Thanks! I really appreciate you doing it the "old school" way and picking a tough sheep for the video. I don't have a fancy sheep hammock and need to trim my 3 four month old ewe lambs for the first time. One is very skittish. One is always up in your business. Lol.
A bucket! And here I was making my back explode hunched over our sheep! Also I love that you picked the hard ram, and not an easy one. So many videos (especially sheering ones, I swear) pick the most docile, small, lamb they can find. Then you get out there, and your ram does his absolute best to fight the entire time.
Yeah... sometimes there are things we just don't think about until we see someone else do it. You'll pick up little tips and tricks along the way as you go. Thanks for watching our videos!
@@MMSF.1 Yeah lol. We just trimmed and sheared our flock yesterday, and I was laughing at how our two ramlambs as soon as they were on their butt went full "welp, guess this is my life now." and didn't fight. Meanwhile our two ewe lambs fought kicking and screaming lol. One of our ewes, fought especially hard. Our big yearling ram (my avatar pic) was a huge pain to get on his butt, but relatively calmed down once he was. They're not polled too, so while the rams horns curve and don't hurt, the ewes stab ya in the stomach the whole time >.
I love how he just kinda relaxes into you. You've definitely got him understanding very well that when you're around good things happen for him. He seemed to really enjoy that chin scratch! Good job! :)
I teach kindigarten and we have a story that envolves sheep. I said something about the hoof of one of the sheep but they didnt know what a hoof was. I found your video and was real happy that they got to see you trim the hoof and that you explained to the viewers words and terms. I said it, but the 5 and 6 year olds not knowing what a hoof was were unable to visualize any of what i said. You made that possible. Thank you so much!
Hello, Michelle! Thanks for watching our videos and thanks for the kind comment. Hoof trimming can be a back breaker and the bucket comes in handy for sure!
Thank you for the lead in with the diagrams. I also appreciate this close up lesson with your explanations. We are about to tackle this ourselves for the first time!
Thanks Austin. Yes, they can get an attitude. The good news is, once you get them on their butt, they generally calm down. Hope you are doing well and thanks for watching our videos!
Just shorn my ancient pet Jacobs. For the first time ever, I used your bucket method for trimming feet. Wish I had seen this a few years ago. Thank you Tim.
Ha! We understand. We’ve improved our videos significantly over the years. Thanks for watching. 😬 If you would like a CD of the soundtrack, let us know.
Wow this stuff is neat. I'm learning this stuff for a college course (they don't let us restrain animals yet I guess for safety liability reasons) and the foot stuff was interesting. Ty for explaining it in an easy to understand relaxing way.
Wow! Your sheep are very docile. We have Jacob Hawaiian cross and they struggled during the whole process. They only weigh 50 to 60 pounds. Thanks for the video.
Thank you very much for the comments and for watching our videos! If you aren’t a member of our Facebook Group, Linessa Farms Tack Box, check us out. We would like for you to share some pictures of your sheep!
"A few of our sheep are closer to three hundo." *Me...what? Nah you must be kidding...next scene...oh my freaking gosh....that thing is huge! Lol, thanks for the tutorial.
Brent thanks for the feedback. Yes we have had to learn how to handle the big guys and gals here on the farm. The ram’s feet I trimmed in the video is actually slightly smaller than his father.... You bring up a good point though. Part of the appeal of sheep is the size and ease of handling. For people that push the envelope on size, need to keep a good handle on the temperament of the animals as well. We’ve had 350+ pound rams and if you can’t handle them, they will handle you. Hope you’ve checked out some of our other videos! Thanks for watching.
I just trimmed 4 of my 6 woolies. My tipping them over included flying tackles and many bad words. I think I need a smaller pen to start with. I think I should have started with a breed smaller than Rambouillets. I enjoyed your video and am now a new subscriber.
Like most things, it will take time for you to get used to performing some of these tasks. Rambouillet is a wonderful breed that not many people raise anymore. Glad to hear you are doing it!
Beau, thank you for watching our videos! Yes Linus is a pretty relaxed guy. He would have rather been sitting there leaning up against me and not having his hooves trimmed but he cooperates well none the less!
