Over due lamb pics

Head,socks, tail pattern with panda eyes.

Caden and her lambs - 3 ram lambs



Amelia making sure its safe to take the new lambs outside.

Yes, sheep can count, and Amelia is, just to make sure they are all there.

The weather is rain once again. Windy too.
Ho Hum.

I am waiting for the flood gates of lambing, and its like sitting on a boiling pot. It never seems to get to the boiling point. All these ewes are holding onto lambs.

Bridgette looks like she could be the next to go. She could have quadruplets in there, its hard to tell with a full fleece.
I have only shorn one ewe so far as the weather keeps bouncing from warm to cold.

Ebony had twin head,socks,tail black lambs and did very well for a first timer. She has a ram and a ewe. Amelia has two rams and a ewe and Caden, three rams. 8 lambs so far, 6 rams 2 ewes. 3 white, 5 black hst.

Interesting so far. I have two greys,  a brown, and three more blacks along with the rest of the white ewes to lamb and I'm curious to see if I'll have spotted lambs this year. That pattern is always fun since it can manifest in so many different ways.

Sorry for the lack of pics, but the lambs simply will not co operate. I'll keep at it though, until I get something presentable.

Regards,
Kathryn

20 Hours Later

I checked on the lambs and Amelia off and on all day, and they seemed fine.

The weather forecast was for rain, so I made sure that the shelter was fortified, and around 7 p.m. gave one last check and headed in for the night.

Within a half hour a hellacious downpour complete with high winds hit and wreaked havoc for about 15 minutes. It was the closest thing to a tornado I've seen, and I was glad to see it pass.

I can attest to the fact that here on our little mountain, the weather is turbulent to say the least. I've seen drops in temperatures as much as 50 degrees in 12 hours or less, as well as rises of the same amount, snow, ice, sun, wind,hail, freezing rain, calm,sun and snow again all in a matter of an hour, and then the cycle repeated itself. I would not be the least surprised to see snow in July here one day.

This morning's feed/water/ check-in revealed three wide awake and active lambs, and their dam seemed to be fine as well. Momentarily. I thought about letting them out but the ground is wet and rain is immanent and I didn't want to risk it just yet. They are cozy and dry so I'll leave well enough alone for the time being.

Sadly, tonight the temps will drop to 20 or lower and snow is on the menu. I'm debating lamb coats as the temps won't go about 35 during the day and will stay low for the next three nights before climbing up again.
Currently I'm leaning away from the coats for a variety of reasons but we'll see as the day unfolds .

The next ewe due to lamb is Caden on the 21st. She also looks like triplets this year and I hope to shear her before the blessed event. Demi will be close on her heels, followed by the others in succession over a period of weeks.

As much as I love lambs, lambing can be exhausting.

More pics this evening.

Regards,
Kathryn

Corrigan - The Sire of Amelias' Lambs

 

Treble Cleft - Corrigans' Sire

Lana - Corrigans' Dam
 Corrigan is standing at right.

Amelia was bred last winter to Corrigan.

The ram is an important part of the breeding process in that 50% of the genetics the lambs receive will come from him.



The bloodlines of both Corrigans' dam and sire are very strong and long established lines, known for excellent maternal instincts, prolificacy, docile temperaments, among other traits.

Corrigans' sire carries for color and possibly spotting. His dam has yet to throw anything but white lambs, so I'm guessing she is genetically completely white.

What has me puzzled about Corrigan is a lone dark spot just above his shoulders on his neck. I often forget he has it, considering him to be a white sheep, but that spot says otherwise. Technically, it says he is a piebald ram, meaning spotted.

This is his first breeding and I chose Amelia for a few reasons, the least of which is the hope of bringing out any spotting Corrigan may possess. This could be the difference between whether he stays here a few more years, or is sold this spring.  His personality is very gentle and quiet, affectionate without being over bearing. Coupled with Amelias' similar personality perhaps the lambs from this pair will also have the same personalities.
Corrigan is on the heavier boned side, while Amelia is more refined with lighter bone structure. Personally I like both types, and so the lambs will be pleasing to me with either body type.

Fleece on Corrigan is a nice lock structure, with a staple length of 4 - 5 inches. His fleece is not consistent from head to toe, but has a range of long, wavy locks to finer, crimpier locks and I like that diversity.

Corrigan is a quadruplet, having two sisters and a brother. Amelia was a twin.

Amelia had a Badger Grey dam and a black sire. Her twin brother was Badger Grey. So far, she hasn't given me any Badger Grey lambs, and may not ever.

