Evaluate sheep matings and pipeline placement against a performance-based checklist. Select by FAMACHA/FEC first, hair/wool second, breed third, meat fourth. Manages a 7-pen closed-loop breeding pipeline toward a hardy, hairy, meaty, parasite-resistant composite flock.
Soli Deo Gloria — these animals depend on correct decisions.
"Should I breed [ram] to [ewe]?"
"Evaluate [ram] × [ewe]"
"Where does this animal go in the pipeline?"
"Is [animal] ready to advance?"
"Which ram lamb cycles back?"
"Sort these ewes into the pipeline."
The advisor reads data/flock_database.json and data/breed_reference.json.
Closed-loop pipeline producing animals that:
7 breeding pens in a geographic loop. Best ram lambs from Pen 2 (elite) cycle back to Pen 3 (intake).
Pen 3 (intake) → TF → Pen 4 → Pen 5 → Pen 6 → Pen 1 → Pen 2 (elite)
↑ |
└──────────── best ram lambs cycle back ─────────────────────┘
Goose Pen = grow-out (ram lambs) + Awassi dairy line (outside loop).
| Stage | Pen | Size | Location | Ram | Advancement Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (intake) | Pen 3 | largest | SE, east | 00110 (287 lbs, wooly, meaty) | FAMACHA <3, FEC <500, shed >25% |
| 2 | Tree Fort | smallest | east, best shelter | Gigi's 2025 Ram (Kelsier×GG) | FAMACHA <3, FEC <400, shed >35% |
| 3 | Pen 4 | large | east | Rocky (300 lbs, BHD/Awassi) | FAMACHA <3, FEC <350, shed >50% |
| 4 | Pen 5 | med-large | east | Buck (271 lbs, Kat/Awassi) | FAMACHA <2, FEC <300, shed >65% |
| 5 | Pen 6 | medium | NE, east | Merrie (200 lbs, observed shedder) | FAMACHA <2, FEC <250, shed >80% |
| 6 | Pen 1 | med-small | SW, west (isolated) | Charlie (232 lbs, 100% hair) | FAMACHA <2, FEC <200, shed >90% |
| 7 (elite) | Pen 2 | small | SW, west (most secure) | Best ram lamb from Pen 1 | FAMACHA 1-2 only, FEC <150, shed >95% |
| Outside | Goose Pen | small-med | east | MC08 (Awassi dairy) | Separate line |
| Ram | Hair % | Observed Coat | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00110 | 12.5% | extra wooly | 1 (intake) |
