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| Corrigan - one of our 2014 sires |
What is left isn't so bad....really.
February which is a "short" month ( I am so heartened by this! ) and then we are into March.
So, only four weeks until we begin the upside of the year with visions of warmth, lush new growth and lambs. I can handle that.
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| Caden - bred ewe for sale |
We are still holding our own and the flock seems well despite the prolonged brutal cold. I'm thankful they are woolly creatures with enough protection from the cold and wind to be okay during these spells. Currently we are in a warm spell, with the daytime high being 20 and nighttime being around 10. Way better than the -20 night time temps we were having. And thankfully its a dry cold which makes even the brutal -degree temps bearable.
Oddly this winter we have two occurrences that remind me of Spring. One is a healthy flock of Blue Jays. The make a noise that I have associated with Spring since I was very young and due to their presence this winter, I am constantly within earshot of their familiar song. Warmer days are coming!
The other is more sunshine than usual for this time of year. Not so much snowfall, and so the skies are clear and bright blue which is uplifting and greatly appreciated. Combined, both things help to keep me from falling into that winter time, cabin fever, blah mood.
I am impressed each year that the ewes are able to sustain themselves, grow beautiful wool and produce lambs even through these harsh conditions, and solely on a grass/hay based diet. They are well designed to do what they do, and the Finnsheep bring personality, affection and entertainment to the mix as well.
This year's lambing season has me a bit cautious with 21 ewes bred, the most I've had in my shepherding career. Six of these will be first timers. With that many ewes due to lamb, its quite possible that someone in the flock will have sextuplets or even septuplets and I expect the usual triplets which are fairly standard.
Last year, 11 bred ewes gave me 30 live lambs, so I would expect to have ....gulp...between 50 and 60 this year! I also don't have any plans to leave the property for about three months!
First lambs of 2014 are due on April 15, which means I usually start getting excited about two weeks before and start trying to guess how many lambs the ewe will have. I have only 8 weeks until April 1. By then, maple sugaring time will have come and gone, and there should be definite signs of warmer, greener surroundings!
And of course there will be shearing time, with this year giving me 31 Finn fleeces to remove, skirt, pick and generally enjoy! Wool is the reason for having these beasties after all. At least it was the original reason. Now I just enjoy them on every level!
So, taking this all into account, my time for weaving and spinning with any regularity will be short now. So, I'm signing off to get as much textile production done as I can over the remaining few weeks of winter.
Regards,
Kathryn
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