Thank you soo much! I needed to trim my sheep and goats feet today for the first time and have been terrified to do it. My only experience is trimming dogs nails or watching the farrier for my horses, great to know I don’t need a heap of specialised equipment as I had thought. Two questions, do you do goats exactly the same and can you finish off with a rasp/ file gently to even if up if you ended up with it a little rough or is it not necessary and won’t send the animal lame? Thank you very much!!
Hello! Thanks for reaching out to us with your questions. It’s always helpful to have questions because it reminds us about what videos we need to make. In this case, I believe we will be making a goat hoof trimming video soon. Now... on to your questions. Goats cannot be flipped onto their hind ends like sheep and they will not cooperate if you try to do it. We just leave them standing on a halter and bend one leg back towards their rear end, one at a time at the knee and trim them. You can also do this with very large or hard to handle sheep. You will more than likely need a helper when performing this task to hold the halter. If you don’t have a helper, you can tie them up with a halter. Just be cautious. Secondly, we do not generally use a rasp of any kind. So long as you trim the hooves evenly and not too far down, you should be ok. If it’s not perfect, you’ll be ok. With time, you will get better and faster. If there is anything else we can help you with, please let us know. Again, we appreciate you taking the time to contact us! Best regards~ Tim
Hopefully, I was clear about “bending the leg backwards at the knee”. Simply put, it would be like asking someone to stand on one foot and try to touch their butt with the bottom of their other foot. As your foot comes back, the bottom of your foot will eventually become visible. Same basic idea here.... we bend the goat leg back at the knee so the animal is comfortable and the bottom of the foot faces up towards you. Good luck and keep us posted!
Thanks Tim! I must have a rather placid goat, (which is funny as she was literally from the wild when I got her) she came for a pat and I got her to lay down and then trimmed her feet. Wonderful to know that I have done it right after watching your video, it was perfect and covered everything clearly! I didn’t file them as I wasn’t sure but as the first time I’ve ever done it I think I’ve done pretty well! I did notice, my sheep (maybe five or six months old) has curved and weird looking hooves in the back end, due to having a broken leg previously and walking on three legs for a while. If I just trim regularly and work at it will they end up becoming normal in time or is this something I should be having seen to by the vet? Thank you so much for your reply and your videos! Chloe
Please send me a picture or two of the affected hoof/leg and I can give you more feedback. Feel free to contact me directly at timothy.ventrello@linessafarms.com or send me a text on our business line at 219.869.7524
I have the same clippers and I actually rounded the tips off with an angle grinder so that they aren't so sharp and pointy. Because they aren't great if the sheep moves and you poke yourself, it doesn't feel so good.
Is this flipped and reclined position ok for trimming pregnant ewes? We have American blackbelly and for my first time I only got one done. She kicked my behind and had me crawling back in the house lol. That was the friendliest one.
Hello! Thank you for watching our videos and thank you for the question. As long as you are trimming hooves before they are bagging out, you should be ok. We like to trim ours a few times a year when shearing. So, once at weaning time and again before breeding in the fall. Flipping them when pregnant is not ideal but we’ve done it a lot without any issues. 👍🏻
Thanks for watching our videos and thanks for the comment. He is a moderately large sheep. A lot of the overall size depends on what bloodlines you get. If you have very short, stocky Polled Dorset, they are from more of a traditional bloodline. If we find characteristics we like, we will keep them for breeding. If we are unhappy with them, they leave the farm.
I am sure this has been asked but I didn't see it and search didn't show anything. How often do you trim? Ours were trimmed in Feb. before we got them but I can see they need to be done. I trim my horses feet every 2 - 3 weeks April - Nov and 4 - 5 weeks Nov - April. Is it the same with sheep? If so, I am way behind. I was told once a year but I can see that is not enough from looking at the disaster that is my sheep feet already.
Hello. This is a great question. This depends on the sheep and how fast they grow. Once they start curling over, it’s time to trim. Essentially, we want to make sure no junk can get trapped in the hoof and cause issues. We trim our hooves about every 6 months. We find the white faced breeds tend to grow a little faster. There is no set amount of time. Hopefully this helps. If you need anything else please let us know.
