Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

Condition scoring sheep is an easy and accurate method of estimating the condition or 'nutritional well-being' of your sheep flock. It is particularly useful for monitoring pregnant and lactating ewes. It requires you to assess the amount of tissue and fat covering the backbone and the short ribs of each sheep. Each assessment should only take a matter of seconds, and condition scoring enough sheep to get an assessment of the mob will only take 20 minutes or so and can be done while sheep are in for other husbandry activities. 

Condition scoring a mob twice over a month can give a reliable indication of weight loss or gain. This is useful, particularly in the lead up to mating, as condition at mating can have a significant impact on lambing percentage. Condition scoring during the dry period will give much more accurate information on how the flock is travelling compared with pasture assessment, as pasture quantity and quality are difficult to assess at this time.

Condition scoring is often more useful than live weight in that it:

• Doesn't rely on a weigh crate being set up - can be done anywhere a sheep can be yarded 
• Can be done without having to correct for wool growth or the influence of wet wool on live weight 
• Needs no correction for weight of the foetus in pregnant ewes or the weight of fluid during lactation 
• Can be used on a mob of sheep with different frame sizes 

How to Condition Score

The animal should be standing in a relaxed position. It should not be tense, crushed by other animals or held in a crush. If the animal is tense it is not possible to feel the short ribs and get an accurate condition score. Place your thumb on the backbone just behind the last long rib and your fingers against the stubby ends of the short ribs. Use the scoring system described below to assign a score. Many people use a system of half scores such as 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 etc. 

Randomly draft 25 sheep into a race or choose a random group from the middle of the mob. Many people choose a couple of animals from each race full when drenching or doing some other animal husbandry task. Be sure to record the scores so that you can calculate the average. 

This not only gives you a middle point but also shows the range of scores and whether there is a significant tail in the mob.

Support the show

Want more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

Happy Birthday to The Sheep Show Podcast - we turn one this week! Thank you for being good sheep and  following loyally and staying tuned for 12 whole months! 

Enjoy this episode with Amanda and Scott from Tillara Park Suffolks in NSW, @tillaraparksuffolks as they share their inspirational story of participating in 30 shows over 2020. 

Stay tuned for more episodes on showing sheep over the next few months! 

Support the show

Want more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

Line breeding is a fascinating topic which can offer some amazing results but as we will learn it comes with potential consequences which are not for the faint-hearted. Enjoy this extra long episode! 

In this episode with Jason we explore:

What is line breeding?

Why do it? 

Why does it work? What does it achieve?

What can do wrong when you line breed? 

How can you learn to line breed? How did you learn to do it so well?

What lines can/should we use? – Cousins? Grandparents/grandlambs??

What lines should we not use? 

Are the results different if you line breed with the maternal or paternal lines? 

How to do analyse the lines to know what will work with what? What are you looking for or aiming for? 

How to do you keep a record of the pedigrees? 

What happens if you line breed too close? In-breeding issues? What are the risks?

How do you know if your line is too close – are there rules? 

Why don’t more people/breeders do it? 

Are there calculators you can use to help you make line breeding decisions? 

When you have ram customers ask for a new blood line or choose a different line that yours? What do you say to them?

When you have a customer buy a starter flock, they often ask for an unrelated male – are they misinformed here? 

What are the argument for an against line breeding? Advantages and disadvantages 

Contact Jason via Facebook @O'Loghlin Wiltshire Horn Stud

Support the show

Want more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

Why do sheep suffer from internal parasites so much? 
What different types of sheep worms exists? 
What do the different worms do? How do you spot them?
What are your options when managing worms in sheep? 

Support the show

Want more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

Ever though about milking sheep? Join Becca from Hidden Hollow Idaho to learn about raising dairy sheep, milking sheep and making sheep cheese!! Yum!

In this episode we explore:

What breed of sheep is good for milking? 

Why have a sheep dairy? What are the benefits and key dairy products that are in demand? 

Where do you start if you wanted to breed and milk dairy sheep? 

What are the sheep health challenges when breeding and milking sheep?

How different is it to dairy cows? Do you take the lambs of the sheep? How do you raise the lambs if you do? How long to the sheep milk for? Can they get pregnant when they are still lactating? How do you keep condition on the ewe? What do you need to feed them? How long does a dairy ewe live/breed for? Do you use a different breed ram if so what breed do you use? 

What is the process like for the actual milking? 

What infrastructure do you need for a sheep dairy ?

What are the local regulations or compliance requirements? 

What happens the milk to make it into cheese or pasteurize the milk? 

