Katahdins have many traits that make them appealing over a traditional dairy sheep breed. However, one of the biggest drawbacks to milking them is that they haven’t been selected for dairy traits. They are highly variable in traits like milk production, udder confirmation, and lactation length. It is a lot more of a crap shoot to get a ‘good dairy’ Katahdin than it is to get a good East Friesian.

That being said, there are plenty of Katahdin ewes out there who are perfectly suitable for providing your family with milk.

The trick is just finding them. So today we are going to offer some suggestions of what you should be looking for when trying to find a Katahdin to use for dairy purposes.

Firstly, you can try to find a Katahdin East Friesian/Lacaune cross, or someone who is milking their flock. This would be your best bet. Unfortunately, while there are people out there breeding flocks for dairy, they are few and far between and you will likely have to settle for making an educated guess out of a meat flock.

Our first suggestion is to go seek out the milkiest flock and sheep within that flock you can find. So here, we’re talking about trying to find a flock where they are selecting for a higher lambing percentage and ewes that can raise those extra lambs. Look for a flock with a lot of triplets and quads that aren’t bottle fed.

Look for daughters off an ewe that has enough milk to feed those extra lambs.

A lot of ewes don’t have enough milk to feed extra lambs, so try to seek out one that does. Her daughters should hopefully produce more milk than average. And definitely don’t buy bottle lambs from a mother that didn’t have milk to feed them.

Another thing you can look for if you are in the market to buy NSIP sheep is an ewe with a high MWWT score, and high scores for number of lambs born and weaned. MWWT is the closest thing that the NSIP has to milk production. While it is a measure of mothering ability also, an ewe with a high MWWT should have more milk than average. If you haven’t read our post on NSIP sheep selection, follow this link to learn more.

Keep in mind that high MWWT and selecting from an ewe that can successfully raise triplets or quads doesn’t guarantee that their offspring will be good milk producers. However, it should help to tip the chances in your favor. Additionally, if you can find a flock that weans late, they might be inadvertently selecting for more milk over a longer lactation compared to a flock that weans at 30-60 days.

If it is at all possible to see the dams in milk, do so.

This can help you to gauge udder volume and confirmation potential for the lambs. It is virtually impossible to predict what a ewe lamb’s udder will be like from looking at her prior to lambing. So if you can view the dam’s udders, try to select lambs from the one with the best milk production and udder confirmation.

Udder confirmation is almost as important as milk volume and lactation length. Having a lot of milk doesn’t’ do you much good if you can’t get it out. Ideal udder confirmation depends upon how you plan to milk your sheep. For most people milking a few animals, hand milking is usually sufficient. In fact, it is typically less labor intensive than machine milking for a small flock.

Since most people milking sheep in their back yard will be hand milking, we are making the assumption that you will be hand milking for the purposes of this article. Thus we need to find an udder with teats large enough to be suitable for this. Teats pointed diagonally outward are best for lambs and are most likely to be seen.

If hand milking teat location is not as important. If your ewe will also be feeding lambs and hand milking, outward angled teats are perfectly fine. You can easily use technique to remove the milk from the bottom of the udder. If you are unsure how to hand milk a sheep we have a step by step how-to article here. If you do happen to be selecting for machine milking instead, teats close to the bottom of the udder and pointing downward is best.

We find that the interaction of teat length and udder shape are the two most important traits.

Teat location and diameter are less important. Of course larger teats are always going to be easier to milk. The least suitable udders for milking are those with very small teats on flat udders. Trying to milk an udder out with two fingers is not a lot of fun. If an ewe has smaller teats and a more pendulous shaped udder while still less than ideal, it can be done. We find that teat length is far more important than diameter when it comes to ease of milking.

Now we know that Katahdins have not been selected for dairy purposes. This means that they haven’t been selected for any sort of udder uniformity. Thus, there will be a wide range of variability, and you will have to decide what you can and can’t work with. This is of course going to be a personal decision, and what we find ideal you might not. However, udder confirmation may seem abstract and hard to visualize. To help you out, below are pictures and descriptions of some of the udders we have had in our flock.

Some of these ewes are part of our milking string, some of them are allowed to raise lambs and dry off because their udders are hard to milk. This is what we prefer and find suitable for working with or not and why. Hopefully these pictures will help you to visualize what you are looking for as you seek out dairy Katahdins.

This first udder is the closest thing to perfect that we have.

This ewe produces a lot of milk over a long lactation. She is also the ewe in the other two pictures above. As you can see she has a large, well suspended udder and long thick teats. Her udder is quick and easy to empty as she has large teats with a large teat canal. They are easy to wrap an entire hand around to express a large volume of milk.

The second udder is an ewe that we also milk regularly.

While her udder isn’t quite as ideal as the first ewe pictured here, she is still very easy to milk. Her udder is pretty empty in this picture, but you will notice her udder is more flatly attached than the first ewe. In the case of this particular ewe, her teats are still thick but are not as long. However, they are still plenty long enough to wrap your hand around. She also has wide teat canals so you can again express a lot of milk with each squeeze.

The third udder is again on an ewe that we milk.

Her teats are smaller. They are not nearly as thick as the teats in the first two pictures. In fact on first glance, her teats seem almost too small to be good for milking. However, her udder is more pendulous which gives you more space to work. Once you have gotten her to let down her milk, you’ll find that her teats are plenty large enough to milk. In this case her teats are narrow, but they are long enough to wrap your hand around which still gets the job done.

The ewe in the fourth picture has an udder that we do not care to milk.

In this case her udder is small, flat to her body, and her teats are short. A bad combination. Yes her teats are wide, but it doesn’t really help. Due to the flat shape and the short teats, it is very difficult to get milk out of her udder as you cannot grab a handful of udder to make up for the short teats. And thus, you are restricted to squeezing out tiny bits of milk with only a couple fingers.

The ewe in the fifth and last picture is also an ewe that we do not care to milk.

In this case she has very, very tiny teats. They are short and narrow and only about the size of your pinkie tip. Notice, these teats are attached to a much more pendulous udder. In this ewes case, the teats are so tiny they are only big enough to put your thumb and pointer finger on.

Due to the pendulous shape of her udder, she can be milked. But, it is a pain to do so and takes a long time. Her teats are very small so when her udder is full you can only squeeze out tiny bits of milk at a time until you depressurize the udder sufficiently to be able to wrap your hand around a portion of the udder.

