Category: Sheep
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Even More Snow
We’re receiving even more snow. Ken has to plow every single day just to keep a path open. Even the yearling ewes are avoiding going out into their corral much. As you can see, the gate to the ram pen was drifted shut as well. We’ll have to shovel it out yet again to get… Continue reading
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Range Flock
We passed this range sheep flock outside of Delta, grazing the old corn fields. Continue reading
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Feeding Time
It’s time to get in and feed the sheep. We delivered a big bale of hay to the ewes and have almost plowed out enough to feed the ram lambs. Continue reading
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The Elk Are Down
The deep snow up high has brought the elk back down to the valley. This big bull is eating the old hay we spread as mulch last fall. Meanwhile, Ken is trying to clear out enough snow from the aisleway to let us in to feed the ram lambs. Continue reading
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Lots of Snow
Well, winter is finally here in force. We’re getting a lot of snow. The gate where we come in is getting blocked. The ewes are not happy, and there’s even snow under the hay barn aisle. Continue reading
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Sheep AI Work
We are once again doing research with the USDA National Animal Germplasm program. This year, we are collecting blood samples and other data on the ewes to evaluate their ovulation stats. The experiment calls for blood collections every hour, so we have a lot of work to do. We had our vet put catheters in… Continue reading
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More Sheep Moves
While Bob and Carolyn were here, we arranged for a visit to Joe Sperry’s flock of Polypay sheep to watch them being loaded onto the truck. His sheep are due to come down the mountain. Joe has a lovely flock of sheep. He moves them to his ranch in Delta using big trucks rather than… Continue reading
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Chasing Down Sheep
We just heard word that one of the range flocks was going to be moving their sheep through town. They’re coming down from the mountains to their winter pastures. We rushed off in search of the sheep! We found them, passed through the flock, and got in front so Bob could take some pictures. The… Continue reading
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Black Welsh Mountain Sheep Characteristics
I use a variety of characteristics to evaluate our flock of Black Welsh Mountain sheep each fall. I also look at their NSIP EBVs for important traits. Every year, I evaluate them to determine who stays, who will be for sale, and who will go to the butcher. We’ve sorted the rams, ewes, and yearlings,… Continue reading
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Guests Visiting, Sheep, and Chickens on Summer Days
We had a lovely visit from our friend Alan. He’s a much better photographer than I am, so I’ve included a few of his shots here. All of his photos are from his Flickr and are shared under Creative Commons. Continue reading