feeding – Page 3 – Sheeps and Peeps Farm

Thy Collective Name Shall Be Mayhem

February 7, 2011July 6, 2017 Sheeps & Peeps4 Comments

You all remember those innocent little ewe lambs? You know, the ones that the goat boys were constantly leading into trouble. Well now that the goat boys have been moved, we are really not sure just who was leading who. Saturday morning upon making the hay and water delivery to the graveyard field, we discovered that Hermione had managed to get tangled in the net gate, winding it around her neck and legs. She was fairly easy to extract from that mess, and upon investigation the evidence was found. There was the ‘PowerLink’ chewed apart so that the gate was no longer electrified. After checking to make sure that everyone was ok, feed and water were distributed, a new ‘PowerLink’ was retrieved from the barn, and the gate and fencing were repaired… not such a big deal, not a disaster but it sure puts a big dent in your morning (especially trying to reset fencing through the snow and into the frozen ground).

So… imaginie our surprise, upon arriving at the barn on Sunday morning, when we were greeted by these lovely faces.

There they were, those innocent little ‘almost yearlings’ with Blackberry and Juliet in tow. They had made their way through fencing, two gates and almost through a third on their way to causing who knows what kind of mayhem. We quickly loaded up the Ranger with their feed, hay and water and drove out to their paddock. They happily and very quickly re-traced their steps, leaping over the tangled mess of fencing and gates that they had left behind, back into their own paddock. This time after everything was repaired, the new connector was woven through the ‘ElectroNet’ gates and attached to the perimeter electric fence. Hopefully if they try to pull on the PowerLink’ (to chew through it once again), they will get a little nip on the nose from the electric and back off. Fingers are crossed that this does the trick.

In further news… my hay-stacking karma has been sorely lacking this winter… looking for the book “Zen and the Art of Hay Hauling”.

Frigid Mornings

January 24, 2011July 6, 2017 Sheeps & Peeps2 Comments

Like much of the north east, we have been enduring bitterly cold temperatures. Yesterday morning dawned full of wind and snow. The crows worked on Samson’s dog food taking advantage of the fact that he was holed up in his dog house. This is an on-going game/battle, and if you observe for awhile, you can see that the crows even seem to work as a team with one of them sometimes acting as a lookout. (Have you seen the PBS Nature episode – “A Murder of Crows”? It showcases a lot of really interesting research involving crows; definitely worth watching.)

It doesn’t take long for tracks to disappear when the wind and snow are both going strong. Some mornings boot tracks will fill back up with snow in the few hours it takes to finish the morning chores. Overnight wind and snow had caused some pretty nice drifts on the road between the driveway and church, and on the barn lane, especially at the top of the hill. The Ranger made short work of the drifts, but with a bit of wallowing and fish-tailing. We were ever so thankful for the invention of bungee cords, by the time we made the mile-long trip from the old barn back with a load of hay.

There, the girls were patiently waiting. The sun began to peek through, and despite the wind and frigid temperatures they preferred the field to the barn; surely a testament to the warmth and the comfort of wool .

Snow Day

January 13, 2011July 6, 2017 Sheeps & Peeps4 Comments

Some days you just have to ~~endure~~ enjoy the challenge that mother nature throws into your everyday life. Yesterday was one of those days. What better way to face a day of blowing knee-deep snow with sub-zero windchills than to pack along the camera and take some pics while doing chores? The adventure began with the half-mile trek through the snowdrifts to the barn. Along the way being very thankful for the knee-high subzero boots and insulated coveralls, and wondering if the Polaris Ranger is up to the challenge of all this blowing snow. Get to the barn and feed the easiest and biggest (thanks to the weather break that allowed us to get the breeding groups back together at the barn) group first. Recruit the help of Bella to spread some straw in the barn: Then it is time to feed the couple outlying groups. The Ranger makes it from the garage to the barn and gets loaded for the trip to the graveyard field and the ewe lamb group. (Hoping the shovel is just riding along for moral support) Success!! Made it across the flat drive to the field and actually found the feed pans! Next, the greatest challenge, up the hill to the rams and Betty Lou Moo-Moo and Beefcakes. Once at the top the snow usually isn’t too deep ‘cause it all blows away, but on the way there are usually some deep drifts to ~~navigate~~ bust through. Will the tarp-sled need to be reinvented? Or the ~~big gun reinforcements~~ snow angels called in? Not today! Once again the Ranger pulls through the drifts and up the hill. Betty Lou and Beef and the Rams were very thankful and an extra bale of hay was left just in case it is necessary to hoof it to the top the next day. It’s back to the garage for the Ranger to await the next day’s challenge, and back to the barn for a Bella mini-photo shoot. Inside shot: Outside shot: Our little girl is growing up so fast. Then, fill a feed bag with hay to take to the goat boys back at the house and on the way again through the drifts through which someone had recently made a path. A good morning set-up for a warm afternoon/evening of knitting and spinning!