Every year we rent a ram for breeding from a local farm. We rent a ram instead of having our own to eliminate inbreeding. Sure, we could get one years use out of our own ram, (as long as we don't breed it back to it's momma!) but that would be all. Or he would be breeding back to his offspring. Funny, I would imagine inbreed lambs taste no different than non inbreed lambs... lol! I guess my conscious just keeps me from doing it.
Anyway, (I do have a point... somewhere...)
The ram we rented was named "Mr. Nibbles" - no, we didn't name him! We picked him up from his owner's farm and he was in our care for the duration of three breeding cycles (ewe's ovulate every 17 days)- roughly 3 months. He was a really nice ram!... BUT... For some strange unforeseen reason Mr. Nibbles hated our sheep shelter! I don't mean had a little dislike for it and wouldn't use it, I mean downright was at WAR with it! He would ram his head into the shelter as hard as he could! It wasn't the fairest of fights, the sheep shelter never fought back!
He did two things that year...
First, he gave me beautiful lambs! A huge single lamb out of Pebbles (which was my daughter's market lamb for 4H) and a black ram lamb and a black ewe lamb (Elizabeth) from Brownie.
Second he gave me a new sheep shelter! Because the one he destroyed...
um... he destroyed!! :)
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