[Jacob-list] Re: British Jacobs, spongeing etc

[MarmontJacobs at aol.com]

Hi Juliet,
             So we agree then. It is a shame that at Shows the lambs need to 
be early born. Our show ewe lamb this year is late Feb born (naturally 
conceived), so is already at a disadvantage. Showing is good for the breed - 
bringing the sheep (and it's products) into the public eye, but judges don't 
take into account of when they were born. This is proving to be a bad year 
for grass - the only people we know with grass are above 1000 feet where it 
is being brought on by the dew!

Re the size comment, I have in the past had twins weighing in at over 26 
pounds combined birth weight - twin rams with the horns just through so a 
tight fit. Greed at the trough or the ewe equivalent of gestational 
diabetes!! I would rather they were leaner at birth as they seem to be this 
year. The Jacob ewe that lambed naturally and last had overwintered up the 
hill with the shearling ewes and the Icelandics on a handful of concentrate. 
Her lambs were amongst the lightest we have ever had, but very healthy. I 
shall watch their progress with interest. 

The Icelandics lamb their lambs five days before other breeds and the lambs 
are glued to mum from birth so no need to pen them up at all. THey catch up 
fast due to the quality of the milk - although I'm not making cheese this 
year..BUT they do not appear to be as mentally switched on as the Jacobs for 
the first few days and are more vulnerable due to their size. The cacophany 
at midnight last night was the mother of a day old Icelandic who had found 
his way through the wire into the llama field. So there he was surrounded by 
two large llamas and a Jacob ram lamb about ten times his size - now what was 
HE doing in there!?!

Trisha