Daydreaming while waiting impatiently!

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh my gosh! That's crazy...shows how strong testosterone really is, lol!

 

[NH Homesteader]

This is the biggest problem with sheep, the darn rams! What a turd. Freezer bound?

 

[tortoise]

no, he's staying a couple years. I've been trying to get DH to do double fence and gates along this fence line. (y'know, the way sheep are supposed to be fence...) No-go yet. Fencing is hard work!

He didn't do all the damage alone and this year. Last year breeding season there was ram-ewes groups on each side of the fence and they mangled it pretty badly going head-to-head then. Again.... problems caused by incorrect fencing.

We have the older, dangerous ram (Jeremiah) in with goats, across the yard. I don't think we will sell him because he is dangerous, and hubby has no interest in eating him because... intact ram, ewww! I think the plan is to kill and compost, then move the remaining ram who broke the fence (Samuel) in with the goats. That should solve a whole lot of sheep management issues. We'll be able to divide the girls up by body condition over winter, they'll have more barn space (less muck). I won't have a heart attack worried about that dangerous ram every time we do anything with the sheep. He has injured me and DH - has knocked DH out *through a wooden gate*. He's scary. IDK, I might save him one more year to breed to this year's purchased bottle lambs. He has divine wool, more merino in him than the rest of my flock. But, OTOH, he is part Finn and I am about done with quads. IDK. What would you do?

 

[NH Homesteader]

Pelt, dog food. I don't do dangerous!

 

[sumi]

He has injured me and DH - has knocked DH out *through a wooden gate*. He's scary. IDK, I might save him one more year to breed to this year's purchased bottle lambs.

I don't think I'd breed with him… He may pass that nonsense onto his offspring, if it's bred into him to be like this.

 

[tortoise]

I don't think I'd breed with him… He may pass that nonsense onto his offspring, if it's bred into him to be like this.

His dangerousness was created, not inherited. He was a bottle lamb who got too much affection and handling. He has produced some lovely temperament offspring. and some not so great. I'm okay with culling the next generation hard for temperament. Doing a big cull/sale hopefully in a couple weeks. DH need to borrow or buy a stock trailer or otherwise figure out how to get them to auction. They only take sheep once a month.

I want a barn full of tame, gentle, lead-trained ewes. We don't have chutes or anything for handling, so I need to be able to walk up and halter whoever needs it. Right now about half are tame, and half are not and need herding. That is a PITA!

 

[NH Homesteader]

That is a pain! The first breed I ruled out was Finn, quads and nonsense, I have no interest in! Are there sheep breeds that tend to be more friendly/easy to work with?

 

[sumi]

His dangerousness was created, not inherited. He was a bottle lamb who got too much affection and handling. He has produced some lovely temperament offspring.

That's o.k. then!

 

[tortoise]

That is a pain! The first breed I ruled out was Finn, quads and nonsense, I have no interest in! Are there sheep breeds that tend to be more friendly/easy to work with?

Mine are all various commercial crosses. I'm moving towards higher Ile de France genetics because they seem to work well around here. Bottle raising is the #1 factor for temperament that I can tell. good for ewes, bad-bad-bad for rams.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I had to look them up, they're meaty looking sheep! I'm so afraid of bottle lambs, they're not as easy as bottle goat kids!

How's homeschooling going? DS settling in ?