Archive for the ‘Animals – Sheep’ Category
January 22, 2011 – Winter Ewes
The ewes seem to be handling the frigid weather just fine!
Here they are near the hay feeder with a dusting of snow on their backs..
one year ago…”Ice Still Hanging On”
January 3, 2011 – Winter Reset
A wonderful January 3. Was able to get all the Christmas lights down, clean out the stock tank – all in still 30 degree weather. The snowless ground and a chance to be outside for a while might go a long ways towards making “cabin fever” more bearable this season.
It’s nice not to be slipping on ice, it’s nice not to be shoveling out the path to the chicken coop, it’s nice for the sheep and goats to get out on the pasture and roam around, instead of staying cooped up in the barn. With no terrible weather on the horizon, it will be nice to at least get through the first part of January without any of the typical winter hardships.
one year ago…”Maizie in the Snow”
December 5, 2010 – Lambs off to the Freezer
Today, we brought four lambs on the first step on the way to the freezer.
These guys and more are already have an appointment at the locker.
Emma and sheep loading don’t always get along well. Many years ago, when she was perhaps too small to help, we backed the pickup truck to the barn and posted Linda on one side of the tailgate and Emma on the other side, while I tried to move the sheep into the back of the truck. We told her that her job was to “be the wall” and prevent sheep from jumping off of the edge of the tailgate (the truck had a topper). Well, when one decided to skeedaddle out of the truck, it saw her as the path of least resistance, so as the lamb escaped under her legs, she grabbed on and held on as the sheep ran away, dragging Emma behind until we told her to let go.
During the loading experience today – don’t let the docile little faces of the sheep in the trailer fool you. Emma and I were tag-teaming one into the trailer, she had the front legs, and I on the back legs (the thought was that I would have the heavy end). Well, the sheep butted Em in the head and there’s a sudden rush of tears and vivid red blood on the dusting of white snow on the ground – just a few feet away from where the turkeys were butchered a few weeks ago. It was a bit of an unsettling feeling, to say the least. As Linda rushed over to attend to Emma on the way she said, “There goes the sheep profits” thinking Emma’s nose was all busted up and in need of an ER visit. But the story has a happy ending as no major damage was done, but once again, Emma found a way to get out of loading the rest of the sheep!
one year ago…”Gift Box Assembly”
November 15, 2010 – Ladies’ Ram Arrives
Today we introduced a ram to the flock.
This is Achilles. His job is to get to know all the ewes and be the proud papa of all next year’s lambs.
one year ago…”Mixing Winter Grain Ration”
November 5, 2010 – Nifty Animal Separator
In the fall/winter, we have a special ration we feed the sheep, but have had trouble keeping the horse from taking more than her fair share.
Linda had an idea to put a board across that the sheep could go under, but horse not get through. So, a couple of 2×4 brackets inside the door, a 2×4, and there you have it – sheep running in for a treat. It won’t prevent the door from closing and is easily removed by just sliding it out of the brackets.
The horse can just sit and look – rebuffed from the treat inside!
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #183″
July 19, 2010 – Tank is Gone
The biggest bummer of vacation was finding out our best ewe died while we were gone.
From a photo this winter, Tank is the brown one in the foreground. Evidently, they went into the shed where the 12 foot fishing boat was stored and somehow (I blame the horse) the boat was pushed off the trailer and Tank was found half underneath the boat.
We told the person watching the farm “If you have livestock, you’ve got deadstock.” But still, finding a dead sheep the first time you came over to do chores is no doubt unnerving. We were way out of cell phone range, but between another neighbor and our remote outsourced farm support in India (Claire), the carcass got buried.
We are happy that Tank had triplets this spring, two of them ewes, so her genes run on at high hopes gardens.
one year ago…”Catch-Up Begins”
April 21, 2010 – Who Says Cats Don’t Make Good Shepherds?
