SageHill
Herd Master
Crossing my fingers on that cold going away FAST. DH had one - started about the same time he drove to OK, had it there and all the way back. It finally cleared out Sunday. He had it for about a week and a half.
Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along
- Thread starter Ridgetop
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Baymule
Herd Master
I hope you kick the crud and feel better!
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- #3,873
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Sent photos of ewe to vet and she does not have mastitis, what is causing that lopsided looking udder is her pre-pubic tenon that has torn. She may be able to lamb normally but lambs might not be able to get under the belly to nurse. Possibly more bottle babies. Not a good time for this. Either way she can't lamb again so . . . . 
Hopefully she lambs tonight.
This morning GR37 had a single ram lamb out of Lewis and BL16 had split twins out of JR. The jugs are getting crowded again. This last ewe had to be penned in the aisleway between the jugs! DS1 and I will tag and vaccinate today so we can turn these lambs and ewes with the other 2 week lambs in the larger pen with the creep. About 10 to go. Some don't look ready though so that is good.
Hopefully she lambs tonight.This morning GR37 had a single ram lamb out of Lewis and BL16 had split twins out of JR. The jugs are getting crowded again. This last ewe had to be penned in the aisleway between the jugs! DS1 and I will tag and vaccinate today so we can turn these lambs and ewes with the other 2 week lambs in the larger pen with the creep. About 10 to go. Some don't look ready though so that is good.
- Thread starter
- #3,874
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Tagged and vaxed all born up to today ready for shipping. Got CVIs and transport docs ready for Bob. Will leave one set with him and I will have a duplicate set. All docs are on computer so DS1 can download another set if necessary.
Feel horrible. Can only hope for a miraculous recovery overnight. I would delay departure except Bob is coming Saturday, sheep will arrive Sunday so have to be in Yantis.
Feel horrible. Can only hope for a miraculous recovery overnight. I would delay departure except Bob is coming Saturday, sheep will arrive Sunday so have to be in Yantis.
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Hope your feeling better....enough to tough it thru.
Safe trip!! You can rest up in Yantis on Saturday, maybe.
Safe trip!! You can rest up in Yantis on Saturday, maybe.
Baymule
Herd Master
That means you are leaving today?
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Probably so -- no reply yet. Yah sometimes "gotta do what ya gotta do!". That's been her life, won't change now
SageHill
Herd Master
Hope you kick the cold's a## -- safe travels, your new home and adventure are waiting for you.
- Thread starter
- #3,879
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Made it to Yantis on Saturday evening at dusk. Exhausted and coughed my way across 2 states. DH too. Anyway, we are here and slept in to 6:30 am. Then up and unload, feed bummer lamb, and out to check sheep pen which needed more hog panels on the corral panels. Finished wiring on the stock panels then had to go to Lowes to get some zip ties. The zip ties are for attaching the mesh to the corral panels in the barn pen since the lambs would have walked through. Also a few places where there were small holes. I knew that leftover 24" wide mesh would come in handy. Put water tubs in the ram pen and ewe pen then got a call from Bob May who said would arrive in 1.5 hours. he was later than that and at 11:00 pm we met him on the driveway to unload.
First SNAFU! He had pulled in and decided that he should turn around. There was some standing water on the field so he did not want to get stuck. He backed out into the highway and turned around, then backed in up to the double gated safety area. He unloaded the mule and horse and they were ok. We moved them into the barnyard where the 5th wheel is parked. Then he had to unload the 45 ewes and their lambs. One had lambed in the trailer about 10 minutes earlier. I couldn't catch her tag number but Bob got the baby - it was still damp and struggling. After about a dozen ewes were out, Bob and Mike unloaded the next compartment. More ewes came out. I had never seen my entire flock in one place before - A lot of sheep! The lambs were in the next compartment - they came out screaming for their mamas. Their mamas were yelling for them. Pandemonium! And more sheep kept coming! Another compartment of ewes was next out including a set of twins lambed on the trip. About then I wanted to collapse but I still had more sheep and the 3 rams. The rams could not go in the garden pen we had fenced for them because Bob would not drive across the field to the ram pen. It had rained and he was afraid of getting stuck. They had to stay in the double gated holding area. The ewes would not drive into the ewe pen so we and just released them on the field for us to deal with in the am. A lamb had escaped under the trailer and out to the road. Two girls saw it, stopped, and picked it up and returned it to us. Finally everything was unloaded.
We sent Bob off with sandwiches and his check. I remembered this morning that he had our halters! He will mail them. DH and I took a shower and collapsed into bed around 1 am. Ozel was barking and the sheep were calling to their lambs. Just in case I left the bedroom window open. Coconut (the bummer lamb in the kitchen in her crate) heard the mamas calling and decided to call back for an hour. Marv took out his hearing aids and slept blissfully. I was so tired I didn't care.