Corrigan - 2013

Freddie - Amelia's sire ( whom she favors a great deal )



Tipper - Amelias' Dam

Tipper is owned by Sweetland Hill Finnsheep in Chenango Forks, N.Y.


At this time I am beginning to get excited about the pending babies. It won't
be long before they are here, and as usual I have done and re-done the due date
several times. A few days ago I ran the calculations over in my head and in a panic thought
that I had given myself more time, calculating the due date as the 14th. Afraid that the lambs were actually due on the 9th I went into a frenzie of activity, then redid the calculations.
I discovered  that it is exactly the opposite and the lambs are due on the 18th, not the 14th so I have
an extra four days, God willing.  Even at that, its only 7 more days, and I'm praying for stable weather, day time lambing and being able to witness the lambs as they are born. Fingers crossed!

Regards,
Kathryn



 

 

Amelia

Amelia and her first lamb Barrett

Amelia and her twins Cady and Caden

 

 Amelia is taking it easy these days. Getting up mainly to eat, and then returning to her comfy spot to lie down and chew her cud.

I moved her and a companion - Lana - into their new digs for the next few weeks, so that come lambing time Amelia will have ample shelter from wind and rain and a good chance at keeping her lambs warm should I not be there when they arrive.

Amelia is a black Finnsheep, born in March of 2008. Often a black sheep looks brown, but they are indeed black which is very evident once the fleece is removed and you can see past the weathered tips of the wool locks.

Somewhere back in her lineage there was a brown ancestor, but I don't expect that color to manifest through her as it is a recessive gene and only likely to manifest if a brown ewe is bred to a brown ram.

Amelia carries for spotting which is a fun pattern in sheep. I hope for spotted lambs this year from her, but since the sire of the lambs is white, and its unknown if he carries for spotting himself, we'll see when the lambs arrive. White is dominant in sheep, and often over - rides the other colors, and even if the lambs are white it doesn't rule out the possibility that they themselves carry for spotting.

At six years old, Amelia has had 1/2/2/3/4  or a single lamb for her first lambing, twins the second time, triplets the third and quads the fourth.  In six years, she's had 12 lambs which isn't alot for a Finn ewe and an average of 2 lambs per year.

Lana, her companion at the moment, is 8 this year and came to me as a mature ewe having lambed before. She has had 3/4/3/3/2  and I know she had triplets the year prior to my purchasing her. I'm not sure what she had before that, but what I do know is that she's had 18 lambs at least.

At this time I have four daughters and a son from Amelia. All of her daughters will lamb this year, and it will be fun to see what traits get passed on. Amelias' oldest daughter is Caden who has lambed twice with 2/5. That is a good start. Seven lambs in two years is an average of 3.5 lambs per lambing, and that is a decent rate.

Having a Finn ewe that has a singleton is not the norm, though it is possible with first time dams. Most have twins and some have triplets and up for their first lambing.

Trying to predict how many lambs a ewe will have is tricky, but a fun time for me. It is complicated when they are in full wool, rather than shorn. And it depends on whether the lambs will be above average size or below at birth.
Based on how Amelia looks at the moment and knowing that she consistently has large lambs I suspect she will triplet this year unless for some reason she has little lambs.  What is certain is that anything is possible!


Regards,
Kathryn

5 Days - The lambing supplies

Amelia in 2012 with the second lamb of triplets. This one is a piebald ewe lamb, which is still with the flock and due herself in a few weeks.

While the ewes usually have the lambs without any help from me, I have a fairly well - stocked lambing kit.

First and foremost on the list are towels for drying off the lambs. The dam starts licking the newborn right away and while you might not think it, this dries the new baby off fairly quickly. But if she has three or four, she cannot keep up with the demand and here is where I come in. Towelling the lamb off vigorously helps to stimulate as well as dry it, and I feel better about the possibility of hypothermia being prevented.

The umbilical cord is severed as the new lamb hits the ground and the air causes it to begin to dry, but it tends to be a bit unsightly and messy, so I hasten the drying process by spraying Blue Kote on it. The usual procedure is to apply some sort of iodine product, but for me, Blue Kote is easy to carry, easy to handle and aside from not being able to narrow down the spray entirely to the umbilical cord, it works for me and is a staple in the kit. So for a day or two myself and the new lambs sport a little extra blue staining....no biggey.