Yep different for each sheepie. In fact I have one sheep where it’s different from the back feet to the front feet. Just keep an eye on them and do it as appropriate.
Thank you for your feedback! We primarily breed our sheep for the commercial market. A lot of our rams are hand fed and walked daily in order to provide a ram that is easy to handle for individuals that wish to use them for breeding. We are very selective about demeanor in regard to our rams. As you can see from their size, if we have one that is overly aggressive, it would be almost impossible to work with.
I love that ram so big and yet so nice thanks for posting. Ps. You do not need to add the music your presentation was great and the music makes it harder to hear you
@@LinessaFarms Great to know that somebody else is also selecting rams based on temperament! I tell people that farm animals should be docile and that aggression in male farm animals is genetic (inherited). I raise a rare breed, but I still insist on choosing rams with a good attitude and respectful of people. Excellent video!
Does foot rot seem to be a bigger problem with barn kept or culled sheep than for the pasture kept animals and if so would you recommend rubber mats for the wind break shelters ect?
There are different schools of thought on this matter but in the end, hoof rot is the product of a bacterial infection. Best prevention of hoof rot is a good livestock/quarantine regiment on your farm to avoid initial exposure. Good hoof trimming, well drained/dry soil, good manure management, and proper treatment of infected livestock is helpful as well if hoof rot is already there. Be cautious about bringing new animals home, especially from places like a sale barn, large auctions, fairs, etc... just because of your risk for exposure. Be sure to quarantine any new animals as well. We recommend wheat straw or corn stalk bedding for shelters as it drains well and also provides good bedding. Avoid bedding made out of anything your livestock may want to eat, such as oat straw.
@@LinessaFarms , I'm not sure if I'd want Smell- a-vision with this video, lol, the sheep probably have a lot of their feces laying around that barn, lol. Don't get me wrong, I love sheep, and I realize that all animals of a barnyard nature will smell. The benefits and pluses of owning a sheep will definitely outweigh the negatives. In fact, once I'm no longer living in an apartment, I've seriously considered owning a couple of lambs. I'd get 2 because I know that lambs and sheep don't usually like being alone with no other sheep/lamb company. And I'd get a house with a big back yard because sheep don't like not being able to go outside, even when it's cold out. I'll make sure there's plenty of lush green grass in my yard for my 2, maybe even 3 lambs When he mentioned in the video that if a sheep kicked your face, it would wreck your day, he's probably talking like a broken jaw and some broken teeth, I assume. I notice that grown sheep, especially rams, have very strong legs, strong enough to be able to leap their heavy bodies up into the air, I've seen sheep leap surprisingly high, and they can run faster than any humans can. So I can just imagine the sheep using that same level of leg power to kick, plus their hooves being hard material. So I'm sure that their kicks can break someone's bones too.
Sometimes giving replies is difficult. We assume some things are implied but they may not actually be clear. In my opinion, I don’t see hoof rot a lot on our dry lot animals or on our pasture animals. We are extremely careful about the livestock we choose in order to prevent things like hoof rot. We also keep our pens clean and trim our hooves appropriately. Pasture is a tough term to define since some people have animals on standing water and call it pasture. If you have animals on clean dry bedding or on clean dry pasture I would say your odds are about the same. I feel more of this is based on the health of the animals and their specific susceptibility to hoof rot based off their background. Some animals are less apt to get hoof rot and can tolerate wet ground better. The Romney is a good breed known for their resistance to hoof rot. I have not ever used rubber mats. On our farm we use straw or corn stalk bedding in our pens.
Dry lot kept livestock is not appropriate for anyone not willing to put in the time to keep pens clean. If you don’t have pasture for your livestock, you must keep clean bedding down at all times. Feces and urine soaked bedding is a breeding ground for bacteria and other ailments that will have a negative impact on your livestock. A large part of successful animal husbandry is prevention.
