Develop a Production Calendar for Your Sheep or Goat Operation

A great way for sheep and goat producers to manage their flock or herd is to plan a management calendar that provides a guideline for when specific management tasks should be completed. The calendar includes information on breeding management, health care, lambing or kidding management, and marketing.

This production calendar is a sample protocol that a producer might follow if they lamb or kid at two different times of the year. For this example, females are bred to lamb or kid in September and in late January through February. Producers can adjust management tasks according to their planned lambing or kidding dates. 

January

Begin assembling supplies around the first week in January for lambing or kidding scheduled to begin on January 15. As lambs or kids are born, place them in jugs with their mother for 24 to 36 hours. FAMACHA score each of the females and tag their lambs or kids while they are in the jug. Lambs can also be docked while in the jugs, or a larger group of lambs can be docked at the same time at a later date. The American Veterinary Medical Association supports the Farm Animal Welfare Council's recommendations for docking lambs with an elastrator band within 7 days of birth. They further recommend docking lambs one to eight weeks old with a docking iron. However, not all lambs require docking. Lambs sold for ethnic holidays are normally worth more if they have not been docked.

The timing of when lambs or kids receive their first C, D, and T vaccinations to prevent enterotoxemia (overeating disease) and tetanus depends on their dam's vaccination status. Lambs or kids should receive their first C, D, and T shot at 6 to 8 weeks of age if their dams received a booster vaccination 4 to 6 weeks before giving birth. Lambs or kids whose dams did not receive a booster vaccination within that timeframe should be vaccinated at two weeks of age. Avoid vaccinating at younger ages because their immune system may not be sufficiently developed to respond to the vaccine.

February

Lambs and kids will begin eating small amounts of solid feed around 1 to 2 weeks of age, so set up the creep feeder by February 1. Give lambs or kids their second dose of C, D, and T vaccine 3 to 4 weeks after the first vaccination.

March

By March 1, lambing or kidding should be completed. Females that give birth more than 34 days for ewes and 42 days for does, or two heat cycles, after the start of the lambing or kidding season, should be considered for culling. Ewes that lambed in the fall and rams should be sheared. Ewes nursing lambs could also be shorn at this time. All groups should have shelter and a well-bedded pen if the weather remains cold. Be sure to trim the feet on females and males and check the udders of females for any knots or other abnormalities that could decrease milk production at the next lambing or kidding. Females with questionable udders should be marked for culling. Conduct FAMACHA scoring on mature females and males, and deworm those that require treatment. Also, conduct a breeding soundness exam on the males six to eight weeks before the breeding season. The exam should include assessing body condition, feet and legs, eyes, testicles, and overall health. Rams or bucks that were ill or suffered heat stress within six to eight weeks of the start of the breeding season should be replaced, as it can take that long to produce adequate quantities of viable sperm.

Around March 9, turn the teaser ram in with ewes that will be bred to lamb in September. This is not necessary for goats, as the buck's odor will quickly bring females into heat. Breeding groups should also be started on a flushing program to increase the likelihood of twinning. Flushing consists of increasing the plane of nutrition from two to three weeks before the start of the breeding season through two to three weeks after the breeding season ends. Lush pasture or grain may be used for flushing.

Lambs or kids and cull females should be sold in accordance with the producer's marketing plan. Producers may wish to review a holiday calendar to identify holidays ideal for marketing milk-fed lambs or kids at 60 to 90 days of age.

Shear fall-born lambs and trim their feet by the end of the month. FAMACHA score the fall-born lambs and kids, and all mature females before turning out to pasture. Treat only those who require treatment to preserve the effectiveness of the deworming product.

April

January- and February-born lambs or kids can be weaned starting in April. Lambs or kids that require deworming should be treated a couple of weeks before or after weaning to avoid the stress associated with weaning. Once the lambs or kids have adjusted to weaning, separate the females from the males to prevent unwanted early pregnancies.

Females should be sorted into breeding groups, and rams or bucks should be turned in with them on April 9 for lambs or kids due to begin arriving around September 1. Be sure to use a marking harness or apply marking paint to the males at turnout. Reapply marking paint or check the harness every few days. Change the marking color every 17 days. (You may want to avoid using red if you pasture your females near a road. Your neighbors will call to tell you that the sheep or goats are bloody!)

If you plan to turn the breeding groups out on pasture, be sure to wait until the grass is at least six inches tall. Move the animals to a new pasture by the time they have grazed the first pasture down to 4 inches in height. You may need to plan for additional grazing groups: fall-born females, spring-born females, spring-born males, and any other males.

Late-born lambs or kids, those less than 60 days old when you weaned the first group, can be weaned at the end of the month. FAMACHA score this new group of females and their offspring, and deworm, if needed, either 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after weaning.

May

Shear the spring-born lambs during May to prevent manure buildup around their rear, thus preventing fly strike. Shearing before hot weather will also help to prevent yolk stains in the wool.

On May 9, remove primary males from their breeding groups. Move all females into one large group and expose them to a clean-up ram or buck. Remove the clean-up ram after 17 days or the buck after 21 days, one heat cycle.

June

Evaluate animals for signs of internal parasites and consider FAMACHA scoring. Deworm animals that require treatment. 

July

Pregnancy check fall lambing females and sort out pregnant females. On July 23, turn the teaser ram in with the winter/spring lambing ewes and begin flushing. Give females a booster shot for C, D, and T approximately four to six weeks before lambing or kidding. Conduct a breeding soundness exam on the fertile males six to eight weeks before the breeding season.

August

Late gestation feeding starts (if pasture quality is poor) at the beginning of August for females lambing or kidding in the fall.

On August 23, remove the teaser ram and introduce a breeding ram to the ewes, or introduce a buck to the does. Be sure to use a marking harness or apply marking paint to the rams or bucks at turnout. Reapply marking paint or check the harness every few days. Change the marking color every 17 days.

Assemble lambing or kidding supplies around the middle of the month. Begin observing females for signs of impending lambing or kidding during the last week of August.

September

September 1 fall lambing or kidding begins. FAMACHA score each of the females as they give birth. Set up the creep feeder by mid-September. Stop the flushing program by the end of the month for winter/spring lambing ewes.

October

By October 1, the fall lambing is completed. On October 7, remove the rams from the winter/spring lambing breeding groups. Shear the winter/spring lambing ewes 30 to 60 days before lambing. 

November

Pregnancy check the females bred to lamb in the winter or spring. Wean the fall-born lambs or kids between the end of the month and the middle of December.

December

Consider selling fall-born lambs or kids, any spring-born lambs or kids that don't meet your selection criteria to keep as replacement females, open females from the winter/spring lambing or kidding group, and any problem females from the fall lambing or kidding group.

Give the winter/spring lambing or kidding group a booster shot for C, D, and T approximately four to six weeks before lambing or kidding. Late-gestation feeding begins by the middle of the month.

The management calendar for your operation will vary from this calendar based on when you lamb or kid your females and your feeding management. Calendars may also change from one year to the next based on planned marketing times. The purpose of the calendar is to serve as a guide for when certain management tasks should be completed. Consider items such as marketing timeframes, feeding goals, and lambing or kidding management when developing your own management calendar.