[Jacob-list] Breeding ewe lambs

[Gary Anderson]

I looked for (not very hard) results from controlled studies on growth
characteristics of ewes bred to lamb as yearlings versus as 2-year-olds.  I
did not find what I was after but think I can summarize conclusions from
these studies:  generally, effects on growth during pregnancy and lactation
of ewes that lamb as yearlings are temporary with most or all differences
between the early lambers and ewes that lamb first as 2-year-olds
disappearing by 2 years of age.  These experiments were not conducted with
Jacob ewes, but I believe it is reasonable to extrapolate the results to
Jacobs.

We expose our ewe lambs to rams during a roughly 5-week breeding season;
some lamb as yearlings and some do not.  This year, five of seven lambed.
The five that lambed did so at 12 months of age.  Our observations are in
line with those reported by others on the list: some new yearling mothers
take a bit of time to figure out what just happened and what they're
supposed to do, and lactation in a few yearling mothers results in poor milk
production.  Some of the lambs born to yearlings seem to be smaller at birth
and weaning than lambs born to adults.  In our experience lambs born to
yearlings usually are ready for breeding the following fall.  Smaller birth
weights seem helpful to reduce lambing problems in yearlings.  In our
experience, most yearlings lamb and lactate with no problems, producing
acceptable lambs for sale or adding to our flock.  Again in our experience,
yearlings typically produce single lambs.

Anecdotally, one of the five yearlings that lambed this year was an under-
grown triplet from the previous year, the triplet that got pushed out by her
larger two brothers.  I expected her not to cycle last fall and, not wanting
to separate her from the rest of the flock, let her run with a group of ewe
lambs with a ram lamb.  To my surprise, she was bred (based on use of a
marking harness on the ram) toward to the end of our breeding season.  When
I removed the rams, I gave prostaglandin to the triplet ewe lamb to
interrupt the pregnancy (at about 14 days).  When we sheared in March, I
noticed that her mammary gland was developing.  She delivered a scrawny ewe
lamb and, though she mothered it well, needed some assistance for a few
weeks from a daily bottle to supplement nutrition to her lamb.  After
weaning her lamb, the yearling grew nicely into a tall, rangy ewe in time
for this year's breeding season (which will begin the first of November).
Her ewe lamb still is scrawny and definitely not ready for breeding this
year.  In this instance, I judged that the ewe lamb should not be bred to
lamb as a yearling, but my efforts to prevent it were insufficient and
unsuccessful.  I guess the bottom line is 'some ewe lambs are appropriate
for breeding and lambing as yearlings and some not'.  Good judgment of the
shepherd is important.

A further anecdote: I was surprised to see how few of the yearling ewes
shown at this year's AGM appeared to have lambed, based on their appearance
whether or not they were lactating.  As several contributors have mentioned,
a breeder's decision not to breed ewe lambs might be based on not wanting to
produce more lambs than appropriate for his/her market.  Since yearling
lambers might require a bit more care than adults, the yearlings are good
candidates not to be bred.

-----Original Message-----
From: jacob-list-bounces at jacobsheep.com
[mailto:jacob-list-bounces at jacobsheep.com] On Behalf Of
jacob-list-request at jacobsheep.com
Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2009 6:50 PM
To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
Subject: Jacob-list Digest, Vol 62, Issue 25

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: Mountain state fair sheep show (Linda)
   2. Breeding Ewe Lambs (Laura C Frazier)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:27:03 -0400
From: Linda <patchworkfibers at windstream.net>
Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] Mountain state fair sheep show
To: hobbyknobfarm <hobbyknobfarm at main.nc.us>
Cc: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
Message-ID: <4ABBF237.30303 at windstream.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; Format="flowed"

Thanks for sharing and congrats to Elke!

Linda

hobbyknobfarm wrote:

> We just had our wool sheep show here in Asheville. Elke brought 3 

> lambs, one of which was a very nice Jacob ewe lamb from her ewe and my 

> ram Andy (well, Andy actually was a result of a purchase of a bred ewe 

> from Cheryl 3 years ago, but he was born here) Anyway, that little ewe 

> lamb was 1st place in fine wool (we have no Jacob class at our fair) 

> and Grand Champion fleece in fine wool - she is a very nice ewe lamb, 

> and is for sale by the way, and the judge is a fleece/spinner/breeder 

> so she really looks at fleeces when she judges. I had to toot Elke's 

> horn as she is not on this list. You too can show some Jacob's at SAFF 

> here in October. I imagine this little lamb will be there then along 

> with my one ewe lamb and maybe a yearling if I have the energy to get 

> her used to the halter again.

> Elizabeth

> www.hobbyknobfarm.com

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

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-- 
Patchwork Farm Jacob Sheep <http://www.patchworkfibers.com>
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:41:06 -0400
From: Laura C Frazier <farmgirlarts at triad.rr.com>
Subject: [Jacob-list] Breeding Ewe Lambs
To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
Message-ID: <E3F123E2-6C1C-4D84-8D41-297C88525D42 at triad.rr.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; Format="flowed";
	DelSp="yes"

I'm soliciting folks' opinions about and experiences with breeding  
ewe lambs that are 6 or more months old.

