Miss out on attending Premier’s 2017 Sheep Field Day? Not a problem. You can now view photos and watch the presentations online.

Topics presented included:

• Lamb quality: What is (and is not) an ideal market lamb, and why.
• What do lamb buyers (including restaurants, stores and consumers) like and dislike about US and imported lamb as revealed by the American Lamb Board’s extensive nationwide audit.
• How to succeed (and fail) at growing annual forage crops (rye, turnips, radish) for sheep.
• Pros and cons of accelerated lambing (lambing more than once per year) illustrated in a 45 minute video of 4 sheep operations in KS, IA, NY and MI.
• Impact of micro minerals on feeding sheep.
• Hands-on teaching of critical winter shepherding/lambing skills courtesy of Premier’s 1000 ewes.
• Lessons learned about Premier’s unique (no drop pen) indoor lambing system.
• Lessons learned about LAC-TEK’s automatic lamb-rearing machines.

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Lambs, tags and getting out of the office!

It's been a long time coming but I was able to get away from my desk and out to the lambing barn.
The smell of fresh bedding and the low rolling tones of ewes talking to their lambs was a pleasant change to the stale coffee and ringing phones of the office.

What's going on outdoors? Well, it's lambing season, all the lambs need to be tagged with their flock ID tag and/or Scrapie tag. The lambs needing tags provided an excellent opportunity to produce a Premier How-to video with the staff.

While in the barn, the farm-crew noticed a lamb that was not in the best of shape. It appeared dehydrated. The lamb was treated and is now on the mend. Its dam only had enough milk for the lamb's stronger sibling, so the ill-lamb was moved to the orphan pen. 

Dehydrated lambs can easily become dead lambs—which results in less lbs produced and less $$ in your pocket. It's easy to miss so be aware. 

Signs a lamb may be dehydrated:

• Gaunt or not well filled out.  

• If a twin, triplet, etc—its sibling(s) appears healthier and stronger. 

To determine if a lamb is dehydrated—

Pinch the skin along the back. After pinching:

If the skin stays momentarily tented or peaked, the lamb is dehydrated. Immediately treat the lamb (consult your veterinarian for proper procedure). 

Causes of dehydration:

• Scours. 

• Ewe lacks adequate milk to support the lamb(s).

• Larger/stronger siblings outcompete their sibling for milk.

• The lamb has sharp teeth and the ewe won't let it feed.  

If a lamb appears unhealthy but is not dehydrated, consult your veterinarian. 


With the lamb cared for we were able to continue on with the How-to video. The shepherd, Heather, demonstrated proper eartag procedure while longtime consultant, Gordon, provided voiceover narration. 

Topics covered were:

• Lubricating tags—this provides easier insertion for those with weaker hands. 
• Proper tag placement—in the center of the ear and away from any veins. 
• Applying Catron IV fly spray during fly season. 
• Making sure that there is room for ear growth if using loop tags.

A quick note: the tag applicators below may differ but the process is the same for each style of tag. 

Applying SuperLube.

Finding the veins to determine proper placement. 

Applying Catron IV to ward off flies. 

Providing room for the ear to grow (when using loop tags). 

It's lambing season therefore it's also ear-tagging season at Premier. Premier Shepherd Heather is applying antiseptic SuperLube to an eartag prior to insertion. 

New for the 2015 breeding season!

Premier’s new Deluxe Marking Harness—notice the padded white strap at the underside of the arm. Strap does not “cut into” the front legs as other nylon harnesses are prone to do.

A much better Ram Marking Harness

Why is our new Deluxe Marking Harness a world class harness?

1.	Wider (2"), soft nylon straps—distribute pressure more evenly over the ram’s body. Also easier to find and adjust the straps when they’re in deep wool.
2.	Unique padded (1/5 in. thick) white straps behind the front legs to prevent skin abrasion.
3.	Much larger snap buckles and metal loops—harness’s connection and stress points are reinforced. Even gloved hands can manipulate the large snap buckles.
4.	Crayon holder is also padded.
5.	Uses standard crayons.

