SHEEP AND GOAT PEOPLE

[runamuk]

Seeing as I am not foaling thought I'd get a head count on all those lambing and kidding

I have 10 ewe's total 6 finns (trips,quads,+) and 4 ramby/merino's.......from the looks of 2 of my girls we will be starting soon.......

so who else is expecting and when?

 

[Tammie]

I raise nigerian dwarf and african pygmy goats. I have eight in total, three are breedable does but his year I decided to only breed my nigerian dwarf as I had several boys last year and had a hard time selling them and still have two, who are now living happily as wethers. The girls however always sell like hotcakes. Anyway, my Piper will be due around April 14th. I always breed for April babies.

I have an orphaned blue english/suffolk cross sheep that was orphaned at 5 days old and I adopted him from a friend and have raised him ever since. He thinks he is a dog doesn't want anything to do with my goats. Even though he is huge comapred to them he is terrified of them. So he wanders around my yard as a pet, I call him my "Sheep Dog". Gives new meaning to the word.

Please post pictures of your babies when they arrive, I just love to see them!

Tammie~

 

[Carol Z]

We breed our sheep to lamb around the 1st part of April. We shear them a week or so before they start to lamb. We have 17 ewes bred.

 

[ForMyACDs]

We have Nubians and our kidding season here starts at the end of February. The plan was to have all 10 does kid out in late February to early March, but I guess it doesn't pay to plan like that. Instead I have 3 does kidding within about a week of each other in Feb/March, then two kidding mid-to late March, then three kidding mid to late April and one AI that will kid in mid-May.

We had trouble using a very young buck this year so girls didn't get bred as planned and trouble with AI equipment left 2 of the 3 AI's open One doe due in late March (the AI that took) aborted about 2 weeks ago so she gets some time off and then will be rebred in another month for LATE kids. I'm supposed to take some kids down to Texas in mid-May and bring my buck, some kids and maybe an adult doe up so I'm sure hoping that everything is calm about that time.

Next year I'll use CIDRs on the adult does if I have to in order to get early kiddings out of them.......I need the milk they produce for the kids the younger does will kid out and this year's screw up in plans leaves me in a bad position. Due to a HEAVY cull year last year (bloodlines that don't cross well on what we're concentrating on, poor quality udders on does purchased as kids etc) our herd is pretty young right now. We shouldn't wind up in nearly as bad a position next year however as we have some nice upcoming doelings from some VERY nice bloodlines.

 

[runamuk]

Boy can I sympathize with the planning being laid to waste

MY plan was to breed for lambing to commence the end of february.....yeah well my rams the whole lot of em decided the hot fence wasn't too hot when there were girls on the other side (mind you all the girls sans 1 stay where I put them)...so not only am I lambing anytime now I didn't get anyone bred to the choices I had and at the moment have no idea who was bred by who

so sadly there will be no registerable lambs this crop but at least I might get some more decent crossbred ewes for my commercial group.......we will be building new improved ram pens on the other side of the property come spring....the ewes will be moving to the barn this week......

good luck can't wait to see "kid" pics

We have Nubians and our kidding season here starts at the end of February.  The plan was to have all 10 does kid out in late February to early March, but I guess it doesn't pay to plan like that.  Instead I have 3 does kidding within about a week of each other in Feb/March, then two kidding mid-to late March, then three kidding mid to late April and one AI that will kid in mid-May.
We had trouble using a very young buck this year so girls didn't get bred as planned and trouble with AI equipment left 2 of the 3 AI's open  One doe due in late March (the AI that took) aborted about 2 weeks ago so she gets some time off and then will be rebred in another month for LATE kids.  I'm supposed to take some kids down to Texas in mid-May and bring my buck, some kids and maybe an adult doe up so I'm sure hoping that everything is calm about that time.

Next year I'll use CIDRs on the adult does if I have to in order to get early kiddings out of them.......I need the milk they produce for the kids the younger does will kid out and this year's screw up in plans leaves me in a bad position.  Due to a HEAVY cull year last year (bloodlines that don't cross well on what we're concentrating on, poor quality udders on does purchased as kids etc) our herd is pretty young right now.  We shouldn't wind up in nearly as bad a position next year however as we have some nice upcoming doelings from some VERY nice bloodlines.

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[alphahorses]

I only have 1 ewe that is breeding age (will have 5 next season) and I wanted her bred for February or March lambs. Last year she caught the first week she was covered. This year .. well ... best laid plans. The ram was still rutting around her the beginning of December, so I will probably end up with May lambs now!

 

[runamuk]

OK is that a black babydoll? That is a mighty cute ewe. Well on the good side it might be warm in May

I only have 1 ewe that is breeding age (will have 5 next season) and I wanted her bred for February or March lambs.  Last year she caught the first week she was covered.  This year .. well ... best laid plans.  The ram was still rutting around her the beginning of December, so I will probably end up with May lambs now!

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[minisaremighty]

I raise Nigerian Dwarfs. I have 3 does due at the end of March. Planned to have the other 6 does due around March-April. HOWEVER, those 6 have never been bred and I'm trying to breed them to a young inexperienced buck, soooooo not really thinking that's going to happen!!!

 

[Dontworrybeappy]

We're breeding about 15-20 ewes - mainly purebred Bluefaced Leicesters... but our colored ewes include two finns, a couple BFL crossbreds and a romney/merino ewe.

This will be our 9th or 10th year with BFL's - we love them! Lambing should start in March - hopefully after the shearer comes through town.

Here's one of my favorite lamb photos - our first crop of 1/2 BFL lambs out of radically different ewes... talk about prepotent rams!

 

[runamuk]

Alright this is getting downright SCARY

Last evening we loaded 2 lambs for delivery into the trailer (yes I gave them food and water in their stall on wheels)...anyway like a bunch of knot heads we left the 3 rams that needed to trade places with the ewes' in the barn.........

Low and behold I get home tonite and Hubby loaded the rams in the trailer........brought all 10 ewes up from the field to the barn...moved the rams down to the field...and had the hay loaded back in the trailer (keeps it dry)...and all the animals were fed and watered

so now all my ladies in waiting are happily lounging in the barn chewing cud and getting plenty of extra feed (without the help of 3 fat yaks

)

next I need to get the shearer out