Sheep Farming Vlog: Terminal & Maternal Breeds - What's The Difference?
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Today at Ewetopia Farms, we attempt to clarify the differences between terminal and maternal breeds of sheep. These terms tend to be not only confusing but even a little misleading. Hopefully, this video will help people understand these descriptors more clearly.
Sheep and sheep farming is our passion and we hope that the love we have for what we do is obvious to you the viewers. Our operation is a large scale, registered Suffolk and Poll Dorset sheep farm combining the best of pasture and confinement to manage the flock for maximum comfort, minimal stress, and producing a consistent, very high quality product. Our focus is on providing breeding stock for sale to other sheep producers. All our sheep are treated with the utmost compassion which I think will become evident as you join us on our daily rounds on our working sheep farm in eastern Ontario, Canada.
I hope you enjoy this video. If you would like to follow along with us and experience life on a real live sheep farm on a daily basis, please subscribe so 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.
Thank you!
Lynn & Arnie
Contact Information:
Website: Https://www.ewetopia.ca/
Lynn McKay and Arnie Droogh
3606 6th Concession Road
Kingston, Ontario
Canada
K0H 1Y0
ewetopiafarms@gmail.com
Follow us on:
Instagram: / ewetopiafarms
Facebook: / ewetopiafarms
UA-cam: / @ewetopiafarms
Good morning! 🌹🌹🌹🌹
I watch her all the time for her videos. Yes she do keeps the good ones like you. Rams and ewes for replacements.
excellent information, Lynn. thank you so much!
You're welcome 😊
Thank you Lynn, I finally understand the differences between Terminal and Maternal Breeds. You explained it in a way that made sense to me. I love how Arnie and you take care of your sheep and how happy they are. They are fortunate to have you two as their caregivers.
Glad it was helpful! It can be confusing 🙂 Thanks for watching
Sandy has a lot to learn about sheep. Her unhappiness shows a bit, and are as happy as you and Arnie. My husband and i are very close.
You are such a Great teacher, so full of information, & able to share it easily in a way anyone can understand!
Thank you 😊
HI Lynn, I'm late watching, but I have to have my daily dose of Ewetopia farms. I now understand this a whole lot better. As l said before, I stopped watching the Sandy farm because there were too many lamb deaths from multiples, personally it made me sick to my tummy! Enough said on that. I just love the way you & Arnie have a big heart for your Sheep. So I'll never be watching the other farm ever again. I'm into people who really care about producing quality stock. As I have seen even you lambs that go to market are wonderful stock animals. God bless you guys!! ❣❣❣❣💯🌴
Thanks, Maria, for all of your support!🥰
@@EwetopiaFarms You are so welcome. I'm still praying that ya'll get some decent rain for your crops.
Agreed, You and Sandi Are different as to what your goals are for your sheep farm's, I prefer your UA-cam channel 100% way more I love your scientific educational videos about sheep breeding stock I've learned a lot about sheep watching your channel about terms and genetics, ETC, Your a really underrated channel 💖💕 I think Sandi said she was phasing out the Suffolk's and ile de France sheep because they are hard for her to handle I don't know if she's still doing that or not... I think it's so sad people are giving Texel sheep a bad name saying their bad lamber's you said in one of your videos
Totally agree.
Yes, a lot of the terminal breeds get a bad rap for difficult lambing. Like I've said though, many times, if you match your terminal ram with your ewes (a little bigger not extreme) and you have correctly built ewes, you should rarely have a problem. Usually poor lambing is the result of poor flock management rather than bad rams
Good afternoon Arnie and Lynn. University is in session. Yay. Love how Cracker listened to you and didn’t get up. Good ram. I was confused about poll and polled Dorsets but the light bulb went on. I get it now. Thank you. You separated to Dorset and Suffolk rams ? The ram lamb barn really have some handsome rams with such pretty faces. And I have so enjoyed watching Suffolk lambs like Lambert and Dorset lambs like Thelma and Louise growing up into beauties. I like that you guys like being you growing a breeding stock to propagate other beautiful flocks. I watch Sandy but her flock serves a purpose of going to market while you guys are raised for the most part to be breeders. And I love that fact. It for me makes videos that make my day. I always like to think that the lambs develop to their full potential. The ram lambs were quite relaxed today. Love seeing the big boys. Professor your explanations were wonderful. Give you dad a hug. And big hugs to you both. 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Thanks Patricia. Yes, at the moment, while we have more space, we have separated Dorset and Suffolk rams. The reason for this is that their feed requirements are a little different so this way we can feed them more appropriately. Dorsets need a little less and the Suffolks a little more. When the barns fill up again, the boys will all have to reside together again. Thanks as always for watching and commenting on all that goes on in each video :) Big hugs!
