My Messy Life - Journal

[SteepedInSheep]

My favorite freeloader

 

[SteepedInSheep]

And I haven't even talked about the goats yet.
I appreciate everyone's opinions. Idk what I was thinking but I wasn't expecting all the helpful feedback, so thank you!
Number wise I have:
19 guineas, varying ages/sex. I do feed them some, and I'll be upping their feed more now that it's getting cold. I just haven't fed them as much as I would if they were confined.
3 5 yr old chickens, 1 3 yr old chicken, and a rooster who's not yet 1.
4 Pullets and 1 cockerel
2 geese, one is 5 and the other is 4. Male and female.
7 female ducks and 2 drakes. They are all less than 2 yrs old except for the one abused hen, who is almost 5.
The one drake is only rough on one hen, who is a different color than everyone else. I've kept her at this point because again, a favorite, but she also goes broody which is unusual for a runner. If the drake is what I'm looking for body type wise and he's not being rough to other females, the correct answer is to get rid of the abused girl and the other drake and keep the main Drake and all the other females.
(I have kept the abused female away from this drake, BTW. She's not getting mangled on a daily basis. If he's outside, she's in, and vice versa.)

Atm, I don't think I can bear to get rid of the 3 old hens. but I think I can make the hard duck decision and (gulp) the geese.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

I appreciate the background information. I’m guilty of having my pets in my sheep flock. Most people change out their rams every 2 years. My husband and I went to Tennessee to buy Ringo from @Mike CHS and his wife Teresa. I wanted Ringo because he was so gentle, the ram I had was like a lawnmower, always trying to mow me down. I kept Ringo 4 years, he died at 10 years old. After my husband passed and I bought this place, I went back to get Cooper. @Ridgetop decided that she and her husband should go to and off we went. I still have Cooper, he turned 8 in October. He’s not going anywhere. Mike and Teresa always pick fantastic rams, plus we get to visit! I went back by myself to get Rocky at 6 months old. @farmerjan came down and we all had a fun visit. Rams I have now, Cooper, Rocky and old Ringo’s son, Little Ringo who is not little at all. He is for sale, I’ve used him and now he moves on. Rocky will probably go next year and I’ll get a new ram. So yeah, I totally understand the heart strings.

My youngest granddaughter at 2 or 3 years old with the original Ringo.

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My youngest granddaughter a few months ago, age 9, with Cooper.

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And I have Ewenique, 11 year old ewe, had twins at the end of July. Highly unusual, sheep lifespan is 10-12 years old. She is one of the original 4 that we bought. I tried to retire her but she had other ideas, bellowing until I let her go to Cooper. I’m keeping her ewe lamb, it might be the last one I get from Ewenique. @farmerjan named her Mystique. It fits.

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And I have a few more pets that aren’t going anywhere for various reasons. But I have to face the reality that I have to go through the flock, sell most of them and only keep a few. It is hard when I’ve had one awhile and I have to let her go. Right now I have 40 ewes, including the 10 I kept from the last lambing. Ewenique and her granddaughter Frimplepants already lambed, 27 more are bred and will be lambing in the next couple of months. I’ll have to be real choosy on which grown ewes I keep and which ewe lambs I keep.

All of that long winded explanation to say I totally get it tha you have your heart in your birds. They are your sanity in a crazy world. They are your joy and your peace. They are lodged in your heart and your special pets aren’t going anywhere.

I read about Ewenique in your journal. She's very special.

 

[Baymule]

I also have her granddaughter that carries a thatch of wool on her back, from her black head dorper grandfather. Wool on the back is a no-no for Katahdins. So Frimplepants definitely does not fit the breeding program. But my last picture of my husband is when I was hand clipping the mass of wool off her back and he had a chair pulled up, petting her and talking baby talk to her. Frimplepants has the Golden Ticket.

I flip from having no mercy to a big bowl of soft oatmeal mush.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

I also have her granddaughter that carries a thatch of wool on her back, from her black head dorper grandfather. Wool on the back is a no-no for Katahdins. So Frimplepants definitely does not fit the breeding program. But my last picture of my husband is when I was hand clipping the mass of wool off her back and he had a chair pulled up, petting her and talking baby talk to her. Frimplepants has the Golden Ticket.

I flip from having no mercy to a big bowl of soft oatmeal mush.

Not everything can be black and white! I wouldn't have been able to part with her either, back wool or no.
That's actually interesting about the back wool... I hadn't heard that.
I mostly have katahdins but I do have a ewe who is mixed with Prarie sheep. Her daughter has back wool. It would come off if I pulled it, so does that count? Or is it back wool that has to be manually clipped off? I think hers would peel if she rubbed herself more.

 

[Baymule]

The problem with back wool is that mostly, it doesn't shed off. Then the new winter coat comes in and the back wool becomes matted with the new wool. If you pull it, it pulls their skin, it hurts and they don't like it. Can't blame them. I bought a pair of hand shears for that purpose. I go real slow, snipping a few strands at a time. My shear job looks like a hamster with broken teeth chewed it all off, but I'm not doing a show cut so I don't care.
Katahdins are supposed to shed off slick and clean. Some will cling to a little wool, SMALL patches are ok, but absolutely not desirable. Fortunately I have very few with wool on them. I cull pretty hard for that. I took a class and have my hair coat inspectors certificate for inspecting my own sheep in the breed up program. So far, I haven't inspected one of my own yet. I have one ewe that is eligible for full registration, but was not slick enough for me. Her daughter is looking real good, spring shed out will tell the tale. I also have several more that will be eligible for full registration next summer.

 

[fuzzi]

I got back into chickens almost three years ago. Of my three original Sussex pullets I have two remaining, Rahab and Hannah. Rahab has been an excellent broody twice, she's earned the Golden Ticket as @Baymule described it.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

I got back into chickens almost three years ago. Of my three original Sussex pullets I have two remaining, Rahab and Hannah. Rahab has been an excellent broody twice, she's earned the Golden Ticket as @Baymule described it.

Excellent broodies are such an asset! is it unusual or typical for Sussex to go broody?

 

[SteepedInSheep]

We got our first snow last night. I love Christmas and pretty snow but I don't like to be cold. Breaking ice in the animal's water and making sure I have enough pairs of socks on is something I don't want to worry about yet.
One thing I'm looking forward to this Christmas season is I've joined a Christmas choir group for the first time. Not anyone one church in our area has enough singers with the talent or desire to have their own group so this group is comprised of several different churches. I've been to 4 practices so far. It's been so enjoyable. I sing the alto part.

 

[fuzzi]

Excellent broodies are such an asset! is it unusual or typical for Sussex to go broody?

They're bantams, they tend to go broody, but not as nonstop as Silkies.