The first NSW babies are here!
Lambing has wrapped up for 2017 and it has been a busy few weeks here at Cooinda! Although we would like a little more rain for the crops the dry weather has provided excellent conditions to lamb in resulting in a high lambing percentage we couldn't be happier with. The lambs are all up and away running on some specially saved lucerne paddocks that will hopefully stay green for a little while longer. We are really pleased with the growth and evenness in the lambs which was evident when we bought them in for their first vaccinations a couple of weeks ago. We are particularly impressed with the lambs out of Cooinda Aurora 240 who was the ram lamb we used this year and look forward to seeing his progeny mature.
We have made a few adjustments to our normal management to suit the new environment we are breeding in. What a change it has been from the sandy south east SA region (also known as the 90 mile desert which is far more accurate a description) the ewes were bought up from! From winter dominant rainfall to even throughout the year, gutless sandy soil to far more fertile central western country and even a back to front show schedule to get our heads around. We will likely play around a little with dates for joining, lambing, shearing etc. until we find the right balance to suit the seasons up here and not interfere too much with cropping operations. Though overall we are very impressed with how the flock is performing in the northern environment and look forward to seeing how next years rams mature. With any luck we might get a bit more rain soon to help them along! We will have a good selection of rams available for the 2018 sale season and will be sure to keep you up to date with their progress.
Speaking of next year we have started to plan which shows and events we would like to attend with a few boys in tow. We will let you know where you can find us out and about next year and we cant wait to get a show team up and going! We have actually just put a halter on a couple of the boys for the first time this week ready to take along to the Gilgandra Next Gen Jnr Judging workshop this weekend. Its been a while since I have broken any rams in so has been an interesting exercise! Might also have to get the old shears out to sharpen up and also work on re-sharpening up my trimming skills too!
Keep an eye on our facebook page for details on where you can see us out and about in coming months!
