CIRCLE OF LIFE
It all starts with some very enthusiastic lads and gentlemen. The rather smelly, grumpy older men of the operation know when it is time. They start wrinkling their noses into tighter layers, lifting their upper lips and bullying the younger lads, who are keenly pawing the ground, sensing excitement in the air but not sure what all the excitement is about. Yes, these are the rams, the gentlemen-in-waiting, who spend most of their year eating, ruminating, sleeping and pushing one another around, in daily scrums. This is their moment, their season, when they are released into the equally enthusiastic groups of ladies-in-waiting, the ewes. Most of this activity occurs in the late fall, when the majority of our ewes will be bred, 143 to 147 days ahead of the pasture lambing season.
Ahead of their release and the dates marked in the calendar as “Rams In!” they will be checked for signs of health and functionality (yep, I’ll let you guess about that
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