Our 2020 lambing season has come to a close with 17 new lambs on the ground. This year was much better than last in terms of our ewe to ram ratio. After only getting one ewe lamb last year, I was in need to nice ewes. The final count was 7 ewes to 10 rams, not as high a ewe count as I like to see, but a huge improvement over the one ewe lamb I got last breeding season.
Now I begin the difficult task of choosing replacement breeding stock and deciding who stays on our farm and who goes. I do not take this job lightly as the lambs I keep as replacements will determine the direction our flock goes in. I must coordinate genetics, as well as desirable Gotland traits. To further complicate the task, Gotland lambs go through a transformation in the first 110 days of their life. Ideally, my decisions can not be fully made until I see how their fleece and body develop during this time.
When choosing replacement breeding stock for my flock there are several traits characteristic of the Gotland breed which I look for:
- curl definition
- luster
- wool and curl consistency from front to back and side to side
- black legs and face
- body structure
Some lambs will carry traits that I want to improve in my own flock and these will be the lambs I will want to keep. My first priority in my flock is to choose for typical Swedish Gotland fleece qualities. I also look for management traits such as:
- mothering instincts in the dam
- parasite resistance in the dam
- temperament
- size
As the lambs continue to grow, I am constantly evaluating them and comparing them against my adults. I am juggling genetics and making difficult decisions about which sheep to sell and which ones to keep as my replacement breeding stock.
