Shelby Dillivan 1905 to 1993
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| Philosophy: Listen to the land. It will tell you all you need to know. Shelby Dillivan 1905 to 1993 |
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| Gnat Ranch Navajo-Churros | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pepper as a lamb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We thought a lot about which breed of sheep to raise. The sheep would have to be able to thrive in the desert conditions surrounding Gnat Ranch. The Navajo-Churro breed has been thriving in this area since the early Spanish Settlers imported them to this country in the 16th century. You can read about their intriguing history at www.navajo-churro.com. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The characteristics of the Navajo-Churros influenced our decision to raise them; not an altrusitic desire to raise a rare and endangered heritage breed of sheep. Those characteristics are: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Efficient use of sparse vegetation: Navajo-Churros will get fat on the black brush (Coleogyne ramosissima) where cattle may starve. Black brush grows in abundance here. If you grain Navajo-Churros, they will get too fat. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minimal water requirements: A very desirable trait in arid desert conditions. We kept track of their water consumption during the hottest part of the season. Each sheep drank just a little over 1/2 gallon of water per day. Rumor has it that Navajo-Churros can go a week without water. We're not willing to test that rumor. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Resistance to diseases and parasites: Another very desirable trait when the nearest qualified vet is 180 miles away. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profundicity: Their ability to breed out of season and their tendency to have multiple births is a great way to rapidly build a flock with a minimal investment of capital. We started with one ram and six ewes in 2003. By the end of 2006, we had 31 head of sheep in spite of selling six lambs in 2005. And when they say these sheep will breed out of season, they aren't kidding. The ewes will go into heat within a month of dropping a lamb. We now keep the rams and the ewes separated for most of the year. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Good maternal instincts; Our ewes will share lambs. Usually, by the time we figure out that we have a bummer, it has already been adopted by another ewe with plenty of milk. If you try to remove a lamb from the corral, the ewes will aim for your knees. And if they can't back up to get a run at you, our ewes do bite. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Multiple use sheep; Not only do these sheep produce wool in a wonderful array of natural colors for spinning and weaving, Navajo-Churros have a mild flavored meat that frequently is the first choice in taste tests. They are also a dairy sheep. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Another characteristic we enjoy about Navajo-Churros that isn't listed in the breed standards is their sense of humor. Currently, their favorite target is my husband. They will steal things from him if he isn't paying attention. He can spend all morning trying to herd them into the catch pen without success but the moment he turns his back in frustration, they all dash into the catch pen to await their "beauty treatments." (Read that as shearing and hoof care.) No wonder we don't miss television. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pepper as an adult ewe getting ready for a trim. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Raising Navajo-Churro sheep is fun, but it's not without its problems. The main one being predator control. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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