@@EwetopiaFarms 🥰🥰🥰
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So educational, as always. Thank you!❤
Thanks
Yes, you DID make it clearer about terminal and maternal breeds and breeding.....thanks!
Phew! Lol! Sometimes I ramble and start to confuse myself lol! :)
Aloha Lynn! Wonderful detailed explanation! I needed that! 🙏🏼
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Lynn, I enjoyed your video. Your farm and Sandi’s are very different. Each of you have your own purpose and do your farming excellent. When we had sheep, I hated sending the lambs to market. My daughter would donate her lambs to the Heifer Project so they wouldn’t have to go to market. Hope you enjoyed your visit with your Dad.
Thanks. I hate people comparing us. We really do our own thing, and when people compare, it feels like a competition, which it is most definitely not!🙂
Me, I would love to see the wool industry come back into full swing! It's such a waste that wool isn't revered like it use to be. I'd rather buy wool products than anything else!❤
Yes, it would be nice and it will probably never disappear but as a large scale industry it just isn't practical because of the costs. You have to remember that a sheep has to be fed, health care, shearing, processing, manufacturing, etc. Way more expensive than other products unfortunately
@@EwetopiaFarms Yes, I know but it's fun to hope?
While I do understand the difference between maternal and terminal; I always kind of felt it was like a gut punch that Suffolks were never mentioned as a maternal breed. We raised sheep for years and our Suffolk ewes were some of the BEST and most milky ewes that we owned. Just a ramblin thought. :)
Yes, that was my point exactly. It is impossible to produce the kind of lambs Suffolks do without being good mothers!
Hi Lynn, I hope you and Arnie have a very special day with your dad. Say hello from Cynthia, your subscriber in the U. S. Ta ta for now
Thanks Cynthia! Ta ta!😁
You tought us a lot.
Thanks 🙂
Good morning Lynn and Arnie. I liked your analogy with beef cattle. Generally the beefier the animal the lower the milk production. Think of dairy cows, lots of milk (almost to an extreme). Like you said, it's about balance. Keep the best from the best based upon your production goals. Great video. Thanks for all your efforts!
Thanks 🙂
Morning.
A breeder is still part of the pipeline for meat sheep. Lynn is so dedicated to her sheep, and avoids sending lambs to market amap but she’s still breeding for meat qualities to pass healthy qualities on to other producers who ship lambs. If you wanted to be wholly outside the meat market, you’d likely want to breed for fancy fiber sheep like a Lincoln Longwool, or BFL, or merinos. I have a local friend who breeds for fiber, keeps a small flock and keeps her sheep forever, or sells to other fiber farms.
Yes, the only way to avoid having market lambs is to have a very small flock of a specialty flock that you can market as pets, lawnmowers, fiber animals. None of my Shetlands ever went to market. Rams were neutered and sold as fiber pets. But if you can't sell them all or keep them yourself, the inevitable choice is sending them to market.
Thank you for the in depth explanation of terms. Very clear and informative as usual! I watch quite a few sheep vlogs and each one has it's different flavor and perspectives; some focus more on the shepherd/sheperdess' personalities, some on the beauty of the country and various sizes of their operation. The effort you put in doing a daily vlog AND one with a good balance of education, personality (you , Arnie and the sheep)and the day to day routine you share with us is very much appreciated, thank you!
Agree!
Thank you. Yes, everyone is a little different. I feel we are doing something wrong because my viewers are dwindling and I truly don't know how to fix that 🙂 I do like that our channel feels maybe a little more like a community where we all speak back and forth and actually develop friendships. I like that so I'm just going to keep on keeping on!😁 Thanks for your encouragement though!🙂
I hope you had a wonderful visit with you dad!! As always this video was very educational and interesting!!! Thanks for sharing and stay safe!!❤
Yeh, Sandy got rid of all but one Suffolk rams…for the reason someone else mentioned.=she has to keep the only up to a certain size that she and her equipment can handle. she does keep what she feels are the best of the ewes for replacements. Sandy’s farm model is very different from yours; I personally do prefer your farm.
Once again a very practical informative video. For new shepherds would definitely recommend your channel.
Thanks Justina 🙂
I really don’t like comparing farmers from one to another because I’m sure each farmer has their own purpose and farming business plan. However, I do enjoy learning about your farming process and am impressed with how you choose which ewes and rams are the best to keep for yourself to breed. That, I think, helps keep a low mortality rate during lambing. In addition, I really think farmers with a passion to raise sheep care much more on the comfort, food, and health of their flock than on their numbers to the market or numbers that can sell anywhere for any purpose. I see love and good vitality from many of your lambs and sheep. 🐑🐑🐑
I wish I could have two or three sheep for lawnmowers and pets. But, that’ll only happen in my dreams. Too much government regulation where I live, sadly😢.
