This year, we made the deliberate decision to move our flock to a fall lambing system. When you’re running a 35-ewe St. Croix seedstock farm, the calendar is one of your most critical management tools. Changing when our lambs hit the ground changes everything from our feed costs and pasture rotations to our daily labor …Read More
Visual appraisal, when done systematically, helps identify rams with the potential to enhance traits like growth and conformation. Selecting replacement ram lambs is a critical step in improving flock genetics and productivity. Here’s a quick guide to how I evaluate young ram lambs for breeding. Structural Soundness I start by assessing the lamb’s structure. A …Read More
Someone recently asked me how I go about selecting the right ram. This is an important question, and by asking, a new breeder is demonstrating their interest in developing a solid flock. St. Croix ram selection is the most important decision in a seed stock breeding program. Get the best ram you can afford and be prepared to …Read More
Summit 1179 Jasper went in with the ewe flock on December 20 to cover any ewes that are still open after the main breeding season in October. The girls were all happy to see him and surrounded him to get a good sniff. There are four open ewes that I did not include in the …Read More
The 2023 Breeding Season on Melwood Farm started on October 7. This post describes my setup and breeding decisions.
I am the only St. Croix Hair Sheep breeder enrolled in and submitting data to the National Sheep Improvement Program – NSIP.
2023 Spring lambs start arriving at the end of February. My waitlist folks can expect to hear from me in April.
Shepherds often toss around three terms when discussing ewes: fertility, prolificacy, and fecundity.
Ever notice that the plans you make rarely work out? You are so right, Mr. Allen Saunders. I got up early this morning with plans to head out to the pasture with the machete to finish chopping down the tall ironweed before it goes to seed. I started it two days ago but the heat …Read More
I use data collection to improve my sheep genetics. As my lambs are born, I record their pedigree information, tag numbers, and birth weight within their first 24 hours. Then when the lambs reach an average of 60 days old, I weigh them again. I repeat this process again at 90 and 120 days. I …Read More
