Registered Icelandic Ewes of 2012
A preview of our ewe list is now located under LambPlan EBV’s !
An Icelandic ewe nested with newborns in the briars
The following is a list of our current registered ewes organized from oldest to youngest. Most of the comments have to do with meat production and lambs’ weaned. Where possible there will be a history of weights on each ewe, her lambing record, and her weaning record. We weigh the ewes in winter after the breeding season when they should be in prime condition. In our experience the ewes seem to reach their maximum weight potential going into their 4th year. Individual ewe performance accuracy is considered low until she has given us at least 5 years of production (8-10 lambs). We are turning our focus toward daughter performances out sires instead of waiting on individual ewes to tell us the story. With the help of EBV data of LambPlan through NSIP, the daughters and closely related ewes will contribute to performance accuracy readings calculated in LambPlan. Ultimate goal: Optimum pounds of lambs weaned with optimum post wean gain for our slaughter lamb crop, with replacement ewes who develop milky traits early in their role as a mom.
Why weigh the adults each year? This helps us confirm our guess on how much feed they will consume as a whole. It also eliminates our visual bias to the ewe’s production: Not all heavy, large-framed ewes raise big lambs. A 116 lb ewe weaning 160 lbs. of lamb is more valuable than a 150 lb. ewe who doesn’t twin well or can’t wean more than her weight. We are 100% grassfed, so no grain or concentrates are used to increase gains. The ewe must perform on forages (hay & grass) to remain in our flock. And we must be able to afford to feed her when pasture forage is not available. A 135 lb. ewe who weans at least 160 lbs of twins at 90 days with minimal parasite trouble from her or her lambs is our ideal animal.
A word about internal parasites: We have detected Haemonchus contortus (barber pole) in our sheep. It causes anemia, which makes it detectable through eyelid color. It is the current tool we use to determine infection. When a ewe is listed as “inconsistent p-resis”, it is referring to anemic conditions in her lambs. Our sheep have had other internal parasites which do not cause anemia and appear without warning in the form of diarrhea (scours). Coccidiosis, Ostertagia and Trichostrongylus species are not traceable by watching eyelid color. A fecal test confirms the causative agent. We use dewormers, but likely have used them untimely in years past. It is possible we are seeing a resistance to Valbazen (fendbendazole) as a result. With the help of NSIP, we hope to accelerate the production of parasite resistant Icelandics by following growth performance and thrivability. Pasture quality plays a major role in parasite management, and we feel we’re making improvements in that area as well as using dewormers more wisely.