@@LinessaFarms, that's definitely true that new indoor bedding must be constantly changed, preferably daily. It doesn't take long for feces and urine to accumulate in a barn with about 30 or 40 sheep and lambs. I've heard the Zwartble sheep are also quite resistant to foot rot
Do sheep ever kick like a soccer ball with their hooves? I've seen a couple videos of sheep or lambs bumping soccer balls around with their heads, but not their hooves. Do sheep often use hooves to be affectionate with people or other sheep? Like for example if a sheep raises its hoof and rubs his owner/ master's shoulder or another sheep's back, or a ewe rubbing her lambs back affectionately with her hoof. Overall, I'm just curious on what sheep have used their hooves for besides standing, walking, or running
Sheep will nudge you with their front legs on occasion, specifically the rams. I have seen them kick at ewes. So, to answer your thoughts as best I can, they do use their legs and feet in some ways to display feelings and to communicate. Ewes will dig with their feet and form “nests” in the straw bedding before delivery. As a matter of fact, a ewe pawing at the ground is a good sign she is in labor. I have had goats and sheep paw at gates before when they are getting anxious about coming out to eat grain, etc. Thank you for your question.
@@LinessaFarms , no problem. Thanks for your reply. It was just something I noticed, that sheep don't lift their hooves very often for much. It just would've been cool if I saw some sheep kicking a soccer ball or kickball or whatever with their hooves, but I've only found videos where sheep are bumping soccer balls around with their heads. I guess that using their heads will usually be their number one preference over their hooves. I don't know why I'm so curious about that even, I just really like sheep and when I ever get the option to move into a house rather than an apartment where I am now, I've considered adopting a couple of lambs as pets
Where I'm at, its wet 8 months of the year (unfortunately). You're correct, in most of the world, trimming probably isn't necessary very often - unless the sheep are being fed a high protein diet.
Agreed. In our area we have soft ground and the sheep are getting a lot of extra protein. We need to trim hooves at least every 6 months; especially the rear hooves.
I can just SEE me even holding the head and pushing down on the rear of my wild ewes...even getting a hold on the head can't be done. They rear up like wild horses, roll on the ground while kicking and basically try to run right through you if you try to touch them or restrain them in any way.
We have had some pretty wild sheep in the past. It seems our hair sheep tend to be a little more squirrelly than the wool breeds. Catching wild sheep by the back leg is usually the best way to handle them. Once a sheep is flipped on their butt, they generally calm down. Of course, as you pointed out, if you can’t catch them, you can’t flip them. Plus, it’s not worth getting injured or injuring the sheep. Sounds like a great video idea! I’ll have to look into making a video for you about catching difficult sheep.
I wonder what it's like to be a sheep. To have hooves instead of hands, fingers, and feet, to not be able to carry anything except in your mouth. I have seen sheep be able to scratch itches with their hooves. But, they cannot hold or carry anything with hooves
We don’t either. We have changed our format significantly since this video was made. We appreciate the feedback. Hope our other videos are more enjoyable for you.
Thanks! I really appreciate you doing it the "old school" way and picking a tough sheep for the video. I don't have a fancy sheep hammock and need to trim my 3 four month old ewe lambs for the first time. One is very skittish. One is always up in your business. Lol.
Once you get them on their butt, it will be ok. The sheep hammock is extremely overrated. 👍🏻
Thanks for watching our videos and leaving a message.
Thanks for all your help teaching me new things everyday
You’re very welcome.
A bucket! And here I was making my back explode hunched over our sheep!
Also I love that you picked the hard ram, and not an easy one. So many videos (especially sheering ones, I swear) pick the most docile, small, lamb they can find. Then you get out there, and your ram does his absolute best to fight the entire time.
Yeah... sometimes there are things we just don't think about until we see someone else do it. You'll pick up little tips and tricks along the way as you go. Thanks for watching our videos!
Hahahaha. Yup. The first time I went to crutch our sheep I thought for sure they had given mild tranquilizers to the sheep in the videos.
@@MMSF.1 Yeah lol. We just trimmed and sheared our flock yesterday, and I was laughing at how our two ramlambs as soon as they were on their butt went full "welp, guess this is my life now." and didn't fight. Meanwhile our two ewe lambs fought kicking and screaming lol. One of our ewes, fought especially hard. Our big yearling ram (my avatar pic) was a huge pain to get on his butt, but relatively calmed down once he was.
