Carmel - Sheep Marker Crayon

Some United States sheep breeders dedicated to breeds from the United Kingdom are concerned about shrinking gene pools. Throughout American history, British settlers introduced breeds such as Lincoln, Leicester Longwool, Shropshire, Suffolk, and Hampshire. More recently, some U.S. sheep breeds have morphed into anatomically larger versions of their British counterparts, arguably leading to a decline in meat and overall carcass quality. The average weight of a U.S. lamb carcass in 1980 was 55

Sheep (at least my Shetlands) are funny little creatures — they will fight me when I catch them and bring them to the shearing stand, fight when I put their head in the chin rest, then stand (more or less) still for the shearing process. I have a few that will get fussy, but it must feel good to have that 3-5” of wool removed because they settle down once they realize this isn’t going to hurt. Shearing isn’t easy work, but it gives me some “one on one” time

Man shearing a sheep in stall at headquarters of the San Emigdio Ranch, Kern County, Calif. C. 1890. Marking freshly shorn sheep. Malheur County, Oregon, ca. 1941. Sacks of wool at sheep shearing time on ranch in Malheur County, Oregon. Each sack holds about 500 pounds of wool. Ca. 1941. View of shearing sheep in shed near Verde River Sheep Bridge, Spanning Verde River (Tonto National Forest), Cave Creek, Maricopa County, AZ, ca. 1954. Knox County, Tennes

This 8-minute video is the 2014 winner of the American Lamb Boards’ “A Day in the Life  of a Lamb Producer” award.  It describes the work being done by Kaos Sheep Outfit to manage grass weeds and vines in vineyards.  Even if you’re not a sheep producer, it will give you some great ideas about how to put together your kids’ college funds while teaching them the benefits of running livestock, and how thinking outside the box can provide new opportunities for your gra