Over the ages, many scientists, using keen powers of observation and conjecture, have winnowed many complex animal relationships. These breakthroughs often times explain how seemingly random events are part of a larger unexplained whole. I had just one such experience this week. Many people regard cats as having few skills in herding cloven-footed herbivores. Dogs occupy most of the herding space, mainly due to their brash and over-the-top nipping, barking and running after their chosen herd of ungulates.
Cats have a different, heretofore, unrecognized approach to herding. Cats are waaay more laid back – in fact, they’d rather make you think they weren’t doing anything at all. Our oldest farm cat, Toby, probably about 13 years old by now demonstrated this technique to me, only after our long relationship. In this photo he positions himself in what looks like a warm, sunny location, but actually uses the adjoining cavern to amplify his voice when he makes subtle voice commands and head motions to move the sheep.
After an initial calling meow, Toby uses almost imperceptible head motions to visually track to the sheep the direction he wants them to travel. Here the lead ewe begins to follow Toby’s command, alerting the young lambs to come this way.
As his head moves from left to right in this photo sequence, the herd gains speed.
Once the sheep are safely moved closer to the barn, Toby acts as though he had nothing to do with it, even though the sheep look directly at him, awaiting further direction!
one year ago…”Apple Blossoms Soon”
March 27, 2010 – Sheep Bling
This week it was time to get the sheep bling (ear tags) on.
Here’s one of Tank’s lambs, hereafter known in the annals of high hopes gardens as 30. Generally, only animals that stay around for a year or more get the a name.
March 21, 2010 – Moving Ewes
Newborn lambs and their mother are segregated to a private pen to allow the ewe and lambs to bond to each other. Moving the lambs back to the main herd is sometimes challenging. We found that by holding the lambs close the ground, the ewe follows.
This ewe was rather good at following her lambs back to the main barn.
one year ago…”Starting Hoophouse”
March 19, 2010 – Last Lambs Hit the Ground
The last ewe dropped her twins a few days ago.
Again, they look robust and were prancing around the barn when we found them in the morning. This makes this year’s total 10 lambs from four ewes – all looking good so far!
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #158″
March 12, 2010 – Third Ewe Drops Triplets
Three out of four ewes have dropped their lambs. This one is our skittish ewe who never really looks pregnant compared to Tank.
Again, a morning trip to the barn found all the lambs out and up – triplets again. Two of three ewes had triplets so far this year and have not needed any intervention. The ewes have also been very good about spacing their births, about 5-6 days apart.
one year ago…”Thingamajig #157″
March 6, 2010 – Ewe Lamb Births with no Problem
Our second ewe has given birth without any problems. We checked the barn in the morning and these two boys were just born and still wet.
This was the birth we were most worried about since the ewe was only a year old. But as you can see, momma did just fine! She’s a very vocal mother, and makes all kinds of low muttering sounds to her lambs.
one year ago…”Maple Sugaring Part 1″
February 28, 2010 – Tank Delivers!
There indeed was a reason Tank was getting so very large – she was carrying three good-sized lambs!
Here she is with two of them trying to get some milk from momma – two females and one male.
Here’s the third triplet, just hours after giving birth – Tank did it all on her 0wn – we went to the barn and the lambs were all delivered, but still wet. So far, so good on these triplets – they all seem to be nursing and we hope they continue that was so we don’t end up with a bottle lamb.
January 25, 2010 – Blizzard Warning with no Warning?
The weather people missed out on predicting this storm We went from winter weather advisory to Blizzard warning in a flash.
I’ll only bother you with four seconds of the view while I was waiting for the early out bus near the closest blacktop road.
We’ve learned it’s just best to take the lead of the animals and hunker down until it passes, like the animals in the barn.
I had to laugh at the poor sap they interviewed on TV who said he shoveled his sidewalk 12 times today – after each shovel it filled in with snow in just 10 minutes. Evidently it took him 12 times to realize it was pointless and it might be better to shovel it just once after the wind stops blowing!
I-35 is closed from Ames to Clear Lake and I-80 is shut from Newton to Grinnell, so we are pretty much getting hammered.
one year ago…”Snowbanks are Back”