The lambs, once cleaned get up and start trying to find the teat for that vital first nursing. Like with people, the cholostrom is the key to the early lamb survival. Full of nutrients and fat that help energize and immunize the new lamb, this first nursing is the most frustrating aspect of watching the new lambs. Their direction isn't so good, though their instincts are outstanding, so they wobble around, and get disoriented, often coming close to the life giving teat, but missing by fractions of an inch. Any attempt to guide the lamb usually ends up causing the lamb to have the opposite reaction, which is yet more frustration. For the most part, I go away for a half hour or so while the lambs and dam sort this all out and usually come back to find everyone acclimated and doing just fine. If not, then the consideration of a bottle comes up.

Then there is the passage of the placenta and making sure there aren't anymore lambs. This is fairly obvious, though sometimes you can be fooled. I've spoken with shepherds who have had the same ewe lamb twice over a period of days. First producing twins and several days later twins again. Luckily, things worked out, but basically anything is possible so its' best to be observant.

While I try to be present for every lambing, some of the ewes don't want me around and will have the lambs after I've gone in for the night or in the very wee hours of the morning. This has the effect of disappointing me and relieving me at the same time. Its fun to go out early in the morning and discover newly born lambs, clean, nursing well and being attended by their dam. Its' disappointing because I didn't get to witness first hand as each made their way into the world.  But, I can live with that.

Those ewes who are a bit stand-offish during the rest of the year, seem to understand that I am there to be of help and they relax allowing me to move about and intervene if necessary. In the past I've hoped it would be a life-long bonding moment that would forever change our relationship and the ewe would look at me with new eyes, as a friend. Not so much. They tend to revert after they sense all is well, and then sometimes try to stay between me and the lambs. Often the lambs themselves are friendly and curious though and that is a good character trait in a Finn.

Lambing kit:
Towels - check
Blue Kote - check
Scissors - check
Lamb snare- check
Esophygeal tube - check
Camera - check
Latex Gloves - check
Lubricating oil - check
Bottles - check
Lamb formula - check

Regards,
Kathryn

6 Days Left

Quiet here.

Yesterday was a dreary, cold, day with "wintry mix" type weather. Freezing rain was on the menu. Everything BUT warm and sunny. Sigh.

Mud prevails, and the sheep look awful, wet and bedraggled at this point. I can't wait to shear them as soon as it warms up.

Amelia is spending more time being quiet, which is expected. I will move her into her jug over the weekend. Then I will watch her like a hawk for signs of labor. The weather forecast is for warm and sunny days, and fairly warm - 40 or so - nights. I'll have the lamb coats ready.

Grass is coming up and the girls are practically eating it as it is still pushing through the earth. I understand that though. They cannot wait to taste the succulent shoots. Its been a long winter for everyone.

This will be the year of severe flock reduction. With 20 bred ewes and the potential for 40-60 lambs, I will be interested in selling all of the lambs and 10 of the ewes. I will also be parting with a number of rams as well.

 We are back to the consideration of selling meat from the farm. Still need to work out some details though.

If you are interested in purchasing Finnsheep or freezer lamb, feel free to contact us. We are happy to answer questions.

Regards,
Kathryn

Frankie - Amelias' boy from 2013.  Offered for sale as a yearling.

 

7 Days and Counting - Naming Lambs

Amelia with four lambs.
 

Early on we decided to go with the alphabetical order of naming the lambs, a different letter for each year. This year the letter is "G".

What this does is allow us to quickly recall what year a lamb was born in, according to the letter. "G" means its 2014, and our seventh year of lambing.

Now I excel at a great many things, but naming more than three lambs, is not one of them. I run out of ideas, so this task falls to hubby who is very good at it. He will research the internet and coming up with several options, presents them to me for a vote. I can yea or nay the name, and usually know right away if it is a fit for the lamb in question. Once in awhile I'll have to think on it a bit, then decide.

Hoping to get an early jump on it this year, I've considered some "G" names and typically have come up with my three - George, Giselle and Gaspar. Then of course the popular Gretchen, Gretel, Georgia, Gabby, Gwendolyn, Garth, Gary, Geoffrey. Well, looks like a good start anyway. By the end of lambing season we'll be long out of these names since I think we'll have about 40 or more lambs when its all said and done.

We do also tag the lambs with a number, but calling a cute little lamb # 181 just isnt' the same at all. And they ooze personality which fairly demands identifying them with a moniker that captures that personality. Being a small hobby farm, we can be as hokey as we like and at times I carry it to the max. Naming is one of those times :-).