I’m going to have to watch this video a few more times to fully understand terminal and maternal ( mostly because I wasn’t keeping focused since I’m nervous about my eye surgery tomorrow); but, I’ll get it, eventually 😉.
Thanks for taking your time for us today.
I hate comparing with other farmers too and when people bring up how others are doing things. I realize everyone has their own ways and you can pick up new tips from everyone but the point of my channel is to show you how we do it. Not to tell you or anyone else how to do it. That is the choice viewers can make themselves through watching everyone's videos. I don't blame you about being worried about surgery...I would be worried too. Best of luck with your eye surgery tomorrow!
Sandi has a goal as you stated to breed as many sheep as possible year round to grow as quickly as they can to ship to market for slaughter. She currently has one suffix ram. She has some Dorset and and rideau. She keeps rams for looks (pet type lambs) the rest are all sent to the slaughter house. She does keep back ewes. Only if theyre rideau. She also has some tunis rams.
If we were to compare goals and purposes in the dog world, your a show breeder that does a whole whirlwind of health tests and screenings for potential buyers. Sandi, and i am a follwer of hers, is more puppymill style. A little bit of care with genetics but blind to the whole picture of genetics and health testing goals etc.
Another great video! I guess I need to update my definition of "dual-purpose sheep." In my mind that meant meat & wool. 🤔 As you said, it's a meat market now.
Yes, you could add wool into the equation for the wool breeds. Most wool breeds are not meat breeds except probably Merinos if I'm not mistaken
@@EwetopiaFarms Columbia and Corridale come to mind as "dual purpose" as in wool-meat but those breeds may not be available / common in Canada. Your video was very interesting. I have gained a new perspective.
@KS-ip5xn we have them but not many in this country
I dont know why people try to compare different youtube channels, its like trying to compare a Gala Apple to a Granny Smith. For Sandi she keeps ewe lambs back from her March weaning group unless a special friendly one sticks(out and even that is rare). She only has one Suffolk Ram left(Lucky) and he barely fits into her turntable to do his hooves. She cannot flip him on her own, hes too big and he knows it. The sheep part is her business half of their income and hubby Mark only helps out if needed(he prefers to be in the tractor). During the spring lambing when she was having all the issues(stillborn's and weird deformed births on top of finding out her daughter has cancer and needed to do chemo treatments) her vet did ask her if she wanted to keep trying for such prolific ewes and she mentioned that she may need to change things up some.
Yes, we are all different. It would be boring if we weren't 😁
I enjoyed this educational video. Sandy made the comment once that she doesn't keep many suffolk, because they don't fit in her pen equipment for things such as nail trimming etc. While I like her and her personality, I couldn't do what she does. Why? At one moment she is dealing with lambs she is trying to save and being sad about the various things that happen and yet they are just going to lets be blunt a slaughter house at the end of the day for the most part. Color is fun, which she tends to have a mix of. She does things more on an assembly line type of way as she has a helper but her husband's niche is farming, so he isn't as involved in it. Arnie is very much involved and you guys have a completely different perspective which would be easier for someone like me, who would tend to get more attached. I probably wouldn't make the best sheep farmer in totality because I would have a harder time not getting emotionally involved in the process. She does things completely different. No grazing, everything pretty much is done indoors. She gets more things like pregtox, and issues with the feed mix, which I have watched and you don't see much of that in your barns. It is just different, as to each his own. People are going to have a preference based on one's goals and perspective. I look into those eyes... and well.... puppy dog eyes.... that is why my husband (I don't) has allowed our dogs to beg when he eats... not me.... LOL. If a sheep is obnoxious or onery, growing up we had more steers like that.... there was no love loss as they are a lot of work... however not so easy when they are adorable.... at some point, for a farmer he would have to be independently wealthy to own a petting zoo..... there are going to be those, that will not make as you say "the cut".
Agree….Unfortunately for us the steers often were the sweethearts…so hard to eat dinner as a kids sometimes.
@justinanovak8040 yes, inevitably the boys are the sweethearts and it is impossible to keep them all
Yes, I often say that I shouldn't be a sheep farmer because I definitely have attachment issues and often lose sleep over it. But we love sheep and in order to keep some, some others do have to go. It is reality but we do make sure they do have extremely high quality lives while they are on our farm. It is the best we can do.
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I think it’s very painful to watch a small mom have 5 lambs and 2 are stillborn or you have to incubate and spend hours trying to save a lamb just send to market. Makes no sense to me but, I am not in the business thank goodness. I just love the fleece.❤😊😊😊
Yes, I could never do it and don't get it. But plenty of people do so you can't criticize people for their choices because we all have our own reasons as to why we do what we do. There is no right or wrong way to do things as long as you are treating your animals humanely. I often question whether some practices are just cruelty in the name of profit.🤔
@@EwetopiaFarms Exactly.
