2023 Breeding Season is in Full Swing
The 2023 Breeding Season on Melwood Farm started on October 7. This post describes my setup and breeding decisions.
From The Farm
National Sheep Improvement Program – NSIP
I am the only St. Croix Hair Sheep breeder enrolled in and submitting data to the National Sheep Improvement Program – NSIP.
Do Sheep Recognize Each Other and Us?
Sheep have a remarkable ability to visually recognize each other, especially family members, and humans.
Protected: Two St. Croix Registries? What?
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
2023 Spring Lambs Arrive Soon!
2023 Spring lambs start arriving at the end of February. My waitlist folks can expect to hear from me in April.
Fertility, Prolificacy, and Fecundity: What are ewe talking about?
Shepherds often toss around three terms when discussing ewes: fertility, prolificacy, and fecundity.
Barn and Lambing Pens Setup
I often get questions about my barn and lambing pens setup. I remember when I started with sheep several years ago, I had lots of questions too! This post should help explain. The Barn The barn was built in November 2019 and is 32 feet long and 24 feet wide. I added a 16-foot open …Read More
We are Under Siege: Foot Rot has Found Us
This year has been full of challenges, and now we get to add foot rot to the list. First, we had an explosion of triplets. Then we got way more rain than we imagined we would, all summer long. That rain has brought some very nasty business to the farm: foot rot. Every year during …Read More
Sometimes, It’s a Zebra
“Doctors are taught ‘when you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras,’ meaning a doctor should first think about what is a more common—and potentially more likely—diagnosis. When I first saw this little lamb out in the pasture with a swollen jaw and droopy demeanor, I thought of the horses. I immediately assumed she had a …Read More
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
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