At any rate, I need three "G" names by next week. Don't know if they will be girl or boy names yet, but I should have at least six - three of each just to be sure. Interestingly, I just noticed that without hesitation I said, " I'll need three "...hmmmmm......intuition?  Could be. Guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out how good I am at predicting how many lambs a ewe will have. I think this year will be triplets for Amelia. Care to bet?

Regards,
Kathryn

8 Days Left

Although it's a matter of weeks now before this picture of summer pasture becomes reality, winter just won't let go yet.

 

So far today we've had drizzle, hail and high winds. Tomorrow the high will be 52 according to the weather forecast.

 

We can hope.

 

In the meanwhile, the girls are all doing well, and enjoying their grain rations with great relish.

 

Evening rations

 

At this time the girls are getting 20 pounds of grain daily.  The only time the sheep get grain is during the last four weeks of gestation and the first four weeks of lactation. I start by feeding a half pound per ewe per day for the first week and increase the amount by a 1/2 lb each week until the ration is 2 pounds a day per ewe. This provides them with the extra nutrition they need, since their ability to take in enough nutrition from hay and grass is compromised due to the space the lambs are taking up.

I like to mix my own rations, for no particular reason aside from enjoying it, and so they get whole corn, whole oats, soybean meal and loose minerals.  Plenty of water, unlimited access to second cut hay and whatever grass they can find at this point.  Healthy lambs start with sound nutrition for the dam, as does ample milk supply and rapid recovery.

My experience has been that once the lambs are born and the dam is nursing them, its as if their resistance to parasites is lowered and I find symptoms of Hoemoncus Contortus, ( Barber Pole ) worm within a short time frame from lambing. Once wormed, that seems to put the problem of parasites to rest and no further treatment is necessary.

Today will be a day for working on getting the lambing jug prepared. Cleaning out, rebedding and moving the two ewes closest to lambing are all on the agenda for the next week. Lambs will be here before we know it!

Regards,
Kathryn

Single digits - 9 days left for Amelia

So much to do and so little time.

With the cool temps prevailing and the ever present possibility of freezing temps and snow, I cannot yet shear the sheep, though both me and them are more than ready.

 

Once this rain has passed I will crutch Amelia and Caden, removing the wool from around their udders allowing for the lambs to have better access and less chance of inadvertently nursing on wool tags. Then as soon as it warms up and stays warm, I'll shear the flock. Until then, I'll shear as needed prior to lambing, one at a time.

 

The best shelter for lambing that we have has been used all winter by our flock of Rouen ducks, so I will ban them from it and set about cleaning it, and re bedding with nice, deep and dry straw for Amelia and the lambs to snuggle down in and stay warm.

 

The general rule for lambing is, as many lambs as the ewe has, she should stay that amount of days in a separate pen, known as a "jug" away from gen pop ( general population ) to allow the lambs and her to bond and acclimate. So, two lambs, two days, three lambs - three days and so on.

Some ewes don't need so much time, knowing perfectly well who their lambs are, and where they are at all times. New, first timers can benefit from the ability to focus solely on their new babies without the dynamic of other sheep.

It's not uncommon for a pregnant ewe to steal a lamb from a new mom, taking over and treating it as her own. No real harm is done but the pregnant ewe has no milk and so isn't a good choice for the lamb. We've had this happen once, and were able to sort things out quickly and without mishap.

 

The grass is already shooting up and tender blades are everywhere if still rather short. By the time Amelia's lambs are ready for general population, it's very likely we'll have some pasture and the rich, lush nutrients so important to the recuperation of the ewe and growth of the lamb will be plentiful.

 

Thank God we have said Good Bye to winter.  As life quickens all around, regeneration and restoration are under way, bringing fertility and abundance of plants, animals and  birds.

We're processing the maple sap now and I expect to hear the peepers and the wood frogs very soon.

Can't wait!

Regards,

Kathryn

Waiting patiently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amelia - 10 days left to lambing time.

 Today as I walked out to greet the girls, they were all at the hay feeder, but came running when they saw me. Amelia however, had been laying down. The best she could do was get up. She was content to stay put while the others checked out the prospect of food rations.

Yesterday was a pleasant enough day, weather wise. Sunny, but cool enough still to be comfortable working outdoors.

Today is going to rain. Not something I look forward to because of the mud and generally yuckiness of a mess it makes, nor the flooding in the streams and brook, but 'tis the season of April showers and such, so what must be must be.

Amelia has been bred to Corrigan this year, and I am curious to see what we get in terms of colors from her lambs. The last two years she was bred to Panda, a spotted ram, and she produced spotted lambs both times. Corrigan is white but I suspect he carries for spotting, and this breeding is a test to see whether we might get spots from him.

