The Flock

The flock now consists of 55ewes and 9 rams. Two ewes are shown in the photograph. The white ewe is Zero, a registered Churro and the brown one is Elfine, a hair sheep (Katahdin x Barbados Blackbelly.) Our flock increases every year through purchases and retained ewe lambs.

We have purchased our hair sheep are from Good Earth Organic Farm in northeast Texas. Paul and Lynn Magedson cross Katahdin with Barbados Blackbelly and raise purebreds. We purchased a registered Dorset ram from J. Flinchum in northern Colorado. Churro ewes sources are Connie Taylor, Nancy Slimak, Barbara Merickel and Rich and Janine Duncan.

The animals feed on grass. When grass is short supply we feed grass hay and vegetable protein supplements. They receive sheep mineral and Covexin8 vaccinations.

We aim for two lamb crops per year. One in fall and one in late winter. The late winter lambs provide club lambs for 4-H, locker lambs and retained ewes. The fall lambs increase the ewe pool and provide locker lambs. Lambing twice yearly improves efficiency in barn use and breeding. Single lambs are well able to follow their mothers within three days of birth. Loud bleating works when scent fails. Lambing times are constrained by temperature extremes and coyote pup feeding season.

The flock is guarded by Great Pyrenees. They were raised with the flock since they were eight weeks old. Midge and Spec have very little interest in humans and are difficult to round up for trips to the veterinarian.

 

 

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