All in a days work..
When we work our herd, we band our rams and give second rounds of vaccines usually in early summer. Every year around this time we find ourselves modifying our catch pens, reassessing our plan of action and as always we are constantly trying to figure out how to be better!
More sheep terminology for you! During lambing we have a drop pen, jugs and a bunching pen. The drop pen is where a ewe in labor goes before a lamb is born, so she can focus on her task at hand. The jugs are where a ewe goes with her little lamb to bond and focus on nursing. After 1-3 days together they go to what we call the bunching pen. This is where they can be with other ewes and their babies to practice getting lost and being found again. After they are in the bunching pen for 4-5 days we let them out with all the other ewes and their lambs in the
During our “working days” I am the gate girl. I assist Lance in holding and crowding. I have taken on feeding our two black angus heifers in the evening as well as feeding the jugs, bunching pen and pregnant ewes a grower grain ration + corn. I am usually on duty for our bottle lambs, who are trained to a bucket and get fed three times a day. I guess you could say I am Lances right hand gal! Date nights are very few and far between, but I can honestly say I love our teamwork, the quality time and doing this sheep thing together. Date day during our littlest girl’s nap time!
We asked the boys the other night if they wanted cows or sheep someday of their very own. Our oldest wanted his own cows and sheep, our middle said he would like just sheep! Our youngest is already a cowgirl and we will most likely be joining her brothers in the love of animals. She follows my husband Lance around while he feeds our calves and is such a hard worker! The love they have for each other just warms my heart!
Here are a few sheep facts for you. Ewes know their babies by their scent. Sheep have four stomachs. The process of chewing cud takes up to 6 hours on a daily basis.
I hope you have enjoyed learning a little bit about our ranch. Our sheep are raised almost wholly for meat production. We have done lots of research and found that lamb is a very sought after meat! Our sheep are a hair sheep breed which means they do not have wool but a hair coat that grows in the fall and sheds in the spring. Wool breeds have lanolin in their wool which can contribute to a stronger, gamier flavor of meat. Ours being a hair breed makes the lamb meat very tender and wonderful with a milder flavor.