Amelia herself is black. When bred previously to Corrigans' father Clef, she gave white lambs each time. Clef is white, but I don't think he carries the spotting gene, Corrigan on the other hand, has one solitary spot, so that would suggest he does carry the gene. We will see in about 10 days!

Shortly after Amelia has her lambs, her daughter Caden will lamb. Caden gave us five lambs last year. Four white and a black. It doesn't appear to me that either Amelia or Caden will have as many this year. I'm guessing triplets for both. 

Amelia with last years' lambs. Annie is curious and looks on.
 

 

Corrigan

Let's keep fingers crossed that the weather gets warm and stays that way long enough for the new lambs to get acclimated. Makes life soooo much easier :-)

 

Regards,

Kathryn 



 

 



January 31, 2014

Corrigan - one of our 2014 sires

Wow, 1/12 of 2014 gone already! 


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.

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

 

January 22, 2014 There are days..........

Horse Drawn Mower Waiting for Spring

There are days in the life of a shepherd that are beyond glorious, when all is well with the world and you know that God is in control.

Then there are the other days.

Don't get me wrong, nothing catastrophic has happened, no lost livestock or any unexpected problems to deal with. The flock is well even though the temp this morning was -13, and we are well.

It is just that in the middle of these long, dark, cold, overcast weeks of winter, I find myself slowly feeling discouraged.

I like winter as a rule, as long as I know the critters are handling it well, I don't mind the twice a day feeding/ checking up on animals and chores, and surprisingly I've come to realize that without those forced outings in all weather, I'd have missed some pretty amazing sights, sounds and moments that you cannot recapture.

Often, looking outside from the warmth of the cottage, its easy to dread stepping out, but most of the time I find once I am outside that it really is quite nice and end up staying outside doing more than I had originally intended because of it.

What I've observed personally is that the doldrums of winter are relieved not by warmer temps or less snow, but simply by sunshine. My spirits are enlivened again and my energy renewed by sunshine.

I don't miss the heat of summer, in fact I dread that more than the cold because it is impossible to escape it and the bulk of the work has to be done at this time. But the sunshine is always a welcome sight coming over the treetops lighting up the day.

The good news is, January will be behind us in 9 days. February in 28 after that. Then comes March and no matter what wacky weather it holds, I know we're on the upswing and the days will get longer, the sun will shine more, and eventually the greenery will return along with bouncing lambs, freshly shorn fleeces and all the warmth I can stand!

So for now, I occupy myself with spinning, weaving, making herbal salves and creams, shoveling and staying warm along with the usual routine chores.

And daydreaming - 83 more days until lambs!

Regards,
Kathryn

 

Line Breeding

Sunday morning here. Slow start and then the momentum gradually picks up.

Coffee and plenty of it.

As I sip my cuppa, I think about the coming lambs and remember back to my early shepherding days when breeding stock was a new challenge.

With Finnsheep being small in number in the USA, getting unrelated breeding stock to develop separate bloodlines isn't easy, and the importation of semen from Finland was prohibited.

Initially I was adamant that my breeding animals be unrelated but quickly I learned that within five generations almost all of  the animals are related, with few exceptions.

Due to the efforts of a few Finnsheep breeders with decades of experience, there are a few lines that are completely unrelated but not many.

So I began to get familiar with terms like: inbreeding, crossbreeding, line breeding and out breeding.

Also the term " closed flock. "

Once I determined that I had the number of animals I wanted, I decided to close the flock, meaning no new animals from different sources would be allowed. This minimizes the potential for disease and gives me less to worry about.

But, what can come of it eventually, is that your stock becomes more and more closely related until such time as you do decide to open the flock and bring in new blood. Then it is time to quarantine the new animal until you can be assured it poses no threat to the established flock.

In the meanwhile, various breeding's result in bloodlines with common characteristics among the related animals and these can be good or bad or both.

In the animals with a number of very strong traits, a desire to preserve and perpetuate those traits leads a shepherd to begin considering line breeding, or a deliberate pairing of animals with common ancestors, in the hope of enhancing the existing traits or at a minimum passing good traits on to more progeny.

Unfortunately, this can also result in enhancing of negative traits as well.

Understanding this, and having a willingness to deal with the negatives through culling, leaving only the stronger and better animals, is the intention of line breeding.

Under these circumstances it is desirable to breed related animals, and not such a scary proposition as I once believed.