We hope that this gives you a visual of what you’re looking for, and that it helps answer some of the questions you might have about sourcing and selecting a Katahndin for dairy purposes. If you would like to read more articles like this, please sign up for our newsletter!

Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post What To Look For When Selecting A Dairy Katahdin first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

The goal of NISP is to do exactly what the name states. Their goal is to use performance based data to provide information to producers to help them to maximize their flock’s performance and profit. The way they do this is by collecting all sorts of data from thousands of sheep raised by different producers all over the country. This data is put into a complicated database where EBV’s for individual animals are produced.

EBV’s aren’t static. They can and will change as new data and new animals are added to the database. They also come with an accuracy rating. The more relatives a sheep has recorded, the more accurate the EBV’s are expected to be. A given animal is essentially ranked based on how it performs as compared to the other animals in the database.

While the EBV’s are estimates, you can learn more about the potential of an animal from this data than you can by looking at them standing out in a field.

This is particularly true for rams since you can’t see how much milk he produces or if he’s a good mother. It has been proven that by using performance based data rather than visual appearance you can make genetic gains faster.

We humans have a tendency to be attracted to the biggest fattest looking lamb out in the field. Unfortunately, while this one might look amazing, it is rarely the best performing lamb in the flock. This lamb is usually a single born from a slacker mother. By selecting the biggest nicest looking lamb, you might actually be selecting against important traits like prolificacy and ewe efficiency. EBV data helps us avoid these biases.

Note, we are going to be referring to Katahdins throughout this article as that is what we breed. Katahdin breeders have relied heavily on EBV’s. They have made remarkable performance advances as a result. However, NSIP is not Katahdin specific. It has databases for a variety of sheep breeds, so be sure to check if your breed participates.

Data is collected on a whole slew of different performance traits.

Data collected ranges from things like birth weight and number of lambs born to fecal egg count scores to carcass and wool qualities. A complete list of the traits and descriptions can be found on the NSIP website. Each animal is assigned a score for each and every one of those traits. They are also assigned an overall score. This score is the hair index for Katahdins. A sheep with a very high hair index is a very good overall sheep.

Depending on your breeding goals you can select stock that has high scores for individual traits you wish to improve or just select for a high hair index. If there happens to be a trait your flock is very deficient in, it can be highly advantageous to select for a ram with a very high score in that trait. If you are generally satisfied with flock performance and have no traits you’re desperate to improve you might opt to select a high hair index ram. Not sure what your breeding goals are? You can refer back to our article on selecting breeding stock for some basic guidelines.

EBV’s offer a wealth of information.

The image above is a screen shot of example EBV’s from a ewe we recently purchased. You can see her US Hair Index is above the 90th percentile. She is a very good overall sheep, and would generally be an excellent choice. BUT, no sheep is perfect or the right answer to every problem. Even with a hair index that high she still scored in the 5th percentile for weaning fecal egg count (WFEC), and below average for birth weight (BWT) and post weaning fecal egg count (PFEC). If your flock desperately needed better parasite resistance, she would be a bad choice.

EBV’s are a tool.

Keep this in mind as you learn. Everyone uses this data a little differently. There is no right or wrong thing to select for. It is all dependent upon your flock and your goals. That being said, generally speaking you’d want to purchase stock that is better than average at most or all the traits. You don’t want to be using a ram that performs more poorly than the breed average. Otherwise, he will not be improving your flock like he should be.

You can determine how a given sheep compares to the average by comparing its score for a given trait to the percentile reports. A sheep with a trait that scores less than the 50^th percentile is performing worse than average for that trait. Keep in mind though that there is no such thing as a perfect sheep, and you can’t improve everything all at once. Focus on selecting for a high score in what you deem the most important traits while minimizing loss in other traits.

EBV’s are a lot of data to try to wrap your head around. The NSIP website has a variety of excellent information on how to use their data effectively. If you are interested in employing EBV’s in your flock, we would encourage you to dig into the system in more depth as this is outside the scope of this article.

Next time we are going to be discussion how to select a Katahdin for milking, so don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to have that delivered directly to your inbox!

Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post How To Use EBV’s To Improve Your Flock’s Performance first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

So just what is a terminal sire? A terminal sire is a ram that is used to breed offspring that won’t be bred. As in all of his lambs are intended to go into the freezer. You aren’t going to save and breed any of them. You are typically using a ram of a different breed that has complementary desirable traits. These traits are usually carcass quality, growth and survival traits. His one job is to create superior lambs for market. He should improve your bottom line if you are marketing meat. However, he won’t create offspring that is desirable to breed into your flock.

Sheep breeds can be categorized into maternal and non-maternal breeds.

Maternal breeds tend to be smaller, less meaty sheep who have excellent mothering skills and prolificacy traits. They are efficient and hardworking. Non-maternal breeds tend to be larger, meatier animals, with excellent carcass quality and growth traits. But they might be prone to having a single lamb or not producing enough milk, or just being poor mothers. Additionally due to their large size they cost more to feed and maintain.

When you cross a terminal sire over a maternal breed you can have the best of both worlds so to speak. For example, let’s say you run a flock of Katahdins, who are a maternal breed. They are a medium sized sheep that performs efficiently on a forage-based diet. They are also low maintenance, parasite resistant and excel at rearing lambs. However, when compared to a Texel, Suffolk or Hampshire sheep, it becomes obvious that they are lacking in carcass quality and size/growth.

We could take a Texel ram and cross it over our Katahdin flock, and the offspring will benefit from hybrid vigor.

They will also have improved growth rates and carcass qualities because they are half Texel. This means that your lambs should command a higher price at market netting you more income. You get this market quality improvement without the increased expense or drawbacks of having an entire flock of Texel sheep. Your lambs will be meatier and reach market weight faster than pure Katahdins. Because they are not staying on your farm very long you won’t have to worry about maintenance downsides like shearing.

Keep in mind that you will also need to produce replacement ewes. If you are focusing on meat and choose to use a terminal sire, you breed the majority of your ewes to your terminal sire. Select your best ewes to breed to the best maternal ram you can find (one who meets your breeding goals) to produce your replacement ewe lambs. This way you are maximizing the market value of your lambs while also simultaneously improving the quality of your ewe flock.

Now I know that many people might be appalled by the idea of making ‘mutt’ sheep.

