Breeding Ewes

                 One of the great benefits of having a small flock is that we have the ability to really get to know every one of our ewes. They are a hardy and friendly bunch selected for traits such as easy lambing, prolificacy, parasite resistance, conformation and more.

                 All of our ewes lamb on pasture and rely on forage and browse for their primary nutrition. They are rotated through pasture during growing months and subsist on locally grown hay through the winter, and their diets are supplemented with organic kelp, Se/ Vitamin E powder and mineral salts year round. You can learn more about our breeding goals and management by clicking Here.

                 By fall, 2010 we hope to have around 12 polled breeding ewes and all 5 of the major patterns represented in our flock.

An ewe cleans her newborn lamb on April pasture

Brief Glossary of Common Blurb Terms

                 Let us know if you’d like to see anything else added!

AI background– The percent of genetic material the sheep has that comes from various AI rams and/ or the names of the particular AI rams in the sheep’s pedigree.

AI ram– see “AI sire”

AI sire– refers to an outstanding ram selected for superior conformation, meat and production scores, that resides in Iceland. Ewes are artificially inseminated (AI) with their semen to produce improved lambs

Dam– Mother

Line– A family group, usually sharing one particularly good sheep in common. May include parents, offspring, grandlambs, grandparents etc... Typically affiliated with a certain trait or group of traits. Example: “The ewe came from a very milky line that was also known for excellent fleece characteristics.” Some shepherd’s name their lines after the particular sheep who first exhibited the desirable trait(s).

Out of– Typically refers to the mother or the particular line that a sheep comes from, but is also sometimes used to indicate who the father was. “the lamb is out of my milkiest line” or “this ewe is out of Sally, our old foundation ewe.”

Polled– describes a sheep who naturally has no horns

Scurred, scurs– a scurred sheep has small, often misshapen, twisty horns called scurs that usually appear on sheep with one polled parent and one horned parent. Not preferred.

Sire– Father

Sired by– Fathered by

VAI– Vaginal Artificial insemination. An artificial insemination procedure where a shepherd impregnates an ewe using frozen semen collected from a ram who otherwise would not be available for breeding. A minimally invasive, low stress procedure compared to the alternative: Laparoscopic AI.

Sales    

                 Please visit our Breeding Stock for Sale Page  to view our sale ewes. If you see someone who isn’t for sale but really interests you, let us know... We may be willing to part with her earlier than planned. If not, you can always place a lamb reservation for next year.

                 If you would like additional information or photos pertaining to any of our sheep, please be in touch. You may view the pedigree of a specific sheep by clicking on the blue “pedigree” link in their blurb box.

Ledgewood Farm Breeding Ewes

Lili Bookwalter

 

Ledgewood Farm

20 Roberts Farm Lane

Putney, VT 05346

 

Email: shepherd@ledgewoodfarmicelandics.com

 

Telephone: 802-387-4697

Lambing Record Key

                 A ewe’s lambing record refers to how many lambs she has given birth to each year since she started lambing. A lambing record of (1,2,2,3) Would indicate that the ewe had one lamb as a yearling, twins as a 2 year old, twins again as a 3 year old and then triplets at age 4. For Icelandic ewes, a lambing record of (1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2) is generally considered average and desirable. Many Icelandic ewes remain productive beyond the age of 10.

 

*: indicates that an ewe was VAI bred that year, which typically excuses the birth of a single lamb where twins might otherwise be expected.

 

Nb: indicates than an ewe was “not bred” that year , so no lambs were produced.

 

0: indicates that an ewe was exposed to a ram, but failed to produce any lambs.

 

n/a: indicates an ewe lamb who has not yet given birth.

 

So, a lambing record of (0,2,nb,2*) indicates an ewe who was exposed to a ram but produced no lambs her first year, had twins her 2nd year, was not bred her third year and then was VAI’d and produced twins her 4th year.