HomeMy WebLinkAboutFarming '90, 1990-03-21, Page 12A12. FARMING ‘90. WEDNESDAY. MARCH 21, 1990.
Sheep- good sideline to other types of farming
‘ Owning a few sheep is, for a lot of farmers, a good way to keep the grass and
weeds clipped, but for some the idea has developed into a fairly profitable
side-line.
Allan Cardiff, of RR 5, Brussels, who is also in partnership with his father,
Jack, in the hog farming business, began keeping sheep about 11 years ago.
Now, he, along with Claudia Campbell are kept busy over-seeing 209 ewes
and five rams. A little over half the ewes presently have babies (the average
rate of birth is six ewes lambing twins daily).
When I started in the late * 70’s I thought it would be something I’d like to
try. I didn’t know much about it but having started small I was able to learn
and have gained experience as the operation expanded,” says Mr. Cardiff.
The weight of the lambs when they are shipped varies, according to Mr.
Cardiff, from 50 to 100 pounds as there are markets for all those classes. The
demand is good for lamb meat because as he explains about 70 per cent of the
meat that is consumed in Canada is imported.
The sheep on the Cardiff farm are usually sheered during the summer,
though some are only crutched, which removes wool from the udder and rear
end to prevent interference during the birthing process and nursing. Mr.
Cardiff states that you will get about eight to 10 pounds of wool from each
sheep.
McKILLOP
MUTUAL
INSURANCE
COMPANY
91 Main St. South, Seaforth
Office 527-0400
FARM, HOME,
COMMERCIAL
AUTO COVERAGES
527-1571
887-9381
482-9976
Cute little sucker, isn’t it?
This newborn was rejected by its mother so Claudia feeds it a supplement. In instances like this the
mother will often attack and injure its young so they have to be separated.
Post-natal care
ClaudiaCampbell checks the udder of this new mother ewe for
blockage or mastitis. Each new mother and baby are kept
separate from the rest of the flock for a period of 24 hours if
possible. This allows them to bond and there is less difficulty
when they are integrated back to the flock.
AGENTS
Bob McNaughton
Graeme Craig
Donald Taylor
Banter & MacEwan Insurance
Brokers Ltd. 524-8376
John Wise Insurance Brokers
Ltd. 482-3401
Jim Cardiff Manager
SglRl
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