This country as a whole has an obsession with papers and pure bred everything. However, as the saying goes ‘you can’t eat papers’. Don’t be afraid to make quality crossbred lambs for market. Many profitable commercial meat flocks are an amalgamation of many breeds of sheep. This is also true of some of the newer sheep breeds such as the Rideau Arcott.

Why? Because different breeds of sheep excel at different traits. No breed excels at everything. Also breeds that have closed herd books tend to suffer from genetic bottlenecks. Crossbreeding creates hybrid vigor and produces offspring that are healthier and better performing. We create a high-performance commercial flock to meet our specific environment and market demands by mixing and matching.

So maybe we add some Finn for prolificacy, some East Friesian for milk production, some Suffolk for size, some Katahdin for parasite resistance, etc. Then, we select the ewes that perform best for us and seek out rams that add traits we would still like to improve. All the breeds available today are a result of doing this process repeatedly in different places around the world.

We hope this gives you some food for thought as you work to maximize you flocks performance and your profit. Sometimes we forget this, but keep in mind that your rams are your single most important investment. The breed doesn’t matter most, performance does. Your ram will be the majority of the genetics in your flock within a few generations. Don’t let a crappy ram stand in the way of your success!

Next time we will be discussing a little bit about the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP) and how we can use it to improve our flock. If you don’t want to miss out on that article, please sign up for our newsletter to have it delivered to your inbox!

Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post Terminal Sires Can Maximize Production and Profit first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

It doesn’t matter how healthy you think the new animals are or how reputable the breeder. You should always quarantine new animals up on arrival. This is particularly true if you had him shipped and he was exposed to other animals on his journey. You should also quarantine anything that has gone off farm (like to a show or fair) and returned. Yes, quarantining a new animal takes extra effort, but it can potentially save you a lot of headache and expense in the long run.

Quarantining new animals goes hand in hand with farm bio-security.

Every farm, no matter how small, should have a bio-security plan in place. If you don’t have one, we would encourage you to spend some time doing research. Think about how to best protect your animals (and subsequently your profitability).

Of course, the best way to avoid introducing a disease into your flock is to keep a closed flock. A closed flock is a flock that has no external animals coming into it. Unfortunately for most farms, keeping a closed flock is not practical. New rams will need to be brought in occasionally to introduce new genetic material. However, doing your best to minimize the number of animals you bring in can help to protect your flock. You should also keep in mind that goats share many of the same diseases with sheep, and cows and other animals can sometimes also share diseases. They should also be quarantined accordingly.

It is never a good idea to purchase animals from a flock that shows any signs of disease whatsoever

Hopefully in the process of selecting new sheep, you took our previous advice. You did your research, made time for observation, and asked a lot of questions about flock health. Most of the time you can avoid bringing home most diseases by carefully inspecting the animals and farm they come from prior to purchase. Nonetheless, a seemingly healthy animal can sometimes be harboring a disease. Thus, it is important to treat every new animal as if it is contagious.

When you bring home new sheep, they should go in a quarantine pen where they have no contact with your flock. They should be housed as far away as possible. They shouldn’t share feeders, water troughs, or fence lines. You should feed them last so as not to expose your flock via your clothing or shoes. Additionally, the quarantine area should either be able to be sterilized or left empty for an extended time after use. This is just in case a contagious disease is brought in.

Sheep should be quarantined for a minimum of 2 weeks, but ideally for 30 days or even longer if practical. You need to give time for diseases to appear, and this also gives you time to do any desired testing/treatments. There is a laundry list of contagious diseases you could potentially be introducing onto your farm with new breeding stock. Some examples of these diseases include Campylobacter (vibrio), Chlamydia (EAE), ringworm, Foot rot, Johne’s Disease, liver flukes, OPP, Pink eye, Soremouth and dewormer resistant parasites. Some of these diseases are best found with blood testing rather than observation alone.

Foot rot might be one of the most commonly introduced contagious diseases.

Foot rot is extremely contagious, can sneak onto your farm particularly on young animals in dry conditions. Foot rot is a very serious animal welfare issue which can cause the performance of your flock to suffer. Plus, once established in your flock it can be very difficult, time consuming and expensive to eradicate. It is a disease where an ounce of prevention is indeed worth more than a pound of cure.

While in quarantine all the new sheep should have their feet trimmed and inspected for any signs of foot rot or abnormalities. It is also our preference to also expose the animals to wet muddy conditions if at all possible, prior to releasing them into our flock. This is because foot rot typically appears under wet conditions. Many farms choose to make the assumption that every new animal has foot rot and treats them accordingly.

Dewormer resistance is also something you’re more likely to encounter than not.

It is a good idea to triple deworm and do fecal egg count (FEC) tests on incoming sheep in an effort to avoid introducing any more dewormer resistant worms than absolutely necessary. The goal is to get your new sheep to have a FEC of 0 or as close to it as possible prior to letting them on your pastures. It can also be beneficial to discuss deworming practices and any known resistance existing on the farm you are purchasing lambs from.

In addition, something people sometimes don’t think about is the risk humans visiting from other farms bring to the flock. It is a good idea to ‘quarantine’ people coming onto your farm. Diseases can sometimes be transmitted on clothing, shoes and even car tires. It is a good idea to ask folks coming onto your farm to wear clean clothes, booties, or to walk through a foot bath prior to coming onto your farm. You should follow the same procedure yourself any time you have been to another farm or to a facility, like fair grounds, where sheep and goats are housed.

We hope this has prompted you to think about you handle incoming animals and people on your farm before you get into trouble. If you would like to read more articles about improving your flock and keeping your animals healthy, please sign up for our newsletter!

Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post Quarantine: An Important Protection For Your Sheep first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Before we get started, though cheap is appealing, it rarely pays.

We’d like to note that a crap shoot ram off of Craigslist is unlikely to be your best option. We see a lot of people who figure they’ll buy a cheap ram, every year breed him and then eat him, repeat.

If you’re keeping ewe lambs, this is not in your best interest. That your ram is 50% or more of the genetics in your flock. If you choose a crappy ram, he’s going to drag your flock down quickly. The majority of rams belong in the freezer not breeding your flock. If the seller can’t provide any good reasons why said ram is a good candidate as a flock sire, he probably belongs in the freezer.

