Sheep Breeding Series - Part 1: The Breeding and Feeding Timeline
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- We are heading into our first season of breeding our katahdin sheep flock. I go to Bah Bah Blacktail farm to learn from our sheep breeder what we need to do to prepare for the special occasion.
In part 1, Tess explains the entire sheep lifecycle in which she talks about the best times for breeding and lambing as well the feeding requirements for sheep throughout these different phases of the year.
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It's a privilege of you, Dan, to be friends with Tess, she has so much wisdom! You can learn so much from her! Your videos with Tess are always very pleasure to watch and listen to.
I think Tess and you should write a book together! Start thinking of it, Dan :)
you never know!! :)
Will I ever use all of the knowledge I just consumed, probably not, but I am always delighted when I get schooled by y’all on things I knew nothing about. Thanks for that 😀
"Holy sheep" Dan!!!!!!! I am only 6mins in and this is blowing my mind!
Now I know I want sheep. I want and NEED to harvest the sun and all of the amazing things that she is saying. In fact I heard Greg Judy say it...but she is explaining so well!!
This information is GOLD!!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing it with us all!
....going back to watching now.
Awesome Beau! I'm glad this pushed you over the edge with sheep.
Dan, this was a big help to me as well. Please thank Tess from all of her "Internet mentees".
Tess really has the heart of a teacher. She is generous to share her knowledge.
Tess is such an amazing and patient teacher. So excited for the rest of the series
its awesome that Tess can give you so much information on what to do. it helps to know people like her that can share her knowledge of what she has learned over the years
This is so helpful!!!! Especially since I’ve got lambs being born any day now. I will be planning differently this year!
I had no idea that a lamb fetus is not attached until 30 days into gestation!! Amazing!! Where is the nutrition stored for growth and development during those first 30 days? Awesome and well thought out timeline! I write my doe's timeline on a a desk calendar but I really like the visual of the whole year!! I just breed some does so this is the best time to put it into practice! Thanks for sharing!
Hooray more Tess! I love how she explains things, so easy to understand! 👍
Great presentation, Dan. Looking forward to the series. I really like how visual Tess is; old school ftw.
Thanks Ken!
Love love love the visual timeline and the plethora of information. Great content!
Love these videos with Tess. She is an amazing wealth of knowledge. 💜. Thanks and blessings to you both.
I do not have animals, but what a wealth of information she is!
Thanks! Love timelines like this for livestock.
Great information offered for free here. Thank you so much for making this.
Tess is an incredible teacher. You all were very fortunate to be blessed with such a resource for your venture.
awwww tess, such a wealth of knowledge ;) your so blessed to have a mentor with such a beautiful heart. Love the videos.
Wow super good info. Thank you so much, we just recently got our sheep and we are needing all the info we can get. This is wonderful.
I am not a farmer and will never raise my own sheep, but Tess is such a great teacher I really enjoy listening to her. I love the way she raises her lamb...Great video.
TESS is back! Yeah!!!!
Another great, chock-full-o-info presentation! Thank you so much for taking the time to create videos like this.
Amazing. So easy to get. You two have helped my journey greatly. Thank you.
Our pleasure!
This is great info. from Tess. I'm glad she was willing to share :)
Very visual and educational!
Great to see Tess again 👍🏼🐑
I love everything about Tess and her abundant knowledge. Thank you for sharin', much appreciated. :)
Great video - definitely a wealth of knowledge there!
Excellent information! Thank you!!
That was brilliant! Such wisdom, thank you so much for that. Blessings.
Wow awesome video. Thank you!
What a great video! Very interesting
Excellent Information!
This is fascinating.
EXCELLENT VIDEO!!! Thanks
That's interesting! Great Video, thanks!
Love this!
This is awesome thank you!
Excellent . . .
Tess is too cute!
That's a lot of great information. Thanks for sharing :)
excellent
Great timeline. I lamb drastically latter. In mid April in Kentucky. My thoughts is is that nothing is better for a ewe than fresh green grass. That grass makes better milk and bigger lambs. Lambs start eating grass in just a few weeks. Lambing late makes for happier shepherding as I am not worried about my lambs getting dropped on 10 degree night. Since my lambs go to market in late October before I start feeding hay this gives me plenty of time to grow the lambs on grass only during the summer and take advantage of my oak grove for acorns in Oct. I tried a Ram apron this year I really hope I don't get any winter surprises.
How did the ram apron work out? We are considering a very similar schedule here in the mountains of Arizona at 5500ft where we hit single digits in January. It sounds like you put your rams in with the ewes in mid December?
The apron was a fail.
I has a business opportunity I couldn't pass up and sold the farm in 2019. Moved to Florida.
Putting fish in the freezer is easier than ranch life, but I do miss it.
Nice... 🔝👍👍
Tess is such a fountain of knowledge, it's so lucky you found her! It is awesome she is willing to share her experience with not only you but with your viewers, too.