In the end, what you intend to do with your flock, is what determines whether line breeding is a choice or not.
Lambs destined for the meat market are terminal early on in their lives so negative characteristics aren't going to be passed on. Line breeding isn't a problem there.

Breeding stock, especially that to be sold to other shepherds, needs to be top quality so culling of less than superior animals is a must.

If pets and fiber animals with a fleece worthy enough to keep, then some negative traits aren't an issue as long as the negative animal isn't used for breeding or exhibits traits known to impact the animals quality of life.

This info isn't intended to be a guide or tutorial, simply food for thought and one of the issues I've learned about as my shepherding experience has unfolded over time.

I'd encourage anyone who is interested to educate themselves on line breeding.

This is an interesting explanation
:
http://www.critterhaven.biz/info/articles/1_ram.htm

Regards,
Kathryn

January 16, 2014

Slow start today, second cuppa and still grey skies.

St. Johns' Wort
 



Yarrow
 

Weather has been fairly mild, though the ground has been treacherous for man and beast with all the ice, but so far, we're good.

I can do without the rain. We get enough during * mud * season, and it seems a bit premature at this time of year. I will say though, everyone seems confused as to what season it is. The birds are cavorting between the ducks' feed dishes with a great deal of song and chatter and it does seem like Spring is imminent though in reality - not so much. Yet it is a welcome respite from winter doldrums and the phrase "January thaw" does come to mind.

It is hard not to envision the coming greenery and plant life that will swell and take over come Spring. We usher in Spring with maple sugaring, something we love to do and look forward to with high anticipation.  Who knew that trees of all things would yield such delicious elixir?

It is this time of year that I start thinking about the logistics of pasture rotations and getting the ewes with newborn lambs out to the rich, lush grass that will be the mainstay of their diet for several months.

As I consider the nutritional needs of the sheep ( and dogs and cat and ducks and horses ) I find it ironic that I spend much more time finding or creating just the right combination of nutrients to ensure their well being, than I do my own! 
My how far mankind has come since the days of hunting and gathering. Now hunting and gathering has to do with which grocery store to shop and what foods I can get that will satisfy my needs quickly , inexpensively and without much clean up. Yipes!

As for the sheep, I've learned that the best case scenario for them is good quality hay and grass when they can get it.
We feed both second cut and first cut hay all winter long, offering them continuous access 24/7.

As ruminants they are well designed to derive their required nutrients from this grass based diet, right up until the last four weeks of gestation and the first four weeks of lactation.

Because Finnsheep can carry up to as many as 7 lambs at a time, it stands to reason that their organs undergo a shift and compression that compromises their ability to take in enough dry matter to sustain their energy and nutrient needs during those last few weeks. As a result, the shepherd intervenes and provides the essential food in the form of grains, the exact type varying from shepherd to shepherd. This allows for adequate intake of nourishment until lambing time.

Once the lambs are on the ground and nursing the nutritional requirement skyrockets for those first few weeks and milk production is related to the amount of energy taken in by the ewe.

I've learned that taking them off their grain too early results in decreased lactation, so those first four weeks, they receive a healthy, balanced diet designed to support lactation. By four weeks of age the lambs have a good start and are robust so that any diminished production only increases their desire to graze and eat "real" food.

Of course, minerals play a large role in their diet as well, particularly since our area is selenium deficient making it necessary to see there is adequate access to selenium supplement along with the other important nutrients.

The rams however, are not given grain during any portion of the year largely because it is associated with a higher incidence of urinary calculi, a painful and fatal blockage of the ureter.

If I feel it necessary to supplement the rams my food of choice is shredded beat pulp with molasses.
It provides the needed energy and nutrition along with roughage and they love it.

I've also learned to manage many of their health issues such as worming, with herbal supplements and this has worked out nicely. In some cases if I need to give a dose of medicine, I can disguise it in an herbal ball and it is readily taken from my hand with no knowledge of the cure within.

Easy - peasy!

One of the many observations I've made as a shepherd is that of the surrounding flora and fauna, both in cases of plants that heal as well as those that can kill if a sheep eats it.

I am delighted to find that all manner of wild, often considered invasive weeds, thrive in our immediate area because they afford the raw material to craft medicinal cures, salves, supplements and even dyes.

Still, not all those I rely upon grow locally and I do utilize purchased herbs at times. Ideally I would have an herbal garden, something I intend to create but find hard to get started.

And of course, I look forward to the first new lambs due in 89 days! But, whose counting?

