Posts by Ulf Kintzel
Where 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…
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When 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…
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Discover 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…
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How 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,…
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Is 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…
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How 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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Think like a sheep and you will be able to catch it. How often have you been outsmarted by a sheep when you tried to catch it? Here is some advice on how to win that battle of minds. Sheep are not stupid like many people claim. In a sheep’s world, all of what it…
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Determining which pasture weeds are nutritious additions and which are undesirable. Weeds are called weeds because we named them that way. The word “weed” suggests they are undesirable. However, not all weeds are created equal. This article addresses that. Perennial pasture never contains just the planted and desirable forage species like the grass species and the legumes that…
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How to care for a ram once your breeding season has ended. It is winter right now and your breeding season has probably ended. What should be done with your ram or rams? According to the questions I receive, the first inclination of people is to remove the ram from the flock. My advice is to leave the ram with the ewes after the official…
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How to provide drinking water for sheep. If you have sought any sort of consultation in how to set up a grazing system for sheep, you will likely have been advised to lay waterlines to provide drinking water to the flock. In this article, I will lay out an alternative way to accomplish the same without going…
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