Finnsheep Management

   Monthly Management Schedule

      January

     Let's start with a month for the shepherd to rest! The weather is windy and cold and it's time to sit by the

     woodstove and do some handspinning.  Those wonderful skeins of Finn wool yarn can then be knit into soft

     sweaters, toasty boot socks, and colorful mittens. The sheep are staying close to the barn, nibbling hay

     and grain and avoiding the wind. They wander out a bit on sunny days, looking for soft branches of honeysuckle

     and hidden blades of grass. Be sure they have plenty of water and hay. 

    February

    Time to start planning for lambs to arrive. Increase grain for pregnant ewes. If necessary, separate heavy

    lambing ewes to make sure their feed intake is high enough to support multiple births. Vaccinate pregnant

    ewes with Covexin 8 and BoSe. Worm all of the sheep with Ivomec. Check fleeces for signs of lice or mites

    and treat with Ivomec Pour-on if indicated. Check sheep feet and do some trimming if needed. Assemble lambing

    supplies: towels, heat lamps, bottles and lamb nipples, lamb milk replacer, emergency vet supplies. Check

    lambing pens for needed repairs.

   March

   The weather is warming up a bit and it is time to shear the ewes- just before they lamb. This has several benefits.

     It makes it much easier for baby sheep to find the udder at birth, and it also keeps chilly ewes near the barn for

     lambing. If your sheep are covered to protect the wool, repair any tears and recover the adults. When fleeces are

     shorn, skirt them by removing belly wool and soiled wool from the edges of the fleece. Roll them up and store for

     sale or processing. Prepare lambing pens and begin keeping ewes confined to the barn at night. Limit hay intake

     and increase grain. Feeding later in the evening seems to prevent those "middle of the night" lambing events!

    April

      Lambing time has arrived. Check ewes early in the morning and often during the day, especially if the weather is

      very cold.      Confine ewes with lambs or those in the process of lambing to a private area where they can deliver

      without interruption and excitement. Towel dry newborns and treat navels with iodine. Make sure lambs are up

      and nursing within an hour. Cold lambs need to be warmed in a sink of warm water before feeding. Check their

      tongue to make sure they are warm enough and then feed them some milk replacer in a bottle before returning

      them to Mom. Visit lambing pens often to make sure all of the lambs are doing well. Ewes in pens with their lambs

      will need lots of warm water if the nights are still cold! Ear tag baby lambs within a few days, since they all look a

      lot alike! After three or four days, mothers and babies will have bonded with each other and can go out in the

      field together during the day.

      May

      Warm weather and lots of grass make this a wonderful month for the sheep. Ewes will continue to need grain

      supplements to produce milk for hungry lambs that are growing rapidly. It's such fun to watch them bouncing across

      the field! It is a good time to set up a creepfeed for the babies-a feeding area just big enough for the lambs to

      enter. This allows them some extra feed and increases their growth rate. It's time to worm the ewes again with

      Ivomec, and the babies, as well. Young lambs can now be vaccinated with Covexin 8 and BoSe.

      June

       Separate adult rams from the ewe flock to prevent rebreeding the flock. Identify replacement ewes that you

       would like to retain as part of the flock. This is a good month to do the record keeping and registration of

       purebred animals. Rotate pasture to maximize grazing and reduce worm load. Clean out the barn and make

       repairs.

       July

        Meat lambs are off to market, and most of the lamb crop is sold. Think about hay supply for winter and straw

        for next spring's lambing. Revaccinate replacement ewes with Covexin 8 and worm with Safeguard. Seem like

        an easy month! We usually head for beach, leaving the flock in the care of our good friend and neighbor!

      August

        This is our hottest month and it is important to keep the sheep in a shady area with lots of available water.

        Spring lamb fleeces are getting quite long by this time, and we usually shear the youngsters toward the end of

        the month. This is also a good time to separate ewes and lambs, though that can get a bit noisy! It's also a

        good time to evaluate ewes and rams and make breeding decisions.

        September

        To prepare ewes for breeding, begin feeding grain to optimize their condition. Breeding ewes should be on grain

         for six weeks before breeding for the best results. Begin feeding grain to the breeding rams , as well. The sheep

         will begin to show interest in breeding, so check fences to make sure there's no cheating! We trim feet and reworm

         the flock again during this month.

       October

                 This is our month to breed the adult ewes. Ewes are separated into 3-4 breeding groups, each group assigned a

         different ram and placed in their own pasture. Otherwise gentle rams can become very protective of their girls, and

         caution needs to be taken with them, especially when visitors come. Spring born Finn ewes can be bred the first

         year, but we like to wait until late December, allowing them to grow out and gain more size. Begin to reduce grain

         and begin feeding a good grass hay as pastures recede. Allow barn access for colder nights.

       November

                 Toward Thanksgiving, breeding should be complete and separated flocks can now be allowed rejoin one another.

         Keep rams in a small area at first in case they don't recognize one another. They may fight at first, but in a confined

         space, they won't cause any injuries. In a few days, the rams can rejoin the ewes for the winter.

         December

         Decorate the barn for Christmas! Bake cookies and do your Christmas shopping!

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