Tag: ewes

Musical Pastures

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In our never ending quest for better flock health, we’ve been busy playing musical pastures.  The ewes have finally made it to the hayfield by the old barn.  This involves putting up more than 1/2 mile of temporary net fencing, which will be moved several times in the coming weeks.  They are brought back in to the permanent pine grove pasture in the evening to protect them from predators.  This has worked out very well.  The ewes are on new pasture in preparation for breeding season, and the hayfield is being weeded and fertilized.

In an effort to avoid another scandal like the one last year involving the young Maebh, we decided to separate the ram lambs from the ewe lambs following FAMACHA scoring on Saturday.  The ram lambs are now in the granddaddy green pasture, and the ewe lambs were moved back to the graveyard pasture.  We were really excited to score 19 ‘ones’ and 0 ‘fours’ this time.  We did have to treat about a dozen ‘threes’, but that is less than 25%.  The cooler weather is probably helping.  All the lambs are out of the barn and out on pasture.  Time to start planning for fall shearing.

The Big Weekend

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As many weekends are… this was a very busy weekend on the farm.  We moved the yearlings and the older ewes back to the granddaddy green by the barn.  It is so great to have them back at the barn, if only for a little while.  In a couple weeks we will move them to a paddock where they will have access to one of the hayfields during the day.  We also moved the rams to a new paddock… inching slowly towards breeding season.

Took Raven into the woods after doing a little work with the goat boys, and flushed that blasted fox.  It took off up over the hill through the graveyard field.

Celebrated Mom’s birthday… Happy Birthday, once again, Mom!  Great-granddaughter Harley is ready to help blow out the twenty candles she counted to put on the cake.

And we sold a dozen of our ewes – yearlings and proven two-year-olds.  Many, many thanks to the McComb family for making the trip from Marlinton to buy some of our girls.  We are so excited that they are going to a handspinner’s flock.  We hope they will love the fleeces the girls produce and enjoy spinning them as much as we do!

Our Girls Love a Parade

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The ewes consider any visit to their paddock, a great occasion, and they will come parading out of the woods to prove it.  Yes, our girls sure seem to love a parade!   
The ewes are regaining condition… enjoying their quiet time in the back paddock before the breeding cycle starts all over again.
We have all been spending a lot of time in the shade; doing as many chores as possible at daybreak and dusk. Finally, yesterday, we were treated to a little break in the heat and humidity.

Settling In

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The lambs are doing well in their new pasture.  Only one breakout – the first night – when they went either through or over a portion of the fence.  A double fence has been put in that corner now.  They have quieted down and are falling into the morning and evening routine of coming for a little corn and oats and the counting of the lambs.  Only one moment of panic so far when 14 of them hid in the shelter at the bottom of the hill; which, of course, was the last place we looked for them.  We will bring them back to the barn on Saturday to do a FAMACHA check and check their condition.

The ewes have also settled down and are enjoying their (well deserved) rest and relaxation in the back pasture.

Tending the Flock

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Over the weekend, we brought the ewes and lambs from the paddock near the knoll back to the barn for CD+T vaccinations and FAMACHA checks.  We brought them through a moving lane on the outside of the perimiter fence as that was the easiest and shortest route.  We had one lamb escapee, but it ran alongside and found its way back in before we got everyone in to the barn.  All the lambs had full bellies, and they and the ewes were ‘all present and accounted for’.  We only had to treat one lamb (which may have been stress from getting its head stuck in a wire panel) and one ewe; praying that the rest of the summer goes as well!  

When we finished, we made the return trip back to the knoll paddock where we had oats and corn waiting in the feeders and vinegar in the watering trough.  By the way, we bought our first shepherd’s crook this spring, and we honestly don’t know how we ever got along without it.  We bought a fiberglass one since it would be lighter; such a great investment!

We also moved Belladonna to the large adjoining paddock.  She is very excited and happy to be right next to her charges, and she has a very large space to patrol.  There are squirrels to tree, and all kinds of new things to explore.
Samson continues to guard the barn paddock where we hope to encourage Mr. Foxey Loxey to develop new stalking grounds.  He is also guarding the yearlings and the triplets but more about that tomorrow.

Greener Pastures

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The yearlings, wethers and ewes without lambs are busy bio-mowing a new section of the barnyard.  This portion includes our dyer’s garden where they are working on the weeds and fertilizing a bit. 
That accomplished, we then tackled the more complicated task of moving the ewes and their lambs into a new paddock.  This proved to be somewhat comical because as soon as we opened the gate, all the mamas ran through, but the lambs… uuhhh, the lambs… uummm, only the oldest, Maebh’s ram lamb, followed. 

There is definitely something wrong with this picture!  Now, in the lamb’s defense… the gate is small and it no longer opens all the way (having once been knocked off its hinges by an over-enthusiastic ram), but honestly… honestly, the grass really is greener on the other side.


We decided to leave the gate open so that the ewes could sort things out, and slowly, one by one, they came back looking for their little ones; eventually coaxing their lambs through.  Happily, by late yesterday, most of the families had migrated to the new paddock, and we should be able to close the gate today. 
In other…  really good… news…
— Poppy’s head is healing nicely and she has rejoined the yearlings in the barnyard.
— Ceres has really perked up.  She is eating well and loudly greets us when we open the barn door.

Release the Bio-mowers

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So… you’ve been in the peak of lambing season and barely get out of your barn clothes except to go to bed… it’s been raining cats and dogs for weeks and the grass has been growing equally as strong,   What’s a shepherdess to do?  Why, it must be time for the annual Release of the Bio-mowers!

Hestia and her girls know something is going on over there

most of the mamas rush in to take advantage of the new grass

some of the lambs decide to participate

while most decide it’s just a good opportunity for a nap

Pondering the Who

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The yearling ewes, as if to make up for being such troublemakers all winter, have now decided that they like nothing better than to have their heads scratched.  They especially love to be scratched behind the ears and will nudge you quite forcefully if you stop before they think you should.  And, honestly, who can resist a face like that?
In other news, it seems likely that the young Maebh (yearling ewe 1002) is in a family way.  Despite having grown up on the farm, and our prior shepherdess experience, our first reaction was “How did that happen?”  Well, having given it a second thought, we obviously know the how, the puzzle is the when.  We do not intentionally breed our ewes until they are two.  So either we did not get the ram lambs separated in time or we have another Houdini on our hands.  Hmmm, something to ponder as we go about the daily chores… the when… and then… the who.