Purplequeenvt - New Journal

[farmerjan]

Happy Birthday too....

 

[purplequeenvt]

You hand shear plucking right? Xena is a pretty girl, love her expression.
Oh and Happy Birthday fellow Feb B-Day-er!

I use electrics. I only have a couple Shetlands that naturally roo (shed). The Border Leicesters have to be sheared.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I sheared 18 sheep this weekend. I’ve got 2 rams and 4 retired ewes left to do, but they aren’t a priority.

I’m really happy with my yearling Border Leicester ewes, both the whites and blacks. They’re all built really nicely and have gorgeous fleeces. I was debating selling 2-3 of them, but now I think I’ll cut some of the older ewes and keep all the yearlings. I think they’re going to cross well with my new ram, Bruno.



Found a couple little surprises when I sheared the 2 Shetland yearlings…..they’ve got little udders growing. It *could* just be chunkiness and/or hormones, but their vulvas look bred too and I used the PregTone on them and got a positive sound on both. They are most likely bred (through a fence) to their dad. Not ideal, but not the end of the world either.

 

[farmerjan]

The things you find when you "remove the outer layers" !!!

 

[Baymule]

Late to the party, Happy Birthday!

Now you have lots of lovely wool to create with. Oskar was caught being good!

 

[purplequeenvt]

1st lambs are due on the 21st and 28th. My crossbred ewe, Ida, is due first and then a Shetland, Fiona. Fiona had my 2 girls (the little hussy sisters) last year so I’m excited for her lambs this year. Of course she’ll probably have boys this year.

I’m late on doing CD&T shots this year. I’ll hopefully get to it this afternoon, but I’m waiting on my Premier1 package with the UltraBoss so I can de-lice at the same time.

P-Ewe isn’t due until 3/5. She had triplets last year and I think she’s bigger this year.


I washed Xena’s fleece. It felted a bit, but I was able to pull it back apart easily so no harm done. I forgot that Border Leicester felts easily and requires extra care when washing.

I did a little test spin a few days ago. So @Baymule could see how the brown tips blend in.





Monster is always in the way. He was laying on the hay I was trying to put in the feeders so I scooped him up with the pitchfork. He just went with.





I don’t normally do selfies, but Twist was just so cute here and I rarely get a candid shot of him where he genuinely looks happy and relaxed instead of zoned in on something else or trying to avoid the camera.


I scanned the questionable ewes again. I got positive beeps on Isla, Jura, and the 2 little hussy girls, but not on Elsa. Physical signs agree with the PregTone.

 

[Baymule]

Wow! That black yarn doesn’t show even a speck of brown. That’s some gorgeous black yarn.

Twist does look happy, nice selfie.

 

[SageHill]

That's gorgeous yarn. It looks super soft too. I have friends who are into spinning and knitting.

 

[Mini Horses]

That fleece into that yarn -- AMAZING!!

 

[farmerjan]

WOW on that ewe... I have seen lots of goats over the years looking like a "wide load" sign needs to be stuck on their butt... but not so much a ewe... they seem to carry them differently... she looks like a sideways watermelon stuck in there....