Knowing When to Cull Breeding Ewes

Knowing when to cull breeding ewes can be a complex question and varies from farm to farm based upon your farm’s goals and management style. We call sheep that no longer meet your goals culls. These sheep are typically sold. Especially for shepherds with small flocks, the decision to cull can be daunting and wrought with emotions. Depending upon farm goals, shepherds sometimes choose to provide forever homes for their culls and choose to keep them. If you have limited pastures or limited barn space, you may need to move your culls on to either new pet homes or the freezer. This post is to help you know when to cull a ewe, whether that is simply removing her from your breeding line up or removing her from your farm entirely. If looked at logically and methodically, shepherds can make these decisions more easily.

Criteria for Culling Sheep

After many conversations with other shepherds, I have broken down decision making regarding knowing when to cull breeding ewes into four different categories: genetics, environmental, production or profitability, and aging.

Genetics

Genetics focuses on inherited characteristics or tendencies. Often, these characteristics develop regardless of the care the sheep are receiving. Genetic reasons for culling sheep center around two conditions, first, does the sheep meet my farm’s genetic goals and secondly, does the sheep have unhealthy genetic tendencies. The list below will help you evaluate ewes that need culling based on their genetics.

• Lacks genetic qualities in our farm goals
• Poor conformation
• Prone to disease
  • Foot rot, repeated foot scald, poor immune system, CL, Johnes, OPP
• Prone to lambing issues
  • prolapse, c-section, still births, abortions, mastitis, not enough milk, large lambs, dystocia, uterine inertia, barren/open ewes, repeated assisted births, poor teat size and placement
• Poor mothering instincts
• Lambs with problems
  • Entropion
  • Deformities
  • Poor growth
  • Poor conformation

Environmental

Environmental reasons for culling sheep require an evaluation of the condition of your flock and health of your pastures. Often, these measures are effected by weather, passage of time, or other outside forces beyond our control. Here is a list of reasons one might feel a need to cut back on flock size.

• Opportunity arises to sell older ewes to fiber/pet home
• Have already retained a number of ewe lambs from ewe
• Aging
  • Poor teeth
  • Poor hooves
  • Producing fewer lambs
  • Poor immune system
  • Thin/unable to gain weight after lambing
  • General thriftiness
• Lifestyle of shepherds

Production/Profitability

Another category of concerns effect production, management systems, and the profitability of your farm operation. They are often considered some of the most important factors to consider when deciding whether or not to cull. Below is a list of production considerations when deciding if a ewe is profitable to the farm operation.

• Lambing rate of each ewe
• Weaning weights
• Milk production in ewe-can she feed her lambs
• Overall growth rates of ewe’s lambs
• Upkeep expenses greater than profit
• Ewe does not meet our management style or farm goals
  • Personality
    • Flighty
    • Trouble seekers
    • Bossy
    • Too clingy
    • Bad attitude
    • Poor mothers
    • Hard to manage
    • Aggressiveness
  • Wool quality
  • Body type

Aging Ewes

Often when I asked shepherds why they cull ewes, many answered with one word, age. Upon further questioning, they listed characteristics typical of aging sheep which may cause them to be put into one of the categories above and thus on the cull list. These include:

• Poor teeth
• Having fewer lambs
• Poor immune system
• Thin/unable to gain weight after lambing
• General lack of thriftiness

In conclusion, knowing when to cull your breeding ewes is not a one-size-fits-all decision. It’s a nuanced process that depends on various factors, including your farm’s goals, management style, and resources. As shepherds, we must recognize that culling is a natural part of maintaining a healthy and productive flock. Whether it means removing a ewe from your breeding lineup or from your farm entirely, the decision should be approached with thoughtful consideration. While it may be challenging, especially for those with small flocks, it’s essential for the overall well-being and sustainability of your operation. By evaluating each ewe’s performance and contribution to your goals, you can make informed decisions that benefit both your flock and your farm in the long run.