Eifion showed us how to make a sheep immobilizer from a piece of baling twine. You make a loop around the hind legs, above the hocks. Bring the ends up between the legs and tie a knot at the upper brisket. Put the heat and one front leg through the resulting loop, and the sheep… Continue reading
We spent today cleaning the old hay scraps out from under the hay barn – specifically the area where we shear the sheep. Up next will be building the sheep sweep and getting everything ready. Shearing will take place a week from today (March 28th). Continue reading
Ovine fashion icon, OogieM, held her spring fashion show with her line of maternity coats for the well-dressed ewe. Last year’s patchwork has given way to this year’s bright new color: red. Contrasting black stitching makes a nice detail. Coats are being made in larger sizes for the plus-sized, with a new line of wide… Continue reading
You never quite know what can happen during morning chores. This morning, after feeding all of the critters, we were watching the adult rams. One was being chased by both Becky and the other rams. We’ve learned that when that happens, you must get the picked-on sheep out of the pen, or he’ll get injured.… Continue reading
Becky is in with the adult rams now. She’s doing very well, and the sheep seem to get along well with her. Continue reading
We are now in that last calm period of winter before the major storm of spring work hits. We shear the flock on the 28th of March, and that is the start of the busy season. After shearing, we have to get our federal flock inspections done, vaccinate all the sheep, trim toes on any… Continue reading
We lost our senior stallion yesterday to severe colic from a twisted gut. RS Farwasabi was a grandson of both Abu Farwa and Khemosabi. He was trained in dressage, reining, and pleasure, and he was always a gentleman to handle. He was the first purebred Arabian horse we ever bred. He was also a SCID… Continue reading
We moved Winnie in with one batch of pregnant ewes today. This’ll allow us to move Becky in with the rams. All of the ewes were concerned about the new dog. This ewe, Desert Weyr Annwyl, was obviously the one chosen to go up and check the dog out. Winnie passed her inspection, and they’re… Continue reading
The three rams we used for clean-up breeders were behaving very well, and we had increased their pen size. Today, we put them back in with the ram lambs. The older boys are big enough that none of the little ones will challenge them. They’ve settled who is boss. It reduces the electricity cost this… Continue reading
We always get a thaw in January. The days turn warm, the snow melts, and we have a mini mud season. I know it won’t last – it’s just a taste of the spring to come. We’ll probably need to add gravel to the driveways this spring. It’s amazing how gravel disappears so fast! The… Continue reading