They're not polled too, so while the rams horns curve and don't hurt, the ewes stab ya in the stomach the whole time >.
I love how he just kinda relaxes into you. You've definitely got him understanding very well that when you're around good things happen for him. He seemed to really enjoy that chin scratch! Good job! :)
I teach kindigarten and we have a story that envolves sheep. I said something about the hoof of one of the sheep but they didnt know what a hoof was. I found your video and was real happy that they got to see you trim the hoof and that you explained to the viewers words and terms. I said it, but the 5 and 6 year olds not knowing what a hoof was were unable to visualize any of what i said. You made that possible. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to let me know how this helped. Say hello to your class for us!
Great video and entertaining as hell. I laughed at least a few times while watching it. 👍
Hello, Justin! Thanks for watching our videos and thank you for taking the time to leave a nice message. We appreciate it.
Thank you for this video. The 5-gallon bucket idea? Genius!
Hello, Michelle! Thanks for watching our videos and thanks for the kind comment. Hoof trimming can be a back breaker and the bucket comes in handy for sure!
Thank you for the lead in with the diagrams. I also appreciate this close up lesson with your explanations. We are about to tackle this ourselves for the first time!
Very nice. Let us know how things go. 👍🏻😬
Thank you. Great video. I have two polled Dorset ewes. How I love this breed!!!!
Thank you, I have a sheep with attitude and now feel a little more armed with knowledge on how to do it!
Thanks Austin. Yes, they can get an attitude. The good news is, once you get them on their butt, they generally calm down. Hope you are doing well and thanks for watching our videos!
Just shorn my ancient pet Jacobs. For the first time ever, I used your bucket method for trimming feet. Wish I had seen this a few years ago. Thank you Tim.
Thank you very much for the feedback! Jacob Sheep... very cool. 👍🏻
If not for the music, this is the perfect video! Thanks!!
Ha! We understand. We’ve improved our videos significantly over the years. Thanks for watching. 😬
If you would like a CD of the soundtrack, let us know.
Great video, very educational and easy to follow, good job 👍
Thanks! We appreciate you watching our videos and taking the time to leave a kind comment!
Wow this stuff is neat. I'm learning this stuff for a college course (they don't let us restrain animals yet I guess for safety liability reasons) and the foot stuff was interesting. Ty for explaining it in an easy to understand relaxing way.
Wow! Your sheep are very docile. We have Jacob Hawaiian cross and they struggled during the whole process. They only weigh 50 to 60 pounds. Thanks for the video.
Thank you very much for the comments and for watching our videos! If you aren’t a member of our Facebook Group, Linessa Farms Tack Box, check us out. We would like for you to share some pictures of your sheep!
Great video. Thanks for making this.
Thank you for watching our video and for taking the time to leave us a kind message. You are appreciated.
Love this....we got one of our four done. No problem....3 to go. Thank you!!
Very nice! We are glad we were able to help.
I’ve never trimmed sheep hoofs. I’ve got a seriously overgrown hoof on a 4 y old ewe I just bought.... it’s bad on the back. Thanks❣️
"A few of our sheep are closer to three hundo." *Me...what? Nah you must be kidding...next scene...oh my freaking gosh....that thing is huge! Lol, thanks for the tutorial.
Brent thanks for the feedback. Yes we have had to learn how to handle the big guys and gals here on the farm. The ram’s feet I trimmed in the video is actually slightly smaller than his father.... You bring up a good point though. Part of the appeal of sheep is the size and ease of handling. For people that push the envelope on size, need to keep a good handle on the temperament of the animals as well. We’ve had 350+ pound rams and if you can’t handle them, they will handle you. Hope you’ve checked out some of our other videos! Thanks for watching.
I just trimmed 4 of my 6 woolies. My tipping them over included flying tackles and many bad words. I think I need a smaller pen to start with. I think I should have started with a breed smaller than Rambouillets. I enjoyed your video and am now a new subscriber.
