A candid talk today about the previous lambing season, what went right, what did not, and how we’re planning to improve for next year. Thanks for being here!
I'm delighted to have found your channel and I'm reluctant to just dive in offering advice - I have goats and dorpers and my one experience with preg tox we treated propylene glycol AND calcium (and b12 for rumen health) and brought her back from the edge and kidded big twins without issues- my vet said it was the calcium imbalance that triggers the whole issue. Not sure of the value of the information but figure it might help someone like it helped us.
Any experiential info here is valuable and thank you for sharing! Can you provide any additional details on the calcium (kind and dose)? I was giving 60cc glycol but will absolutely try the additional calcium next time. Potential life saver comment here for those following! Thank you!
@@birchfieldfarming argh I don't recall except it was a solution in a large clear bag sold for IV use in cattle - but we were told to give it subcutaneously. I'll have a rummage through my records when I get home and give you some actual information :P
You can certainly leave rams in year round if you’re ok with lambing any time of the year - maybe that’s what you’re asking? Ok, I think I’m understanding…Yeah, Florida…Yeah, I have no clue about grazing down there, but if you can graze year round down there then you can certainly lamb year round. That would be a huge advantage over us! Do some research on parasites tho, as no break from those might create more intense issues. Long response, but thanks for the question!🤠
Thanks for the great video and valuable insights! What type of breeding management do you do with your sheep - linebreeding, rotate rams for the offspring, other?
We’ve done some linebreeding in the past when we first started, but have since moved to two separate ram lines and a rotation. Very happy with this, as we didn’t start seeing triplets until we added that 2nd line(somewhat of the hybrid vigor principle maybe?). I’ll probably end up adding a 3rd at some point, but I really like some of the traits I’m seeing now - lots of vigor, good gains on grass alone, and very, very little if any scouring in this crop we just sold. Are you raising hair sheep?
@@TreeofLifeFarm Yeah, looking back I would’ve added that 2nd line at the start - that way you’ve secured your lines upfront and rams have companionship (aka someone to headbutt) when you have them separated from ewes. Best of luck!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. You really know a lot about the St. Croix. I am sure to be switching to that breed. You can educate me here. Is it absolutely a no-no, under any circumstances to ever give a organic grain product of some type to boost the power of the ewe in the last few weeks before delivery? I just need to get my head around this no grain way of raising after twenty years of doing that.
You know, we talk often of context, and I think that’s what it comes back to with your question. Sheep CAN be fed grain and cattle as well. Might we have saved our mamma if we’d fed some grain?…possibly, don’t know for sure. We choose not to feed grain here for several reasons. I don’t farm grain, grain is expensive, but most importantly the design of the ruminant animal favors pasture grasses and legumes...if we can get that right(rotation, grazing at the right height, not over-grazing, etc). I am also drawn to minimal input ag or doing what we can with what we have and in our circumstance grass pasture is what we have. In the times that are approaching, I believe this will become increasingly important. In closing, it really all depends on your farming context, beliefs, and goals.
Wish I could get a ram and some ewes off you 😅 unfortunately, bringing breeding stock across the border is extremely difficult. I love my St. Croix but finding a compatible ram for them is proving a major problem. Sheep isn't super profitable where I live, unfortunately, but I really hope that will change some day because sheep are fantastic!
I can’t imagine trying to navigate customs and live animals🤯Is your current ram not working out? Yes, they are in my estimation the most efficient converter of grass into meat, milk, more lambs, and fertilizer that I’ve ever seen…and more importantly, they’re just enjoyable!
@birchfieldfarming yes, in Canada, at least, that's as close to the breed as we get. There are a handful of actual royal whites in canada but they're even harder to come by than St. Croix. Really great cross though! I have some good videos of them on my channel
@@ShepherdsCreek Definitely checking out the channel. One last question: How do you think Royal White worm resistance compares to St Croix? (I’ve known other breeders who’ve said they had to worm RW but not St Croix). Curious on your experience, thanks!
If our pastures are a little beat up from the drought, when would you pull your animals off for winter. We are rotating daily..but man things are not bouncing back for us. (In lebanon ohio so not far from you!)
It’s been tough, and I’m learning with you! One thing I’ve noticed is just b/c we’re out of drought doesn’t mean we’re back to normal. Spring drought is tough, as Aug/Sept grass growth is typically half what May/June is. For me, I’m trying to hay at the end of the rotation to allow more rest time vs. just pulling them off completely. Normally, we’re grazing paddocks well into November, sometimes even December. This year may be different, I think it all just depends on weather from here on out!