Algerian sheep is strange and beast sheep in the word
I'm not a meat eater, so i would always side with the "breeders", i don't like to see any sheep or animal go to slaughter, but that is me.
Breeders still have to send some to market, unfortunately, but I know what you mean 🙂
No sweetie, I didn't say Sandi said that, I thought she meant that... because I heard the word terminal... and I thought that she was putting them to market. Not that she does... I just was confused by the word terminal...
It's me that took the conclusion...
And in her last video, she is going back from having multiple lambs... as she finds it more relaxed and fewer bottle babies... And yes she holds back from her lambs. Rams and Ewes...
So it was I that concluded that terminal was the end for the sheep... not she... but she used that word and I was confused. That's why I asked you for an explanation. Now she has a lot of twins and she loves twins... but also triplets and she has a quint... but also singles... thank you for explaining. You can't ask questions to sandy... she has too many comments. It would be too much to handle. I hoo you have 1 day that many subscribers... but I love, at the other hand the smaller channel as you have, has more contact with the vlogger. 😊 And I love that... ❤
I thought so but I also thought it was worth talking about 🙂
@EwetopiaFarms sure it was. It's made it all clear now. Now I can follow everything... I love the word "sire"... and he "sired"... shouldn't we talk about the ewes as "queen" "got queened? Let me try to let you see your explanation was perfect...
Terminal flocksire sheriff, sired the maternal "queen '', she got queened by flocksire sheriff
@@annnoyez you're too funny!😆
@EwetopiaFarms to continue the story of sire sheriff and his queen... they had twins... who had the meat from the dad and the good milk from the mom... a boy and a girl. Put a terminal ram on her she will get thicker lambs or put a maternal ram on her if you want more babies but also thick babies... the ram can be used as a flock sire as he has both maternal and terminal in him. So if you want to go for meat, you put him with a terminal ewe, if you put him with a maternal ewe you go for more babies and milk... with both, you can go where you want. As they have both stuff in them... so if I was a sheep farmer. Who uses sheep as pets. Small flock. It would be nice to have the ram lamb. Especially if I have maternal ewes. So I don't have to deal with high birth and go with twins...
Here we don't have much Suffolk and Dorset and I don't think redoes are here at all. We mostly have texels. Small firm sheep. They are good in meat and have mostly twins and once in a while singles or triples... So not much work with bottles... but since I know you I fell in love with the ears of the Suffolk and that gracious attitude. And also the Dorsett with their woolly faces and playful character. I never saw my sheep jump from joy. They are very clever and very loyal. Good pet sheep. But a bit boring. They are what we think a sheep would look like. Small, little balls of wool, with some power in them. But not like the 2 kinds you have. They are really gorgeous 😍
@annnoyez Professor Lynn gives your report an A+ 😁 As for Texels, they are really laid back sheep so probably would make good pets 🙂
I don't know, Lynn. "Terminal" and "maternal" are not compatible categorizations or comparisons. That's what confuses people. It's much simpler if we just classify sheep as meat breeds or wool breeds. For me, both Dorsets and Suffolks are meat breeds, as would be Hampshires, Shropshires, Cheviots, Texels, etc. Lincoln Longwools, Merinos, Corriedales, etc., are wool breeds. But that said, even today, the tagline for the American Corriedale Association remains "The Dual-Purpose Breed." That was designed to promote the Corriedale as both valuable for their wool AND their meat. It has nothing to do with mothering ability. Regardless of the breed, and as you stated, all breeds should be "maternal" in the sense that all ewes should be good mothers, regardless of whether they are raised primarily for meat or for wool. "Terminal breed" is just a euphemism for meat breed--at least in my book.
Of course the problem for wool breeds today is that, unless you can attract the spinner market, wool prices are in the toilet. In fact, the last time I tried to sell wool to a major buyer, they said, "Okay. We'll take it. And if we ever sell it, we'll pay you." That was for very high-quality Corriedale wool that wasn't clean enough for spinners because I refuse to blanket sheep year-round. I don't even bother trying to sell Lincoln wool (used for doll hair and Santa beards). When we shear my Lincolns, we just burn the wool.
Yes, I didn't mention the whole wool side of things because the wool industry is pretty well dead in our countries except in niche markets. In Canada, most confusion seems to occur with terminal and maternal breeds due to the large number of Rideaus and now Romanovs being pushed here and they are maternal breeds - baby machines as opposed to terminal sheep or meat machines! Lol! So much fun with words! 😆 I tried 🤣🤣
I think all breeds Been “tampered with” to be honest lol
Oh, I'm sure they have been!😆