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Baymule
Herd Master
If only it was just fence work, but nooooo, I have years of growth that has to be cleared.
Baymule’s Journal
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Ridgetop
Herd Master
Ugh! So much work here to do I sometimes wonder why we decided to "retire" to a larger ranch operation. Then we watch the sheep grazing and the horses taking a gallop across the open part of the field and know.
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Baymule
Herd Master
I’ve been working outside getting little things done. I have a big galvanized water tub, 6’ across and 2 1/2’ deep. 3 years ago I found rust spots on the bottom and sprayed it with cold galvanized paint. Yesterday I cleaned it all up, brushed and washed, stood it up to dry, then sprayed the bottom and the inside bottom.
I also repaired a hole in chain link wire to an old dog kennel. It’s used now as a ram shelter, Little Ringo and Rocky have that pen. Now Little Ringo is in the big field with ewes and Rocky has that pen and fenced front yard with 5 ewes. Patches, a bottle baby, all grown up now and with Rocky, dug herself a hole in the chain link wire. It had been anchored in the concrete, good enough for a dog I suppose but no match for Patches. Patches is fearless, inquisitive like a goat, intelligent and gets into everything. She was happily crawling under the hole she made, coming and going at will. It only led into another pen, so she wasn’t out on the field with Little Ringo, but the hole needed to be fixed! I screwed a 2 by to the posts, then stapled the wire to it. By the time I finished it, I was dripping wet and got a glass of ice water and cooled off before I attacked the big water tub.
I did more busy work, including going to the tiny town nearby that boasts a filling station, dollar store and post office to get my sister in law cigarettes and a bag of ice and took it to her. 40 mile round trip. Tomorrow morning I will be picking her up and taking her to the doctor in Lufkin.
I also repaired a hole in chain link wire to an old dog kennel. It’s used now as a ram shelter, Little Ringo and Rocky have that pen. Now Little Ringo is in the big field with ewes and Rocky has that pen and fenced front yard with 5 ewes. Patches, a bottle baby, all grown up now and with Rocky, dug herself a hole in the chain link wire. It had been anchored in the concrete, good enough for a dog I suppose but no match for Patches. Patches is fearless, inquisitive like a goat, intelligent and gets into everything. She was happily crawling under the hole she made, coming and going at will. It only led into another pen, so she wasn’t out on the field with Little Ringo, but the hole needed to be fixed! I screwed a 2 by to the posts, then stapled the wire to it. By the time I finished it, I was dripping wet and got a glass of ice water and cooled off before I attacked the big water tub.
I did more busy work, including going to the tiny town nearby that boasts a filling station, dollar store and post office to get my sister in law cigarettes and a bag of ice and took it to her. 40 mile round trip. Tomorrow morning I will be picking her up and taking her to the doctor in Lufkin.
Never much down time is there. Don't overdo, but I'm sure you will!
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- #5,085
Baymule
Herd Master
Well today didn’t go as planned. I went out a little before 8, let the Anatolians out and Cooper and his girls. I took Carson for a ride on the mule and passed the night pen for the front field. Ummmm…. Little faces that didn’t belong in there! EERRRKK!!! (Imaginary brakes squealing and clouds of dusty dirt)
Yup, ALL the young ewe were in there with Little Ringo and his girls. Crap
Oh well, took Carson for his ride. At least he was happy. I wasn’t.
Jailbreak juvenile delinquents looked innocent except for Scottie. Little Ringo was extremely enamored with her. Ringleader of the gang, roped them all in on the jailbreak to deflect blame from herself. But I’m not fooled! Scottie was born December 7, Pearl Harbor Day and Scott, my brother’s birthday. So she is 9 months old, just barely NOT underage jailbait or else Little Ringo would have been in deep trouble.
So now to separate them to prevent any more teenage pregnancies. First, feed them in night pen, they all rushed in and I shut the gate. Trapped!
Little Ringo is not mean, but he’s thinking about it. Plus he’s very defensive of his girls. He’s takes several runs at me and has challenged me. I carry a hoe handle and I poke him hard. He avoids it now. But I had to get ewes out and keep him in.
I opened the gate and 7 ran out. I closed the gate. 4 of the young girls followed me to their pen and I closed them up. I let the 3 grown ewes out on the field and closed the gate. Back to night pen. Rinse, repeat. Finally it was Little Ringo, Scottie and two unhappy, scared young ewes. I dumped out a little feed, opened the gate, Little Ringo and Scottie ran out, I shut the gate. The two young ewes bellowed their unhappiness. I opened the gate to the field and all the grown ewes came running back in to eat the meager amount of feed. Greedy! I went out on the field, dumped feed and called the ewes. Little Ringo chased Scottie out on the field, all the other grown ewes ran out, I closed the gate. This particular gate is a chain link walk through gate, tied with hay string. Eh. It works. LOL
Scottie is very very bred.
