We are often asked questions about how we raise our sheep and goats. So, to save time and energy, we've listed a few of the more common questions below. If you have more, please feel free to e-mail us!
What do you feed your animals?
Our animals are all on pasture 365 days a year. We are beginning to incorporate rye for supplemental feed in the winter and spring, and clover to boost the protein content of forage in the spring. The clover also increases the nitrogen in the soil. They receive hay and a protein supplement during the winter. The protein supplement is given as hay protein quality fluctuates because of weather during the hay season. We do roll our own hay, mostly from native grasses. When we flush our ewes and does, they are given a corn supplement. Lambs are raised on mama's milk and a mineral supplement. This year, we are experimenting with creep feeding after weaning, but that is something new and we will have to see how it works on a cost-efficiency basis. UPDATE We decided against the creep feeding and added only a protein supplementation. The supplement included a mix of minerals, vitamins, salt (as a limiter), a fescue balancer (such as Tasco), and ammonium chloride (to prevent urinary calculi), added to protein meals such as cottonseed or soy to make a 20 to 21 percent self-fed range meal. By using a salt limiter, we were able to use two feed formulas - one for ewes, and one for lambs. We found this to be very successful - the lambs gained well, and it seemed as if we had very few health problems among them.
Do you feed minerals?
A good mineral supplement is essential. We feed good quality, free-choice sheep minerals to the sheep, and minerals to the goats. Sheep cannot tolerate large amounts of copper, while goats do require copper. We never skimp on mineral quality. Our goats and sheep are separated except during lambing season.UPDATE This year, we ran all the goats with the sheep all year. Although it worked well because we had a lot of browse, the goats missed their minerals, and we noticed more foot problems than we have had in the past. We plan to go back to separating them.
Do sheep and goats co-exist?
Yes and no. Sheep and goats have very different mineral requirements. Sheep require very little copper; goats require copper to do well. Therefore, mineral supplements are not interchangeable. Nutritional requirements are different, also. Goats are browsers, and prefer leaves, while sheep are grazers. They both complement cattle operations, eating things that cattle do not, and thus, making full use of a pasture. They can, however, be run together, or with cattle, as long as the sheep do not have access to high-copper feedstuffs. You must also realize that goats and sheep harbor the same parasites, while cattle parasites are different. A rotational plan is ideal.
Why don't you lamb inside?
We tried lambing in jugs when we had wooled sheep, and soon went back to pasture lambing. We found that lambing in jugs created more problems than it solved. We lost lambs due to accident and injury, and we were unable to differentiate between those ewes with natural mothering instinct, and those ewes that had to be helped artificially. Unless the ewe is having problems, we simply don't interfere. Ewes that don't accept their lambs or have problems with dystocia are culled. The result is that all of our ewes have excellent mothering instincts, lamb in the open, own their young with no grannying, and carry on a family bond. We've found that the younger ewes will hang out with their own mothers, and seem to learn what to do from the older ewes. We have also learned that those lambs born on pasture socialize better, and learn from a few days old which grasses they should eat, and which they should not.
When do you lamb?
We have had a harsh winter the past few years. To avoid such natural catastrophes as ice storms and to take advantage of the lush spring grasses, we lamb from the middle of March until the middle of April. The lambs seem to grow off at the same rate as those stressed by early births. We had a few born early this year because we jumped the gun and introduced the rams and bucks a bit early, but even with some cold rains, our losses were under one percent.
Do you have multiple births?
Our yearlings often have singles, but twins are the norm for two-year-olds, and sometimes triplets. Again, we try not to interfere. If a triplet is not doing well, we might pull the mother and put the three on feed, but it has been several years since we have had to do that. Those ewes and lambs were culled. It is not cost efficient for a ewe to have three if you have to bottle-feed one or more of the babies, or feed the ewe so that she can raise that third lamb. We handle the goats the same way. Multiple births are fine if the mother is good enough to keep up with more than two, and can feed that number on grass alone. Those lambs from triplet stock whose mothers were able to raise them efficiently are the only ones saved as breeding stock, and seem to pass those mothering qualities on to their own young. UPDATE We tried something a bit different last year. We had a total of nine bottle babies, and brought in a couple of milk goats (one Boer that lost her baby, and one that we bought). We grafted the lambs onto the goats, and the goats raised them successfully. In fact, the project was so successful that we plan to breed a couple of goats early this year so that we will have them available. Sure beats bottles!
How often do you worm?
We breed for parasite resistance. We worm everything before breeding, before lambing, and after lambing. After that, we worm only on an as-needed basis, doing fecal samples, and using the Famancha method. Anything that needs more than one extra worming through the year is culled. We do rotate wormers, and we rotate grazing species on the pasture to keep the wormload down.
Do you vaccinate?
Ewes and does are given a C&D/tetanus combination before lambing, and lambs are given the same vaccination before castration and tagging. We do not vaccinate for soremouth (orf) as we have been in the business long enough to see what happens when an adult sheep who has never had soremouth gets the disease because it goes a year without vaccinating. Cases in young lambs are very mild, and then it is over for a lifetime. Cases in an adult sheep often result in death. We work on the premise that immunity is best built up while young, and therefore, try to keep inoculations on a limited basis.
How often do you trim feet?
We trim feet on an as-needed basis, and we seldom trim anything. We are fortunate enough to have a large area of gravel in one of our pastures, and that helps keep feet worn down. Anything with severe foot problems is culled, as are the offspring. Foot problems are often inherited, and this is not a trait we want in our sheep.
What is the difference between an A and a C coat?
For the answer to this and other breed questions, check out the Katahdin Hair Sheep International site at www.khsi.org
What type of fencing do you use?
We have tried it all - you name it, and we've had it here at one time or another. We've finally settled on four-by-four net, with top and bottom barbed wire. All perimeter fence and most cross-fencing has been replaced with this fence, and so far, we are extremely pleased. The cost has been well worth the results.
How do you market your sheep?
We have a good ethnic market for our whether lambs and goats, but even without that, we are finding that markets are certainly appreciating the qualities of Katahdin sheep and Boer-cross goats. The Katahdins are sometimes referred to as "baby beef cows." They have no wool to mess with, the meat is sweet, with no wool after-taste, they have a good flocking instinct, which makes them easier to handle, and they are very nearly care-free. The nicest thing about them is that they aren't a pyramid scheme with breeders selling to other breeders as their only market. There is a viable commercial market out there, and good sheep are reasonably priced for those who want to get into the business. Our Boer-cross goats are much the same. They have a hardiness from their Spanish blood, and good meat qualities. Because they are pasture bred and raised, they are also cost-efficient. Are they show quality? Not at this point, but they will make you money with very little input. UPDATE We are still selling breeding stock to the public, but no longer marketing individual meat stock to local buyers. It is not that the market isn't there; it is. Our reasons are simply that we are getting older and enjoying time to ourselves without having to honor marketing hours. We now market meat stock directly to the plants, and have found that it is a viable option for our operation.
