Home Messages Question on Breeding and REALLY bad weather

Question on Breeding and REALLY bad weather

	Member	Message
	sweetmtn1	Posted 08/24/12 02:56PM  Changed 00/00/00 12:00AM
		OK..not sure if many have ever had this problem..my rams are always used for breeding this time of year, and have never had a problem. My possible problem this year a strange one..so far I have seen my rams mark the ewes more than once, and in a few cases 3 times in less than 4 weeks. This is my weather problem...I am in northern CA, it is hot..ok, that is a given, BUT I am surrounded by fires, the air quality is really bad, you cant see 100 yards down the road most afternoons..health advisories have been put out for all people with any type of breathing problem to leave the area. I have noticed my sheep have runny eyes, so do I, snotty noses, I have to blow mine often, I am coughing, thank goodness the sheep are not! So my question is this..is this going to ruin my breeding time table for what I need in my area this year? Will I have to wait for my ewes to settle after all the fires are out and the air clears? This could be a long time as if you look up on inciweb.com and see the Chips fire, and the Rush fire...they are HUGH! There are more fires, and it seems all the smoke is coming to settle in my bowl of a county.
	SHADOWRAN	Posted 08/24/12 03:20PM  Changed 00/00/00 12:00AM
		I think the hot weather we have been having in Ca (setting records for how long they lasted) are the biggest things, I have never put the ram in this late, one ewe marked good the rest jumped on. I am thinking there will be a lot of late Jan and Feb lambs if any of these ewes stick. Now the bad air I don't know, we have very bad air for here for awhile I have to stay inside, but nothing like like you have, becareful and besafe. jim
	EmsoffLambs	Posted 08/24/12 04:22PM  Changed 00/00/00 12:00AM
		We've been yucky smoky here too, though not quite as bad as you it sounds like. So far I haven't noticed any adverse effects on the animals. I did try running yesterday and my throat was burning so much, I gave up. I will be turning the rams out next weekend. However, I'm repeating what I did last year. Rams will stay in the their pens. Ewes will be turned out on pasture during the day and sorted off to the rams at night. This helps save the rams as they stay in the barn all day out of the heat. You might consider trying this. As a side note, I just checked up on the Chips and Rush fire. Chips fire is 63,000 acres, and the Rush fire is an incredible 317,000 acres. These fires have been burning for a month or better. So sad.
	sweetmtn1	Posted 08/25/12 12:16AM  Changed 00/00/00 12:00AM
		EMS..the Rush fire is visible from my house..could even see the flames at night until that part had no where else to burn, it is now reported that it is half in CA and half in NV..the smoke gets worse at night when the air gets still and the temps come down..the smoke just settles here! GAG!! CHOKE CHOKE! The Chips fire and all the smoke just seems to slide over the mountain and it too settles here..ugh
	EmsoffLambs	Posted 08/25/12 12:39AM  Changed 00/00/00 12:00AM
		Just pray for rain. :(

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