Sheep Guardian Dogs

Coyotes and stray dogs are increasing in numbers and have become an extreme danger to lambs. Stray dogs can cause more trouble than Coyotes. One or two stray dogs have the ability to destroy and maim dozens of sheep in a single night. Coyotes primarily make one kill to feed while dogs find it to be more of a sporting event and thrill of the kill. Killings usually occur at night or very early morning. It's important to employ a sheep guard dog for protection of the herd. Guard dogs are on duty 24/7 and they are most alert during times of greatest danger.

At Karras Farm we breed Anatolian Shepherds to protect our East Friesian dairy sheep. The Anatolian Shepherd is known for excellent sheep herd protection and they integrate well with new lambs during birthing season. Guard dogs are not family pets; they are working dogs and should be integrated with the herd at all times. Karras Farm offers a limited number of Anatolian Shepherd puppies to our existing customers. If you have an interest in learning more about guard dogs or future availability of our pups please feel free to contact us.

Thank you and best wishes with keeping your animals safe from predators.

Sincerely,

Andy Karras
Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com
http://eastfriesiansheep.com/
http://awassisheep.com/

Life Expectancy of Sheep

The life expectancy of sheep is similar to a large dog breed of about ten to twelve years. Some sheep breeds are known to have a longer life cycle such as the Merino. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest sheep lived to be 23yrs. She was a Merino however; the length of a sheeps productive cycle is much shorter. A ewes offspring production is highest between three and six years of age and usually starts to decline after age seven. As a result, most ewes are removed from our flock prior to reaching their natural life expectancy. It is necessary to remove the older ewes in order to make room for the younger animals. As we mature our genetic line of sheep we must provide an adequate environment for the younger sheep to thrive. In harder environments, where forage is sparse, ewes are usually culled at an even younger age due to tooth ware and break down.  It can become difficult for sheep in these conditions to maintain proper body condition and consume enough forage to feed their lambs. It is possible for a ewe to be productive past ten years of age and stay healthy but this is typically the exception to a natural sheep life cycle.

Hope all your lambs are happy and healthy!

Sincerely,

Andy Karras
Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com
http://eastfriesiansheep.com/
http://awassisheep.com/

Retained Afterbirth

In most cases the afterbirth comes out normally within a few hours after the lamb is born, depending somewhat on the activity of the ewe. Don't ever try to pull out the afterbirth. You may cut it inside the ewe or cause her to strain and prolase among other potential injuries. You can allow some time to pass without worrying about the afterbirth. If six hours have passed and the afterbirth is still retained, we recommend Penicillin G twice daily (every 12hrs) for five days and a good vaginal flush. This should be followed by Oxytocin in the muscle asap. This will help the ewe sterilize the area while the Oxytocin aids in helping the ewe push out any remaining afterbirth.

Make it a super day!

Andy Karras
Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com
http://eastfriesiansheep.com/
http://awassisheep.com/

East Friesian Lambs

East Friesian Dairy Sheep Photos - Spring 2012

Here are a few photos of our prised East Friesian Dairy Sheep. Karras farm has had a successful lambing season and we wanted to share some photos of these beautiful sheep.






Thanks for taking the time to view our blog. Feel free to contact us with any dairy sheep needs or questions.

Sincerely,

Andy Karras
Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com
http://eastfriesiansheep.com/
http://awassisheep.com/

East Friesian Dairy Sheep - Photos

It's a rainy Saturday here at Karras Farm so I wanted to take a moment to share some photos of our prized East Friesian Dairy Sheep. Hope all of your lambs are arriving healthy and strong.

Many thanks to all of you and we appreciate your comments.

Sincerely,
Andy Karras
Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com

East Friesian Sheep Vision

Sheep have poor depth perception (three dimensional vision) especially if they are moving with their head up. This is why they often stop to examine things more closely. Sheep have difficulty picking out small details, like an open space created by a partially opened gate. Sheep tend to avoid shadows and sharp contrasts between light and dark. They are generally reluctant to go where they can't see well.

For many years it was believed that sheep and other livestock couldn't perceive color. It has since been proven that livestock process colors necessary for color vision. Research has shown that livestock can differentiate colors though their color perception is less than 50% of a humans color perception.

Have a super weekend!

Andy Karras
Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com
http://eastfriesiansheep.com/
http://awassisheep.com/

Dairy Sheep Fecal Samples

It is important to take biannual fecal samples of your dairy sheep to check for parasites. Take samplings of several different sheep to your local veterinarian and have them checked for "egg count". A good time to do this in in early spring and late fall.

Sincerely,

Andy Karras
Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com
http://eastfriesiansheep.com/
http://awassisheep.com/