mysunwolf lambing 2016

Thank you, you all are so wonderful

Southern, I've also noticed the large number of prolapses this year, but likened it to me being more connected to the online shepherd community. I was thinking management too, but it always leads back to genetics when, say, 10% of the stock had a problem but all the rest were fine. So in short...

And we actually decided against investing in pure East Friesians for that very reason: that purebreds seem to have more issues. I think it's mostly the fault of producers not culling hard enough when dealing with pure, potentially expensive stock.

About 70% of my herd has genetics from one local farm (I did this by accident by not sourcing far away enough), and I think they have some problem sheep in their flock and don't keep close enough records to know. But that may be my inexperience talking.

Going to have to eat one of my best friends though Shouldn't have gotten that close, but sheep are so sweet.

There have been many prolapses here as well that i have heard of, and bloated, dead lambs that must be cut out. It is strange indeed.

We went ahead and butchered her today, nice clean kill and she had a lot of meat on her for a 120# Katahdin. She had twin fetuses that definitely still had two months to go, a white and a roan, both died with the ewe so I was glad. I'm going to miss my favorite blonde "dog sheep." I am a big baby and have cried all day

So sorry

I am sorry.

Sometimes I don't think we say it enough to one another but I would like to tell you that you did a selfless act for your ewe. Ultimately, as hard as it was to do, you cared enough to end what would have been a long and painful ordeal. You put the well being of your ewe above your own emotional needs. These are the things that makes a good shepherd an even better one.

Southern by choice said:

I am sorry.

Sometimes I don't think we say it enough to one another but I would like to tell you that you did a selfless act for your ewe. Ultimately, as hard as it was to do, you cared enough to end what would have been a long and painful ordeal. You put the well being of your ewe above your own emotional needs. These are the things that makes a good shepherd an even better one.

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This means so much to me I am always trying to be a better farmer, tending to the whole and loving the individual... or something like that. Including culling.

I feel better after having finished the job. Our friends and neighbors are sharing in the meat. And now I am looking for more sheep, of course I just continue to hope that this was not a management issue.

I am finally getting over putting down our ewe. Now that I know how cheap the vet is, I will probably be in there multiple times each month. If we had known before, we might have tried to save the ewe and her lambs, but it was definitely a learning experience. Geez, since I started homesteading/farming in 2012 with no previous experience, there have been quite a few learning experiences!

So back to the reason you're all here: our first possible due date for lambs was Monday at 145 days. Today we are at Day 147 for Dru and still nothing. Her sides have sunk, baby (babies?) is in place, she is not grazing much, tail a little raised, bag is fairly big, and she is standing a little apart from the flock. It has been pouring rain since Tuesday and is supposed to rain until next Tuesday, so I've been putting the whole flock in the barn at night. Someone here on BYH who I can't remember had a floor idea that I finally implemented in my barn: pallets and plywood. We put gravel down, then pallets, then OSB and have ourselves a nifty floor so everyone can stay dry and hoof rot-free.

The creeks are high and my animals in pens look like someone dumped buckets of mud over their heads. The pigs are all nightmares, and my poor baby goat and ram look pathetic, but still cute. See the sass?



The cooped up chickens and the girls on pasture all look much nicer, though my pregnant girls are sopping wet. (You can see Dru off to the right, the black and white sheep, feeling a little weird.)



We adopted these two bottle babies (in the photo below) a few weeks ago just to get our lamb fix in, since we are so late this year. They're Cheviot ewes and are currently living in the creep stall in the barn. They are scared of the ewes but the ewes don't seem to mind them at all and have been very sweet rather than aggressive. I'm in love They will hopefully be kept in the flock as potential milkers or just baby-makers. And they're wooly!!


I think that's about it for an update for now. We have five ewes possibly due in the next week, so I'm hoping for at least a few success stories. Spring is coming on full force and we are so glad. Stay tuned!

Loved all the photos and update And Dru should come here as she would not feel out of place at all

The aggressive ram thingy is a dominance behavior and can be managed. While I'm not a sheep person, I do have experience with bad boy rams and bad boy bucks.

You can throw him by grabbing his head, leaning on the shoulder while kicking his front feet out from under him, then lay on top of him till he cries uncle. DO NOT let him up till he stops struggling and cries a baby cry. If you can't get him down, get a sturdy young man to throw him and you get on top and slap him in the face (not hard) and yell at him. After he gets up, (with your helper watching closely) turn your back on him and walk away. If he tries to ram you then you keep throwing him till he follows you when you walk away.

The idea is to teach him "You are not the boss of me. I am the boss of you. I AM YOUR MAMMA, TREAT ME WITH RESPECT OR I WILL SPANK YOU."

Then get a shepherd's cane and if he ever again approaches you aggressively, hook his front feet and pull them right out from under him. Whenever he approaches you respectfully, give him an animal cracker and a chin scratchy.