Tuesday, September 20, 2011

East Friesian Sheep - Time For The Protein Flush!

The Protein Flush

It's time to get the East Friesian Ewes and Rams ready for breeding. Over the years Karras Farm has developed a method to ensure the most successful breeding.

This is not rocket science but it will prove to be a huge boost for successful pregnancy and promote multiple births.

Starting now (September 20th) we feed every animal one pound of whole kernel corn straight off
the cob. This will be a 60 day cycle to boost the protein level in the East Friesian's.

The protein boost provides additional nutrients for the Ewes which have proved to enhance embryo production resulting in more multiple births. We have also notice the lambs tend to be healthier as a result. The Rams also benefit from the protein boost as the semen levels are increased giving them an added likely hood of conception.

Another benefit of the protein flush is having all our animals’ cycle at the same time. The breeding, pregnancy and births all occur in a very close time window within the herd. This cycle aids us in knowing how all the pregnancies are progressing and enables us to more closely monitor the animals’ progress.

One item of mention - We do not recommend using crack corn during the protein flush. Crack corn is much harder for the animals to digest and will not yield the same results. As the sheep regurgitate crack corn it can also affect their esophagus and stomach lining. 

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog and we look forward to a wonderful East Friesian breeding season. Feel free to comment, email or call if we can help in any way.

Sincerely,
Andy Karras
Karras Farm

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Monday, September 12, 2011

Hoof Trimming

This is hoof trimming season at Karras Farms.

We try to pick a damp and rainy day to trim hooves.
Trimming the hoof is much easier when they are soft
and eases the animals stress during the trimming process.

It is very important to perform a thorough cleaning of the hooves.
A good clean hoof promotes a strong and firm stance for a successful pregnancy.

Friday, September 9, 2011

East Friesian Sheep - Feeding Time

We wanted to share another video of our East Friesian Sheep during feeding. These sheep have amazing qualities and they are some of the worlds best milk producers. Please bookmark the blog or sign up to be on our mailing list as we have several topics that will be discussed in the coming weeks.

We will be covering some of the topics below:
  1. Deworming - when, how and the best products to use
  2. Breeding - How to ensure the best results for conception and bloodline
  3. Sheering - Process and how to best profit from wool
  4. Feeding - What feed to use for animal health and feed alterations through the calendar year
  5. Milk - How to properly milk and measure the milk chemistry for a high quality product
  6. Cheese making - Time to have some fun!
  7. Artificial insemination and Embryo impalntation