 

Regards,
Kathryn

January 11, 2014

We've come through the Arctic blast without incident, and now we're braving the ice covered frozen ground saturated with rain. The warnings now are for flooding due to the rain and melting snow.
Mere walking outside is life threatening without proper foot gear, and driving all the more so.

Oddly there have been moments when it feels much like early spring and I think for an instant that it is time to tap trees for sugaring and lambs aren't far off. Then I realize we have another 15 weeks or so of winter and ponder what lies ahead.

Breeding has ceased and the ewes have been paired with three rams this year. A white ram, who carries for color and spotting, a brown ram and a piebald. I am, as ever, excited at the prospects.

The expectation is for at least 40 lambs and closer to 50, so I've made the decision that all ram lambs will be sold to the meat market, unless I have a buyer. While difficult, the revenue will allow for maintaining the fiber and breeding stock.

We are now excepting deposits for reservations on lambs, and also on fleeces. This year there will be 31 fleeces from a variety of different colored sheep, white being predominant and excellent for dyeing.

I'm happy to answer questions and speak with shepherds or potential shepherds regarding the flock and lamb purchases. Feel free to ask.

Also happy to accept deposits on 2014 fleeces as well, contact me for pictures and details.

Regards,
Kathryn

January Happenings

https://www.etsy.com/shop/oldschoolhandwovens?ref=si_shop
The big news for January is that we have re-opened our Etsy Shop known as oldschoolhandwovens.

Listings will be added slowly but steadily as I interject the shop tasks with the rest of the goings on here. Please be patient with me. Any questions about goods or services, please ask, don't be shy!

On another note, the sheep have come through the bitter weather well, to my relief.

Our newest shelter, the larger hoop house with the brown cover is proving to exceed my expectations.

Unlike previous hoop house shelters, this one, designed by my DH, utilizes aluminum piping bent and welded for extra strength against the snow loads and high winds. Its tall enough for me to walk around in which is a huge plus as walking hunched over in a half crouch really isn't fun or conducive to taking care of bedding etc.

 The size of the structure makes it easier for me to work in, accommodates more sheep, and will allow for the cleaning it out in the spring to be much more readily accomplished. All this and I can still reach up from the inside to slap the roof and knock the snow off without aid of a tool to assist. All good. Kudos to DH for doing a great job!

Having considered how much I like this new building I've concluded the only element missing is a way to close both ends.
 For the most part the sheep should have the choice of entering or leaving, but there are times when closing them in securely is necessary and as yet, we haven't devised a method to do so, though I have a plan to create swinging gates.
These will most likely be constructed from cattle panels cut in two sections. When added to the end of the structure, they will swing inward to open and keep them out of the way until such time as it is appropriate to close them. Then they will swing outward, coming together in the middle where they will be secured. Easy!

Next year I'll have another just like it and then for all intents, I will be set on critter housing.

One thing about farm life that is certain - the more skills you have and the more things you can do yourself, the better off you will be. Everything from vet skills to growing and preserving food are vital. Thank God we followed our interests early in our lives, as quirky as they seemed to friends and family, because its those skills we now rely on.  It is funny how in hindsight we were preparing for this lifestyle even without truly realizing it.

Now if we could only bale our own hay!

Regards,
Kathryn

Saturday - January 4, 2014

You can now find some of our hand spun yarns and hand woven items here: on Etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/oldschoolhandwovens?ref=si_shop


Oh glory day! The sun is bright and shinning on the mountainside across the road, making an inspiring invitation to arise, step out and participate in the coming day!
What an awesome and promising moment in time, Thank You God!

That said, I find myself daydreaming in the early days of the new year. So much to look forward to now that we have turned the corner from old year, to impending Spring. Such promise.

These days in between Christmas and New Year found me spinning like crazy. I have alot of fiber that needs to be taken from its raw ( in the case of shorn fleeces ) or processed ( in the case of mill processed roving ) state into its spun, woven or felted state and the sooner the better. I like the tactile nature of creating things from dyed, blended and spun fiber so I don't find it a chore but rather a delight for the most part.

These are some of the most recently spun Finnsheep yarns.

They came directly "out of the bag" of roving from the mill, spun as they unwound, no choosing of colors on my part. The yarn on the left is a single - ply, the yarn in the middle is a two - ply and the yarn on the right is a two - ply bulky.

66 yards, 180 yards and 40 yards, respectively. In the meanwhile I've done something similar with the Border Cheviot I've been spinning as well as blending, so I've been productive this past week.

Soon it will be time to get back to the looms, but for now, I'll just spin and day dream!