Like most things, it will take time for you to get used to performing some of these tasks. Rambouillet is a wonderful breed that not many people raise anymore. Glad to hear you are doing it!
Thank you!
Thank you, Craig. We appreciate you watching our videos and taking the time to leave us a kind comment.
Thanks for the informative video! What breed is Linus? He's beautiful and so mild tempered!
Linus’ mother is a polled Dorset and his father is a Columbia. He’s a good mix of the two.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for watching our videos! We appreciate the comment. 👍🏻
Linus is one chill ram! Mine is too, like a big dog...
Beau, thank you for watching our videos! Yes Linus is a pretty relaxed guy. He would have rather been sitting there leaning up against me and not having his hooves trimmed but he cooperates well none the less!
Thank you so much for this video!
Thank you for your feedback. If there are any topics you would like us to cover, please let us know.
Thank you soo much! I needed to trim my sheep and goats feet today for the first time and have been terrified to do it. My only experience is trimming dogs nails or watching the farrier for my horses, great to know I don’t need a heap of specialised equipment as I had thought.
Two questions, do you do goats exactly the same and can you finish off with a rasp/ file gently to even if up if you ended up with it a little rough or is it not necessary and won’t send the animal lame?
Thank you very much!!
Hello! Thanks for reaching out to us with your questions. It’s always helpful to have questions because it reminds us about what videos we need to make. In this case, I believe we will be making a goat hoof trimming video soon. Now... on to your questions.
Goats cannot be flipped onto their hind ends like sheep and they will not cooperate if you try to do it. We just leave them standing on a halter and bend one leg back towards their rear end, one at a time at the knee and trim them. You can also do this with very large or hard to handle sheep. You will more than likely need a helper when performing this task to hold the halter. If you don’t have a helper, you can tie them up with a halter. Just be cautious. Secondly, we do not generally use a rasp of any kind. So long as you trim the hooves evenly and not too far down, you should be ok. If it’s not perfect, you’ll be ok. With time, you will get better and faster.
If there is anything else we can help you with, please let us know. Again, we appreciate you taking the time to contact us!
Best regards~ Tim
Hopefully, I was clear about “bending the leg backwards at the knee”. Simply put, it would be like asking someone to stand on one foot and try to touch their butt with the bottom of their other foot. As your foot comes back, the bottom of your foot will eventually become visible. Same basic idea here.... we bend the goat leg back at the knee so the animal is comfortable and the bottom of the foot faces up towards you. Good luck and keep us posted!
Thanks Tim! I must have a rather placid goat, (which is funny as she was literally from the wild when I got her) she came for a pat and I got her to lay down and then trimmed her feet. Wonderful to know that I have done it right after watching your video, it was perfect and covered everything clearly!
I didn’t file them as I wasn’t sure but as the first time I’ve ever done it I think I’ve done pretty well! I did notice, my sheep (maybe five or six months old) has curved and weird looking hooves in the back end, due to having a broken leg previously and walking on three legs for a while. If I just trim regularly and work at it will they end up becoming normal in time or is this something I should be having seen to by the vet?
Thank you so much for your reply and your videos!
Chloe
Please send me a picture or two of the affected hoof/leg and I can give you more feedback. Feel free to contact me directly at timothy.ventrello@linessafarms.com or send me a text on our business line at 219.869.7524
I have the same clippers and I actually rounded the tips off with an angle grinder so that they aren't so sharp and pointy. Because they aren't great if the sheep moves and you poke yourself, it doesn't feel so good.
We’ve unfortunately cut ourselves a few times.
You wanted to do a more difficult one 10:04 OMG our Cameroon sheeps are monsters :)
I like your Video it helped me a lot
Is this flipped and reclined position ok for trimming pregnant ewes? We have American blackbelly and for my first time I only got one done. She kicked my behind and had me crawling back in the house lol. That was the friendliest one.
Hello! Thank you for watching our videos and thank you for the question. As long as you are trimming hooves before they are bagging out, you should be ok. We like to trim ours a few times a year when shearing. So, once at weaning time and again before breeding in the fall. Flipping them when pregnant is not ideal but we’ve done it a lot without any issues. 👍🏻
How is his polled Dorset so massive? Mine are barely two-thirds of that size.
