March 22, 2014

I love those faces!
 

Grey - trying to figure out what I'm up to and hoping it is more grain.

As the days grow longer and warmer, the girls are getting rounder and rounder.

 It's just a matter of time now.

 

The first lambs are due on April 15th, and I'm getting a bit more observant of the ewes in general and Amelia in particular, the dam who is due to lamb first this year. 

 

 She is fairly large as usual, though she still has three weeks left.

 

She  always has big lambs and last year had four.

 

With all the fleece on it's hard to tell but I don't think it will be four this year.

 I'd be happy with twins, but triplets are more likely.

She was bred to a different ram, one who himself is all white but for one lone spot on his neck.

 

To test and see if he carries the spotting gene, I decided to breed him to Amelia who is confirmed to carry spotting. We'll see what comes in terms of color but I'm expecting white and black depending on how many lambs she has. If I get a nicely spotted ewe lamb, that would be great!

 

This year we've chosen to feed the girls second cut round bales all winter, using a Premier hay feeder which has greatly reduced any waste.

The down side to this is that they stick their heads into the feeder, rubbing away any wool on their necks. You can see this in the pictures.

 

The up side is.I don't have to worry about shearing their neck and throats this year. That is always a tricky and nervous task because I worry about cutting their throats, but so far, not a problem, and definitely won't be an issue this year.

 

While the ewes have access to hay 24/7 and now are getting grain supplements, I found it curious that several of them seem to be constantly poking in the snow. Sure that they had plenty of drinking water I shrugged and forgot about it.

Last night as I was taking these photos I realized that Amelia had located a stem or two of GRASS! and was digging through the snow much like the deer do, to reach it. God Bless her.  One of the pics shows Amelia in the foreground scoping out that pitiful little bit of grass. You can see how wide she is. Won't be long now for lambs and grass. The girls will be happy.

 

Regards,

Kathryn

 

 

 

Amelia ferreting out the grass under the snow.

Hoping for more grain.
 

March 15, 2014

One month till lambs!

We still have snow on the ground but the days are growing increasingly milder, with little fits and starts of warmth and sunshine coming more often and staying longer. Which is great because I need the gentle lead-in to Spring.

Winter here has been interesting on many levels and to be honest I'm glad to see the back of it, though as they go, this one was a dry winter and I appreciate that.
 In all the time we've lived here I cannot say we've had one this cold, but with any luck it may have served to kill off those parasites that can overwinter under certain conditions, and if that has happened then I'll take the cold in trade.

I am amazed at the hardiness and resilience of animals that live outdoors. And in talking with other farmers I've decided that sheep are in particular, uniquely endowed to withstand the cold.

The horses did very well too, but local cattle ranchers have reported a number of losses in the extreme and I'm surprised, not being a cattle rancher and with limited knowledge of the beasts.

We've started gathering the sap for syrup, and my shearing equipment is being sharpened in preparation for harvesting fleeces, something I look forward to with great excitement.

And aside from the soon-to-be lambs, my most appreciated benefit of warmer weather will be pulling out the hoses to water everyone. No more bucketing back and forth!

Regards,
Kathryn