We are about a third of the way through shearing now. It takes us a couple of weeks because we not only shear each sheep, but we also do a health check, vaccinate, trim hooves, and then we skirt, grade,... Continue Reading →
I'm too busy with other projects and I really don't want to use the push-mower or weed-whacker. Next act: rams and wethers trim the garden area. The rams and wethers have been hard at work all spring weed-whacking for me.... Continue Reading →
It feels so good to be done with shearing! We feel so accomplished. We figure this must be how it feels to finish a full marathon. The sheep have all been shorn, vaccinated, and had their hooves trimmed. They are... Continue Reading →
We started shearing, but it has been really dreary, cold, and rainy. We took a couple of days off to let the sheep dry and now it's sprinkling again... The weather just doesn't want to cooperate this year. Sunday was... Continue Reading →
Coon loves babes (ewes) all year long. While the other rams gradually lose interest after the normal breeding season, Coon does not. We say he is "obsessed with babes". So, this time of year, he cops this pose as he... Continue Reading →
I've written about this topic before, but we've learned a lot since. We currently run a flock of five intact rams and two wethers; the primary ram (sire) and his six sons, which are all brothers or half brothers. Last... Continue Reading →
Thursday mornings I have to put the bin out for trash collection and the boys were out having an early morning graze. It was a beautiful morning for a few pictures. Especially good to catch a few of Hawk and... Continue Reading →
I wanted to introduce you to the patriarch of the next generation: Heron the Ram. He just turned one year old. His fleece is AMAZING just like his brother Hawk's fleece. They are both out of Tzatziki (very crimpy) and... Continue Reading →
Oh my, I never thought we'd shear that last sheep, but we've finally finished! This is the most sheep we've ever sheared in a season. We've got a pretty good system down now: we team shear, trim hooves, vaccinate, and... Continue Reading →
So, in Florida we would just mow the duff out of the pasture at the end of the season. Apparently, those that live on the prairie are pyromaniacs. Here in Kansas, we just purposefully light it all on fire!
Poor Racoon! He almost can't stand it and flirts endlessly across the alley with the ewes. There are two open (not pregnant) ewes and they apparently smell intoxicating!
The ewes were bred starting the 18th of October. So, we will start watching for lambs to drop around March 12. I'm so excited! However, I may have gotten carried away, or rather the ram got carried away, because we have the propensity for 7-21 lambs.
One by one, the ladies line up to flirt with the men across the driveway. This year the grass is so tall you can't even barely pick out the rams amongst it.
We will be breeding in November! Until then, keep it rated PG!
My husband sheared a couple of hoggets by himself, but he ended up doing adaptive shearing with me where he would tip and shear belly wool and get legs started, and then stand them up, and I would finish shearing the rest of the sheep from a sitting position while he held them. It was definitely a team sport.
Well, tomorrow we will re-attempt to put the ewe-lambs back out with the ewes. We tried to do a three-week weaning earlier in the spring, but that just did not work out. When we turned them back in with the ewes after the "first weaning", they went straight back to their mammas and the udders came right back!
Finally, it was time for the 10-month old ram-lamb to be reintroduced to his father. The ram-lamb lacked about 25 lbs. and a set of really good horns, and I hoped the ram would not fight the ram-lamb to the death.
