Category: Sheep
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Afternoon Snow
I sure hope the rams and ram lambs (in the left and right pens, respectively) don’t decide to go walking today! There was a path up this aisle this morning. Continue reading
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More Snow!
We got another eight (or more) inches of snow, and it’s still snowing! Sheep tend to walk in the same trails once they’ve made them. Here you can see the flock making their way up to the feeder for hay. Some of the lambs have been smart enough to climb the snow drifts. This one’s… Continue reading
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Digging Sheep Paths
We had a lot of snow last night. Our power was out for about eight hours. It’s a heavy, wet snow, and it warmed up enough to fall off the barn all at once. I sure hope there were no sheep under that. They usually run to the end of the pen to wait it… Continue reading
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Ewe Lambs and Retired Ewes
Here you can see some of our ewe lambs and retired ewes in the winter pens. Everyone has settled into their new pens now, and they’re happy as long as the hay keeps coming. Continue reading
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New Feeders
We got the new ram lamb feeders installed today. Here are the boys before we moved them back into their normal pen. The new feeder uses two pieces that connect to make one large feeder. Continue reading
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The Rams Are Out!
We got the backup rams out of the ewe pens today. The two backups, Desert Weyr Kevyn and Desert Weyr Kirk, plus the live cover ram, Desert Weyr Kai, are now in a tiny pen getting used to each other. We’ve found that by cramming the boys in together until they smell the same, we… Continue reading
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Winnie and the Rams
Winnie is in with the adult rams right now. She stays nice and warm among the woolly sheep. 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