Dogs with jobs

Selective breeding has been used to develop the breeds of domesticated species (dogs, cats, cows, pigs, sheep, etc) where individuals with desired traits were bred and others were not. Traits like: thriving in a region (Shetland ponies), having desired work functions (German short hair pointer), or enhancing production traits (milk production of Holstein cows or fast growth rates like Suffolk sheep). Today we can a new breeding criteria for livestock: cuteness. There is a lucrative market to sell cute livestock for pets/lawn ornaments. Alpacas are one example. A new example is Valais Blacknose Sheep

(Take a look at the list of Breeds of Livestock from Oklahoma State University. Note how many different breeds there are.)

We are working towards minimizing the inputs (feed, aid during laming, need for bottle raising orphan lambs, etc) while maximizing output (total weight of live lamb produced; numbers and individual weight) after 8-10 months of pasture raising lambs. To reach these goals we select for ewes that will consistently produce and raise twins on their own; we are also selecting for ewes that do not require treatment for intestinal parasites. We are the opposite of intensive livestock farming.

We are down to one pregnant ewe that looks like will wait until the end of the lambing time (as determined by how long the rams were with the ewes + 5 months gestation).

Ewes lambed: 53
Singles: 17
Twins: 35
Triplets: 1
Died: 2
Lambs: 89

The most unusual static this year is the gender ratio. These same ewes and rams produced close to 50/50 female/male lambs last year. This year I think the ratio is close to 90/10 female/male.

BCSnob wrote:


The most unusual static this year is the gender ratio. These same ewes and rams produced close to 50/50 female/male lambs last year. This year I think the ratio is close to 90/10 female/male.

Wow!! Same ram(s) being used as sire?

Yep, same 2 rams were used.

Last Saturday the last pregnant ewe delivered a single.

Ewes lambed: 54
Singles: 18
Twins: 35
Triplets: 1
Died: 2
Lambs: 90

Good haul of lambs, looks like.

We did not breed about 20 ewes last fall; the lambs we kept as replacements and a few adults to be used for training our dogs. Here is Lee doing an exercise I call “driving squares: Lee Driving.

The goal is to make the sheep move calmly in straight lines to a corner and the make a sharp 90 deg turn and the proceed on a straight line to the next corner.

We’ve been streaming a bbc documentary about farming. Three families from the city are put onto a farm to learn about various types and size of farms by doing the jobs. Entertaining and educational.

The Family Farm

We’ve been streaming from Acorn.

We have one field that is secure and a couple more that are not secure. The job here is to move the ewes and lambs to a gate, hold the flock away from the gate while I unlock the gate and then move the flock through the open gate.

Fern moving ewes and lambs

Renee’s puppy Hattie has been getting training for the past few months. She is really interested in the sheep. When not in the field working she likes to sit and watch sheep through windows. This is a favorite spot.

Sorry about the rotated image