Brood Ewes

We started with an original base of 18 Cheviot ewes purchased from John's father in 1998. These ewes were primarily LO-KE and Erdenheim Farms breeding. Over the next two years, 20 ewes were added from the Bob Willerton flock. These ewes were bred to the 1998 National Champion Ram from NAILE that we purchased at the 1999 National Sale where he was also Champion and Best Headed Ram. Several other stud ewes were purchased from the Skeeter Creek Farm flock and Bill Lawter flock. In 2004 we purchased the entire Bill Lawter flock. It was through the purchase of these three main groups of ewes that we were able to obtain a consistent genetic program. We culled back hard in 2013 to 35 foundation ewes and sold a very limited amount off the farm through 2017. Retaining additional replacements consisting of our genetics and strict standards those 4 years enabled us to grow our flock back to a strong base of 65 brood ewes.

Our ewes run on pasture from mid May through early November, or whenever the pastures are diminished. They are then fed a hay only diet until mid December when we begin to supplement some grain prior to lambing in January. These ewes must, and do, have depth of rib, thickness and muscle in order to thrive on this system. We cull heavy in both our brood ewe flock as well as our lamb and yearling programs so that we are able to maintain these priorities in addition to our growth and style traits.