"TVSP"

Breeders that raise and sell club lambs are selling terminal projects. Simply, lambs that grow to potential, show and go into the freezer after the shows are over. This is what "Terminal Project" means. Lambs fed in this manner for an optimum show career as a club lamb can be held back somewhat from becoming as large as necessary for a breeding ewe, with few exceptions. Therefore, a ewe lamb brought back from its last show of the season, fed and bred may not necessarily be your best breeding sheep. Many ewes are too small or can develop prolapse problems from this practice.

Liquid diets that some club lambs are being fed are inhumane to sheep. After all they are ruminants and require roughage for their stomachs to function properly. (I expect to catch some heat over that remark from the club lamb folks that feel that this is proper nutrition for their sheep. Mother nature did not design the sheep to receive liquid drenches from their owners, and this practice is taking the sheep industry down the wrong road). I for one would not enjoy eating a lamb that was fed in this manner. They are what they eat.

We have heard the horror stories from young 4-Hr's that have purchased ewe lambs at club lamb sales. These lambs fed on liquid most all of their lives, and given their first hay or grain feeding when it arrives at its new home. I'm sure you can conjure up the vision of what would happen to this lamb. Stomachs that have been bypassed for so long are put into a tizzy and commonly prolapse of the rectum is the sad result. This is just one more reason why the club lamb ewe should not be kept as a breeding ewe.

PLEASE, unless you know what you are doing - refrain from making your club ewe lamb (terminal project) your breeding ewe! Not all will agree here, but the beginner is usually the loser with this kind of practice. If you think your son or daughter will become attached to the club lamb and wish to keep it, then purchase a wether (castrated male) to show as a club lamb, or go into the Breeding Stock shows with a breeding ewe from a reputable breeder.

Wether Sires and Wether Dams

There are excellent Club Lamb Producers out there that sell Wether Dams and Wether Sires. These are sheep that have been bred for the production of club lambs (terminal projects). If you wish to raise club lambs, contact a good breeder that will sell you sound adults, or lambs for this purpose.

Club Lambs In Summary

How to choose your sheep not only pertains to Breeding Sheep but also Club lamb purchases. There are some major health factors in club lambs that are plaguing the industry like club lamb fungus and rectal prolapse that the environmentalists and animal rights activists are having a field day with. As we stressed with breeding stock sheep, do your homework and do it well! Check out all of the potential breeders thoroughly before you buy and ask lots of questions. Check out their facilities and disease control programs, so that you do not bring health problems onto your farm or ranch with your new sheep additions.

You can avoid many problems getting started in sheep if you RESEARCH your project at great length, and check out your breeders with equal enthusiasm! Leave no stone unturned. Once the investment has been made, the sheep are yours and there is no turning back.

Source: http://www.ewephoric.com/clublambsandbreeding.htm

This information is provided as a public service, but we cannot guarantee that the information is current or accurate. Readers should verify the information before acting on it.