Now we understand not everyone is made of money. So, if you are in a budget crunch buying sheep, you are far better off to buy mediocre ewes and an excellent ram. If you breed average ewes to an excellent ram, in a few generations you will have made great improvements. If you breed excellent ewes to a poor ram, you will go backwards very quickly.

What’s the first step to selecting new breeding stock?

The first thing you need to do is identify what your flock of sheep is (or isn’t) good at. Really sit down and think. Make a list of performance traits that your flock excels at and a list of traits that could use improvement. For this article we are using an example where the flock has a 300% lambing rate, produces tons of milk, and performs well on a forage only diet. However, they are also crappy mothers resulting in high lamb mortality and the need to bottle feed a lot of lambs. Constant and repeated deworming is necessary to keep them alive.

Now using this hypothetical list of flock traits we have to select what is most important to us. What do we want to improve the most? Also are we willing to sacrifice part of any of the positives for improvement on the negatives?

It is important to be very selective when choosing traits to improve.

You need to select 1 or 2, and no more than 3 to try to improve at a time. If you are trying to improve 10 things at the same time you aren’t likely to make much progress. So the fastest way to make improvements is to select a couple. Work on improving them until your satisfied with flock performance, then select something else to work on.

So in our hypothetical flock laid out above, we have decided to focus on better mothering and parasite resistance. We are ok with lowering our lambing rate to get better mothers with better parasite resistance. After all, fewer dead lambs, less deworming, and limited bottle feeding should increase our profit despite a lower lambing rate.

Now that we have identified what we want to improve, what’s next?

Next, we need to go find ourselves a ram that excels at those traits.

But, as you do so, you need to take into consideration how other flocks are managed. Is the flock you are considering a ram from being kept similarly to how you wish to manage your animals? This is important. Why? Because all these performance traits are relative. Something like 80% of the variation in performance is environmental and only 20% is genetic.

Take parasite resistance for example. ‘Resistant’ is widely variable based on environment. The California desert, a midwest feed lot and a Florida pasture DO NOT have the same parasite challenge. That ‘parasite resistant’ California sheep might very well drop dead from parasites after a few weeks on a Florida pasture.

The same goes for management styles. An animal that performs well in a mostly grain fed situation rarely fares well in pasture-based systems. Thus, to avoid disappointment, it is important to make sure that the flock you are purchasing replacement stock from has values that align with yours. If you do not, you are likely to be disappointed by the performance of the new animals you purchased.

When buying livestock, there is definitely something to be said for ‘buying local’.

Sheep from local flocks are already selected to be adapted to the general conditions your flock is being raised in. Somebody else already went through the expense and time of culling non-adapted animals and selecting for good performance. Take advantage of that if at all possible.

Once you have found some potential breeders you’re interested in buying from, talk to them. See what they have that might fit what you’re looking for.

Now, if you have a breed of sheep that participates in the National Sheep Improvement Program, NSIP, this is the best way to select a ram.

Sheep enrolled in this program have estimated breeding values (EBV’s) that are calculated for various performance traits to help you select a ram with the traits you desire. EBV’s are a wonderful tool we will discuss more in a future article, and you should absolutely take advantage of the program if you can. Unfortunately, it’s not always an option. Not all breeds participate, and sometimes you just cannot afford to spend that kind of money on a ram.

In that case select the best ram that you can afford. Do your best to work with a breeder to select a ram that is most likely to do what you’re looking for. Many breeders with small flocks might not participate in the NSIP program, but they do have the advantage of knowing their sheep as individuals. They are likely able to tell you what each of their ewes excels at. A lot of times they also know how the offspring of a particular cross has performed previously. They may also track some of the EBV type data on their farm for their own records. This information can help guide an educated guess on performance.

If they don’t know what their animals excel at, or they make claims but have no data to back up that claim, move on.

A lot of people make claims that their sheep excel at the traits a breed is supposed to be good at, but it’s not always true. If they don’t keep data, and aren’t selecting for those traits, how do they know what their animals are good at? This goes for both registered and unregistered stock. That piece of paper means nothing. There are some very crappy registered animals out there. Conversely, there are some phenomenally bred commercial (unregistered) flocks. Don’t get sucked into the trap of thinking just because something is papered its superior.

Lastly when you are considering purchasing replacement stock from someone, you should consider the health of their flock. You don’t want to be inadvertently buying in a nightmare like foot rot or OPP. Ask lots of questions. Consider disease testing, and do things like checking FAMACHA scores. Take time to observe the flock. Look at their teeth for over/underbite, look for other gross confirmation flaws. Watch their flock for lameness, pneumonia, etc. If they aren’t willing to answer questions, their animals appear to be in questionable health, or they are seemingly trying to hide something, consider moving on.

In the coming weeks we are going to discuss related topics like quarantining your new breeding stock, more about NSIP, selecting and using a terminal sire, and choosing a Katahdin for milking. So if you’re interested in learning more, please sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss any of these articles.

Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post Enhancing Livestock Performance: The Importance of Breeding Stock Selection first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Let’s start by stepping back to the beginning. As you likely already know, gestation length for a sheep is about 5 months. If you saw your ewes get bred, you can mark 147 days on the calendar and can loosely predict their lambing date. This takes all the guess work out of it. Unfortunately, sheep are pretty discreet about getting bred, and many times you don’t see the actual event. Nonetheless, there will be signs that your ewe is bred.

The first thing you will notice is that she develops a distinct pregnant shape when you are looking at her from behind.

You can usually start to see this distinct look 2-3 months after they get bred. Keep in mind that ewe lambs typically only have a single lamb and are less likely to look pregnant early on. An adult ewe carrying a single might not look pregnant at all, but those carrying twins or triplets start to look pregnant quickly.

The shape we are describing can be seen in the picture below. She will of course look much rounder than a non-bred ewe, but she also develops a distinct shape due to her anatomy. If we look at the internal anatomy of a sheep from standing behind them we know that their rumen is high on the left side, and the lambs are carried low on the right. In the picture, on our pregnant ewes right side you can see a low lamb belly. Above the lambs is often a sort of straight flat ‘shelf’. The lamb bulge also often protrudes out further from their side than the rumen bulge does.

The next sign you are going to see is udder development

Now, udder development tells us that our ewe is for sure bred, but in our experience it is a terrible predictor of imminent lambing. Some ewes start developing an udder 2 months in advance. Other ewes seemingly fill their udder as the lambs are arriving. We have some of both in our flock though the majority of our ewes are somewhere in between. Most ewes probably make their udder within a couple weeks of lambing.

