Why do we have lambs in January?

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posted on

January 27, 2020

Why do we have Lambs in January?

Looking at our ranch this week you would've thought that it was spring or something! We have baby lambs being born left and right!

But wait... It's January?

Yes, it is January and we are certainly thankful for the beautiful weather we have been having, because this lambing thing could have been a real disaster if it was super cold and snowy.

So how did we end up with babies in January?

The short answer is: that rams don't care what time of year they breed, they just breed when given the chance.

The long answer... Well, here's the story:

Our normal PLAN is to turn our rams out the right around Thanksgiving to start breeding our ewes (female sheep) which gives us end of April / beginning of May lambs. The weather is usually beautiful, there's green grass and it's warm.

BUT

The longer I live on a ranch the more I realize, our plans can be foiled by animals who don't behave by the rules, but just do what instinct tells them.
Most of the year our rams and ewes are separated in two different locations far apart, so that rams can't smell or see the ewes, which usually eliminates the problem of them escaping. Apparently, they were not far enough apart. We also have a lot of ewes and rams. We sell rams to other people who have sheep, so we usually have 10-15 rams around in the fall and they all hang out in a bachelors club in a pasture of their own.
Everyday we drive by the field with the ewes and the rams and just glance over them to see if everyone is doing well. Since there were several rams in the bachelor club we never really took time to count every single one everyday to make sure they were all there...

Well, one day Sean noticed that there was a ram in the pasture chasing ewes and having a good time.

It only takes 1 day to make a huge mess out of our breeding program, who knows how long that ram was in there, maybe a week, maybe a few days, but it didn't matter, that meant babies would be born in January.
Our sheep are very fertile, so in the few days the ram was out he was able to get 15 + ewes bred, so in the last 2 weeks we have had at least 1 momma give birth everyday.
It has been a very MILD winter here, so during the day the temperatures have been in the 40's, which believe it or not, is just fine for lambs to be born and thrive at.

So despite the terrible time of year to lamb, we have been spared, and we have lots of healthy bouncy little lambs around, which is a sure sign that spring is on it's way!!

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Liz Cunningham

Bird Flu Explained

Ask anyone who buys eggs regularly at the grocery store, and you'll be met with the question.Why are egg prices so high?!Basic conventional raised eggs at the grocery store have reached record-high prices, and most stores are limiting the number of eggs people can purchase.There is clearly a supply and demand issue at the moment, but what is causing such an egg shortage?This might surprise some of you, but the egg shortage is directly correlated with the governments policy of handling the outbreak of the avian bird flu.Bird flu isn't new; it has been present worldwide since the early 2000s, yet it has recently gained renewed attention.The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) policy regarding bird flu states that if your flock tests positive for the virus, all poultry on that farm will be "depopulated" (a euphemism for being killed). This means that if one bird shows signs of illness or dies and the USDA confirms it as bird flu, they will eliminate the entire flock of chickens or turkeys on the farm. The testing method used for bird flu is the PCR test, which gained notoriety during the COVID outbreak for its false positives.This isn't speculation. We witnessed this firsthand with our friends this fall when their turkey flock became sick and died. The USDA came and tested, confirming that it was indeed bird flu. They didn't have to kill any turkeys because their flock succumbed to the virus quickly. However, their small group of laying hens, which they kept for personal egg consumption and were healthy despite being exposed to the turkeys, had to be killed if they wanted any compensation from the USDA.Large confinement operations can house up to 250,000 chickens. Many of these farms have multiple houses, so if a large operation is confirmed to have bird flu, it is required to cull all the chickens on the farm; sometimes, this number well exceeds 250,000. In the last two years, over 160 million chickens and turkeys have been killed to "slow the spread." Yet, bird flu continues to spread.The USDA blames wild birds for carrying and transmitting the disease, yet I have yet to hear the USDA consider a widespread extermination plan for wild birds like starlings, pigeons, and chickadees, but only for the farmers who have chickens and turkeys?For a chicken to start laying eggs, they must be at least 5 months old before they begin to lay regularly. So if a laying operation has to depopulate their entire farm, they will have a minimum of 5 months before they have eggs again, and that's IF they can find chicks to restock their farm. There has been no discussion about breeding chickens that have contracted bird flu but survived the disease. What happened to the survival of the fittest?With millions of chickens being exterminated from the food supply, it's no wonder that egg prices are skyrocketing! Unless the USDA policy changes, it's unlikely we'll see a significant drop in egg prices, unless many new farmers enter the market willing to raise and sell eggs. In the meantime, we will continue to supply our customers with our small flock of laying hens that my daughter raises.

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Why do we have lambs in January?

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