Learn About Us!
Our Practices
We strive to produce our lamb as naturally and humanely as possible. We don't feed any grain to our sheep. We use Management-intensive Grazing to utilize our pasture resources while building the soil, increasing the quality of the grass, and re-mineralizing the land. We use no GMO's whatsoever as well as no herbicides, hormones, or steroids.
Our lambs' tails are never docked, nor do we castrate our lambs. This reduces our flock's risk of tetanus (which we have never had) and upholds the welfare of our animals. We don't regularly deworm, only deworming the lambs that need it to maintain a sustainable approach to parasite management. We utilize fecal egg counts and FAMACHA scoring to increase internal parasite resistance and reduce the need for commercial dewormers. Antibiotics are not used, except for the life of the animal. If antibiotics are used, that animal is removed from our natural meat line. We also take great care of our sheep and their well-being. We make great efforts to handle our sheep in low-stress environments, which not only helps animal welfare but also growth, health, and flock management. Many of our sheep are pets and will come up for attention because they trust us as their shepherds. This relationship with our sheep helps keep stress to a minimum when moving them, helping our sheep to live a happy, peaceful life. |
Grazing Practices
We use Management-intensive Grazing to efficiently utilize our pastures. Our sheep are given fresh grass every day, unless the situation requires less-frequent moves. This ensures the lambs get the most nutrition possible from the forage.
Our pastures contain various species of forage, some paddocks containing as many as 20 different species, giving the sheep their choice of a variety of plants with varying nutritional benefits. This allows the sheep to graze the forage that contains the nutritional properties their bodies need. A major part of this type of grazing is managing residual. Not only is it important for parasite management, but it is essential for the health of the grass. We use the tool of residual management to improve our soil, grass stands, and flock health. Also, this maintains our soil quality, making the pasture even more sustainable. |
We strive for a medium framed ewe with exceptional parasite resistance, that passes that resistance on to its offspring, and produces enough milk to match growth potential for 200% minimum lamb crops. That ewe must have sound feet that do not require trimming, udders that do not get mastitis (allowing the lambs to self-wean, unless all ram lambs), and hair coats that do not need to be sheared. Ideally, she has a large frame capable of carrying multiple lambs easily, as well as adequate forage consumption to raise twins or triplets on grass alone. She also should have medium lambs, not too small that they become weak, and not to large to cause lambing difficulty. She will need minimal to no assistance and should have strong maternal instincts, keeping her lambs close to her at all times. Also, she should have good growth genetics and be well muscled.
Unfortunately, the ewe I just described can be difficult to find in one package without having tools to identify and select on those traits, which is why we use the National Sheep Improvement Program. With this technology, we are making improvements in these areas and most of our ewes meet a large majority of these traits, with strengths in various areas. A flock will always have some exceptional sheep, average, and some below average. To improve, the goal is to select the lambs out of ewes from the upper end to replace ewes from the lower end. Over time, the average will increase and the flock will improve.
In order to improve, traits have to be measured. We monitor these traits and evaluate our lambs to select the best replacement lambs possible for our flock. Our flock is enrolled in the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP) which allows us to utilize EBV's produced from data submitted by flocks enrolled in the program. This technology allows us to be able to compare traits across generations, management systems, and environments. We can use this statistical data to track traits for 60 day weights, 120 day weights, maternal effects on weaning weight (milk production, mothering), birth weight, number of lambs born, number of lambs weaned, weaning fecal egg count, post weaning fecal egg count, yearling weight, and lbs. lamb weaned/ewe. Our flock is one of two flocks of any breed this side of Kansas submitting data with the capability to calculate EBV's for parasite resistance at 8 weeks of age (WFEC). This is a crucial EBV as the Haemonchus Contortus (Barber Pole) parasite gains resistance to a variety of anthelminitics (dewormers). Also, rams are used to keep the flock moving forward in genetic progress by selecting rams with traits measured through the use of estimated breeding values (EBV's). These measure economically important traits and give producers a means to select lambs with the genetics the shepherd needs for genetic progress. We believe this technology is essential to keep the sheep industry moving forward, both registered and commercial.
We also keep in mind structural correctness when making our breeding decisions. The ewe should have a nice, straight top line (something numerous breeders have complemented our flock on) as well as correct feet and legs in addition to a fair amount of muscling. However, no matter how pretty a ewe is, its worth to the commercial producer and the national sheep industry comes from its productivity, not its looks. That is our first concern, with minimal standards implemented to keep the flock structurally correct.
Rams and ewes are kept out of the sires and dams that excel in our production system, and occasionally we offer some of these quality lambs for producers to use to build their flocks in these traits. Please see our for sale page for further information.
Unfortunately, the ewe I just described can be difficult to find in one package without having tools to identify and select on those traits, which is why we use the National Sheep Improvement Program. With this technology, we are making improvements in these areas and most of our ewes meet a large majority of these traits, with strengths in various areas. A flock will always have some exceptional sheep, average, and some below average. To improve, the goal is to select the lambs out of ewes from the upper end to replace ewes from the lower end. Over time, the average will increase and the flock will improve.
In order to improve, traits have to be measured. We monitor these traits and evaluate our lambs to select the best replacement lambs possible for our flock. Our flock is enrolled in the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP) which allows us to utilize EBV's produced from data submitted by flocks enrolled in the program. This technology allows us to be able to compare traits across generations, management systems, and environments. We can use this statistical data to track traits for 60 day weights, 120 day weights, maternal effects on weaning weight (milk production, mothering), birth weight, number of lambs born, number of lambs weaned, weaning fecal egg count, post weaning fecal egg count, yearling weight, and lbs. lamb weaned/ewe. Our flock is one of two flocks of any breed this side of Kansas submitting data with the capability to calculate EBV's for parasite resistance at 8 weeks of age (WFEC). This is a crucial EBV as the Haemonchus Contortus (Barber Pole) parasite gains resistance to a variety of anthelminitics (dewormers). Also, rams are used to keep the flock moving forward in genetic progress by selecting rams with traits measured through the use of estimated breeding values (EBV's). These measure economically important traits and give producers a means to select lambs with the genetics the shepherd needs for genetic progress. We believe this technology is essential to keep the sheep industry moving forward, both registered and commercial.
We also keep in mind structural correctness when making our breeding decisions. The ewe should have a nice, straight top line (something numerous breeders have complemented our flock on) as well as correct feet and legs in addition to a fair amount of muscling. However, no matter how pretty a ewe is, its worth to the commercial producer and the national sheep industry comes from its productivity, not its looks. That is our first concern, with minimal standards implemented to keep the flock structurally correct.
Rams and ewes are kept out of the sires and dams that excel in our production system, and occasionally we offer some of these quality lambs for producers to use to build their flocks in these traits. Please see our for sale page for further information.
