mysunwolf - four acres and some sheep

[Bruce]

Do I sound crazy yet?

Yes! 2 small children and Vet school? You must be the Energizer Bunny!

It does seem you had enough 2020 to cover several normal years. Hopefully all the animals will work out this year and more than pay for themselves.

Thanks for checking in!!

 

[mysunwolf]

If all goes well tomorrow morning, we'll be sending out first calves to auction! We have to get the whole herd into the working area, then somehow sort out just calves into the smaller loading area, tomorrow morning. Our infinitely generous neighbor is going to then come over and help load them onto his trailer, help me register at the auction house, and potentially help me move the remaining calves to our 4 acre property for weaning. I'll keep you updated in case it's a rodeo! I'm trying to be careful as I'm 6 months pregnant now. But sometimes things just have to get done.

Today the toddler and I transplanted grape vines from a weedy section of our front yard to a spot in our mini orchard where the pigs cleared sod last season.

The yearling ewes will start lambing next week, I can't wait to see the babies. Then our first calving sometime in March/April.

It's been a busy year already!

Vet school application is due in September 2021 for the fall 2022 school year. Now to make the big decision as to whether or not I can afford to have student loans that big on a large animal vet's meager salary...

 

[Baymule]

Student loans are predatory loans at their worst. You don’t have to pay them back until you graduate but the interest is started immediately. The money piles up, once you start paying it back, unless you pay 2-4 times the payment, the balance continues to grow.

Rounding up, separating and loading the calves sounds like fun! Lucky you to have such a helpful neighbor. Just be careful and don’t hurt yourself.

 

[Bruce]

Today the toddler and I transplanted grape vines from a weedy section of our front yard to a spot in our mini orchard where the pigs cleared sod last season.

I bet you got a LOT of help from the little one

Now to make the big decision as to whether or not I can afford to have student loans that big on a large animal vet's meager salary...

That is a tough one. I'm all over the place on student loan forgiveness. $50K? I don't think so, $10K, yeah I can go with that. Something in between? 🤷‍♂️

BUT, government student loans should be really low, if not NO, interest.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

No interest would be best in my opinion....

 

[mysunwolf]

Just thought I'd pop in again and say hi. I miss actually having regular talks with everyone here, but I have so little time anymore

You can always check out my instagram for more photos, but I'll share some below.

We grazed partway into January this year. Then there was a giant snowstorm, and that pretty much ended that for the sheep. Although the cattle continued to graze through the snow! We are exceptionally short on hay this year, so I'll be glad when winter is over for sure.

We still have our herd of Angus crosses on the 30 acre property, and so far they are doing fairly well, although we have had a huge amount of loss and mysterious illness in the calves, and just recently a cow. I say mysterious because we have done multiple necropsies and consulted with multiple vets, and there's no definitive answer or prevention strategy. We're assuming leptospirosis and treating accordingly.

Obviously I still have my small flock of dairy sheep crosses. They are still my favorite animal on the farm and honestly the most enjoyable overall, except maybe during parasite season.

We also still have some egg layers and do sell a few dozen a week. Just enough to pay the feed bill.

And we still have our kunekune pigs! I have a breeding pair and the sow is going to be 5 or 6 this year, so we have saved back three of her gilts and purchased in one more gilt to have some more for breeding. Sadly, I didn't save them back soon enough, because we have so many piglet requests and none on the way! The older sow just didn't take the last two times I've tried to breed her.

The kids and the going back to school thing are keeping me busy. Because of the lack of reliable childcare, I delayed my application by a year (can only take one class at a time while watching the baby), and so will be applying this fall for potential acceptance for next fall. Mind you, vet school is so competitive and I am way off my game--I haven't been in school for over a decade, and am older and have children now. Plus I am having trouble getting any vets to let me shadow them for my required shadowing hours! Hopefully things will settle themselves into place soon. I'm going to do my best and see how things play out.

If you read all that, I hope you are also doing well with your BYH life and thanks for stopping by!

