Margali's Griffin Wood Ranch

[Baymule]

Yeah, I have similar issues....need to sell but some are JUST keepers At least for a while. Start ups are difficult. Spent a lot to get here... But I work to pay for it -- so there ya go.

My son and I discussed me getting a job to pay for my sheep habit….. and to pay for all the fencing, barn and everything I don’t have now, and NEED!!!

 

[Mini Horses]

It's what keeps things within boundaries here. Some days I hate it...some I don't -- payday 🤣

I want the "no obligation" part but, "pay for" always wins out. Especially when things keep getting so expensive. I'm adulting through it. my job is flexible.

 

[Margali]

My day job pays the mortgage and feed bill. We are startup phase on husband having earth work business. Hopefully that will cover more improvements to farm.

 

[Ridgetop]

My commercial lambs I listed online as available at 3weeks old in January and February. All 3 were sold with deposits in hand within 2 weeks. No one else in area had lambs on the ground yet. Cute pictures sell! 😉

That's great! Having lambs available when no one else does is great marketing. Are these lambs for ethnic slaughter at 3 weeks, or do you have to hold them for the buyers for several more months? Do you sell as entire or wether? I prefer selling for slaughter because of repeat business. LOL I used to have several locker lamb customers, but with hay costs what they are here, I can't sell private treaty slaughter lambs (100 lbs.) because of feed cost to raise to 5 months. I get almost the same price at 12 weeks (weaning) at auction without putting 2 months more feed in. If you have pasture grass, holding the lambs until heavier weight is not a problem cost wise.

And then I want to keep them all……. I need lambs that I don’t like, so I’ll sell them, get the money and buy more fence wire, feed, hay…….. it never ends. Oh, I forgot, buying 2 registered ewe lambs the end of April…..When they are old enough to breed and have lambs, ya’ think I’ll sell their lambs? NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Considering all ram lambs as walking lamb chops makes it easier. Harder when they are pets. Selling all ram lambs is easier for us because that is what we did with the dairy goats. In dairy animals the bull or buck babies are garbage. Bull calves were just tossed in the old days, now the calf man picks them up and raises them for steers. In Chino the calf man had a contract to pick up all bull calves and also for all medicated milk. Medicated milk would have been dumped by the dairy but the calf man picked that up and used it t to feed the calves. Buck kids have gone up in value too with the ethnic market.

I sell all ram lambs for meat unless I have an order for a registered stud ram lamb. I only keep ewe lambs to increase the flock. Now I am culling ewes more heavily for slow growth, too much wool, lack of shed, etc. I am starting to judge between my rams as to who is producing more of the type I want, and will eventually dispose of other good registered rams for not producing exactly what I want. All of Lewis' lambs now on ground have good hair coats. Hopefully the rest due this month will too. His yearling daughters have shed out almost 100%. At 7 years old he is a proven keeper stud until he starts missing the bullseye on settling ewes. Then he will have to go. I hate it when the favorites and best producers get old and have to be culled, but that is what has to happen eventually when raising livestock. Moyboy produces heavy meat and thick, long bodies, but I am worried about amount of shed.

Start ups are difficult. Spent a lot to get here...

Start ups are difficult and very expensive - we spent the past 30+ years getting set up here. Now we have to start over in Texas with the fencing. Our property is fenced properly here, we have multiple fenced paddocks, a small barn, storage containers and sheds, have the materials to put up other shelters, and we have all the equipment here - it is just in a different state. If we had grass pasture year-round here, we would probably not relocate. It will cost a LOT to do the fencing we need for the dogs since it needs to be 5-6' high on the perimeter. The interior pasture fences don't need to be as high, and we will try to get the grants for those. At least we now have sufficient ewes, but we have to transport them. And hope they don't die from Barber Pole!

 

[Margali]

@Ridgetop I had 5 lambs this year: 2 rams and 3 ewes. One ewe was bottle baby with confirmation issues. She went to pet home at 2 days old. The ram lambs were sold live, intact at weaning as commercial breeding stock.

 

[murphysranch]

Oh Bay. I remember your last attempt at a job - that disastrously poorly run place!!

 

[Bruce]

It wouldn't be if they put her in charge!

 

[Margali]

Gritted my teeth and worked on a job I've been putting off. Have I mentioned I don't like extension ladders?
Before


After


I couldn't reach the edge under the timber without climbing on the roof. NOT HAPPENING! The timber is screwed into strapping from underside trapping tin and providing weight. I need to cut a little piece to cover gap from sheets being crooked.

 

[Margali]

Tomorrow, I plan on doing spring muck out of the larger side of the shed. I'm going to try SweetPDZ to help with odor of dirt floor in the shed. Once I have that mucked out, I'll transfer the new girls over using my new chute system. I'll grab fecals and blood for codon at same time. THEN, I get to clean the quarantine pen and set it up for Snickers, the new ram. Biggest issue there is I need to make another water trough because the half barrel gets nasty quick.

A nice relaxing weekend right?

 

[Baymule]

Good job on the roof. You conquered your dislike of extension ladders because of your sheep. Your sheep are being helpful to you. You might even get to liking extension ladders!