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

November 3, 2013

Cold and wet here today. Filled all my water receptacles last night so I wouldn't need the hose until the sun can warm it up later in the day.

The critters all seem to be content for the moment.

In an effort to consolidate groups and minimize space requirements I introduced the remaining ram lambs to the two remaining teen aged rams. This went very smoothly and everyone seems quite happy with the arrangement, so I am happy.

Reintroducing adult rams is NOT one of the necessary actions I enjoy, but I do it because I enjoy it far better than watching them back waaaayyyyyyy up and hit each other full force with an unforgettable crack as they connect. I cannot stand to watch it and even less to hear it, so when the time comes to introduce them again, we squeeze them into a tight, tight space for 24 hours or so, from which they emerge a bit more civil towards each other.

Except for the one time this summer when I had a band of rams roaming about free grazing the property. I took a risk and introduced two other rams to them and there was very little interest or posturing to my relief. Absolutely no head butting at all.
But this is breeding time and the boys know it so they are more inclined to show their dominance than they were in mid summer heat with nothing much going on.
For the time being, I'll have two ram groups.

I'm pleased to say that Dallas seems to have taken a liking to little Asa, though Cwen is still out on the subject, but that is okay.
Asa admires Dallas too but seems to be figuring out logistics.  I'm rooting for the little guy but Dallas is going to have to help him I think. Time will tell.

Yesterday was spent procuring materials to fortify the shelters. In a previous post I discussed hoop houses and completely forgot to mention we also use chain link dog kennels as kind of free - standing stalls.
These are enclosed with tarps to make them wind, snow and more or less water, proof. With a nice deep pile of straw frequently added to, everybody seems cozy enough for the winter, even though we don't use a conventional barn.

On another note, we still have some fine breeding stock available for sale.

Two teen aged rams - white - 18 months old

5 ram lambs - all colored - 5 months old

8 ewe lambs - 6 white, two colored - 5 months old.

They will be available until November 10, 2013.

After that we will begin taking deposits on 2014 lambs.


Regards,
Kathryn

Sheltering a Flock

Our first year with sheep was a good learning experience.


The sheep arrived on Halloween, we had or rather, my spouse had, spent time at Tractor Supply getting step in posts, polywire electric rope, fence battery and making the necessary calculations to provide the enclosure that would contain the sheep throughout the winter.

I contrived to devise a shelter which ( no laughing, and no...I am NOT blonde ) the sheep promptly ate within a week.

It was a hay bale construction and I thought since the hay used wasn't really of good quality, the sheep would turn their noses up at it in favor of the better quality hay offered. In my ignorance I didn't realize the sheep would eat everything, no selective bones in their bodies.

So, with impending snow, freezing temps and sheep who needed a shelter I took into account all the raw materials at hand and my lack of knowledge/skill with tools, and proceeded to create one experiment after another none of which stood longer than two days.

I even spent an entire day making blocks from wet snow, stacking them into a square ice house and while pleased with the effort and could see the possibilities, watched it slowly slide downhill because I failed to take into consideration the slight, almost imperceptable slant to the ground. Okay, scratch off ...ice house shelter.

What we settled on, and have used ever since are versions of "hoop houses". These consist very simply of cattle panels 16 ft in length, 4 ft in width, and EMT tubing covered with tarps. Done right, they provide waterproof and wind resistant shelters all winter long, though I do tend to fortify the base with hay bales. The floor is heavily bedded to create a manure pack which we remove with a skid steer in the spring.

They are inexpensive, easy to construct, offer shade protection in the summer time, and allow for relocating without much effort or time spent.

I'd much rather have a big old dairy barn to be sure. I'm a fan of having the right tools for any job, but since we didn't decide on a homestead with such a barn, and have no plans for building one, that's probably not going to happen.

Below is an early version of hoop house. The cattle panel is covered by a blue tarp. The white in the middle is a PVC pipe which is used to hold the roof up under the snow load. We no longer use wood shavings as bedding, but prefer straw or hay.