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| White Dorpers; moved from 'Pertussis' | |
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| Topic Started: Nov 12 2010, 02:57 PM (51 Views) | |
| Kahu | Nov 12 2010, 02:57 PM Post #1 |
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This post originally made by TexasCountryGal .......
Well I've done my share of lambing beats too ........ I've spent a few years as a teacher in rural New Zealand and the seasonal lambing beats were a rite of passage within the community. Personally I don't think I'd have made a very successful farmer though. I think I may have got the wrong end of the stick at the start of the discussion because I thought you were using the penicillin as part of a growth promotant regime .... and due to the increasing use of antibiotics in food production and the resulting antibiotic resistances in human diseases .... this is seen as an unacceptable practice in NZ .... especially for high quality meat exports. Some species of 'Hair Sheep' have been imported into NZ from 2001, mainly from Adelaide in South Australia but also from South Africa. Generally though 'Hair' sheep are not suited to NZ's wetter climate, the general consensus is that they are too prone to footrot and other parasitic diseases. Some hobby farmers on lifestyle blocks however are investing in some exotic breeds which may prove profitable as far as low fat meat exports, and hair sheep and goats are generally preferred. White Dorper and Dorper Dorpers and White Suffolk This is a bit contentious in that feral goats, deer and pigs cause quite a bit of damage to the physical environment especially on steep hillsides and are actively culled. We have a number of extremely remote environments where historical breeds of goats and sheep have been left to breed and survive without human intervention almost for centuries (even though we're a very young country) and these breeds have reverted almost to their 'hairy ancestors'. Campbell Island Sheep Arapawa Sheep |
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| TexasCountryGal | Nov 12 2010, 03:48 PM Post #2 |
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Boy of boy, I can sure wander off topic sometimes. I used to be fascinated with my thought process, now I just worry about it. Thanks for starting a new thread, and thanks for posting the great websites! We have been raising what us Texans call Texas Barbado. They are said to have originated from Barbados Blackbelly sheep crossed with Rambouillet and Mouflon sheep. They are not a recognized breed. Some of our Texas Barbado can be registered as Painted Dessert Sheep because of their markings. Our Old Man Ram: Posted Image Our Dorper are not old enough to breed as yet. I choose the white because I read that they are more gentle than the black heads. Their tails were docked very close and I do have some concerns about prolapsing both of the intestines and uterus. I understand why herders dock, but I don't personally see a need with the breeds we have. We lost a ewe to a prolapsed uterus. It was horrible. Her lamb was our second bottle baby. We kept "April" in the house until she got to the point that I could not keep her from jumping on our bed and playing in our pillows. We had great difficulty getting her to integrate with the ewe herd. Our first bottle baby was a boy. Once he was 2 1/2 months he was eager to be with the other sheep. I brought him to my daughter's school when he was 9 days old. My daughter teaches kinder kids in a school that has 5 kindergarten classes. "Trouble" was held by each and every kinder kid that day and slept very well that night. Thanks again for sharing the great websites. |
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| Kahu | Nov 12 2010, 04:58 PM Post #3 |
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Your Old Man Ram certainly does look a bit like a Mouflon. I managed to hunt out a pic of a Mouflon cross lamb that an Auckland Life-styler had posted but these sheep are not very widespread only on small scale enthusiast's farms. Over the years we've been very good at importing exotic breeds which really like conditions here and the populations explode and before you know they're little more than rapacious pests supplanting the natives. From rabbits to hares, stoats and weasels, thar, chamois, goats, deer and the no#1 enemy the Australian Brush Tailed possum. We used to have Calf Clubs out in the country ..... where a child was given a calf or a lamb to raise for a year record progress, show it for the judges at school and then integrate it with the herd, or plant out and record steps taken to begin producing either vegetables or flowers. I'm sure you would have something similar for your youngsters too. Pet lambs and goats can become a very real pest ... especially when they start believing they're people! Some people with country roots have pet lambs which graze on the back lawn and keep the grass down ...... then they become Christmas dinner! One maori family down the road near me kept one that managed to get out of the section and head down the road to our place. We heard this bumping and crashing in our front porch way and when I went out there was this young ram deciding it wanted to come inside. The kids ran back down the street yelling "Haere atu ki te hipi!" (Get out and catch the sheep) and I managed to turn him down the steps, but not before he stood on my barefeet! |
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| TexasCountryGal | Nov 13 2010, 08:41 AM Post #4 |
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Yep, we have two similar organizations to your country's "Calf Club." One is the FFA (Future Farmers of American) and the other is the 4H, which I believe stands for "head, heart, hands, and health." I grew up in Houston but I have always loved animals, plants and nature. After my first husband passed in 1983 I took the kids camping A LOT in Texas state parks. I would do anything to get out in the fresh air and country. We moved out to our 32 acres in 2004. I love it! But we are kind of far, far away from emergency medical care, and sometimes can get flooded in for days. But, I cannot see myself ever going back to live in a big or little city. I have never been involved in FFA or 4H, but in recent years I have met a goat and rabbit breeder who supplies animals for the kids to raise. They are really neat people and very informative. I adore the picture of the little lamb. They are soooooo cute when they are little! We had lambing problems 2 seasons ago that we believe were a result of a very long drought and poor grasses, so we did not breed for last season. The old man got in with the girls about 8 months ago, but no babies this winter. I really miss not having the babies around. Next winter! You might enjoy our sheep and "dove release" websites: www.RockDoveRanch.com and www.BencalLoft.com When you look at our lambs you will understand why this x-city girl cannot eat them. |
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9:24 PM Jul 11