 

[Baymule]

I'm so glad to hear from you. It sounds like things are going well for you and family. Children do keep their parents busy, plus running a farm. Stop by more often, if you can. Always enjoy your posts.

 

[Bruce]

Nice of you to swing by and update us

 

[mysunwolf]

Stopping by for the random yearly update. Y'all, I have gotten into vet school! I start this fall. We are selling our animals (mostly to auction) and our farm and our house (conveniently selling by owner to our next door neighbors who have yet to build a house on their land!) and moving closer to school. I have actually gotten a veterinary assisting job at a small animal practice, and it's close to the oldest's school (he's 4 so technically it's preschool). Youngest is in daycare but will be joining the oldest in his school this fall as well. We are currently commuting 1.5hrs for his school, 1.5hrs for my work, 1.5hrs for my wife's work (hers is in an opposite direction). It is something else and will be nice for us to be closer to everything we've been doing for the last 9 months!

The thing I'm going to miss the most is my sheep. Less so any individuals, but the whole flock as an integral part of who I am. I have hope that when I graduate from school, I can find a vet practice where I want to work, and we can buy some small acreage with a house close by so that I can get some sheep again.

Here was lambing from 2022.

Lambing from this season, 2023. We have 16 on the ground so far!

Grazing the 30 acre property in spring 2022.

Cattle grazing the 30 acre property in 2022. All of the girls have been auctioned off or sold to private buyers as of this month. Have 2 large steers and a wily bull calf left.

And we had SO many litters of piglets in 2022! I am having a heck of a time selling my KuneKune herd. My hope is that once the pasture comes on, more buyers will be interested. I know they don't get as big as quickly as standard hogs, but they are still tasty as heck. They are also so much more resourceful on pasture and do well on a much higher fiber diet than the standard breeds do. If you or anyone you know close to southwest VA wants some, I have all my sows plus some younger pigs, and my registered boar, for sale.

Hopefully we will all survive this intense transition period, and I will come out the other end in 4 years as a licensed veterinarian!

 

[Youngfarmer2019]

Stopping by for the random yearly update. Y'all, I have gotten into vet school! I start this fall. We are selling our animals (mostly to auction) and our farm and our house (conveniently selling by owner to our next door neighbors who have yet to build a house on their land!) and moving closer to school. I have actually gotten a veterinary assisting job at a small animal practice, and it's close to the oldest's school (he's 4 so technically it's preschool). Youngest is in daycare but will be joining the oldest in his school this fall as well. We are currently commuting 1.5hrs for his school, 1.5hrs for my work, 1.5hrs for my wife's work (hers is in an opposite direction). It is something else and will be nice for us to be closer to everything we've been doing for the last 9 months!

The thing I'm going to miss the most is my sheep. Less so any individuals, but the whole flock as an integral part of who I am. I have hope that when I graduate from school, I can find a vet practice where I want to work, and we can buy some small acreage with a house close by so that I can get some sheep again.

Here was lambing from 2022.

View attachment 96894

Lambing from this season, 2023. We have 16 on the ground so far!
View attachment 96895

Grazing the 30 acre property in spring 2022.
View attachment 96896

Cattle grazing the 30 acre property in 2022. All of the girls have been auctioned off or sold to private buyers as of this month. Have 2 large steers and a wily bull calf left.
View attachment 96897

And we had SO many litters of piglets in 2022! I am having a heck of a time selling my KuneKune herd. My hope is that once the pasture comes on, more buyers will be interested. I know they don't get as big as quickly as standard hogs, but they are still tasty as heck. They are also so much more resourceful on pasture and do well on a much higher fiber diet than the standard breeds do. If you or anyone you know close to southwest VA wants some, I have all my sows plus some younger pigs, and my registered boar, for sale.
View attachment 96898

Hopefully we will all survive this intense transition period, and I will come out the other end in 4 years as a licensed veterinarian!

would you sell some sheep to me??? We have been wanting sheep!!