Thanks for watching our videos and thanks for the comment. He is a moderately large sheep. A lot of the overall size depends on what bloodlines you get. If you have very short, stocky Polled Dorset, they are from more of a traditional bloodline. If we find characteristics we like, we will keep them for breeding. If we are unhappy with them, they leave the farm.
I am sure this has been asked but I didn't see it and search didn't show anything. How often do you trim? Ours were trimmed in Feb. before we got them but I can see they need to be done. I trim my horses feet every 2 - 3 weeks April - Nov and 4 - 5 weeks Nov - April. Is it the same with sheep? If so, I am way behind. I was told once a year but I can see that is not enough from looking at the disaster that is my sheep feet already.
Hello. This is a great question. This depends on the sheep and how fast they grow. Once they start curling over, it’s time to trim. Essentially, we want to make sure no junk can get trapped in the hoof and cause issues. We trim our hooves about every 6 months. We find the white faced breeds tend to grow a little faster. There is no set amount of time. Hopefully this helps. If you need anything else please let us know.
Yep different for each sheepie. In fact I have one sheep where it’s different from the back feet to the front feet. Just keep an eye on them and do it as appropriate.
How do you get such a quiet ram?
He seems so happy lol what do you do with your sheep?
Thank you for your feedback! We primarily breed our sheep for the commercial market. A lot of our rams are hand fed and walked daily in order to provide a ram that is easy to handle for individuals that wish to use them for breeding. We are very selective about demeanor in regard to our rams. As you can see from their size, if we have one that is overly aggressive, it would be almost impossible to work with.
I love that ram so big and yet so nice thanks for posting. Ps. You do not need to add the music your presentation was great and the music makes it harder to hear you
@@LinessaFarms Great to know that somebody else is also selecting rams based on temperament! I tell people that farm animals should be docile and that aggression in male farm animals is genetic (inherited). I raise a rare breed, but I still insist on choosing rams with a good attitude and respectful of people. Excellent video!
Does foot rot seem to be a bigger problem with barn kept or culled sheep than for the pasture kept animals and if so would you recommend rubber mats for the wind break shelters ect?
There are different schools of thought on this matter but in the end, hoof rot is the product of a bacterial infection. Best prevention of hoof rot is a good livestock/quarantine regiment on your farm to avoid initial exposure. Good hoof trimming, well drained/dry soil, good manure management, and proper treatment of infected livestock is helpful as well if hoof rot is already there. Be cautious about bringing new animals home, especially from places like a sale barn, large auctions, fairs, etc... just because of your risk for exposure. Be sure to quarantine any new animals as well. We recommend wheat straw or corn stalk bedding for shelters as it drains well and also provides good bedding. Avoid bedding made out of anything your livestock may want to eat, such as oat straw.
@@LinessaFarms , I'm not sure if I'd want Smell- a-vision with this video, lol, the sheep probably have a lot of their feces laying around that barn, lol. Don't get me wrong, I love sheep, and I realize that all animals of a barnyard nature will smell. The benefits and pluses of owning a sheep will definitely outweigh the negatives. In fact, once I'm no longer living in an apartment, I've seriously considered owning a couple of lambs. I'd get 2 because I know that lambs and sheep don't usually like being alone with no other sheep/lamb company. And I'd get a house with a big back yard because sheep don't like not being able to go outside, even when it's cold out. I'll make sure there's plenty of lush green grass in my yard for my 2, maybe even 3 lambs
When he mentioned in the video that if a sheep kicked your face, it would wreck your day, he's probably talking like a broken jaw and some broken teeth, I assume. I notice that grown sheep, especially rams, have very strong legs, strong enough to be able to leap their heavy bodies up into the air, I've seen sheep leap surprisingly high, and they can run faster than any humans can. So I can just imagine the sheep using that same level of leg power to kick, plus their hooves being hard material. So I'm sure that their kicks can break someone's bones too.
