Posts by Ulf Kintzel
How To Do It And To What End Extending the grazing season well beyond the end of growing season is a desirable goal when raising sheep on pasture. Feeding stored feed like dry hay and haylage over the winter is costly. Extending the grazing season can reduce these winter-feeding costs. There are various ways to…
Read MoreA downed sheep is a dead sheep. Towards the end of pregnancy, a ewe may go down and will be unable to get back up. Common perception is when a sheep is down, it will die. It doesn’t have to be that way. A pregnant ewe just weeks from giving birth going down and being…
Read MoreWhere does your sheep breed come from originally? There are many different sheep breeds worldwide. Their many different looks, sizes and production records were shaped by their purpose and by the environment in which they were bred and raised. In this article I attempt an introduction to the history of sheep breeds. Wool Sheep…
Read MoreWhen you want a breed of sheep but can’t find a place to buy them By Ulf Kintzel Hair sheep that shed and do not require shearing and are able to thrive on forage have been in high demand for many years now. High and relatively stable lamb prices have added to the demand. White Dorper…
Read MoreDiscover what traits to look for in a ram. A German proverb states: “The ram is half the flock.” Since a ram can breed dozens of ewes during a breeding season, his quality is more important than the quality of any individual ewe in that same flock. Yet, the purchase of a ram is for…
Read MoreHow long should my pasture rest before I graze it again? After a pasture cell has been grazed it should rest that the plants in it can regrow, restore nutrients, and stay viable. How long the pasture rest should be, depends on the time of year. Pasture rest in humid climate like in New England,…
Read MoreIs docking sheep tails always necessary? Docking a sheep’s tail is the common practice of shortening the length of the tail. For practical reasons it is done to avoid fly strike and to reduce fecal soiling. Fly strike occurs when blow flies lay their eggs in soiled and wet wool, mostly around a soiled and…
Read MoreHow to Reduce Cases of Mastitis in Your Flock Mastitis is an inflammation of the udder caused by bacteria. It leads to a loss of milk production and the quality of the milk is affected. Depending on the various bacteria that can cause mastitis, it will be more or less severe. In most cases I…
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