We typically maintain a single guard animal in each pasture that contains sheep. In the Horn variety, both ewes and rams carry horns. We intervene as little as possible because our sheep have been bred to handle all the work of caring for their lambs. For now, if you have any questions please contact us. Our emphasis for over 25 years has been on what we call ‘true’ or ‘Production Dorsets’: prolific animals with excellent maternal instincts whose offspring wean at a profitable weight when raised on as much forage as our Ohio seasons allow. And the ewes are highly prolific. We have approximately 300 ewes. Spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting, and felting are ways to use the wool fleece for making garments, cloth, and bags. Special Notes. Also, we do not use medication except when absolutely necessary to keep the flock healthy, and we never use growth … Your email address will not be published. There is a great divide between show animals and production animals. The Dorset Horn sheep have been dubbed as “the breed for all seasons and for all reasons”. When our sheep are out grazing, they are vulnerable to predators such as coyotes. Dorsets, known for their mothering ability, milk production, and ability to lamb out of season, are production animals. They are raised mainly for meat production. We handle each new lamb, ear-tagging and banding each of them, and recording their birth dates and types and the mothers’ numbers. The sheep are given as much pasture time as the seasons allow us. The sheep are avid grazers and use feed well. The sheep are given as much pasture time as the seasons allow us. Also, we do not use medication except when absolutely necessary to keep the flock healthy, and we never use growth hormones, steroids, or other likewise unnatural products on our sheep. Some sheep breeds lend themselves to provide the whole range of products, Rambouillet sheep, Dorset sheep, and some other sheep breeds are good providers of wool fiber, lambs, milk, and eventually, meat. We still check the pasture/barn often to handle any significant problems and, in the case of barn lambing, to assure the welfare of the animals while they cannot graze for themselves. Ewes weigh 150200 pounds, and rams weigh 225275 pounds. Breeders of Traditional Production Dorsets. Ranging sheep need to be hearty and efficient, and require minimal care. Ewes horns are light, curving forward neatly; rams horns are heavy and spiral out as well as curving forward. They are mostly grass fed and we choose to raise them in the most natural way possible. We have been hoof-rot free for over 24 years and are part of the Scrapie eradication program. Rambouillets, Merinos, Columbians, Debouillets, Polypays, and Dorpers may be good choices for grazing sheep in open range. Our lambing operation differs based on the time of year. Careful attention is given to how protective and nurturing each ewe is with her lambs. Polled Dorset sheep are very hardy and strong animals. From March to October we typically lamb outside, but November to January will find us in the barn. A true Dorset thrives on grass, and is profitable when grazing in the pasture on the home farm. Regardless of the breed, proper selection of desirable traits and removal of defects through stringent cu… In a show ring, the trend is to award the biggest, tallest animal with first place. They are noted for their ability to breed more than once per year and are usually used in crossbreeding for producing females for out-of-season breeding. Our flock of production Dorset sheep is the most important part of our farm. So far we have had great success with this method of predator control. It is documented from the seventeenth century, and is highly prolific, sometimes producing two lambing seasons per year. All of the sheep breeds on this list offer either wool or meat. Lambing can take place practically any time of the year, and we lamb three times every two years. That’s why we’ve utilized llamas and great Pyrenees dogs as guard animals for our flock.