Breeding Day at Broken Bell Show Lambs
Breeding season officially took a huge step forward here at Broken Bell Show Lambs, and honestly… the entire experience reminded us exactly why we love this industry so much.
The genetics, the science, the planning, the family involvement — all of it.
This year we officially AI’d two of our foundation ewes, and after spending a LOT of time studying pedigrees, muscling, structure, shag, and overall balance, we finally made the crosses we felt best fit the direction we want Broken Bell to head.
Our first ewe to be bred - Southern Belle - FF from Canseco Son:
Our second ewe bred - Starry Night - DNA unknown? - Purebred Registered Hampshire
Why We Chose Cougar Bait
For Southern Belle, we decided to breed her to Cougar Bait from Junk/Gray Club Lambs.
The second we saw him, we were obsessed with the amount of fuzz and leg shag he carried while still being athletic, rugged, and powerful in his build. He had the kind of muscle shape, balance, and overall look we kept coming back to over and over again.
He’s sired by Down and Dirty x Straight Outta Compton, and the more we studied him, the more we felt like he matched the kind of sheep we want to raise at Broken Bell.
Not gonna lie… I’m already dreaming about baby lambs with giant fuzzy legs running around the barn.
Because Cougar Bait is FD, one of the biggest things we had to consider was making sure we did NOT create an FD × FD cross.
For anyone newer to sheep genetics:
- FF = free/non-carrier
- FD = carrier of the dwarf gene, but does not express it
An FD sheep can still be an incredible animal, but breeding FD × FD creates the possibility of affected offspring. Since our ewe tested FF, we felt comfortable making this cross while still bringing in the traits we loved about Cougar Bait.
Why We Chose Fight Night
For our registered Hampshire ewe (Starry Night), we selected Fight Night from Rule Sheep Company.
Since we weren’t completely sure whether our Hampshire ewe carried the D gene, we wanted to make a smart, strategic mating while still chasing genuine Hampshire power, width, muscle, and elevation.
Fight Night checked a LOT of boxes for us.
He offers crazy width, huge rib shape, muscle, and still stays elevated and attractive from the side. His pedigree (Mean Tweets x Roxy — Bank’s Mom/NL x DTM) and overall build made him an easy choice for what we’re trying to accomplish with this ewe.
One of the Best Parts of the Day
Honestly… the best part of the entire experience was Wyatt getting to be involved.
He got to fully participate in the process, ask questions, see the reproductive tract, and even help during the procedure by injecting the specimen into the ewe.
Watching him become excited about the science behind livestock breeding was something I’ll remember forever.
As someone who grew up showing sheep through 4H and FFA, moments like this are really special. Getting to now share this industry with my own son while building Broken Bell from the ground up honestly means everything to me.
How Sheep AI Works
Artificial insemination (AI) allows breeders to use elite genetics from top rams across the country without physically owning the ram.
The ewes are synchronized so they cycle at the correct time, and then during a very specific breeding window, semen is surgically placed directly into the uterus through a laparoscopic procedure.
Timing is EVERYTHING because the eggs are only viable for a short period of time.
If fertilization is successful, embryos begin developing almost immediately.
It’s honestly one of the coolest combinations of livestock production and science.
What Happens Next?
Now comes the hard part… waiting.
We should be able to ultrasound and pregnancy check in roughly 30–45 days, and if everything goes according to plan, we expect lambs approximately 145–150 days after breeding.
Which means Broken Bell’s very first lamb crop is officially in the works.
This entire experience was educational, exciting, humbling, and honestly just really special for our family. We’re learning as we go, building this program one step at a time, and we’re incredibly excited to continue sharing the journey with all of you.
Now we pray these girls settle… because we are READY for lambs around here. 🐑🩵