That being said, we find that our ewes tend to be fairly consistent about when they develop their udder. The ewes that do so 2 months in advance consistently produce an udder early. If you really get to know your ewes you may be able to approximate when they might lamb from their udder. However, we think there are better ways to estimate, and only use udder development as an indication that lambing is getting close so that we should start watching for other signs.

A more reliable predictor in our experience is watching for the ligaments around their tail to loosen

Prior to lambing the ligaments holding the sheep’s hips will loosen in preparation for lambing. This is easy to see. You will notice that she gets sunken spots on either side of her tail head. When this happens, you know that lambing is getting close. We find that in many cases our ewes will lamb within 24 hours of developing deep sunken spots by their tails, but it may be a few days, particularly for some of the older ewes. In some of the younger ewes/ewe lambs, this will be harder to see, and in the case of ewe lambs you might not notice it at all before they lamb.

Again, just like with udder development, the better you know your ewes the more predictable they become. We have an ewe that *seems* ready to drop lambs any minute for about a week prior to lambing. She does this every single year. Other ewes we have sneak out lambs every year.

After her ligaments have loosened, you might also be able to see that the lambs have ‘dropped’

In preparation for birth, the lambs have to line themselves up appropriately. As they do this and prepare to enter the birth canal, your ewes will often develop large sunken spots on their sides right in front of their hips, and a big bulging belly. They might look thinner than they have in a while. If you notice this then you can be sure that your ewe is preparing to lamb.

We don’t personally find that this is always as easy to see as the ligaments loosening. This is probably because the lambs move about during gestation, and your ewes abdomen changes shape depending on the position of the lambs. We also find that some ewes develop much more distinct sunken spots than others do.

If you see an ewe with loose ligaments or sunken areas in front of her hips, start watching her closely for behavioral changes that indicate she is in early labor

Usually when we go out to feed in the morning we can pick out ewes that are likely to lamb that day based on their behavior. Ewes in early labor might not come to breakfast, or they may be slow to come. You might see them standing/laying off by themselves looking uncomfortable. You also might see her pawing the ground frequently or baaing like she is talking to lambs. She will likely also stand up and lay down a lot and shift her weight around on her back feet. Ewes in early labor typically pick a location they plan to lamb in and they keep returning to that spot.

If you see an ewe displaying these behaviors, watch her closely, but do not disturb her. Though it is tempting to get involved, let her be. The majority of ewes can lamb unassisted. If you interfere when its not needed, you can cause more harm than good. Most ewes will progress from early labor to active labor within a few hours, but some will take up to 12 hours. So be patient and give your ewes time and space as long as they are showing no signs of distress.

Usually within 2-6 hours an ewe will progress to active labor

You will know that your ewe has reached active labor when you see the amniotic sac protruding from her vulva. At this point the ewe is close to ready to expel her first lamb. Shortly after the amniotic sac presents you will see your ewe pushing. She will likely lay down on her side, get up, lay down again etc. Leave her be, this is normal. It usually takes about 20-30 minutes for the first lamb to be born. Then your ewe will clean off the first lamb and rest before birthing the second one. Both lambs are typically born within 45-60 minutes.

As your ewe starts to push, the amniotic sac will likely burst. You should see two hooves and then a nose coming out first. This means the lamb is presented properly and the delivery should go smoothly. The only time you should assist your ewes is if the lambs are not presented properly, or the ewe has been straining for more than 30-45 minutes without making any progress. If she is straining and not making any progress, the ewe should be examined and assisted as her lambs might be tangled or presented incorrectly preventing her from expelling them.

Your ewe will clean off the lambs and get them up and nursing. Lambs are usually up within a few minutes of being born looking for their ewe’s udder. She should stand there and allow the lambs to nurse. Once you see the lambs have successfully had their first good feeding you can count your lambing a success!

Once all the lambs are on the ground, you will see material hanging from your ewe’s vulva.

Do not try to remove this material. If you try to pull this material out, you can tear the uterus or the placenta causing her to hemorrhage and bleed to death or retain portions of it inside her uterus. Within the next couple hours, the placentas will be expelled. Though sometimes it can take 24 hours or longer. There will be a placenta expelled for each lamb.

You should examine them and make sure that they are complete and that nothing was retained inside your ewe. Do not be alarmed if she continues to expel some blood for the next several days. This is part of the process of her uterus cleaning itself.

We hope that this helps you to see what a normal lambing process looks like. We didn’t discuss all the problems and complications that could happen. Those will be topics for future articles. Nonetheless, the best way to know when something is going wrong is to understand what normal looks like.

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Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post Lambing: What To Expect When Your Ewes Start Expecting first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Spotting is the most poorly understood of the color genes in sheep. There is a lot we don’t yet know. What we do know is that there is a spotting gene locus. It is likely that there are a lot of other yet to be identified genes and or modifiers responsible for the myriad of spotting options we see in sheep.

Generally speaking spotting is recessive

As we learned last time, this means that your sheep needs two copies of the spotting gene to be spotted. It also means that a non-spotted sheep can be invisibly carrying spots that can manifest themselves in the lambs if crossed to another spotted individual. This means that once you have spotting, it is very easy to keep spotting. Spotted sheep crossed to spotted sheep must produce other spotted sheep.

This is where easy to predict ends. In our experience how much spotting, and what the actual markings are is near impossible to predict. However, we have seen a trend towards a percentage, maybe about 1/3 of the lambs, having markings almost identically mirroring their dams. You also might see commonly repeated markings appearing on lambs if you do the same ram/ewe cross repeatedly. This leads us to believe spotting is controlled by various genes and modifiers and it is not completely random as the single spotting gene theory would lead you to believe.

There is also a commonly held theory that if you keep breeding spotted to spotted you will eventually end up with a white sheep.

The idea being that spotting is additive, and that every generation would accumulate more spotting genes/modifiers and eventually have so many of them no pigmentation is left. This idea may have come about because there are a variety of sheep breeds out there carrying the Awt gene, but who are also one big white spot as evidenced by their pink skin and hooves. Wool from the spotting gene is whiter than wool from the Awt gene, so this was advantageous to select for historically.

