Quite a few of us in the Southeast are still in the middle of some very hot, humid weather. For the most part that’s how summer is in Tennessee and Kentucky, along with the rest of the Southeast. Not only do we have hot weather to contend with, but we are also trying to breed sheep and goats during this time of year.

Ewes typically work 7 to 9 months of the year (5 months gestation and 2 to 4 months lactation). The rest of the time is spent on vacation.

by Sarah Carr, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Kentucky State University Figure 1: Crossbred Boer x Kiko kid. Crossbreeding is not just randomly mixing breeds and hoping that the offspring do well. Rather, crossbreeding is a deliberate management technique that can have significant impacts on production outcomes. Generally, when implementing a crossbreeding program, the goal would be to maximize specific attributes such as carcass characteristics or material traits. Crossbreed

Raising animals for fiber is a year-long commitment, with your fiber animals growing their fleeces over many months—only for it all to come off in just a few minutes. A well-prepared shearing day not only makes the process smoother, but also helps you get the highest quality (and value) from your fleeces. Here are some helpful tips.