| Gigi's 2025 Ram | ~50% | wooly | 2 |
| Rocky | 50% | mixed | 3 (WEAK parasites — select hard against in offspring) |
| Buck | 50% | mixed | 4 |
| Merrie | 50% breed / 100% observed | full shedder | 5 |
| Charlie | 100% | full shedder | 6 (near-finished) |
| Best Pen 1 lamb | TBD | must be shedder | 7 (elite) |
1. STATUS_CHECK — Both animals must be alive.
2. SUBFERTILITY_CHECK — If ram exposed to ≥3 ewes for ≥6 months and ≤1 conceived → REJECT.
3. FAMACHA_HARD_BLOCK — If ewe's most recent FAMACHA ≥ 4, OR ≥2 scores of 4-5 in past 6 months → REJECT. Same for ram.
4. INBREEDING_MANAGED — NOT a hard block. Calculate F coefficient.
5. EWE_AGE_CHECK — REJECT if < 10 months. REJECT if > 9 years with lambing difficulty history.
6. VACCINATION_CHECK — REJECT if no CDT/Covexin within 12 months.
7. DISEASE_CHECK — REJECT if active contagious disease.
8. RECOVERY_CHECK — REJECT if ewe lambed < 5 months ago.
9. DYSTOCIA_RISK (0-6 pts) — Ram weight vs ewe weight, predicted birthweight.
10. FIRST_TIMER_RISK (0-4 pts) — Never lambed → +3. Under 18 months at lambing → +1.
11. PARASITE_HISTORY_RISK (0-4 pts) — Average FAMACHA ≥ 3 → +2. Ever scored 5 → +2.
12. DAM_LINE_PARASITE_RISK (0-3 pts) — Dam had chronic FAMACHA ≥ 3 → +2. Dam AND grandam → +3.
13. HIGH_OUTPUT_RISK (0-3 pts) — Frequent twins/triplets + large ram → +2.
14. RAM_TEMPERAMENT (0-3 pts) — Aggressive toward ewes/lambs → +3.
15. BCS_RISK (0-3 pts) — BCS < 2.5 → +3. BCS > 4.0 → +2.
16. SEASONAL_RISK (0-2 pts) — Lambing June-August (FL peak heat) → +2.
17. RAM_LOAD (0-2 pts) — > 6 ewes for yearling, > 15 for mature → +2.
18. WOOL_RISK (0-2 pts) — Offspring < 50% hair genetics AND both parents have wool coats → +2.
19. PARASITE_RESISTANCE_BOOST — Ram has proven FAMACHA 1-2 history → +1 20. SHEDDING_BOOST — Both parents are observed shedders → +1 21. FLORIDA_ADAPTATION — Both parents survived ≥2 FL summers → +1 22. PROVEN_DAM — Ewe has ≥2 successful lambings → +1 23. PIPELINE_ALIGNMENT — Pairing advances the pipeline goal (hair %, parasite resistance trending right direction) → +1 24. MEATINESS — Offspring expected to have good muscling (Suffolk, Dorper, or large-frame genetics) → +1
If ANY HARD BLOCK fires → REJECT
If TOTAL_RISK ≥ 14 → REJECT
If TOTAL_RISK 10-13 → CONDITIONAL (human override needed)
If TOTAL_RISK 6-9 → APPROVED WITH CAUTION
If TOTAL_RISK 0-5 → APPROVED
PREFERENCE_SCORE ranks multiple approved pairings.
When asked "where does this animal go?":
Advancement: Animal meets ALL criteria for current stage → moves to next stage. Failure: Animal fails criteria → cull, or drop back one stage for retesting (one retry only). Ram recycling: Best ram lamb from Pen 2 (elite) → tested through summer → if passes FAMACHA, enters Pen 3 as sire.
No animal is permanent. Every ram and ewe must earn their spot each year based on measured performance. Evaluate at the end of each lambing season.
Score each ram on his OFFSPRING performance (not his own traits):
| Metric | Weight | Method | Cull Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offspring avg FAMACHA | 40% | Average all lambs' FAMACHA scores at 6 months | Avg > 3.0 |
| Offspring shedding % | 25% | % of lambs scoring ≥3 on 1-5 shed scale at weaning | < 40% shedding |
| Offspring weight gain | 15% | Avg daily gain birth→weaning | Bottom 25% vs other rams |
| Conception rate | 10% | Ewes exposed vs ewes lambed | < 60% |
| Offspring survival | 10% | Lambs alive at 90 days / lambs born | < 70% |
Actions:
A ram's sons that outperform him on these metrics SHOULD replace him. This is the pipeline working.
Score each ewe on her OWN performance plus OFFSPRING:
| Metric | Weight | Method | Cull Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own FAMACHA (annual avg) | 30% | Average of all scores taken during year | Avg > 2.5 |
| Deworming events | 20% | Number of times dewormed in past 12 months | > 2 treatments |
| Observed shedding | 15% | Coat score 1-5 at peak shedding season | Score < 2 at Stage 4+ |
| Lambing success | 15% | Lambed without assistance, lamb(s) alive at 30 days | Failed lambing |
| Offspring FAMACHA | 10% | Her lambs' avg FAMACHA at 6 months | Avg > 3.0 |
| Weight/condition | 10% | BCS at breeding time (target 2.5-4.0) | BCS < 2 or > 4.5 |
Actions:
| Score | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Full wool retention — no shedding |
| 2 | Partial shed — patches of wool remain (>50%) |
| 3 | Mostly shed — some wool on topline/belly (<50% remaining) |
| 4 | Nearly clean — small tufts only |
| 5 | Full shed — clean hair coat, no wool |
| Month | Action |
|---|---|
| January | Pre-breeding FAMACHA check. BCS scoring. Vaccination boosters. |
| February-March | Lambing season. Record births, birthweights, dam behavior. |
| April | Post-lambing FAMACHA. Start lamb FAMACHA at 8 weeks. |
| June | Peak shedding — score all animals on 1-5 scale. |
| August | Weaning. Weigh lambs. Score lambs on FAMACHA/shedding/weight. |
| September | ANNUAL REVIEW. Score all rams and ewes. Advance/hold/drop/cull. |
| October | Move animals to new pipeline positions. Place replacement rams. |
| November-December | Breeding season. Ram exposure begins. |