This is Sabrina. She had 2 beautiful lambs last year and was an excellent mom. She is breed to Sunny this year and I am expecting wonderful fleeces from this pairing. Poor Sabrina is huge and is only hopefully having twins!
Amelia is a first-time mom and is breed to Dreamer. She is looking huge I will probably lamb this month.
Gypsy is a first-time-to-be mom. Here she is having a good scratch. I thought she looked super cute. She is breed to Sunny so I should get some beautiful moorit fleeced lambs. I am very excited to see what she produces.
Jewel is enjoying the sunshine although wants to know when it is time to be sheared as it was 60 degrees today. I told her not to worry, knowing New England it'll be below freezing tomorrow. She is breed to Dreamer and I am expecting some wonderfully colorful lambs.
How are everyone else's ewes doing? Exciting for lambing season to begin again?
You should have some nice looking lambs! Are you still up for a lamb swap or does your voluntary status prevent you from adding replacement ewes from the mandatory program?
ReplyDeleteThanks and yes sadly I can only add from another VSCP flock or I lose my status until I have been in the program 5 years (I think), so no lamb swap for me.
ReplyDeleteThat is why I decided to start with the Mandatory one, and look into the Voluntary one, when I am ready to close my ewe flock. I don't want those sort of restrictions as I am building my flock. The sending a head thing in too has got me grossed out...or it that just a farm ledgend?
ReplyDeleteI asked my state vet about that. The head actually only gets sent in if the death is suspicious for scrapie. Example old age, animal attack etc would all be fine you just record that in your records. Other than that the mandatory program is easy to follow. Tag all except slaughter bound lambs or sheep, keep track of sales etc including giving paperwork out, record flock records and arrange for inspection every year with state vet. Follow that for 5 years and don't add from non-scrapie program flock during that time. Fine to add from people already in it and you just record their tag on your flock sheet. Tags, inspections and paperwork is free and I already did pretty much all of that beforehand. I had also planned to close my flock but I have those 2 more ewes that I want and know I can find them from people already in the program.
ReplyDelete