What quantity of sheep do you have to milk to make it a viable commercial business? 

What is your route to market? How might you market your milk and cheese? Where do you sell to/or plan to sell to? 

What advice would you have for someone interested in setting up a sheep dairy? 

Support the show

Want more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

Doug Deppeler from Deppeler Suffolks Derrinallum, Victoria, has been breeding sheep for 50 years. His sheep are highly regarded in the industry. He has won interbreed champions at several major shows and won a prestigious prize in 2020 with champion lamb at the Rona Show! In this episode Doug shares the secrets to his breeding success!

Doug and I explore the following:

Why should we focus on quality breeding? What does it do for a sheep enterprise and the industry at large? 

What are the benefits of  breeding sheep with good  attributes? What does mean for food and fibre production?

How do you determine your breed objectives?

Can you explain selection differential to us?

How do you select a good sire when it is a ram lamb? 

How do you breed for certain characteristics for example hindquarter, what might you use to make that breeding decision? 

What do you decide on first, genotype or phenotype when you are making breeding decisions? 

How do you select elite ewes? How early can you select them? 

What makes the biggest difference in a breeding enterprise? 

What about line breeding? What is it to you? What do you think works/what works for you, what doesn’t? 

What is structural correctness and why is this important when breeding sheep?

What are the challenges with breeding and culling on structural correctness?

How to measure balance in a sheep? 

Judging a quality sheep in an objective way

Using natural supplements for your sheep

How to boost growth rate in your sheep with minimum inputs?

Support the show

Want more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

Should I join my young ewes? How can increase my lambing percentages? How do I manage my joining better to get better results. What are the pros and cons of joining maiden ewes? What percentage of rams should I use with my ewes? We explore all things joining in this episode - Happy joining! 

Support the show

Want more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

What is the weirdest thing you have ever come across in your flock? I feel like I've had my fair share in my five years breeding sheep! 
In this episode we explore all things weird and wonderful in creatures woolly and meaty! 

I'd love to hear your weird and wonderful experiences - email me at [email protected] or post it on the Hallston Valley Farm Facebook feed so we can share the weird! 

Support the show

Want more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

You've got your sheep farm ticking along so now what? How do you market our stock, wool, meat, dairy or even any sheep related products so that sales just happen! Take more control back and build a brand presence for yourself and all of your wonderful sheep!

Meredith Paige (www.meredithpaige.me) generously shares her top tips to get your 2021 off to a great strategic sheep start!

In this episode we explore:

What is the difference between sales, marketing and advertising? 

Should a sheep enterprise have a marketing plan? What would that look like?

What about features and benefits? Is this still important? 

Where would you start with marketing a sheep enterprise? 

What is the biggest mistake people make when marketing?

What about having a website presence? Is this necessary nowadays with social media? 

What are the secrets to using social media effectively for something like a sheep enterprise? 

How frequently should you post on social media? Can you do too much? 

Some people I know say that advertising is a waste of money? What are your thoughts on print and digital advertising for small business?

Tell me about the power of email marketing? It seems like such an old-fashioned way of marketing but it does actually work! Where would a sheep breeder start with email marketing? 

Some stud sheep breeders sell embryos and semen overseas – how would a sheep breeder start marketing to targeted overseas audience?

How might you market to a very traditional audience? These might be people who have always bought their sheep through sale yards and they aren’t all that digitally connected? 

There are peak times that sheep breeders advertise/market their products (stud rams in particular about 3-6 months before breeding season), should their marketing efforts be focused on one event like an on farm sale or should marketing be more consistent throughout the year? 

Contact Meredith via:

https://www.meredithpaige.me/

Get Meredith's freebie roadmap at:

https://www.meredithpaige.me/free-resources/small-biz-marketing-roadmap

Support the show

Want more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!

Meet VIB (Very Important Brother)! In this episode we meet my brother, Andrew, and explore cross breeding sheep in Ireland, the convenient way. Andrew has worked out a way to farm his 160 ewes outdoor all year around in Ireland, something very unusual in Ireland and the UK. 

In this episode we explore:

What is the biggest challenge with breeding sheep in Ireland? 

What are the trends in sheep farming in Ireland?

How come Irish sheep farmers love cross breed sheep, what are the benefits?

What prices you are getting for lamb in Ireland? 

What diseases impact sheep in Ireland and how do you treat them?

What growth rate do you get with CB sheep?

When do you sell sheep and how do you choose when to sell?

Why do you farm sheep and cattle? Why not just cattle? 

What advice would you have for someone starting out in sheep?

What do you look for when you are buying sheep?

Support the show

Want more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new