Over 40 years ago when I was in HS and 4-H (equine) I learned about sheep, however since I've never owned a sheep I have forgotten all I learned, except that I recall being told if your ewe lambs in 145 days then barring stress she will always lamb in 145 days. We were taught similar about pigs, that they go within a day or two gestationally, too. Yeah instead I stuck with horses who can have you up midnight checking them for night after night after night for even 1 month past their due date. lol
I have a question about sheep, though, since Tess's schedule shows changing their feed source. Horses can be very touchy about their feed and have to be transitioned slowly from one type of hay to another. Cats and dogs should be slowly changed, too. Can sheep be fed prime alfalfa (or sainfoin) hay one day and be put on pure lush grass the next without risk of colic or other stomachs and intestinal problems? Also can sheep get bloat, and has Tess shown you what to do in case?
sheep do get bloat. Also, going to a richer source of feed can cause scours but this is generally limited to pasture, not hay. I've had no issues with going from pasture to any type of hay, alfalfa or otherwise. But going from hay to pasture in the spring when the grass is lush and sweet can cause the scours.
With bloat, give the sheep a fat of some kind - butter or olive oil.
So informational, I love it! Please video more of Tess she is great. Does she breed wool sheep?
she has some friesians which are wool sheep but mostly katahdins
This is awesome! Unfortunately for us our cycles are off this year and we are having fall babies. I hope to get back on track next year.
It happens! If you're down south it could be less problematic for you lambing out of season
We are Central Oregon so our weather is very much like yours. We will be having late fall babies I'm afraid..... We will be bringing everyone in soon and putting them in stalls under heat for the babies.
This is like one of the most useful videos about sheep!
Could you add in when you shear, when you vaccinate (and what & how you use it?) And when you trim hooves? Thanks so much!
I did see you already had trim & fecals. Curious about meds and worms
I would love to sew a video on the deed schedule of a lamb. From birth to finishing.
How do you know if your ram is n good breeder and how to pick him out for breeding
A hot strand to keep the ram off the fence?
I bought five lateborn ewe lambs (and a wether). How to know when they're breeding size?
Awe, I've missed Tess!!! I have one question for her. Does the chance for multiples go up with the age of the mother like it does in humans? Or maybe they don't breed mothers at later ages, so wouldn't know...
She's an awesome teacher.
I'll ask her
Why does Greg Judy say that sheep do not drink water in winter while Tess says they need water a bit warm? Thank you for all the wonderful videos.
I don't know. Sheep will eat snow if they don't have water but will prefer water over snow. I tend to think that eating a lot of snow if less comfortable than drinking water but I don't know for sure
Another question: Are lambs started on alfalfa with the ewes or grass hay? Looks like the chart says they don't start pasture till 4 - 6 weeks old. Thanks!!
TP Farm - one of the videos said that they will start to imitate their mom eating whatever she does, or rather trying it out. And then she makes 'creeper beds' (?). This is a place with the mothers but only the lambs can access. She then puts the 'scrapings' from the hay in there for the babies. I'm assuming because it would be easier for the babies to figure out what to do with it. 😀
Again, just what I got out of the video. Hope I got it right Dan.
I loved this series. Could you get decent amount of milk from this breed or is it just for meat?
they aren't really known for milk production but you can milk them
Tess question - or you: Your rams, do you feed them differently for pre-breeding & breeding season?
TP Farm - she's said in one of the videos it was imperative they get ample 'zinc, zinc, zinc'. And that they need to be a 3 or above before being considered for breeding because the ram will be spending most of his time checking out the girls, pacing and breeding during that time and they will lose condition if they don't go into breeding season uber healthy and stout.
Just what I got from the videos. I hope I got it right Dan. 😀
would this information also work for breeding other livestock like goats
very similar
She is awesome..a great teacher...does she have youtube?
no - just what you see on my channel
I am very interested in sheep in future, wonder if she had advice about milk and fiber sheep that is good for small homestead? Thanks these videos are very helpful, there are a ton of videos about goats, but very few about sheep...greatly appreciated :-)
Dan, when a ewe ovulates how many eggs does she shed for fertilization?
Also, can she keep the maidens in with the mother's so they learn how to be a good mother?
usually 1 or 2 but triplets are not uncommon and quads can happen in some breeds
yes, just not during breeding time though
Is she actually able to choose when the ewes give birth?
not exactly - the ewes are left with the ram for at least two ovulation cycles so the window for lambing is about 34 days
When she says "on alfalfa", does she mean that during those times the sheep only eat alfalfa? And they only eat grass during the grass/hay periods? I thought they'd get a mix of both at all times.
you can do it however you want- the exact ratios aren't important. What Tess is saying is the extra alfalfa isn't necessary earlier on so why spend extra feeding them more expensive hay. They require more protein toward the end so increase alfalfa only when necessary.
Thank you for the reply!
you're welcome
This is great for any mammal. Goats, cows, vicunas, llamas...
True!
Had my first lamb roast. St. Croix, a haired breed. It was much better than the mutton I had when I was a child and not strong at all. At $12/# I will not be partaking again.
if you buy wholesale it will be more affordable
Please, can you translate the videos into French, thank you very much
no, sorry.
I want 500 sheep one day
Amazing Information! Thank You!!