[Jacob-list] Breeding question....

[Neal and Louise Grose]

Seasonal sheep, such as Jacobs, cycle as the nights get longer. As far as I know,they cycle from August through mid-December. I know that I have read that shepherds that use coastal islands in Maine to run their sheep take the rams out to the island at the last of November. I like to hold the rams out here until the last week of October. 95% of the ewes then catch in four weeks. The older and heavier ewe lambs generally catch on the tail end of the breeding season in early December, the smaller ones do not.

Neal Grose
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Christopher Brantley 
  To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 
  Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 9:18 PM
  Subject: [Jacob-list] Breeding question....




  Here in Boone, I'm still waiting for the first lamb of the our first lambing season. I'm expecting it most any time now as two of the ewes have both dropped their udders and are showing greater dialation. IMA has begun lifting her tail as she strides through the pasture.



  I'm hoping the weather will continue to be mild until we get through at least the first births here. I did not really do a good job this year of planning. I kept the ram lamb with the girls and as he matured... he figured out ( somewhat amusingly) what to do and how to do it with the girls. Looking toward the spring and next breeding season I see the wisdom of holding the ram(s) seperate fromt he ewes ti facilitate the lambing season until spring begins in earnest around here.



  My primary concern is that is the girls start to cycle late september - october will the continue to cycke through december if they are not bred at that point? I would like to time lambing to wait until the april-may time frame to avoid some of the harsh late winter storms we have in the boone area... especialy at the 4200+ elevation we're at.



  It may be that we just have to compensate with more effort in keeping the stables warm.



  Thanks,

  Christopher Brantley



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