Desert Weyr Blog
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Delivering Hay
Time for morning chores! On a typical day, we first move the ewes out of the pen and close up the gate. Ken then drives a bale in and places it under the hay shed row roof. Finally, we put the hay feeder panels back around the bale, take the twines off, and let the… Continue reading
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Fire Mitigation
Larry is back, and this time he’s trimming the back cedars pasture. It’s mostly junipers, but we’ve always called them cedars. The goal is to remove all of the low-hanging branches (ladder fuels) so a fire won’t easily reach the crowns of the trees. It’s a lot of work, but it can really make a… Continue reading
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Ram Health Issues
A while ago, we had a ram yearling die from what we thought were injuries caused by fighting. His bladder had burst. However, yesterday, we had another ram yearling start the same behaviors. One time is just bad luck. Two means you need to look at management to see if you can find a cause… Continue reading
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Snow, Finally!
We finally have some lovely, lovely snow! So far, we have about five inches, but it’s still coming down. Continue reading
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Wildlife
We had to make a trip today, and we saw two different herds of Pronghorn Antelope on the road. I couldn’t get a picture, but we did come home and see some bucks in the side yard. Continue reading
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Dry and Delivering Hay
Our dry weather continues. While the East Coast is getting bombarded with snow, we remain in a drought. Without snow, we have no irrigation water, so the lack of decent winter storms is worrying. Meanwhile, we’re continuing to feed out hay. We move the sheep from pen to pen so we can get in with… Continue reading
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Vote for Desert Weyr!
I entered the FedEx Small Business Grant Contest and am seeking votes to make it into the next round. You may vote once per day from each of the major social media platforms. Please consider giving us your vote! Continue reading
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Hay Delivery and Warm Weather
Today was hay delivery day. We got five big square bales – over a ton of hay. The adult rams, ram yearlings, pregnant ewes, and horses all got fresh bales. Moving to big bales helps us make feeding simpler, but it now also means that the tractor is required. The pond is nearly thawed out… Continue reading
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Wild Turkeys
We saw wild turkeys at the Terror Creek Winery today. Our farm is on the edge of the mesa below. Continue reading
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Front Yard Deer
We have a small herd of deer that has decided the front yard is their new favorite place. Continue reading