This list is SO helpful. Thanks everyone!!
Laura

Laura C Frazier
FarmGirl Arts
(336) 971-3834
Kernersville, NC
http://home.rr.com/farmgirlarts



On Sep 24, 2009, at 5:59 PM, jacob-list-request at jacobsheep.com wrote:


> Send Jacob-list mailing list submissions to

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>

> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit

> 	http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list

> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to

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>

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> 	jacob-list-owner at jacobsheep.com

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> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific

> than "Re: Contents of Jacob-list digest..."

>

>

> Today's Topics:

>

>    1. Mountain state fair sheep show (hobbyknobfarm)

>    2. Jacob Owners - Alberta & Canada?? (ranchrat)

>    3. Congenital Problems in Jacobs (ranchrat)

>

>

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------

>

> Message: 1

> Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:32:39 -0400

> From: "hobbyknobfarm" <hobbyknobfarm at main.nc.us>

> Subject: [Jacob-list] Mountain state fair sheep show

> To: <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>

> Message-ID: <8CBC213BC3FD46DBAFD759AEFDECDC9F at daron1>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

>

> We just had our wool sheep show here in Asheville. Elke brought 3  

> lambs, one of which was a very nice Jacob ewe lamb from her ewe and  

> my ram Andy (well, Andy actually was a result of a purchase of a  

> bred ewe from Cheryl 3 years ago, but he was born here) Anyway,  

> that little ewe lamb was 1st place in fine wool (we have no Jacob  

> class at our fair) and Grand Champion fleece in fine wool - she is  

> a very nice ewe lamb, and is for sale by the way, and the judge is  

> a fleece/spinner/breeder so she really looks at fleeces when she  

> judges. I had to toot Elke's horn as she is not on this list. You  

> too can show some Jacob's at SAFF here in October. I imagine this  

> little lamb will be there then along with my one ewe lamb and maybe  

> a yearling if I have the energy to get her used to the halter again.

> Elizabeth

> www.hobbyknobfarm.com

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> Message: 2

> Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:21:55 -0600

> From: "ranchrat" <ranchrat at telusplanet.net>

> Subject: [Jacob-list] Jacob Owners - Alberta & Canada??

> To: <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>

> Message-ID: <000501ca3d54$a992d540$7814b8a1 at RIVENDELL>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>

> A question posed to the list.how many Canadians are left possessing

> Jacobs?  Here in Alberta, I can list many who no longer have  

> Jacobs, the

> stats are very scary and I suppose I should go on the Canadian  

> Livestock

> Records registry database and see if any of these former owned Jacobs

> are listed there under different ownership now.  I have heard many

> threaten to "get out of Jacobs" through some means such as making

> pepperoni out of their flock unless a valid owner steps forward  

> soon to

> buy their Jacobs.  No worries, ALL livestock is facing the same  

> fate.not

> picking on Jacobs solely by any means.  Even on this List there has  

> been

> downsizing and flock sales..sigh!

>

> In just the past few years, Alberta Jacob breeders gone now are: Lisa,

> Leonard, Judy (too old I believe now), Tyler, Bonnie, Pamela (may have

> taken some up North); there are probably more that even this I did not

> become acquainted with.the Can Rare Breeds flock is gone, dispersed.I

> believe there is only myself and Linda/Dan now left in Alberta and

> that's unsettling.  There are many livestock owners literally  

> "dumping"

> livestock at auctions all over the Prairies.if they had troubles with

> producing their own feed, they sure would have it now trying to buy  

> it.

> We, fortunately, put by all our alfalfa in June and even purchased all

> our livestock rations and grains at lower per bag prices than even  

> last

> year's.  We're good for just over two years now.but even we are

> concerned about future costs to keep on what we have.  Not to do this

> would be living under a rock.  Hauling in the oat straw bedding this

> weekend and there, same price as in year's past.we locked in beginning

> of this spring with our order.

>

> One or two Jacob sheepers don't a happy "flock" make!

>

> Tara Lee Higgins - Rat Ranch, Alberta

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> Message: 3

> Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:22:05 -0600

> From: "ranchrat" <ranchrat at telusplanet.net>

> Subject: [Jacob-list] Congenital Problems in Jacobs

> To: <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>

> Message-ID: <000a01ca3d54$b0ebefc0$7814b8a1 at RIVENDELL>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>

> Heel low:

>

> <Jacobflock at aol.com> Fred Horak wrote:

>

> 3. The "standardization" of the Jacob in North America can be laid to

> the

> small gene pool, often referred to as a genetic bottleneck and flock

> structure (few rams).  The study by the USDA-NGP (2/04) covered over

> 2,000 births

> and indicated the rapidly increasing percent of inbred  animals from

> 1983

> to 1994 and a more positive trend of reduced  inbreeding from 1995 to

> 2002.

> The 1983-1994 period was a period that  contributed greatly to  

> "fixing"

> the

> Jacob=American traits but  also marked a period of a relatively high

> incidence of congenital  problems in the breed.

>

> I have a 2003 Jacob ewe from what I consider are VERY inbred lines and

> she is stone cold deaf.  Manages quite well in the flock, but is a

> little "off" due to her condition.  Needless to say, I've never  

> allowed

> her to have progeny.

>

> Would you consider the deafness to be directly linked to her  

> inbreeding?

> I have no real background in how ovines inherit deafness, tho I do  

> have

> a lot of experience in the canine incident of deafness (BAER testing

> generations and differing levels of decibles along with the proven

> "white hair" incident of deafness).

>

> What other congenital problems have been identified in the Jacob breed

> regarding issues limiting genetic diversity (setting breed type by

> inbreeding).

>

> Doggone,

>

> Tara

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