NorthfieldNick Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 The butcher is coming on Thursday, so I sorted lambs today. There were 22 out in one pasture- 10 of them had been worked a few times with their mothers, the other 12 had never been dogged. Those 12 had also not been touched by a person since August. I was prepared for a long, stressful time of trying to pen these sheep. Nope. The lambs turned and ran when I walked out there with Nick, but as soon as he got to their heads, there was no stopping. He held them together- a few tried to split off a couple times- and didn't let them stop until they were penned. I gave up my old dog because "quit" was his favourite speed. He was not cut out to be a stock dog, and would just give up if the work got hard. "Quit" is not in Nick's vocabulary. He just will not give up until the job is done. It was another day when I again realised that I really lucked out with this dog. I paid almost nothing for him as a well-started dog, put a bit of time on him, and he's just amazing. His outruns seem to have suddenly come together, and he's figuring out pace. My lambs are all fat & huge- they'll hang 50+ Lbs. Not bad for pasture-raised heritage breed sheep! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 Isn't it wonderful when you have a useful dog to help you out? What breed are you raising--as a fellow heritage breed raiser, I'm just curious. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthfieldNick Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Julie- I raise Cotswolds. Mostly coloured, but I have a few white ewes now. I got them for the wool, but I really like them. They're huge and mellow, and so easy to handle. Even the lambs hop right in the trailer! They really aren't the best breed for a grass-fed operation, but they're so thrifty- they'll eat ANYTHING including rose hedges- that it's worth it to keep them a bit longer. Most of the lambs I butchered today were half-Cotswolds. I LOVE the cross-bred lambs! The ewes these lambs are out of are a hodge-podge of Lincoln, Romney, & some other long wool, so still not a real fast-growing sheep. Crossing a Cot ram on those ewes just produces a nice lamb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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