Photoperiodic Breeding Paradise: It's always the right time for this shepherd and his flock

摘要

Marc Paradis's sheep barn was welcome shelter in mid-January, when strong winds screeched across wide-open potato fields in Drummond, New Brunswick, and temperatures in the minus teens felt like 40 below.Paradis's 150-ewe operation centres around photoperiodic breeding and an Fl program to provide a year-round supply for the Northumberland Lamb Marketing Co-op in Nova Scotia.The farmstead consists of a single-storey barn, grain tank, and an adjacent small, tarped sheep shed. Visitors entering the barn through the man door find a heated room that contains a water pump, sink, appliances, and veterinary and other supplies necessary for raising sheep.It also has a video monitor that displays a live feed from a number of cameras focused on different pens in the main barn. The digital feed is also available for viewing on Paradis's tablet at home and on his cell phone, so he can monitor his flock wherever he might be. It keeps him in touch with overall barn activities, and in particular with ewes that might have birthing issues.