We are not sure that this addition theory seems to hold true in our flock. We have some very spotted ewes that we breed to very spotted rams that consistently produce nicely marked lambs. We also have a mostly black ewe who when crossed to our spotted ram frustratingly always produces white lambs. These lambs are one huge white spot with pink skin. This leads us to believe that it might be a certain combination or combinations of genes rather than a straightforward additive effect that causes whole body white spots. This is something we are very interested to keep observing.

There are some spotting genes that we do know about and that have been named.

The most common one that most people agree on is the spotting gene, the HST gene, or the head, socks, tail gene. As you can probably guess from its imaginative name, sheep with this gene will have spotting on their head, hind legs and tail tips. Unlike most spotting, this gene is actually dominant. It is our belief based upon observation and research that one copy of this gene will produce head spots (sometimes no more than a small white patch on the top of the head). Two copies will produce the additional socks and tail markings.

This gene is thought to be the ‘gateway’ to allow other spotting to occur. It is always present if body spotting is present, but can be expressed in the absence of body spotting. As to whether it is modifier genes working on this gene that produces the additional spotting or separate genes that are restricted by this gene we aren’t sure.

It is believed that there is also a pigmented head locus with four allele options

They include no white markings, the persian allele, the turkish allele, and the afghan lethal allele. If you have ever seen a black headed Dorper, then you are familiar with the persian gene. When a sheep has two copies of this gene you get the black headed look. Where the color change line occurs varies depending on breed, and it can be as far back as around the middle of the animal. It is assumed that this variation is due to the accumulation of different modifying genes in different breeds.

You may also be familiar with the turkish allele. It is quite commonly seen in spotted Katahdins. The presence of 2 copies of this gene is responsible for the markings on sheep that have the colored circles around their eyes, with pigmented ears, muzzles, and legs. It is thought that if this gene is heterozygous, then it produces a diamond on the tip of the nose and top of the head.

Another neat marking pattern that is seen fairly commonly in some breeds is ticking.

There are just two allele options, ticking and no ticking. Ticking is thought to be dominant and is responsible for small colored spots to occur on white areas that are white due to the spotting gene. Ticking is unique in that lambs are not born with the spotting. The spotting develops later.

As we move on to other spotting patterns things become less clear. It is thought that modifiers of the spotting gene cause common markings like white bibs, neck and belly. Unfortunately, for many of the other body markings we are much less clear on how and why we get them.

One such example is the smut face or brockle look

It is a pretty common occurrence in the Katahdin breed, and a bit confusing so we thought it would be worth mentioning specifically. These are the white sheep with dark chocolate brown or black speckles on their faces and legs. Unfortunately the genetics behind this look is thus far not understood. What we do know is that these are black sheep who have the Awt gene. Some modifier or gene is allowing the sheep’s color to bleed through the Awt mask, but only on the face and legs. They are not actually ‘spotted’ sheep.

Something else confusing you might run across when breeding for spotting in hair sheep in particular is a brown or brown spotted sheep that isn’t a recessive brown. Sometimes Awt sheep can and do look like recessive brown spotted sheep. How?

To understand we have to go back to look at what Awt stands for. If you remember, it is the Agouti white and tan gene. The majority of Awt sheep are white, or fade to white, but not all. Tunnis sheep are a good example of the exception. Hair sheep are also capable of maintaining rich pigment from the Awt gene. This is another case where we have no idea why you get tan vs white. Nor do we know why it fades to white in most wool sheep but not the Tunnis. It is assumed to be yet to be identified modifier genes. Others theorize that it could be completely different Agouti genes.

Somehow in this scenario where the Awt is expressed as tan, spotting genes can affect the tan to produce a sheep that looks like a recessive brown spotted sheep.

It is thought that a sheep that has 1 copy of the spotting gene will produce a brown spotted sheep similar to the ewe pictured here. Two copies of the spotting gene will produce an animal that is pure white or almost pure white like her lamb.

Assuming this to be true, we are suspicious that these spotting genes/modifiers are different than the ones affecting the recessive spotting. This is because our single allele HST gene ram that is carrying whatever this spotting gene is fails to produce any spotted lambs when crossed to our recessively spotted ewes.

The amazing thing about spotting is that there is so much left to learn, and so much research left to be done. You might even be able to uncover some useful new information if you keep good pictures and records of your flock. If you are interested in reading in more depth, ‘The genetics of color in fat-tailed sheep: a review’ by Roger S. Lundie has some of the most comprehensive information on sheep color and spotting we have found.

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Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post A Quick Look At Sheep Coat Color Genetics: Spotting first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

It’s no secret that lot of people who purchase our sheep are doing so largely because they like the flashy color our flock produces. One of the wonderful things about Katahdin sheep is that their gene pool is full of coat color genetics. Because they are a shedding sheep with valueless wool and a very diverse gene pool, virtually any color is possible.

This can also make them more tricky to work with to produce a consistent result than many other breeds that have a limited number or color genes present in their gene pool. However, once you determine what genes your ewes and rams carry it becomes easier to make crosses that produce a consistent result. Today we are sharing what we have learned from or flock thus far so that you can learn alongside us.

Let’s get started with a basic genetics review

Without going all the way back through a high school biology course, here are a few genetics basics you need to remember as we move forward. Every gene in your sheep has 2 copies. They can be identical or different. There can be dominant genes that hide other genes and recessive genes that can be hidden. There can also be genes that are co-dominant that can both be expressed at the same time. Each copy of a gene is called an allele.

Additionally, there are several different gene locations that interact together to determine what your sheep’s wool actually looks like. To complicate matters more, there are various different gene combinations that can sometimes produce the same color sheep. However, for now we won’t worry about that. That is something we will discuss in a future blog article. We just wanted to mention it because it is something that may require you to do some research and critical thinking to determine what is going on if you have a lamb born an unexpected color.

In sheep like most mammals there are 2 pigments responsible for producing coat color.

They are eumelanin which produces blacks and browns, and pheomelanin which produces reds and yellows. White sheep lack either of these pigments in their wool fibers. In white sheep the expression of the pigment genes are suppressed. However, the genes for these pigments are still present, and all sheep are either a black sheep (eumelanin) or a brown sheep (pheomelanin). This detail will become important later.

