Sheep Show Classes: Yearling Ewe

One of my yearling ewes that was shown
as a yearling without being bred.

What kind of animal can show in a yearling ewe class?
A yearling ewe is a female that is over a year old but under two years old. Yearling ewes may have already had lambs or they may have not been bred to allow them to have a year to grow and mature before they have babies. For this class, depending on the show, ewes may be shown with or without lambs at foot (their babies). The yearling ewe and her lambs, if they are being shown, must have a fleece that is under two inches in length. 
What is the judge looking for?
In yearling ewes the judge is looking for good physical characteristics to pass on to the ewes offspring, conformation that will allow her to carry many lambs, longevity traits and what the current condition of the ewe. If the ewe has lambs the judge will also check the quality of the lambs she has raised and the number of the lambs she has.
Lambs inherit half of their genetics from their mom so in order for your ewe to produce good lambs for market she needs to have the traits of a champion market lamb herself. This includes length, width and depth of body as well as a large leg. 
In order for the ewe to be able to hold multiple lambs during pregnancy she must have a large body capacity. This means she needs to have length, width and depth of body. The stomach, lungs and uterus (where the baby lambs develop) are all relatively close in the body of a ewe. As the pregnancy progresses the lambs grow and take up more space inside the ewe, so if she has a small body there will be less room for her the stomach and lungs. If the stomach is being squished the ewe will not be able to eat as much and won't get the nutrition that herself and her lambs need. If the lungs are restricted by the lambs she is carrying the ewe may not be able to properly breathe. 
By the time the ewe is a yearling, any undesirable traits may have become more obvious. Her legs need to be set straight and squarely under her her body and her pasterns need to be strong. Her teeth also need to align with her upper gum. These things should have been checked as a ewe lamb so most yearling ewes who are show animals will not have any problems with their legs or teeth. 
Upon the birth of her first lambs the ewe will develop an udder full of milk. Judges will check to see that the ewes udder is not damaged in any way. Damage to the udder could mean that milk will not be produced properly by the ewe which means her lambs will not be able to get the milk they need from their mother. When a ewe is unable to feed their lamb(s) it creates a very large headache for the person who owns her. 

My yearling ewe and her twin lambs.

Raising lambs can greatly affect the condition of the ewe. If she is not on the proper diet she can lose a lot of weight and become run down. The judge will reward a ewe that is able to raise  lambs and keep herself in good condition. 
The judge will also take into account the number of lambs the ewe has. The more lambs the more money you will make when you sell them. 

Sheep Show Classes: Ewe Lamb

What kind of animal can show in a ewe lamb class?
A ewe lamb is a sheep that is a female under a year old can show in this kind of class. The lambs normally have to have a fleece that is under an two inches long. Ewe lambs have not had any lambs yet and are judged based on their current conformation and potential.
What is the judge looking for?

A sheep with weak pasterns.
Notice how the pastern is sagging.

The judge is looking for the ewe lamb displaying good physical characteristics to pass on to her offspring, conformation that will allow her to carry many lambs and longevity traits. Length, width and depth are characteristics of a good market lamb, these things will also give the ewe lamb more body capacity to hold multiple lambs. Feet, legs and teeth are body parts that need to be structurally sound when a ewe is a lamb so that she will last a long time in your herd. Legs need to be placed squarely and straight under the body of the lamb, this will allow her to move freely around the pasture and to the feeder. An important part of the leg is the pastern, sheep need to be strong on their pasterns to prevent strain on their legs. A sheep`s teeth are very important because they need to be able to eat! Sheep do not have any teeth on their upper gum. It is important that this upper pad aligns with the teeth on their lower gum to have maximum efficiency when eating.

The judge checking my lamb`s teeth.

