CHIEF SHEPHERD'S MESSAGE
By Naomi Leith Smith
I am writing this message as we are experiencing a second year of drought when many farmers are dealing with a need to drill new wells. The ewes are looking very pregnant and will start lambing this month. The board members have accepted the resignation of Elizabeth Luke. Grant Blackburn has agreed to serve in the combined office of Secretary-Treasurer which returns the executive branch to the original intent of the by-laws. Elizabeth has sold most of her Finnsheep and is embarking on a new venture. I hope she will be able to continue her photography of Finnsheep. Those photos in the major sheep magazines have served to keep Finnsheep in the public eye. The ewe lamb retention program which will pay $18.00 per head for ewe lambs purchased or returned to the flock between August 1, 2001 and July 31,2002. The local FSA office should receive the necessary sign up forms in the near future. Grant has renewed the contract for the Finnsheep ad in the Shepherd and changed the Finnsheep Association address. We will try to get all of the addresses corrected. We will have a booth at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival on May 4 and 5, 2002. For information contact P. O. Box 99, Glenwood, MD 21738 or www.sheepandwool.org. Grant and I will be taking processed Finnsheep wool products for the booth and we hope to include live animals. Sheep, especially Finnsheep, work well in the programs of "urban" farmers. We welcome your participation at this premier sheep and wool show in the United States. There are important Muslim holidays to be aware of for the coming year: EID - - February 22, 2002 Ramadan - - November 6 through December 5, 2002 Eid Al Fitr - - December 5, 2002 We will be mailing this issue of Short Tales to people we haven't heard from in a while as well as to those who have paid their dues and are listed in the Breeders' Directory plus those who have purchased Finnsheep during 2001. We are asking you to please forward you dues, breeders listing fees as well as registrations and transfers to Milo as this will simplify payment procedures. If you are no longer an active Finnsheep breeder and do not wish to continue your membership, please contact Grant as we will be making a priority effort to update our mailing list.
FINNPOWER: LAMBING TWICE A YEAR WITH FINNSHEEP
By Grace Hatton
Long before the Star system (lambing year round about every seven months) developed at Cornell was even a notion, Finnsheep were lambing twice a year on farmsteads in Finnland. According to research by H. Goot, on Finnsheep in Finnland in 1973, some of the farms in his study lambed twice a year. In those flocks slightly less than half the ewes were able to lamb twice a year. At the time the 85% of the Finnsheep flocks in that country kept about four ewes. Rams were not usually kept on the farm, but were borrowed from a state agency. With any other breed of sheep, a flock that size would be considered a joke rather than an economic asset. Finn ewes that can drop triplets, quads or quints in the spring and another smaller litter in the fall are a major asset. With five ewes like that, a producer can sell two dozen lambs and still only feed five ewes and a ram over the winter. The markets have rewarded producers who sold very young lambs (40 to 65 lbs) in late fall or just before the holidays. Finns are ideal for the ethnic lamb market that avoids fat lambs. I have been lambing my Finnsheep twice a year for just under a decade since the first ewe showed me it was possible. Over the years it became clear that not all Finn ewes would lamb twice a year. Obviously the primary requirement is that the ewe breed out of season. The ewe needs to rebreed about six weeks after lambing and must be kept in good body condition year round. Critical to success is that lambs be weaned by about five weeks. Early weaning can be an issue with both the lambs and their dams. If lambs have been exposed to roasted soybean meal as creep feed from the first week of life, they are usually eating enough of it by their fifth week of life to be independent of their dams. Nevertheless the lambs need to be watched closely for a week or two after weaning for signs of grain overload or pneumonia from the stress of weaning. We feed Deccox (decoquinate) from about three weeks of age. Deccox can also be mixed into salt or minerals for lambs. Grain overload should be suspected when the lamb shows discomfort and stands in a stretched posture or appears bloated. Dosing with baking soda is a quick fix. Pneumonia should also be treated as soon as depression, rapid breathing or unusual lung sounds are noticed. Lambs can die quickly from pneumonia, but they can recover just as quickly with rapid intervention. Lambs should get their first dose of overeating disease vaccine at four weeks. If the dams were vaccinated for overeating disease prior to lambing, the lambs will have acquired a passive immunity from the colostrum.
One common mistakes sheep producers make is not following label instructions on overeating and tetanus vaccines. The labels state that the product cannot be reused after the first time it is opened and should be discarded. The reason for this is that the vial contains delicate biological agents - - vaccines - -which may be degraded when the air or other contaminants from the syringe enter the vial. Use a fresh vial of vaccine each time your vaccinate. There is no point at all vaccinating an animal if the vaccine is not likely to be of good quality.
Weaning the lambs at about five weeks is difficult for the ewes as well since they are close to their peak milk production. Removing their access to salt for about a week prior to weaning and stopping grain feeding two days before weaning will help keep udders from becoming too tight. Check the ewes for the next two weeks after weaning to make sure there is no mastitis. Mastitis is the biggest risk to ewes' production capability. Mastitis can be successfully treated in ewes if it is found early. Systemic antibiotics according to your veterinarian's advice and frequent milk out should take care of the problem. Long acting "dry cow" infusions can be used in sheep again on your veterinarian's advice. If you allow the lamb to take care of the frequent milk out, be aware that the lamb may well ingest sufficient antibiotic to make it unmarketable for up to a month or more because of antibiotic residues in the tissues. Preventing mastitis while the lambs are with the ewe is also important. Occasionally lambs have teeth that are too sharp resulting in paper-cut type injury to the teats and udder. A quick treatment with sandpaper will dull those sharp teeth. Tiny cuts can become infected and if the infection is severe enough, it can spread into udder.
If the ewe doesn't have enough milk for a large litter, scuffles and fighting over the teats can also result in injury to the udder from the lambs' teeth. It would be safer for the ewe to supplement one or more lambs with a bottle. If intra-mammary infusions are used in sheep, take great care to completely disinfect the teat end. Shake the tube to mix the contents and expel the air in it before beginning. The infusion tube doesn't need to be inserted into the teat. Doing so risks damaging tissue and introducing bacteria. Instead just line up the opening in the teat with the opening in the end of the tube. You will feel the liquid enter the teat when the plunger is depressed. Half the tube is all that is needed. Discard the remainder. Use a fresh tube for the other half of the udder.
IMPORTANT CHANGES !!
World's oldest shepherd dies Antonio Todde, an Italian shepherd recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's oldest man, was found dead on Jan. 4th, shortly before his 113th birthday. Born Jan. 22, 1889, Todde was a shepherd all his life. He attributed his longevity to a daily glass of red wine. Todde was quoted on the Guinness Web site as saying it was important to, "just love your brother and drink a good glass of red wine every day."
The FBA 2002 Annual Meeting will be held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Sheep Conference Sept. 6-Sunday, Sept. 8. It will be held at the Jefferson Country Wisconsin Fairgrounds.