When we brought the rams in from breeding last autumn—little to no wear in the brisket area and behind the front legs. Bottom line? This is the best ram marking harness we've ever used or sold. Click here for Deluxe Marking Harness instructions.

Nylon Breeding Harness

For mature rams of medium and large breeds with broad briskets. Durable nylon straps. Strong plastic snap buckles allow adjustment as needed and rapid fitting. More likely to stay on if the ram’s brisket has 3 months’ wool growth.

Marking Crayons

3 temperature ranges: Cold (25º - 65ºF), Mild (65º - 85ºF) and Hot (85º-100ºF). Mild and cold crayons wear very quickly when it's hot. Hot and mild crayons don't mark well when it's cold. We wish that one crayon would work for all conditions.... but such a crayon does not exist. And a warning—the marks from any and all breeding crayons may not be scourable.

Tuning the Flock…

For those interested in adding a little pizzazz to their pasture, consider bells. Their attractive tones add a sense of musicality to a pastoral scene while also having a practical use (or two).

Longtime Premier consultant Gordon uses bells with his own flock of Ile de France ewes and lambs. On using bells, if the ewes are in his thick timber pasture, he can go to the front of the pasture, sit and listen for a minute. The bell tones will tell him exactly where his flock is located in the timber paddock.  

An added benefit is the angst it causes in coyotes. "Anything (that maintenance free) to disrupt or make a predator nervous is worth doing,"
-Gordon. 

Pete Arambel, co-owner of The Shepherd Magazine runs a flock of 6,000 head in Wyoming. He too uses bells—about 1 per every 25 ewes.

Perks?

• When grazing forested areas—it's easier to find sheep with bells than binoculars. 
• The guardian dogs become accustomed to normal bell tones, but when a different sound is heard (such as a ewe being bothered by a predator) the dogs charge forth to investigate. 

Premier's 3 bell options. Ram, steel and brass. 

Per Pete—bells go on ewes in the Spring after shearing. Ewes new to bells dance around a little bit but eventually become accustomed to the bells.

How tight should the bell's collar be? You should be able to slide your hand under the collar. Too loose and the collar may come off.

A final benefit—your family and friends will think they look cool on the sheep (at least that's what Gordon says). 

Lambing Jugs

With lambing season already here for many, a few of the questions we've answered have pertained to lambing jugs. Our lambing system tends to shift from year to year but one of the constants is our use of lambing jugs for indoor lambing.

Q. How big should they be for different breeds? 

A. Usually the following:

• Small breeds—4'x4'
• Medium breeds—5'x5'
• Large breeds—5'x6' or 6'x6' 

Q. How tall should they be?

A. Use your own judgement. Ewes that are flighty or are jumpers, taller panels are recommended. For calmer ewes, shorter sides are acceptable. 

Q. Should they be open or solid?

A. Solid sides have merit in older drafty barns—they block drafts. 

For barns that are not as drafty or if lambing in warmer weather, open sides allow the ewe to see other sheep (in our experience, this helps to calm them). 

Q. How long should the ewes stay in them?

A. Standard for most flocks is 1-3 days. 

• Big healthy single lambs—1 day in the jug 
• Twins—2 days
• Triplets—2-3 days

Q. What is the best bedding to use?

A. A variety of bedding types can be used. We have more or less used them all. 

• Straw is probably the best/easiest to get (Around $3.25-$5 bale). 
• Wood shavings are soft and work well but cost a little more ($6-$10 per bale locally).
• Corn stalks, though rough, are cheap and plentiful in our area. 
• Corn cobs work well if available. 

