On March 3rd, Casey Worrell came out & ultra sounded our yearling bulls. These bulls have been on a gain test here in the feedlot since December 2nd.
Casey scanned each of the 35 bulls. Results for each animal were sent to us, which included ribeye area {measured between 12th & 13th rib}, marbling, rump fat, & rib eye fat.
While each bull was in the chute to be scanned, we also weighed them & measured their hip height. A combination of weight & hip height determine a ‘frame score’. A frame score is used to estimate the growth pattern & potential mature size of an animal. Frame scores are moderately heritable & can be used to influence the selection process before breeding. A large frame size cow has a higher maintenance requirement than a smaller frame size cow.
Bulls were then taken to Gillespie Vet Center for their Breeding Soundness Exam {BSE}. A BSE includes three evaluations: 1) structural soundness assessment, 2) reproductive system evaluation, & 3) semen quality appraisal.
The structural soundness assessment involves examining the overall condition of the animal, including flesh, feet, legs, eyes, & teeth.
The reproductive system evaluation includes examination of the scrotum, testicles, & penis, as well as a rectal palpation to determine any internal abnormalities. The circumference of each bull’s scrotum was measured. The circumference of a scrotum can estimate the amount of sperm producing tissue in a bull. There is a high correlation in scrotal circumference & sperm output. To be considered a good potential breeder, a yearling bull’s scrotal circumference must be greater than 30 cm, must have greater than 50% sperm mobility, & greater than 70% normal sperm. source: Society for Theriogenology
The final phase of a BSE consists of semen collection & an evaluation of the semen.
Having a BSE report on each bull tells our buyers that the bull they are purchasing is not sterile & is able to breed.
Each of these evaluations play a key role in selection of bulls. After reviewing all of the information about each bull, decisions were made as to which bulls to keep for our own breeding program & which ones to sell. Quite a few bulls have already been sold, while some are still available.
Spring shearing season kicked off at the end of February with billy kids. Our shearing crew from Rocksprings spent eight full days here over several weeks shearing sheep & goats.
Nanny & kid goats are sheared twice a year, while billy goats & sheep are sheared only once a year. Nannies produce about 8-10 lbs of mohair annually, while billies produce about 12 lbs of mohair annually. Ewes produce about 6-7 lbs of wool annually, while rams produce about 8-10 lbs of wool annually.
During shearing season, many days are spent gathering, hauling, sorting, shearing, grading mohair, skirting wool fleeces, culling, vaccinating, drenching, & treating.
Once the shearer has sheared the mohair off the goat, the picker puts the hair into a box & places it on the grading table. The hair is then graded based on handle & fiber diameter, which is measured in microns. Due to years of breeding, our adult goats grade yearling or kid hair. This is finer than most other adult goats. Our kids grade kid hair, which is the finest mohair there is. A good rule of thumb is the finer the hair, the higher the value or price.
After the hair is graded, it is put into the appropriate wooden box based on its grade. Once the box is full, it is put into the packer to be baled. When the bag is full, it is fastened shut with staples. It is then marked with our brand, the grade of hair, & the date.
Once the wool is sheared off the sheep, the fleece is gathered up & flung onto the skirting table where it is ‘skirted’. Skirting is removing parts of the fleece that are extra dirty or full of manure or vegetable matter.
The cleaner wool is then placed in the wool packer, baled, & labeled. The skirts are processed the same way.
Ewes & nannies are sheared in the Spring just before lambing & kidding starts. There is still a chance of cold weather at this time. If a cold &/or wet spell hits, a shorn ewe or nanny will be uncomfortable. She will then be more likely to seek shelter for her & her lamb/kid. If she was in wool or mohair when a spell hit, she wouldn’t be uncomfortable & probably wouldn’t seek shelter. As you can see, shearing just before lambing & kidding increases the survival rate for newborn lambs & kids if cold &/or wet weather hits.
Ewes & nannies were vaccinated for overeating {Enterotoxemia}, drenched for stomach worms, & treated for chewing lice.
Dry {not bred} nannies were separated off & put in a pasture together with yearling nannies. Dry ewes {a handful} were put in the feedlot to be sold. Bred nannies were split among fields & pastures. Ewes were sorted based on their pregnancy scan status from January {carrying a single or twins} They were then put in pastures. Our older ewes that are beginning to show signs of slowing down {some have carried twins for 4, 5, & 6 years} were put in the feedlot so we could keep a closer eye on them.
Cows began calving in February. Ewes & nannies began lambing & kidding in early April. This calving|lambing|kidding season has been a bit challenging for the cows, ewes, & nannies. Measurable rainfall has been nearly non existent for quite some time. {We did receive about 1.5″ on Monday, April 25th-yay!} Livestock are having to hustle in the pastures. Most of our kidding fields & pastures, as well as our twin lambing pasture, are dependent on feeders this year.
On April 22nd, we shipped 68 yearling steers from the ranch. The decision to sell these steers was not an easy one. With a lack of grass & space here at the ranch & nowhere North to send them to graze, we made the difficult decision to sell them to a stocker & feeder cattle operation. Retaining ownership of these steers through the feedlot stage was unfortunately not a feasible option this year.
