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A Sheep-Breeding Program that Pairs Ease and Joy [1]
['Eliza Blue', 'The Daily Yonder']
Date: 2023-12-15
December is date month on our ranch – at least where the sheep are concerned. After a few years of trials and a whole bunch of errors, we finally tried lambing during the month of May, which meant December 1st the bucks went in with the ladies, and then we waited.
It turned out May was a great time to lamb; it was warm, the grass green and sweet. Every morning and evening, I’d make a round through the pasture to check the mamas and new babies, my own wee one cuddled close as this was when my youngest was a tiny baby. We’ve lambed in May ever since.
So, here we are once again, though things have gotten a hair more complicated in the interim. When I got my first buck, I only had four sheep. He did his work well, and seemingly overnight our flock more than doubled in size. Since then, I’ve bought a lot more sheep, including a small flock of Shetlands. The Shetlands involved their own set of trials (and even more errors–turns out they weren’t the best fit for the open range. As a knowledgeable shepherding neighbor said: “Anything less than high stone walls isn’t going to keep those critters fenced…”)
Still, at its largest, my flock was only 60 head. By the standards of most of our neighbors, this isn’t very many. What makes it tricky, however, is the variety of sizes, and basic genetics – namely, who is related to whom. Long story short, despite our small flock, in order for the right-sized, genetically appropriate ram to be with the right-sized, genetically appropriate ewe, we’ve often had multiple pens with multiple rams and all kinds of makeshift fencing solutions to keep them “shetland-proof.” I won’t bore you with the details, but it’s a temporary solution to a permanent problem.
Currently, our flock is much smaller again and about half the flock is “normal” size. These ewes are mostly Rambouillet and Targhee crosses. They are also mostly former bottle lambs, and therefore tame as the day is long. To sort them, you just walk past, and they usually follow.
The Shetlands, on the other hand, are small as badgers, and just as wily. We can’t keep them fenced for anything, and with the exception of a few sweet-eyed gals, they are completely feral – they see a human and they bolt. You’d think this would make sorting easy, but you’d be wrong.
Consequently, after years of struggle, we’ve finally decided to throw away all hope of keeping large rams and large ewes separate. Two years in a row, we had a small ewe get in with a large ram (and then get back out without us even realizing it!) and the results were decidedly not good. So, this year we are using two small rams for big and little ewes. The result is going to be tiny, adorable, multicolored babies who will not fetch good prices when it comes time to sell them in the fall. Our breeding program, in other words, will be based on joy and ease, not on profitability, and I’m pretty excited about that.
Joy and ease are two things I’ve written about a lot over the years, and have aspired to embody, but wanting to be filled with joy and ease, and actually choosing joy and ease when push comes to shove are not the same thing. I feel like I might finally be on the cusp of understanding the difference and for that I am very thankful.
Meanwhile, we are also officially in the holiday season, a time where joy and ease are especially lauded while, ironically, often especially difficult to come by. I wish both for you, Dear Reader! I hope we can all find ways to transform that longing for joy and ease into a reality. Much love to you all during this season of giving and receiving.
Eliza Blue lives on a ranch in northwest South Dakota. She’s a musician, mom, author, and shepherd. She writes a column for newspapers in her region and produces audio commentary for South Dakota Public Radio. You can learn more about Eliza on her website.
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