Category: Animal Husbandry
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Even More Snow!
It’s already May, and we’re STILL getting snow. This is unusual, even for us. Most spring snows melt the same day. As things stand, we’re feeding out a lot more hay on pasture to make sure the sheep stay warm. Even the dandelions are confused by this weather. By late afternoon, it had fortunately started… Continue reading
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Major Spring Snowstorm
Today, we got a major snowstorm. We put the ewe and her twins in a jug with a dog house to protect the little ones. We had another lamb today, too – one ewe lamb. She and her mom got the same treatment. I hope no more ewes lamb for a while. We’re supposed to… Continue reading
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Resting
The first of the 2010 lambs has finally arrived. More are on the way. I tried to get a lamb’s-eye view for this shot. Prompt: Ansel Adams said, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” Use your feet today to zoom or get a unique perspective. Continue reading
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First Lamb of 2010!
It’s a good thing we burned brush earlier. Today, the wind is blowing hard, with gusts up to 52 miles per hour. There’s a lot of dust in the air, and it certainly would have been too windy for a fire. Of course, one of the ewes decided this was a good time to go… Continue reading
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Sheep on Pasture
For your enjoyment, here are some photos of the pregnant ewes out on pasture. They enjoy sitting in their hay. Continue reading
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Spring… Or Not!
We woke up this morning to more snow. Fortunately, it melted off pretty fast, and we got the pregnant ewes out onto pasture. It was just in time, too. The live cover ewes are at 144 days, and the AI ewes are at 142 days. I expect to see lambs by this weekend. A few… Continue reading
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No Lambs Yet!
No lambs yet, but the ewes are certainly round enough for it. This is Desert Weyr Beatrix. I expect her to have twins in there. Prompt: Make a photo of something that isn’t there. Continue reading
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The Backup Rams Are In
Yesterday, we got the two backup rams in with the ewes. Desert Weyr Kevyn is in with the live cover ewes. He immediately started sniffing and chasing them, and even tried to mount a few, but none of the ewes were in heat. Desert Weyr Kirk is the backup for the AI ewes. He went… Continue reading
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The Primary Ram Is Out
We got the primary ram, Desert Weyr Kai, out from the ewe pen late today. He’s the first ram for the control group of ewes. There will be no rams with them for the next two weeks, then we’ll put two backup rams in – one with the control group, and one with the AI… Continue reading
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The Winter Solstice
Farms mark the year by the solar calendar. The solstice is the traditional mid-winter festival that marks the return of the sun. For us, too, the solstice is turnaround time. The days when the sun seems to stand still are our time to reflect on the past year. We evaluate our accomplished goals and plan… Continue reading
