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Flock History

I am a full-time employee of the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension and a part-time shepherd. I got back into the sheep business about 16 years ago. My children were 4-H age and needed an animal project. I chose Suffolks because of their dual-purpose. However, at the time, the breed was under attack in the U.S. because of scrapie and because breeders were breeding large-framed sheep with no muscle.

Our first purchases were performance-type sheep from a successful Virginia breeder. I was devastated to learn a couple years later that the breeder had falsified his records. Fortunately (or unfortunately), the original ewes did not have any female lambs. I also purchased fitted sheep at another sale only to find that the sheep "melted" when I got them away from the feed bucket. I was also troubled that I had to keep them behind the barn when I sheared them because they were "so ugly."

During the early years, I was very disappointed to find that sheep did not transmit as consistently as other species that I had worked with. I did not retain many ewe lambs in those early years because the lambs were not as good as their dams. You must understand that I believe in strong maternal lines. Over the years, I have culled very hard. If a ewe's performance ratio was not over 100%, I removed her from the flock.

As an Extension educator, I felt compelled to enroll in performance and health testing. In 1992, I enrolled my flock in the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP). I also enrolled in the Voluntary Scrapie Flock Certification Program. Our flock was the third flock enrolled in Maryland.

During the early years, I suffered from many problems that other shepherds experience. I had a old, very run down building on my property. The winter of 1996, I had a outbreak of mastitis. I lost several ewes. I have had my runs with foot rot. I also had a run with Chlamydia in 1995. In the fall of 1994, I took some ewes to a "friend" to breed. The ewes picked up Chlamydia. I believe I had over 50% stillborns that spring. Fortunately, I received some very good advice from the staff at Virginia Tech and was able to solve the problem.

In 1997, I used artificial insemination (AI) for the first time. I spent months reviewing information with Dr. Dennis Gourley, Elite Genetics, and others. AI allowed me to use some of the best genetics in the U.S. At that time, there was a good selection of sires with semen. However, few sires had performance data. Elite Genetics dissolved about 5 years ago. At the time, my AI costs were approximately $150 per live lamb.

Premier Greenhouse-type structure for lambing

I was able to construct a Premier-type greenhouse building in 1997. This building has greatly improved my outlook on sheep. I finally have a decent place to lamb!

Over the years, I have tried to breed high performance, structurally correct sheep. However, I have struggled getting my sheep bigger while keeping them thick. As I review my loin eye measurements over the years I can see that when I tried to increase the frame size I sacrificed loin size. I feel very fortunate to have received funding form Northeast SARE for this loin eye research project. This project has given me renewed interest in genetics. I believe the research data will show the benefits of genetically selecting for loin measurement when purchasing your next flock sire.

John E. Hall