Is the fact that your ewe lamb a twin significant when in the show ring? 
Depending on the judge, this information may or may not be relevant. If your ewe lamb is a twin there is a better chance of her producing twins and some judges may place value on this genetic trait.
What about the breed of your lamb?
For purebred stock ewe lambs should adhere to the standards of their breed. If they don`t embody the breed they will be criticized.
Take the Hampshire breed for example:

• Face should be black or dark brown colored. Ears should be of the same color and rounded at the tip. From their neck to forehead and cheeks wool should be present, wool feathering can exist on the rest of the face. 
• Legs should have some wool covering from the knee down.
• White hairs should not be present on the face, ears or legs. Fleece should also be free from any black or dark fibers. 
• Meat breed that stands tall and has a full body.

The Wool Advantage

A close up of the fleeces on one of our ewes.

Sheep are a multi-purpose species; they can be used for their milk, meat and wool. Wool was the go to textile for man until cheaper synthetic options came on the market. While wool is not cheaper than other materials it has some natural benefits.
Wool is water resistant.
Wool fibers do not retain any water, which prevents it from being affected by mold or mildew. Sheep walk around with a wool coat on all the time and their fleeces never go moldy. This also allows them to have added protection from rain and snow because the fibers let moisture run right through them without becoming damp. 
Wool is warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Wool is able to regulate temperature by allowing extra heat to escape through its fibers. 
Wool is non-allergenic.
Wool is a renewable resource that comes from nature.
As long as there are sheep there will be wool. Sheep benefit from being sheared and start growing a new fleece after they have been sheared.

Sheep Show Classes: Market Lamb

In a sheep show there can be many classes. One of them is the market lamb class.


What kind of animal can show in a market lamb class?
True to the name all sheep in the market lamb class are lambs, meaning they are under a year old. By the show day our market lambs are usually 4-5 months old and weigh 120 lbs. on average. Ewes (female) or wethers (castrated males) may be shown in this class. Market lambs must be slick shorn (sheared recently with a short fleece) to get the best look of the animal as wool can hide their true conformation.
What is the judge looking for?
The market class is judged based on the animals conformation or the body of the lamb. There are two components: structure and finish. The ideal body structure of a market lamb is one with length, width and depth. Finish refers to the amount of fat cover and muscling on the body. A market lamb should have a thin layer of fat covering over their body and be muscled throughout their back leg and torso. 
What are the most important parts of a market lamb?
The leg and the loin are the best cuts of meat on a lamb. Since this is the market lamb class the animals are being judged based on which one would have the top amount and quality of meat. The loin is the area on a lamb measuring from the last rib to the hip bone. This area needs to be as long and wide as possible to maximize the amount of meat. The leg or more specifically the upper back leg also needs to be as large and as muscled as possible. When looking at a market lamb from behind there should be a deep 'v' between the lamb's legs. The deeper the 'v' the more meat the lamb has. 
How does the judge choose a winner?
In a sheep show the judge is very hands on, meaning that they will use their hands to feel the amount of finish on the lamb and conformation traits like the length of the loin.

Sheep Snapshot Sunday: Staying Stylish

One of my 4-H lambs after being washed and trimmed sporting a blanket to keep her clean for the show.

Set-Up

Last night the Rockyford Arena was transformed. Members from the Cheadle, Crowfoot, Rockyford and Standard 4-H clubs all came out to set-up the arena for our show and sale on Saturday. We set-up the show rings and stall areas for the steers and sheep attending the show and decorated our stall areas in preparation for the event.
The West Wheatland 4-H Show and Sale is where sheep and beef members, from the clubs listed above, come together to show off their 4-H steers and sheep. We have two show rings (one for the steer show/sale ring and one for the sheep show) as the steer and sheep shows run at the same time. After the shows are done all members sell their market animals in what was the steer show ring earlier that morning. In the beef show ring they haul in shavings to put down but in the sheep show ring we use carpet that has been donated to our club, this makes for a speedy clean-up in the sheep area. Both show rings are fenced to make sure that any animal that escapes its showman is contained, this is also to keep spectators from getting too close to the members when showing. For anyone who comes to watch the show there are bleachers hauled in to the arena.