There are a few different loci (or places on the DNA strand) mainly responsible for the coat colors in sheep. The first is the Agouti locus, the second is the black/brown locus. Then there is the spotting gene and finally the extension locus. In most cases the extension gene can be ignored. In many sheep breeds it is not a contributing variable. Therefore we will not spend much time on it in our series. However, if you’re working with a breed where the extension gene is common or things just aren’t adding up, its a good idea to consider if the extension locus might be affecting your coat colors.

First let’s talk about the Agouti locus

The Agouti locus is the ‘pattern’ locus. They are responsible for both the color and coat pattern of your sheep. The most dominant Agouti allele (copy of a gene) is the gene responsible for the majority of sheep being white. It is called the Agouti white and tan gene (Awt). It is also the most common agouti allele in sheep. If your sheep has one copy of the Awt allele, the sheep will be white or maybe tan (which typically fades to white in wool breeds). If your sheep is white, it probably safe to assume it has at least 1 copy of this gene.

Now there are also a whole bunch of other agouti genes in sheep, some of which we might not have even discovered and named yet. The agouti genes are responsible for all the other coat patterns seen in sheep (excluding spotting) such as badger face, blue, gray, black and tan etc. You can tell agouti genes from spotting because they produce distinct, symmetrical and repeatable coat patterns you see in some breeds like the Barbados Black Belly or Romney.

While describing each Agouti gene is outside of the scope of this article. It is important to note that Agouti alleles have a hierarchy of dominance. Some genes are dominant (Awt), some co-dominant, and some recessive (self color, Aa). 1 copy of each of two co-dominant genes results in them both being expressed in the animal’s coat sometimes creating unusual patterns.

If your animal has co-dominant genes you might have to do some detective work to sort out which two Agouti alleles they actually have. The American Romney Breeders Association has a good pictorial and written description of some of the most common agouti patterns seen in sheep. If you have a patterned sheep you are curious about, check out their descriptions.

We consider the majority of the Agouti genes to be our ‘enemy’ when breeding for our spotted sheep.

In our flock we don’t want white sheep, or patterned sheep. We are exclusively looking for spotted sheep. To simplify producing consistently spotted lambs, our preference is to have sheep with the most recessive Agouti gene, the self color gene (Aa). This gene is completely recessive and 2 copies of it are required for expression. It allows the natural expression of the black and brown gene we will be discussing next.

If your sheep has two of these Agouti alleles, it will either be a black sheep or a brown sheep. There will be no lurking pattern genes to pop up and surprise you. That’s what we want when we are trying to produce a consistent product. Keep in mind though that you CAN have sheep that are both spotted and Agouti patterned. They are far from uncommon. It’s just not our preference.

The black brown locus is very straightforward

At this locus there are two options. Black or brown. Black is dominant to brown. Either one or two copies of the black gene will produce a black sheep. 2 copies of the brown gene are required to produce a brown sheep. Two black sheep carrying an invisible brown gene could surprise you with a brown lamb. Two brown sheep will never produce a black lamb.

This gene affects skin color as well as coat color. A black sheep will have black skin, and a brown sheep will have brown skin. In the absence of spotting genes, or Agouti pattern genes interfering these animals will be either solid black or brown. Remember though, unless your sheep has two self-color Agouti alleles (or the correct extension genes), the Agouti genes will mask the expression of these color genes. However, every single sheep is technically either a black sheep or a brown sheep regardless of their wool color. This is evident in the pigmented nose leather, skin and hoof color on Awt sheep.

The third locus of interest is the extension gene

While this gene is not usually at play, it can cause seemingly impossible things to happen sometimes. Just like with the black and brown gene, the extension gene offers 2 options. They are the extension wild (Ew), and the extension dominant (Ed).

We said above that the Agouti locus is most dominant and it overrides everything else. White is always dominant to color. We learned that a self-colored sheep is the most recessive option. Therefore, it would seem that two colored sheep are not able to produce a white sheep because recessive genes absolutely cannot hide dominant genes for white. But then sometimes this very thing happens. Why?

What gives? How do two colored sheep produce a white lamb??

As it turns out when two colored sheep produce a white lamb the extension gene is sometimes to blame (the spotting gene discussed later can also be to blame). The Ew gene allows expression of whatever genes are present at the other 3 coat color loci. The Ed gene cancels the effects of the Agouti gene and allows expression of the black brown locus regardless of what Agouti genes are present.

The presence of the correct version of this gene suddenly makes the black and brown gene locus dominant over the Agouti locus. Meaning that a sheep can either be a recessive OR a dominant black. Inconvenient when you are trying to tease out the genetics of your flock. Fortunately, it is thought that most sheep are Ew, and are colored due to the self-color Agouti alleles.

So how do you get a white lamb from colored parents?

As you might expect from the names, the Ed gene is dominant to the Ew gene. As a result, two colored sheep with the genotype of EdEw can be bred together and produce an offspring with two copies of the Ew gene which suddenly allows expression of the hidden Agouti genes resulting in a surprise white or patterned lamb.

This Ed allele of the extension gene causes a complete upset of the dominance hierarchy we have been discussing. If you are dealing with a flock with some Ed alleles floating around the lamb surprises may be many. As you can now see determining the actual genes beneath a your sheep’s coat can get complicated fast, and there is still so much to learn.

Next time we are going to look at the other way two colored sheep can produce a white lamb–the spotting genes. These are the color genes we find most fascinating, and are probably the ones you are most interested in if you are looking to breed sheep that look like our flock.

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Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post A Quick Look At Sheep Coat Color Genetics first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Barber Pole Worm Series Part 1-The #1 Killer Of Small Ruminants

Barber Pole Worm Series Part 2-Controlling Worms Without Dewormer

Barber Pole Worm Series Part 3-How To Properly Deworm

Barber Pole Worm Series Part 5-How To Do a Fecal Egg Count

Looking to breed a parasite resistant sheep?

You probably know just how important it is that we breed out our reliance on chemical dewormers. Thankfully, breeding for parasite resistance is something that is well within the abilities of every small ruminant owner. That is if (and only if) you are willing to keep good records and cull animals that should not be bred.

Record keeping and culling is a must, even if you originally purchased parasite resistant stock. Parasite resistance is something that is relatively easy to select for. Conversely, parasite resistance is something that can easily be bred out if you are not actively selecting for it. After all a parasite resistant sheep and a susceptible sheep might look and perform identically if we deworm all our animals frequently

Where do we start?