Monday -
Up early this morning and out to put the ewes into their pen. Ridgetop strikes again. They didn't want to go in the scary pen, they wanted to stay out in the field. Luckily the lambs were all too young to want to go far away. Some of them were still trying to figure out who their moms were. Moms were still trying to locate lambs. They all stayed within 100-200' of the pen. This was good and we felt we could get them to enter the pen. I had detached a corral panel and swung it out it up so there was a large opening for them to go in. NOPE! That was a baaaaa-ed place. Several hours later, after attempting to round them up as we tripped and staggered through the hip high grass, I considered just shooting them all and dragging the bodies into the pen a la Kristi Noem.
However, I couldn't get to the .22 since DS1 had put it in the car and I couldn't remember how to lift the rear seat under which it was hidden. As DH and I gasped and coughed, and wondered why we thought this move was a good idea, I told DH that we should get more panels and use them to make another line of fencing off the pen. The fence on the other side would create a funnel and we could ease them in. An hour later, the ewes were in the pen with their lambs. Or so we thought. An hour later I came out to do more work covering up holes and found 4 lambs outside the pen desperately trying to get in. It is amazing how fast those tiny babies can run at just a couple days old.
After finishing on Monday night, I noticed that we had several tall dead branches jutting into the sky from one of our Catalpa trees. As I was making a mental note to get the trees trimmed, a black vulture perched on the topmost branch and surveyed the property. I was so tired that I felt it could sense that we might collapse in the field, and it had decided to be first in line for dinner. Macabre welcome to Texas.
Too tired to write more now - and there is much more. Tomorrow.
First SNAFU! He had pulled in and decided that he should turn around. There was some standing water on the field so he did not want to get stuck. He backed out into the highway and turned around, then backed in up to the double gated safety area. He unloaded the mule and horse and they were ok. We moved them into the barnyard where the 5th wheel is parked. Then he had to unload the 45 ewes and their lambs. One had lambed in the trailer about 10 minutes earlier. I couldn't catch her tag number but Bob got the baby - it was still damp and struggling. After about a dozen ewes were out, Bob and Mike unloaded the next compartment. More ewes came out. I had never seen my entire flock in one place before - A lot of sheep! The lambs were in the next compartment - they came out screaming for their mamas. Their mamas were yelling for them. Pandemonium! And more sheep kept coming! Another compartment of ewes was next out including a set of twins lambed on the trip. About then I wanted to collapse but I still had more sheep and the 3 rams. The rams could not go in the garden pen we had fenced for them because Bob would not drive across the field to the ram pen. It had rained and he was afraid of getting stuck. They had to stay in the double gated holding area. The ewes would not drive into the ewe pen so we and just released them on the field for us to deal with in the am. A lamb had escaped under the trailer and out to the road. Two girls saw it, stopped, and picked it up and returned it to us. Finally everything was unloaded.
We sent Bob off with sandwiches and his check. I remembered this morning that he had our halters! He will mail them. DH and I took a shower and collapsed into bed around 1 am. Ozel was barking and the sheep were calling to their lambs. Just in case I left the bedroom window open. Coconut (the bummer lamb in the kitchen in her crate) heard the mamas calling and decided to call back for an hour. Marv took out his hearing aids and slept blissfully. I was so tired I didn't care.
Monday -
Up early this morning and out to put the ewes into their pen. Ridgetop strikes again. They didn't want to go in the scary pen, they wanted to stay out in the field. Luckily the lambs were all too young to want to go far away. Some of them were still trying to figure out who their moms were. Moms were still trying to locate lambs. They all stayed within 100-200' of the pen. This was good and we felt we could get them to enter the pen. I had detached a corral panel and swung it out it up so there was a large opening for them to go in. NOPE! That was a baaaaa-ed place. Several hours later, after attempting to round them up as we tripped and staggered through the hip high grass, I considered just shooting them all and dragging the bodies into the pen a la Kristi Noem.
However, I couldn't get to the .22 since DS1 had put it in the car and I couldn't remember how to lift the rear seat under which it was hidden. As DH and I gasped and coughed, and wondered why we thought this move was a good idea, I told DH that we should get more panels and use them to make another line of fencing off the pen. The fence on the other side would create a funnel and we could ease them in. An hour later, the ewes were in the pen with their lambs. Or so we thought. An hour later I came out to do more work covering up holes and found 4 lambs outside the pen desperately trying to get in. It is amazing how fast those tiny babies can run at just a couple days old. After finishing on Monday night, I noticed that we had several tall dead branches jutting into the sky from one of our Catalpa trees. As I was making a mental note to get the trees trimmed, a black vulture perched on the topmost branch and surveyed the property. I was so tired that I felt it could sense that we might collapse in the field, and it had decided to be first in line for dinner. Macabre welcome to Texas.
Too tired to write more now - and there is much more. Tomorrow.Mini Horses
Herd Master
Glad you're there & safe. Yep, it's gonna be chaos for a couple days, then things will settle some & real work will begin....again. Your previously fretted plans we be wrong and you'll spend time reworking them. 
After about a month, it'll smooth out and you'll all be tired. Never fear, gets better after that. This is now home!! Settle down, slow down, enjoy. You're in your prime. 
The sheep have grass!! Isn't this fun ???
After about a month, it'll smooth out and you'll all be tired. Never fear, gets better after that. This is now home!! Settle down, slow down, enjoy. You're in your prime. The sheep have grass!! Isn't this fun ???
