Category: Sheep
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Beach Ball’s lambs
Here you can see Tanwen’s two lambs. I tag twins in the left ear and singles in the right ear. That way, if I see a lost lamb, I can easily tell whether I should be looking for another one or just for the ewe. Ewes that lose their lambs often get marked down, and… Continue reading
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Becky and the Rams
We put Becky in the pen next to the rams so she wouldn’t get crushed. She climbed through the hay and feeder to be with her rams, so we let her. She is very protective of her sheep. Continue reading
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The Rams Are Together, and Beach Ball Has Lambed
Today, we got all of the lambs into one big group. It’s a lot easier to manage a bunch of rams instead of several small groups. The first step is to cram everybody into a tiny space with almost no room to run. This also gets them all smelling like each other and reduces fights… Continue reading
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First Lambs!
Here are the first lambs of the season! Bron had a nice ram lamb weighing nine pounds. It was out, dry, and nursed when we got there this morning. Belinda had a pair of twin ram lambs weighing 7 pounds 14 ounces and 7 pounds 13 ounces, respectively. One had a leg back but was… Continue reading
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Woolly Beach Balls and a Garden Attempt
We still don’t have any lambs, but as you can see, we do have some very round sheep. This is Desert Weyr Tanwen. She had twins her first year, but only a single last year. I suspect she’s carrying twins again this year due to her size. I have a very black thumb, but I… Continue reading
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On Pasture With Big Bales of Hay
Today, we got the pregnant ewes out into pastures where they can lamb. The grass is still not very high, so we put out some hay. We got three round bales to try. They’re smaller than some – only four feet wide and 1,000 pounds each. Ken can move them with the tractor without a… Continue reading
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Lawn Mowers
The snow has all melted, and things have dried out enough to get the pregnant ewes out. They needed their spring dewormer. Afterward, as a treat, they got to be lawn mowers around the guesthouse and shop. I sat under the shop porch and watched while reading the mail. They spend a lot of time… Continue reading
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Sheep Nests and New Furnace
Our sheep dig nests in the bedding pack and sleep there. No lamb eggs this year for Easter, though. Here’s one of our ewes on her nest. We also got the last bit of the west divider fence done today. We still have to fix the top section that goes over the gated pipes, but… Continue reading
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The Shearing Is Done!
I was too busy to take any pictures, but we got the entire flock shorn yesterday. We had a good crew – a bunch of folks from Ravelry came, plus the Clocks, and people from Mesa Winds Farm. We started at about 8:15 AM and got done around 1:15 PM. There are 132 naked sheep… Continue reading
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Baling Twine Sheep Tie
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