Regards,
Kathryn

Winter Storm Hercules

First storm of 2014

So, the first snow storm of the new year was okay. Not nearly as awful as it might have been, but long ago I've learned to be prepared for the worst.
Snow here is a non-event. We are used to it, and cold temps as well. You learn how to manage your life and the lives of your critters so that the snow isn't much of an issue, and given my "druthers", I'd ruther have snow than blistering, humid heat any day. So would the sheep!

Aside from winter we have Spring which I've come to refer to as "mud" season. Yuck. Between the melting snow and the April showers which start in March, we spend a good six weeks if we're lucky ( 8 weeks if not ) up to our knees in some sort of dirty, slimy, boot sucking mud which leaves everything looking wretched. Best case is a short "mud" season, God willing.

At any rate, things are moving along a bit here. Ewes are bred and due to lamb in April. I am spinning like crazy, felting soaps, and weaving with pure Finnsheep wool from the 2013 clip, whilst looking forward to shearing 31 animals this year with a lot of lustrous, soft fleece of many colors. Can't wait!

The sheep hardly noticed the conditions and came through just fine!

Regards,
Kathryn

Sheep - Mothers and Daughters

Just a hopeful reminder that Spring will come again!
 

As I've stated in previous posts, I am fortunate enough to be able to spend a good deal of time just observing the sheep in our flock.

We maintain two separate groups based on gender - a ewe flock and a ram flock, for most of the year.
This differs at breeding time and lambing time. For breeding purposes, select rams are given access to the ewes and at lambing time the ram lambs stay with their dams until weaning time.

One of the observations I've made repeatedly is the bond between ewes and their lambs. Call me crazy, but I have had occasion to part with a lamb, only to regain possession of it at some future date well after it has matured.

What I have seen is both consistent and bears out the idea of familial bonds that last a good long time.

When a ewe lamb now matured is reintroduced into our flock, the ewe lamb almost immediately recognizes its dam and makes quick attempts to greet and acknowledge her dam. The reactions on the part of the young ewe have ranged from approaching the dam and interacting to actual jubilant jumping and leaping about at the reunion. These young lambs are just about 12 - 18 months old at the time of the reacquainting, and the separation could be as little as two weeks, to over a year.

My first experience with this was after I purchased three ewes, who were dam, daughter and dams' sister.
Circumstances allowed me to take one ewe initially and she was not a happy girl when introduced to her new flock. Two weeks later her dam and aunt arrived and the joy expressed by the young ewe was very interesting to watch. This exuberant leaping and cavorting carried on all afternoon.

Any other reintroductions are much the same on the part of the young ewe.

My second observation has been the reaction of the dam - while signs of recognition on her part are clear, she is less enthused and maintains an air of indifference. "Oh, its you." Yet they tend to band together none the less, within the flock itself.

I cannot testify to ram lambs and their dams as I make a pointed effort NOT to reintroduce them, EVER.  My experience with the young rams is that they are happy to meet any ladies at all regardless of familial connection. My impression is that greetings between ewe and ram are minimal and whether or not a ewe is the dam of a particular ram is of no interest to the young ram.

This is just one more thing that makes shepherding animals that most folk refer to as "stupid" quite interesting. In my experience they are far, far from stupid.

Regards,
Kathryn

December 13, 2013

14 degrees here this morning. Dry, clear, cold. Really nice!

The first pic is the winter shelters for the ewes.

Pic #2 is one of the breeding groups. Three ewes and a ram.

Pic #3 is the main ewe flock leaving their Premier round bale feeder to come see me as I take their pic.

Pic #4 is Earls' Brother. Perhaps one of THE friendliest and trusting rams I've ever owned. He is a classic example of those sheep who seek out human interaction and affection. I love him!

 Pic #5 is of Freckles (R) and Andy (L). Both lively, curious and friendly boys. Andy is one of the flock sires this year. Hopefully Freckles will be too.

And last - the Percheron team, Paladin (R) and Dick (L).

Yesterday I dropped off some wool products in town at the whole foods store, and have begun to plan for a website where we can showcase and offer our hand made wool items.

Today I'll be immersed in weaving and spinning after feeding the critters.

 I'm waiting for some fiber to come back from the mill and getting ready to send out more. This time I'll send out more organic wool and some fiber to make wool mattress toppers and comforters. I've been wanting to do that for a long time. I also have a few more pelts to ship.

So, daylight is coming and its time to suit up for the feeding and watering chores before everyone starts calling to me.

Regards,
Kathryn