In Search of the Perfect Brood Ewe

One of the challenges of raising sheep is finding the perfect brood ewe. In fact, we would all like to have a whole flock of those ideal females. To select rams to mate with these ewes, we must first define just what that perfect female should look like. This definition will vary from one farm to another because each farm may have different goals. Here are a few key considerations to keep in mind when searching for the ideal brood ewe.

Body Condition

A ewe should be able to maintain an average body condition score by eating a forage-based diet. In other words, she should be able to live on pasture and hay or haylage and maintain an average body condition score throughout the year.  Forage is one of the most economical feed sources for Pennsylvania flocks.

A ewe should lose some body condition while nursing her lambs, but should regain that lost weight to reach an average body condition score before the next breeding season. Her body condition is most important during the last third of her pregnancy, so that she will have adequate fat stores to support milk production. Her body condition score during that time is also essential so that she does not develop pregnancy toxemia, also known as pregnancy disease. Overly fat sheep may not be able to eat enough to meet the growing nutritional needs of multiple lambs. This is because there might not be enough room inside her to accommodate her rumen, two or three lambs, and all that fat! Very thin ewes may also develop pregnancy toxemia. Producers with thin ewes should evaluate why the ewes are thin. Are ewes thin due to poor nutrition? Or is the cause more related to genetics?

Structural Correctness

If you expect a ewe to walk through a pasture to harvest her own meals, she should be structurally sound. The correctness of her feet and legs will allow her to walk freely and easily around the fields, and should help her remain sound over her lifetime.

Muscling

For sheep, muscling is important for ewes to pass on to their offspring. Ewes should not be overly muscled or round in their muscle design, as this could lead to lambing difficulties. On the other hand, she should have enough musculature so that her offspring will produce adequately muscled carcasses.

Mothering Ability

I have yet to meet a sheep producer who enjoys bottle-feeding lambs. It is the ewe's job to produce adequate amounts of milk for her lambs, and also take care of her lambs. She needs to lick the lambs off when they are born and must keep track of those lambs during her travels throughout the pasture or in the barn if lambing occurs inside. Additionally, she needs to stand to allow the lambs to nurse multiple times throughout the day. Both sides of her udder must work properly, and her udder should appear level with a strong suspensory ligament as viewed from the rear.

Performance

Sheep producers should expect a certain level of performance from their ewes. For those primarily interested in growth characteristics, ewes should be able to produce sufficient milk to meet weaning weight goals. Keep in mind that this will vary based on the age of the ewe, birth and rearing type (single, twin, or triplet), and sex of the lamb. Adjust weaning weights to account for these differences so that you can better evaluate ewes and ewe lambs. For producers more interested in wool production, ewes should have a uniform fleece from their shoulders to their rear legs. Ewes should also have very little britch wool, the wool on the lower part of their rear leg. Also, belly wool should not extend up the sides of the ewe.

One of the keys to profitability in a sheep operation is that ewes should produce twins. Yearlings will most likely produce a single lamb; however, mature ewes should consistently produce twins throughout their lifetime.

Other Characteristics

Sheep producers may have other characteristics that are important to their operation. Temperament is important to many producers because the "bad actors" can be difficult and sometimes dangerous to handle. They get everyone else in the flock stirred up and can even hurt very young lambs. Breed characteristics should be important to purebred breeders, as lambs need to conform to breed standards.

Take a moment to consider what is essential to your operation. Set goals and then select rams that should help you meet those goals and improve the overall genetics in the flock. Evaluate lambs based on these goals and only keep replacement ewe lambs that best meet them.