In the sheep stall area we set-up panels that the lambs are tied to when they are not in the show ring. We also put carpet down in this area and shavings for the lambs to sit in. Each member makes sheep cut outs to write the name of their lambs on and put where that lamb is going to be standing in the stall area. Upon joining the club, we also make each member a wooden sheep/cow/steer sign with their name on it to put in their stall area.

I am really looking forward to Saturday as it will be the last time that I have to do clean-up after the show, but also a little sad as this is my last year in 4-H.

A Show Sheep's Enemy: Orf

Murphy's Law: If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. This is what happened in my last year of 4-H just before my favorite event: 4-H on Parade. Weeks before the show one of the lambs in our herd(that was in a separate pen from the 4-H lambs) exhibited what looked like a crusty cold sore on his lips. Now if you are a sheep breeder you know what this means, your whole herd will inevitably be infected with orf which is more commonly known as sore mouth and there is nothing you can do about it. We are still not sure where our sheep picked up the virus, but it was here.

We thought our 4-H lambs would be safe because they had been separated from the herd, but we were wrong. It was not long before we found the first 4-H animal with sores on its mouth. Gradually more and more lambs in the 4-H pen definitely were infected. As we noticed a lamb develop sores we removed it from the pen trying to prevent direct contact with the lambs that hadn't gotten any sores in the hope that there would be some that were still able to go to 4-H on Parade. By May 26 (the day before the sheep were supposed to travel to Calgary for 4-H on Parade) there was only four lambs and one ewe in the 4-H pen that did not have any sores, meaning that they would still be able to attend the show. However there was still the risk that sometime during the weekend they would break out and have to be trailered back home. Sheep shows have strict rules regarding sore mouth because it is highly contagious. Any animal with active sore mouth(sores present) are not allowed to attend the show. So we ended up not going because we are responsible producers and wouldn't want to infect anyone else's sheep while we were at the show, even though we did have some animals who could have attended because they did not have any sores. 
Two weeks later and those same five animals still have not gotten any sores. My explanation is they are the lucky ones who have an immunity to this strain of sore mouth. As for the rest of the lambs we have tried a few things to speed up the healing of the sores but to no avail. We tried spraying iodine and putting diaper cream that contains zinc on the sores but the sores only spread and got worse. The sheep in the herd got over the infection faster than the 4-H lambs that were being treated. We have came to the conclusion that the best remedy when treating sore mouth in sheep is time. 

Here is some more information about orf :

A badly infected sheep,
luckily none of our animals
got it this bad.

A less severe case of orf.

The virus is transmitted via direct contact with an infected individual. It enters the body through any small crack in the skin, which is the body's strongest defense against pathogens. For sheep who eat grasses and other vegetation that can easily poke their lips when eating it is easy for them to have the potential to contract the virus. 
The body's immune system does build immunity to the virus but different strains of sore mouth exists. This means that just because a sheep has had sore mouth once doesn't mean it won't contract it again. 
Sores have a brown colored crusty scab and are most commonly observed on the mouth and nose area, but can appear anywhere on the hair covered parts of a sheep. The scabs are a great way for bacteria to spread because after they fall off they are still in the presence of animals that may not have been infected. 
This virus is most commonly seen in sheep and goats. Humans are also susceptible to the virus, so when working with infected animals you have to be very careful. 


This weekend is our club 4-H Achievement Day and most of our lambs have been healthy for awhile now, but as for the ones who had more severe sores they are still healing and won't be able to attend. The only good news about having orf now is that by the time Summer Synergy comes along in August all of our lambs will be completely over the virus and will all be able to attend the show. 

