At North Face Farm we are beginning the 3 tier system of raising prime lamb. In this system ewes from a hardy breed such as the Clun Forest, Cheviot, or Scottish Black Face are bred to Blue Faced Leicester rams. The ewes bring generations of hardiness and ability to thrive on grass. The BFL brings size, increased milk production, and increased prolificacy. These resulting sheep are called "Mules". They retain the hardiness of the ewe breed: excellent mothering traits and the ability to thrive and raise lambs on grass. The BFL genetics adds size to carry lambs, increased milk production and increased lambing rates. These mule ewes are then bred to Suffolk or Texel rams to produce lambs for market. The Suffolks and Texels are breeds where meatiness and fast growth are the dominant traits. We were fortunate enough to be able to purchase the superb BFL ram Glen Finnian, shown as a 2 year old on the right, from Beechtree Farm in MI. He is our crossing sire to create our mules. |
 Photo by Beechtree Farm |
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We are still building our Clun flock to cross the BFL onto. 2008 only had one mule ewe lamb, we had five more ewe lambs in 2009. The boys have finished well with some excellent hanging weights. Since we don't yet have a suitable terminal sire the mule ewes have all been sold to Bill Fosher's Edgefield Farm. The pictures on the left are the 5 ewe lambs and the yearling the day after they arrived at Edgefield. I'm really pleased with how these animals have grown out. I'm looking forward to hearing how they produce when bred to one of Bill's terminal sires. For more information about the 3 tiered system of raising pasture based lamb we recommend: www.muleflock.com |