Category: Farm Life
-
Lambing Is Over
It’s been very busy here lately, but we’re now done lambing. We ended the year with 89 live lambs and five stillborns. One lamb died at one week of age for unknown reasons. Another was crushed by a windblown fence, so we have 87 lambs left. We had a lot of first-time moms with twins, Continue reading
-
Ready for Lambing
Our remaining pregnant ewes are now out on pasture and ready for lambing. The grass is still very short, so we’ve been feeding them hay. I’ve also gotten their mineral feeder out and filled it to the top. We don’t feed any grain, so we use a custom-mixed sheep mineral to provide the supplementation that Continue reading
-
April Snow
We got some lovely April snow today. I know most folks are tired of winter, but this nice, wet snow will certainly help our water situation this summer. The new lambs have found the warmest, driest spots on the farm, and they’re enjoying the snow from there. Continue reading
-
Rock Work
We have a new addition: a small, dry stone retaining wall around the perimeter of the shop. It looks great! Continue reading
-
New AI Lambs!
The first of our USDA experiment lambs has arrived. It’s a nice ram lamb. We have 3 experimental ewes to go. All of them should lamb within the next two to three days if all goes well. Continue reading
-
Clearing Brush, Fixing Rock Walls, and More Rock Work
We started April with nice weather, and after repairing the tractor hydraulics, Ken was able to start on some work. We cleared brush from the rock wall and repaired damage done by trees and country road maintenance. Meanwhile, David and Ryan, AKA Dai & Jammy, continue working on the Little House foundation. Continue reading
-
Shearing and Rock Work
We started shearing the flock at the end of March. The weather has been sunny, but surprisingly cold and windy. We’re also getting the rock put on the Little House foundation. At least on those days, it’s warm enough for the mortar to be mixed. Continue reading
-
New Livestock Guardian Puppy
We got another LGD puppy in January. She’s an Akbash by the name of Teasel. She’s been growing fast, and she’s already a teenage dog. March continues to be dry. We’re scheduled to shear the sheep later this month, so it’ll probably start snowing or raining by then. Continue reading
-
Bare Ground
It looks like the drought is continuing. We have bare ground outside now, and we’re below average for snow-water equivalent. Our tests last summer with extremely intensive sheep grazing helped us keep the sheep on pasture for longer than expected. Given the state of the reservoir this year, we’ll likely be doing the same again. Continue reading
-
Rams in Winter
It’s winter in western Colorado. We have some snow, but not nearly enough yet. It was enough to cover the solar panels, though. The adult rams are doing well, and Becky the guard dog is on duty. Continue reading