposed to be linked to the four-horn gene. But that is a recessive gene, and her daddy would have given it to her, so that could be why she had the condition.

I was (and am for the future) so excited to evaluate rams, just like you're doing here. Since Jacobs are a heritage breed, and mixed wool/meat use, the traits I have to evaluate, aside from everything you mentioned because we don't want our rams to be unable to sire babies, include the percentage of black and white. Of the 8 purebred babies my ram sired this year, most are perfect but a couple are questionable (The questionable ones are also inbred, so are already on my don't breed list). We also have to look at the amount of black and white on the legs - pure white is a frowned on, but pure black legs is a disqualifier. Then there's the facial patches. They're supposed to have a white face with black patches on the nose, and both eyes, so if they're missing one, it's less desirable. One of my inbred babies just barely makes that mark.... she looks like she has a black moustache instead of a fully black muzzle, and instead of a big wide circular patch of black around both eyes, she has black eyelids. She's a very "Goth" girl, with black lipstick and eye-shadow on a very white face. Another thing we have to judge on both ewes and lambs is the quality and quantity and distribution of horns. My favorite ewe lamb of the bunch might not make the cut, because her horns are shorter than the lambs that are six weeks younger. She should have at least two solid horns, but right now they are more like scurs. She's otherwise a perfect Jacob ewe lamb. Then there's one of the inbred babies, he has *three* horns. His papa has four horns, but they were fused symmetrically on both sides of his head, and so he looks like a big-horn sheep. Quite acceptable. But this baby boy has two horns on one side, and an extra wide (fused?) horn on the other. He will never be useful as a herd sire. He'll probably stick around until the fall when I'll likely cull him.

I think it's fascinating to see the characteristics that you focused on in this video, because they're universal and have nothing to do with the breeds, and are more about the purpose - as a terminal sire.

I'm curious, at what age do you look at the testicular development? Like for example, my 1 month old ram lamb is not at all impressive, and my nearly 3 month old ram lamb is much more impressive, but neither of those boys have anything on their papa. So when do they start "filling out" in the testicle department? I guess I asked because my three month old boy doesn't seem all that well endowed (compared to papa) but in all other respects he's starting to look like a young-adult sheep instead of a lamb.

[carlneathammer]

Can you sell to someone who lives in the states?

[rhondamitchell]

Lol there trying to help open the gate pawing it .I dont think I've ever touched a sheep .look at those boy eating that green grass.

[pahelihouse]

मुझे सफोल्क भेड़ का सिमन चाहिए फोर इंडिया