Q. What is the best way to water ewes in the jug?

A. We have a few different systems in place for watering our ewes. 

• The first is a PVC pipe that runs the length of the barn. Holes are cut into the pipe every 4'-5' to allow ewes access to the water. Water constantly flows through the pipe which keeps it from freezing. 
• For pens not next to the water pipe we use individual buckets. 

1. Buckets are filled via a hose. The shepherd walks along the jugs and tops off the buckets. 
2. A large stock tank is filled and buckets are taken out of the pens, filled by dipping into the tank and returned to the jug. (In talks for being put into practice this year, not official yet.)

Q. How do we feed them in the jug?

A. Welded wire bale feeders, square buckets, BYO feeders and even tile drainage tube have been used in recent years.  

Marking Crayon Test

We've been thinking about breeding season since lambing season. In fact, during lambing season we were thinking about breeding season. We marked twin and triplet born ewe lambs (they're ear notched when we ear tag) and marked (with SI-RO-MARK or Sprayline) which ram lambs to keep intact.

Our breeding seasons have been a little different this year. We bred a small experimental group of ewes earlier this summer. They're due in a few weeks. Our main breeding season is just around the corner.

We're planning to breed 475 ewes this season. Rams went in May 1st with a select group of hair cross ewes. The remaining ewes will be bred in groups with plans to have breeding finished by Mid October (we're shooting to have our last lambing day on March 15th. To keep track of who has been bred and who hasn't we're using marking harnesses and raddle marker. Not exactly sure which as the farm guys haven't put the rams in with the ewes.

On a side note, we been testing the visibility of our crayons over a 24 day period. Why 24 days? We took a ewe's estrus cycle (17 days) and added in 1 week (7 days).

Day 1 of the crayon test. Colors are rich and vibrant. 

Yellow and blue were the least readable a week after marking (by hand, not by a ram). Test was at Premier in SE Iowa in July. Purple, green, red and orange were the most readable colors. 

Purple and red were the most readable. Green, blue and orange less so. Yellow the least (but still readable).

Purple and red were the most readable. Green, blue and orange less so. Yellow the least. 

Crayons were applied on an 85°+ day. Hot crayons (except for purple) were applied to the ewes by hand. A mild purple crayon was used (temp. range 65°-85°). Why a mild purple? The original purple crayon was very dark (almost black). We received a sample (note: one) of a new mild purple to see if we wanted to switch. As you can see the purple is bright (not black) and applied easily (as cold/warm crayons will do on a hot day).

Goings on, happenings, catalogs and a lamb named Houdini.

Stan will be providing a lambing update in our Feb/March Newsletter. Make sure to sign up if you're not currently receiving our newsletters.

I myself have not been outside much this winter/lambing season. The weather (though mild) has been too cold and the coffee perfectly warm and comforting. In truth, the reason for my lack of polar expeditions was catalog season—non-stop since last fall. The result of my tireless efforts (with assistance from Stan, Jody, Kerrie, Rachel and others) are the Poultry, Equipment and upcoming Fence catalogs.

For those of you eagerly awaiting the arrival of the fence catalog, you may start camping by your mailbox around the 3rd week of March. Until then, the website, blog, Guide to All Things Sheep and newsletter should suffice as your source of info from Premier.

Though I've been inside, I have heard a few tails tales from the lambing barn.

The most notable occurred one morning when one of our shepherds (who shall remain nameless) burst into Graphics and thrilled us with the account of The Phantom Lamb.

While doing chores in the pre-lambing area (where the ewes are kept prior to being put into jugs for lambing) the shepherd heard a faint baa. A quick scan of the pen offered no insights to where the young voice had originated. More baas, but no lamb in sight. Frustrated and ready to move on with chores, our shepherd was moments away from dropping to his hands and knees to check under each ewe for the invisible lamb.

Another baa lead him to a baleage bale situated in one of our bale feeders. A ewe making motherly ewe sounds (you know, the deep throaty grumble that ewes make when speaking to their lambs) was inspecting the bale. Knowing that the ewe did not believe the bale to be her lamb, our hero checked the bale up/down and all around for a lamb trapped against a panel. No lamb.

