Category: Animal Husbandry
-
Win Some, Lose Some
Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. We lost 109 Daron today. She went into an unusual labor, and I couldn’t get the lamb out. It felt weird. I talked to our vet about options. A C-section would have been $300 at minimum with no complications. Realistically, it would have been more like $500+. It’s… Continue reading
-
Triplets!
Well, I spoke too soon! At this morning’s sheep check, at six AM, we found an ewe with three lambs. 298 Caridwen had all three lambs out, dry, and nursing. Two were ewes and one was a ram. Unfortunately, Caridwen can only count to two, so we put her in a jug on pasture until… Continue reading
-
Burning Brush and More Lambs
Yesterday, we burned the big brush pile in our field. We have to call the Sheriff to get permission now. In years past, agricultural burning was allowed with no restrictions. It’s a bit of a hassle, but I guess because so many urban folks moved in and saw burning, they had to institute some sort… Continue reading
-
First Lamb!
Our first lamb of the year has arrived. It’s a lovely little ewe lamb weighing six pounds, seven ounces, and it was born at six AM this morning. The new mother is 716 Bron, and this is her first lamb. Papa is Hervey, who was sold to Canada last year. Bron had her new baby… Continue reading
-
On Pasture
The pregnant ewes went out on pasture today. As you can see, the grass is still thin, so we preloaded hay into the pasture. Some ewes were eating it after testing the grasses. From the looks of these udders, this is none too soon. I expect lambs anytime now. Continue reading
-
Sheep Dewormer
The pregnant ewes got their dewormer yesterday. One of the ways we reduce the parasite load in the pastures is by deworming the ewes 24-48 hours before they go out in summer. That, combined with our hard winters, means that we rarely have to deworm lambs until late summer. That’s when we start to get… Continue reading
-
Spring, Then Winter Again
Animal Husbandry, Farm Life, Gardening and Harvesting, Hay and Forage, Other Animals, Sheep, WeatherWell, we thought spring was coming. The snow had melted, and things were starting to green up. The grass was just getting going, and the guard dogs looked ready to start their lamb-protection work. Then, we got this! More snow, which led to more mud when it melted the next day. Last year, we had… Continue reading
-
Winter Again
It’s winter again. Our January thaw has officially ended. We got between eight and ten inches of snow last night! Today is the day to put the backup rams in with the ewes. So, Ken had to shovel a path to open the ram pen gate. I was able to catch both boys fairly easily,… Continue reading
-
More Bread
For Christmas, we spent the entire day baking the bread we started on Christmas Eve. We made some changes to the Cooks Illustrated No-Knead Bread recipe. The basic recipe is as follows: 15 ounces of flour (weighed) or 3 cups1/4 teaspoon yeast1 1/2 teaspoons table salt3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons… Continue reading
-
Bread, Second and Third Try
Here are my second and third attempts at bread. The loaf on the left is the whole wheat variation. The one on the right is the regular one. For both loaves, I weighed the flour rather than using a measuring cup. For the regular one, I increased the second part of the baking (sans cover)… Continue reading