Greener Pastures

It is only June and already our pastures at home have been overgrazed by the sheep. Our pastures are not able to feed 40 ewes and the lambs we have not taken to market, but we have a solution. My grandma has sold most of her cows and has pastures full of grass just waiting to be eaten. We take around 15 ewes and the rams for a trailer ride to greener pastures. 
The ewes and rams are kept in separate pens until the middle of August when we want our ewes to get bred. Breeding in the middle of August means that we should start lambing in the middle of December as the gestation period for sheep is five months. Having ewes in two different places is a good system because we are able to use two different rams: one with the ewes at home and one with the ewes at my grandmas. We know exactly which ewes are bred to which ram because their is no chance of the two groups mixing. 

My little herd of cows that also spends the summer on
vacation in my grandma's pastures with the sheep.

Sheep Snapshot Sunday

A ewe and her lamb enjoying the sun and green grass.

Where does it come from?

Every piece of clothing in my closet has a tag saying where it was made, but when I go to the grocery store the origin of where food comes from is more difficult to find. I find this strange because we actually consume food and only wear clothes, so isn't it more important to know where your food comes from? If food was labelled more clearly we would also be able to distinguish local from imported goods. This would increase support for local farmers, ranchers and in turn the Canadian economy as I'm sure when given the option consumers would choose to buy local. 

Maybe we are purposely kept in the dark about where our food comes from. For many grocers buying products that come from outside Canada is cheaper than being supplied by local businesses. Cheaper labor, manufacturing costs and lower quality ingredients mean retailers pay less for next to the same product as they would get if they bought local. In business there is one ultimate goal: to make as much money as possible and this may mean choosing to buy cheaper imported products. 

But why not buy local? Everyone knows that the quality of Alberta beef and lamb is next to none and the same is true for all food products produced right here in Canada. So next time you are at the grocery store buy local because this means money is staying in Canada to support our economy.

Guardian Dog Profile: The Kangal

There are many benefits to having a mom who works at a vet clinic and who likes to socialize with her customers. This was how we discovered the Kangal breed. One December Sunday, the customers female dog came in to the vet clinic for a C-section and my mom went in on her day off to go help. Somehow a deal was made: we would take the runt of the litter and she how she worked with our sheep and in exchange we would give some ewe lambs to the breeder so he would have sheep of his own to raise future litters with. To say this was a good deal would be an understatement. The Kangal population in Canada is very small and the breeder had sold puppies from the same littler to Turkey and the US- in short puppies are not cheap. 

Here is some information on the breed.

Koca our Kangal dog.

Origin: Turkey (national breed of Turkey)
Purpose: Livestock Guardian
Weight: 100-165 lbs.
Temperament: Protective, loyal and gentle especially with children (lambs too!), aloof around people because they prefer their animals for company but this can changed if they are socialized lots, can be independent and difficult to train if you are an unexperienced dog owner.
Physical Characteristics: Slender body, tail that curls, black/brown mask and ears.
Coat: Short, light gold or fawn colored sometimes with black guard hairs, does not appear to gain much of a coat in the winter because they have a dense undercoat for insulation under outer coarser hair
Protective Nature: Likes to have a good view of the whole pasture, loud, sharp bark, will stay up all night to protect their sheep.



Our dog, Koca, has done a very good job of guarding our farm. There have been a few times when her protectiveness has had a funny result. One time we had visitors come on horseback and from a distance Koca could see them and started to bark and growl, but once they came down our driveway she seemed a little intimidated by the horses as she was just a puppy. Another time some people came and picked up an old lawn mower from our house and as they loaded it onto the trailer and drove down the road Koca chased the trailer barking and wondering why they were taking something off of her farm. We know that the sheep and lambs are always safe with her around.

The guardian dog has long been present in the fields of sheep breeders and today we still rely on their specialized behavior to guard our animals. These dogs truly enjoy their jobs, being around the sheep and having a good supply of food (a very large supply because a working dog eats alot) is reward enough for them. Our Kangal dog, Koca, is the perfect balance of a family pet and a livestock guardian.