We've been lambing the last 2 weeks and actually have a little break until this next week when the ewes bred by AI to imported semen are due. It does look like 11 of 12 ewes got bred by AI so hoping for a good crop of lambs.
Lambing started out probably the best ever with 16 ewes delivering all twins. We have had about 64 lambs born to date from purebred Cluns to Clun Mules to 1/2 Br. Suffolk sired market lambs. The 3 tier system is truly working!
Here are some totals to date on the 2nd and 3rd tiers:
12 Suffolk sired lambs from 7 Mule ewes-all surviving, one assist with a leg back.
19 Clun Mule lambs from 10 Clun ewes-all surviving and more ewes than rams this year!!
Still have a couple ewes due carrying Mule lambs and a couple other cross-bred lambs.
And, of course we have Clun Forest lambs. The crop to date is from 2 new flock sires.
Twin Creek U12 produced 15 lambs to date from 8 ewes and Prairie U51 has produced 15 lambs from 11 ewes (more singles from first time lambing ewes/older ewes). Out of these 2 rams only 8 ram lambs have been kept intact as potential breeding rams and I plan to keep a son sired by U12 and have 5 to choose from. I only have 1 ewe each bred to these guys left to lamb.
I am crossing my fingers for a good selection of AI sired lambs (the ewes look good!)and if it happens I'll have some difficult choices to make later this year. Will report sometime after this week and hope to have good news and pics. The ewes will not look too pretty in the next couple of months but I will have to remember what a good lambing year they have given me to date. I don't think too many will be candidates for the upcoming NACFA photo contest but after-all they are doing what they were bred to do and if I am lucky maybe some will have some decent topknots left to show-off in a photo or two with lambs by their sides on green grass.
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