sperm under the microscope
This is the time of year when we decide who stays and who goes. The rams are evaluated, intimately, by Geri Parsons and her crew (this year her one-woman crew) at Optimal Livestock Services for fertility, age, potential disease or injury, and condition. The ewes are evaluated by our crew for many of the same traits which indicate whether they will be productive for another year. We check their teeth, which affects their ability to eat the hard winter grasses on the desert. We check their udders, and their overall condition. The rams are basically judged to stay or go. The ewes are judged as keepers, good old ewes who are sold to someone who can give them an easier lifestyle, and “killers” who are culled due to age, condition, and injury to their udders.
Ashley Miller checks a Hampshire ram, with assistance from Christian
Lots of assistance
Pepe with a buck in Optimal’s custom-made chute
Geri at the microscope
Tested buck hang out in corral
Ewes in the corral
Avencio and Timeteo checking the ewes
Pepe, Avencio and Timeteo put a ewe in the chute
ewes reflected in the muddy corral
Pat with McCoy and Tiarnan on corral pole
Tiarnan, Pat and Meghan