First and foremost, buy the best ram you can afford. It is much cheaper in the long run to buy a good quality ram to improve your flock than to work your way up from the bottom. At this point in time, there are many breeders out there who are seriously selecting their flocks for parasite resistance.

Before you purchase the ram ask them for their records and proof of their parasite resistance. If the farmer is actually actively selecting for parasite resistance, then they will have data to prove it. Otherwise they might be breeding ‘parasite resistant’ animals simply because they own animals of a breed (such as the Katahdin) that has a reputation for parasite resistance. Not every flock of a ‘parasite resistant breed’ is actually parasite resistant. Thus it is important to verify that the breeder is actually making tangible efforts to select for this trait.

If you have a breed of sheep that submits data to the National Sheep Improvement Plan (NSIP), look for a ram from a breeder that has NSIP data on their sheep. This will provide you valuable parasite resistance data, and also other useful production data on the sheep. This is one of the best ways to make large improvements on your flock quickly.

‘Buy local’ applies to sheep as well as produce

There is one more thing to consider when buying in sheep. It is best to select sheep from a breeder that is local or semi-local, if at all possible. They have already been selecting animals that perform well in your local environment.

Why is buying local sheep so important? Because parasite resistance is relative. For example. A parasite resistant sheep kept in a feedlot in Montana is likely NOT parasite resistant on a pasture in Florida. Without intervention, that ‘parasite resistant’ sheep might be dead of parasites within a month of moving to that Florida pasture. Why? Because the parasite pressure in Florida is exponentially higher than in Montana.

There are a few other things we need to keep in mind when selecting for parasite resistance.

When we are evaluating animals for parasite resistance, there are two kinds of immunity we need to consider. Innate immunity is the immunity the lambs are born with. They are just plain less hospitable environments for parasites from the day they are born. The second type of immunity is acquired immunity. This is the immune mediated response similar to how you get sick from a cold virus only once. This is a learned immunity to parasites.

For most parasite resistant breeds acquired immunity starts to kick in at 3-4 months of age. For non-parasite resistant breeds it is closer to 6-8 months of age. This is useful information to use both as you are selecting replacement ewes, but also as you are making management decisions.

We also need to keep in mind is that sheep can be both resilient and/or resistant to parasites. Resilience and resistance are not the same thing. A resilient sheep is one that is better than average at withstanding a high parasite load. They are better at making more blood faster. A resistant sheep has a low parasite load. Their immune system is really good at getting rid of barber pole worms.

Both of these animals will look identical out in your pasture. They will have identical FAMACHA scores when you check them for anemia. However, we would prefer to select for resistance because resistant animals are benefiting the rest of your flock. Resistant sheep are not shedding tons of live parasite eggs all over your pastures but resilient sheep still are.

Breeding for parasite resistance is done through a lot of culling

The bare minimum approach to selecting for parasite resistance includes culling poor performing animals. Cull ewes and lambs that require more deworming than the rest of your flock. Also cull any animals that seem to grow slower, or just do poorly compared to the flock average. Getting rid of the worst performing animals will slowly improve your flock.

To make progress faster. Do fecal egg counts (FEC) on your animals.

You can hasten the process to increased parasite resistance in your flock by regularly doing fecal egg counts (FEC) on your animals.

Cull animals that shed a lot of eggs around lambing, and keep those that don’t. We now know that periparturient rise is closely correlated with the overall parasite resistance of the ewes. This can also help you significantly reduce your farm’s overall parasite load.

Cull animals that consistently shed a high number of eggs, keep those that don’t. Keep in mind that animals in different life stages (eg. a lactating ewe), and high performing animals might have higher egg counts. It is important to track animal performance and FEC long term (over months or years) rather than using just one snapshot in time.

The thin ewe with a higher FEC who is feeding quads, might be just as resistant as the lower FEC chubby ewe feeding a single lamb. Her body is just much more stressed, and she is working much harder for you. If you checked again when both ewes are dry and in good body condition, you might find that your harder working ewe has a lower FEC than the other ewe. This is why we said ‘consistently shed a high number of eggs’.

Keep replacements from those that have less than average parasite egg shedding and who require less deworming than the average. Keep in mind the 80/20 rule. 20% of your animals are shedding 80% of the parasite eggs on your pasture. Getting rid of that 20% (or at least not keeping offspring from them) will reduce the parasite load on your pasture by 80%. Cull, cull cull, and before you know it you will have a more resistant flock!

One last thing to keep in mind

If we are going to be selecting our most parasite resistant animals to keep, we need to make sure that we are making fair comparisons. We know that bigger, larger sheep are better at withstanding parasites than smaller animals. A large single lamb will have less problems with parasites than a group of quads all other things being equal. Not because the single lamb is actually more resistant, but simply because it is just much bigger.

Another example of an unfair comparison would be comparing a January born lamb to an April born lamb. Don’t do it. Why? The January born lamb was born when there weren’t many parasites around. Your April born lamb will have been exposed to many more parasites. So for them to look like they ‘performed equally’ the April born lamb would actually need to have performed much, much better.

We need accurate data for it to be useful

So to get useful, accurate comparison data to select for parasite resistance, it is important to look at a contemporary group of lambs. That is a group of lambs that were born about the same time, from the same size litters, and who are fed and housed together in the same environment.

Take FEC from your lambs several times over the course of the summer, and use those numbers to select lambs to keep. Choose replacement lambs who have both high growth performance and consistently low egg counts.

Don’t base your choice on just 1 FEC

Look at how the lamb compares to the group average, and also how it compares to itself over time. Did your youngest/smallest lamb have the highest FEC in June at weaning, but then the lowest one a couple months later when the worm burden should have been greater? If so, you might have seen their acquired immunity kick in. Did you have a lamb who’s FEC stayed the same or went down when everyone else’s went up? This lamb probably has excellent parasite resistance. Ideally you want to select lambs that have been consistently out performing others all season.

The one drawback to using FEC data is that it requires either more time or expense than just culling based on FAMACHA scores. Nonetheless, it is worth the investment. It will get you to your goal faster.

We would also like to note, that if you wish to use FEC to select within your flock, but feel that you cannot afford to pay a vet or lab to perform that many FEC for you, this tool is not out of your reach. With a basic microscope and some practice, it is actually quite easy to perform FEC for yourself at home. That is going to be the topic for our last article in our barber pole worm series.

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Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post How To Get Started Breeding Parasite Resistant Sheep first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.