Sometimes giving replies is difficult. We assume some things are implied but they may not actually be clear. In my opinion, I don’t see hoof rot a lot on our dry lot animals or on our pasture animals. We are extremely careful about the livestock we choose in order to prevent things like hoof rot. We also keep our pens clean and trim our hooves appropriately. Pasture is a tough term to define since some people have animals on standing water and call it pasture. If you have animals on clean dry bedding or on clean dry pasture I would say your odds are about the same. I feel more of this is based on the health of the animals and their specific susceptibility to hoof rot based off their background. Some animals are less apt to get hoof rot and can tolerate wet ground better. The Romney is a good breed known for their resistance to hoof rot. I have not ever used rubber mats. On our farm we use straw or corn stalk bedding in our pens.
Dry lot kept livestock is not appropriate for anyone not willing to put in the time to keep pens clean. If you don’t have pasture for your livestock, you must keep clean bedding down at all times. Feces and urine soaked bedding is a breeding ground for bacteria and other ailments that will have a negative impact on your livestock. A large part of successful animal husbandry is prevention.
@@LinessaFarms, that's definitely true that new indoor bedding must be constantly changed, preferably daily. It doesn't take long for feces and urine to accumulate in a barn with about 30 or 40 sheep and lambs.
I've heard the Zwartble sheep are also quite resistant to foot rot
Do sheep ever kick like a soccer ball with their hooves? I've seen a couple videos of sheep or lambs bumping soccer balls around with their heads, but not their hooves. Do sheep often use hooves to be affectionate with people or other sheep? Like for example if a sheep raises its hoof and rubs his owner/ master's shoulder or another sheep's back, or a ewe rubbing her lambs back affectionately with her hoof. Overall, I'm just curious on what sheep have used their hooves for besides standing, walking, or running
Sheep will nudge you with their front legs on occasion, specifically the rams. I have seen them kick at ewes. So, to answer your thoughts as best I can, they do use their legs and feet in some ways to display feelings and to communicate. Ewes will dig with their feet and form “nests” in the straw bedding before delivery. As a matter of fact, a ewe pawing at the ground is a good sign she is in labor. I have had goats and sheep paw at gates before when they are getting anxious about coming out to eat grain, etc. Thank you for your question.
@@LinessaFarms , no problem. Thanks for your reply. It was just something I noticed, that sheep don't lift their hooves very often for much. It just would've been cool if I saw some sheep kicking a soccer ball or kickball or whatever with their hooves, but I've only found videos where sheep are bumping soccer balls around with their heads. I guess that using their heads will usually be their number one preference over their hooves. I don't know why I'm so curious about that even, I just really like sheep and when I ever get the option to move into a house rather than an apartment where I am now, I've considered adopting a couple of lambs as pets
Please suggest a good scissors
If on good dry pasture hoof trimming should not be necessary
Where I'm at, its wet 8 months of the year (unfortunately). You're correct, in most of the world, trimming probably isn't necessary very often - unless the sheep are being fed a high protein diet.
Agreed. In our area we have soft ground and the sheep are getting a lot of extra protein. We need to trim hooves at least every 6 months; especially the rear hooves.
I can just SEE me even holding the head and pushing down on the rear of my wild ewes...even getting a hold on the head can't be done. They rear up like wild horses, roll on the ground while kicking and basically try to run right through you if you try to touch them or restrain them in any way.
Oh my! What kind of sheep do you have?
We have had some pretty wild sheep in the past. It seems our hair sheep tend to be a little more squirrelly than the wool breeds. Catching wild sheep by the back leg is usually the best way to handle them. Once a sheep is flipped on their butt, they generally calm down. Of course, as you pointed out, if you can’t catch them, you can’t flip them. Plus, it’s not worth getting injured or injuring the sheep. Sounds like a great video idea! I’ll have to look into making a video for you about catching difficult sheep.
I wonder what it's like to be a sheep. To have hooves instead of hands, fingers, and feet, to not be able to carry anything except in your mouth. I have seen sheep be able to scratch itches with their hooves. But, they cannot hold or carry anything with hooves
Dont care for the cartoon format with the department store music 👎
We don’t either. We have changed our format significantly since this video was made. We appreciate the feedback. Hope our other videos are more enjoyable for you.