The task at hand was to divide the 70-or-so ewes into breeding groups assigned to a specific ram for their love-making purposes.
Sheep are generally bred in the fall. They have lambs in the spring and lactate for a certain period of months after that. For this reason, most sheep dairies only produce milk in the spring and summer months. The sheep stop lactating towards the fall and cheesemaking slows to a halt for the winter. The cows at Cato Corner were bred on a staggered cycle to allow for milk production throughout the year. I'm told that sheep are more difficult, and their heat cycle must be simulated through a very involved and scientifically unnatural process. Therefore, they have to be in the mood and cannot be bred any time of the year. Then, all the ewes give birth around the same time and lactate as a whole for a certain number of months. I have no idea what goats do. I'm not an expert on the carnal desires of animals.
The exact date for breeding is determined by whatever the target date is for the start of "lambing season" (i.e. when all the sheep give birth and start producing milk again next year). Luckily, I arrived just in time for the joyous day at Black Sheep. The day started off with a quick review of the spreadsheet that Meg had drawn up which assigned each sheep to one of three breeding groups. During milking, the ewes were identified and each was tagged with the color we had assigned to her lucky suitor. After milking was over, the sheep trotted out of the milking parlor. We waited on the other side, identified one of three markings we had assigned, and then coaxed them based on marking into one of three penned areas. This was different from their normal routine and the sheep knew it. Some of them needed some urging and a good shove to the backside. A few were just freaked out and tried to bowl me over.
Once the milking was complete and all the ewes had been divided, we began the process of setting up the rendezvous. We went to the rams' pen and selected the lucky guy who was assigned to the particular flock of ladies. Then, we walked the first group out to pasture, with the ram in the lead. As is the case in the animal world, introductions are a mere formality. The ram was ready to get right down to business and many of the ewes were ready to back their said business right up on him almost immediately. It became a little challenging to march the groups out to their pasture boudoir in an orderly fashion. After leading all the groups out to pasture and dividing up fencing to separate them, our work was done. So, because we can, we decided to stand there for a little while and voyeuristically ogle the amorous display. There was a lot of sniffing (on the part of the sheep, not us), some strategy, a smattering of furious "baaa-ing," and a couple love connections. Our responsibility was over; nature would take care of the rest.
The sheep will stay together in their mating groups with the ram for 34 days to allow for two heat cycles and plenty of time for successful mating. Apparently a ram can copulate with up to 50 ewes each night...which seems impressive and kinda gross. Each of our breeding groups has only about 20 sheep, so these rams would not be put to such a test. Meg and Brad are able to tell which ewes have been bred or at least attempted to breed by use of markings on their backside. Each ram is fitted with a harness contraption that straps a large chalk-like marker to his chest. For lack of a visual, just imagine this marker leaving a large colored spot on the backside of each ewe from the friction with the ram's chest during a given sheep hook-up.
I was told a story of a ram and ewe, that despite being separated, had successfully mated and bred through a wire-fence. Even the best human efforts at match-making can be rendered ineffective by natural love connections. Usually only two or three ewes are unsuccessful in breeding, which means just under 70 ewes can be milked in the spring.
This really puts a whole new spin on how I look at cheese and the milk that went into creating it. Cheese really is love. Sure it's messy, multi-partnered, animal love. Nevertheless, to mother nature, it's a form of love.
Sheep are generally bred in the fall. They have lambs in the spring and lactate for a certain period of months after that. For this reason, most sheep dairies only produce milk in the spring and summer months. The sheep stop lactating towards the fall and cheesemaking slows to a halt for the winter. The cows at Cato Corner were bred on a staggered cycle to allow for milk production throughout the year. I'm told that sheep are more difficult, and their heat cycle must be simulated through a very involved and scientifically unnatural process. Therefore, they have to be in the mood and cannot be bred any time of the year. Then, all the ewes give birth around the same time and lactate as a whole for a certain number of months. I have no idea what goats do. I'm not an expert on the carnal desires of animals.
The exact date for breeding is determined by whatever the target date is for the start of "lambing season" (i.e. when all the sheep give birth and start producing milk again next year). Luckily, I arrived just in time for the joyous day at Black Sheep. The day started off with a quick review of the spreadsheet that Meg had drawn up which assigned each sheep to one of three breeding groups. During milking, the ewes were identified and each was tagged with the color we had assigned to her lucky suitor. After milking was over, the sheep trotted out of the milking parlor. We waited on the other side, identified one of three markings we had assigned, and then coaxed them based on marking into one of three penned areas. This was different from their normal routine and the sheep knew it. Some of them needed some urging and a good shove to the backside. A few were just freaked out and tried to bowl me over.
Once the milking was complete and all the ewes had been divided, we began the process of setting up the rendezvous. We went to the rams' pen and selected the lucky guy who was assigned to the particular flock of ladies. Then, we walked the first group out to pasture, with the ram in the lead. As is the case in the animal world, introductions are a mere formality. The ram was ready to get right down to business and many of the ewes were ready to back their said business right up on him almost immediately. It became a little challenging to march the groups out to their pasture boudoir in an orderly fashion. After leading all the groups out to pasture and dividing up fencing to separate them, our work was done. So, because we can, we decided to stand there for a little while and voyeuristically ogle the amorous display. There was a lot of sniffing (on the part of the sheep, not us), some strategy, a smattering of furious "baaa-ing," and a couple love connections. Our responsibility was over; nature would take care of the rest.
The sheep will stay together in their mating groups with the ram for 34 days to allow for two heat cycles and plenty of time for successful mating. Apparently a ram can copulate with up to 50 ewes each night...which seems impressive and kinda gross. Each of our breeding groups has only about 20 sheep, so these rams would not be put to such a test. Meg and Brad are able to tell which ewes have been bred or at least attempted to breed by use of markings on their backside. Each ram is fitted with a harness contraption that straps a large chalk-like marker to his chest. For lack of a visual, just imagine this marker leaving a large colored spot on the backside of each ewe from the friction with the ram's chest during a given sheep hook-up.
I was told a story of a ram and ewe, that despite being separated, had successfully mated and bred through a wire-fence. Even the best human efforts at match-making can be rendered ineffective by natural love connections. Usually only two or three ewes are unsuccessful in breeding, which means just under 70 ewes can be milked in the spring.
This really puts a whole new spin on how I look at cheese and the milk that went into creating it. Cheese really is love. Sure it's messy, multi-partnered, animal love. Nevertheless, to mother nature, it's a form of love.
No comments:
Post a Comment