Another lamb like bleat emanated from the bale. The ewe circled and searched the bale ring. Again, no lamb.

Our shepherd, stopped and pondered all the possibilities surrounding the situation. Could the lamb running around the bale in order to avoid the shepherd and the ewe? Is the lamb hiding elsewhere? Are gases from the silage process escaping the bale and making baaing sounds?

During this thought process, our hero noticed movement from one of the holes in the bale. The loose baleage moved! Had years of raising sheep using non-organic methods caused a mutation in the forage or did a lamb decide to play a drawn out game of hide and seek?

Quickly, the shepherd reached into the bale and below the loose baleage. After finding his target situating his hands in just the right position, he pulled and the lamb (head first with its legs under the chin) came out! Once our hero released the lamb, the lamb bounded straight to its mother for a belly full of milk. The shepherd, having just assisted a bale in giving birth, walked away to continue doing his morning chores and hoping for no more errant lambs.

Upon the ending of the tale, the Graphics folks were doubled over in laughter and I was preparing my next blog post. Names were removed to protect the dignity of the shepherd and all embellishments were added by myself, writers privilege.

Cold Weather Shepherding tips

It’s December which means winter—in theory—will be here soon. Currently it is 66° in Washington, IA but that could change to 10° in an instant (after all, it is Iowa weather). Here are a few tips for dealing with the highly anticipated cold weather.

• Gordon Shelangoski (Premier product consultant and shepherd) utilizes molasses tubs as a supplement to his stockpiled forage. The added energy provides what the late season forage can't. Gordon can graze his ewes longer without having to provide stored feed. Purchasing a few tubs pencils out to being more cost efficient for Gordon than buying in hay. If you choose to try molasses tubs, make sure they are formulated for sheep specifically. Non-sheep specific tubs have high copper levels which leads to copper toxicity in sheep. 

• Make sure the water supply is winter ready. Add tank heaters and know your protocol for frozen tanks and hydrants. Water is especially important during late gestation and lactation.

• If you buy-in feed, make sure it is either on your farm or at least spoken for. Searching for hay in mid-winter is not going to be the most cost effective means of procuring feed.

• Machinery needs to be in good repair and ready to run in the winter. If you run a diesel, make sure to have winter blended fuel or at least a bottle of anti-gel additive. 

• Temporary fencing that will not be used during the winter needs to be picked up and stored. This reduces the chances of it being damaged by snow, ice and animals.

• Fences that will be in use throughout the winter need to be functional. Go through and remove overgrowth/fallen limbs that may reduce the strength of the pulse going through the netting. If you have a fence that can be modified into pos/neg, do so. This will allow the fence to function better with deep snow.

• If your winter plans involve lambing, make sure the lambing barn/area is cleaned and ready to handle sheep. Set up lambing jugs and pens ahead of time. 

• Make sure your lambing kit is ready. You do not want to be out of teats for bucket teat units when you have orphan lambs. Being prepared ahead of time saves a trip to town when you need to be treating a ewe or lamb. 

Welcome to our Farm Diary

This will be a regularly updated place to read about the day to day happenings on Premier's farms.

For background, there are three farms—the home farm, north farm and east farm—on which a total of 300 acres are tillable or grazeable.

Premier (the business) is located on the home farm. The north farm is just up the road and the east farm is 6 miles to the...east.

There are 400 commercial ewes. 120 wool ewes are lambed indoors in March/April and the others (mostly hair sheep) lamb on pasture in May.

We also have a small herd of meat goats, pastured poultry, 2 horses, 2 guard llamas and 7 livestock guardian dogs.

A number of different folks will be writing this diary—including Stan (the founder of Premier), Stephanie Sexton (the marketing manager) and perhaps others along the way.

(below in order) Home farm, north farm and east farm.