2023, Waiting on Lambs!

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Disbanded the breeding groups today. 2-3wks and cleanup ram will go in.
Didn't get a pic of the last group, as Oreo was a pain to catch.
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The 4sale sheep, Scuttlebutt, Oreo & Tatiana.
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Some of the ewes have decided hay is a good idea today.
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"Stole" the horse area for the sheep. Don't want them living in the barn, as all they do is fill it with poop, pee & refuse to go out. And they'll ruin the ground, making it gross once lambs start to arrive.
Eventually, I'll have covered, movable hay feeders out there, but this'll do for now.


Sent my shearing request out today.
Looks like I have 45 Babydolls & 3 oddball ewes.
 

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Added a 16ft panel and put up mesh for hay on it. 32 feet of feeder.
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And some that are still trying to convince themselves that the grass will grow in as they search for it. Lol.
Almost 70F today. Still no snowfall this season.
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Drug over the feeders, 5th one the horses destroyed. 😅 The two long ones fit 20 odd sheep, two short ones kinda don't. Ah well.
Tested out how they like soybean meal as extra protein today. Only half were down here, most seemed to at least partly like it. I'll probably mix it with the wet alfalfa pellets so they all eat it.

I'm still figuring out better hay feeders. Have metal roofing panels to reuse, just need to get a plan together & buy the wood.
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Problem is their small size & short necks. So, getting things the correct dimensions is gonna be a pain. Gotta get the slant board close enough for them to reach the hay, but not so close that they can easily pull the hay out. Basically, I want them standing with heads n necks fully inside, so drops are caught on board and eaten. And that brings us to the front wall & legs under the slats. Has to be low enough for them to still touch the bottom board...
No idea if this will be a waste, so going to try to find scrap wood & make a small one to test out. If there's a lot less waste, I'll make more & longer ones.
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Ignoring the klutz eweling...lol. Got the 5th feeder in. Filled the 3 long ones with some soybean meal. As you can tell, I need to use the two short ones. Not enough space otherwise.
Up to 2× a day of about 1 tablespoon per head.



Also started on the hay feeder project! Finally!
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