I opened the night pen gate, two scared and lonely young delinquents ran out calling to their imprisoned friends. I opened their half cow panel gate and their friends rushed out to greet them. I put feed in their tub and it was every teenager ewe for herself. I shut the gate.
All these shenanigans took several hours, trudging back and forth for more feed, hay string and whatever. By this time I looked like I had been playing in a water sprinkler and it sure would have been a lot more fun. Time for an ice water break!
Yup, ALL the young ewe were in there with Little Ringo and his girls. Crap
Oh well, took Carson for his ride. At least he was happy. I wasn’t.
Jailbreak juvenile delinquents looked innocent except for Scottie. Little Ringo was extremely enamored with her. Ringleader of the gang, roped them all in on the jailbreak to deflect blame from herself. But I’m not fooled! Scottie was born December 7, Pearl Harbor Day and Scott, my brother’s birthday. So she is 9 months old, just barely NOT underage jailbait or else Little Ringo would have been in deep trouble.
So now to separate them to prevent any more teenage pregnancies. First, feed them in night pen, they all rushed in and I shut the gate. Trapped!
Little Ringo is not mean, but he’s thinking about it. Plus he’s very defensive of his girls. He’s takes several runs at me and has challenged me. I carry a hoe handle and I poke him hard. He avoids it now. But I had to get ewes out and keep him in.
I opened the gate and 7 ran out. I closed the gate. 4 of the young girls followed me to their pen and I closed them up. I let the 3 grown ewes out on the field and closed the gate. Back to night pen. Rinse, repeat. Finally it was Little Ringo, Scottie and two unhappy, scared young ewes. I dumped out a little feed, opened the gate, Little Ringo and Scottie ran out, I shut the gate. The two young ewes bellowed their unhappiness. I opened the gate to the field and all the grown ewes came running back in to eat the meager amount of feed. Greedy! I went out on the field, dumped feed and called the ewes. Little Ringo chased Scottie out on the field, all the other grown ewes ran out, I closed the gate. This particular gate is a chain link walk through gate, tied with hay string. Eh. It works. LOL
Scottie is very very bred.
I opened the night pen gate, two scared and lonely young delinquents ran out calling to their imprisoned friends. I opened their half cow panel gate and their friends rushed out to greet them. I put feed in their tub and it was every teenager ewe for herself. I shut the gate.
All these shenanigans took several hours, trudging back and forth for more feed, hay string and whatever. By this time I looked like I had been playing in a water sprinkler and it sure would have been a lot more fun. Time for an ice water break!
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- #5,086
Baymule
Herd Master
After I cooled off from all that, I paid bills. That is never an enjoyable experience. I wanted to take Buford for a truck ride and a trip to the post office sounded good. BUT the truck is Carson's domain. Any time I crank the truck, even if to go hitch or unhitch a trailer, Carson is in the back seat, seat stays folded up all the time for him. Carson was on the front porch, looking in the window, saw me get my purse and watched intently. If I leave in the truck without him, he SCREAMS and CRIES and HOWLS in ANGUISH. Was not looking forward to his grief when I put Buford in the truck and not him. So I went out on the porch and apologized to Carson. I explained that I had to take Buford for a ride and I was sorry that he couldn't go. I loaded Buford in the back seat and left. Carson must have understood every word I said, because he did not pitch a screaming fit. Not a peep out of him.
Blue Sky
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Those of us with sheep know what the sorting square dance is like. And there’s always that one sheep who just can’t get with the program or a gate that isn’t shut. But no cold water ( or other frosty beverage) tastes as good once you’re done.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Well I guess you will have a yearling lamber. Most commercal flocks breed their young girls as soon as they reach a certain weight or age. If you depend on selling lambs for your income, it makes sense to breed young since the more lambs the ewe produces over her lifetime the more she contributes to the flock and shepherd. I like to wait until my ewe lambs are closer to 12 months but if she is large enough it is not a problem. You feed heavy so she ought to be ok. I bought a 6 month old ewe lamb once that was bred ubeknownst to the owner. She lambed on our field and produced a large lamb. Unfortunately I wasn't home, we didn't know she was pregnant so the large ram lamb was born damaged by a lengthy birth. If I had known, I would have watched her carefully, pulled the lamb, and all would have been well. Even now it would have been OK since I am not feeding pregnant ewes as heavily before lambing. You will write down her expected lambing date and be on the lookout for problems so all will be well.
Little hussy.
Little hussy.
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Baymule
Herd Master
Scottie, the little hussy, is the daughter of Aerial, the only registered daughter I got out of old Ringo before he died. So now she is bred to Little Ringo, her half cousin? I wasn't planning on breeding that close, but OK, we'll see if their romance produces a super sheep!
Little Ringo robbed the cradle...
