SageHill
Herd Master
First - I wish I'd found this group years ago - I'm loving reading everyone's journals and learning a lot as I do. You all rock and thank you for sharing!
It's HOT here in So Cal - and I've been staying cool inside reading, and decided - what the heck jump into the journal pool under the AC vent with coffee in hand.
I did an intro when I first found you all.
I'm not sure how I'll journal-up --- perhaps current and a bit of back track.
We bought our land in 2017 -- 12 2/3 acres of old avocado grove that was left to die by it's previous owners. As things stand now we've got about 60 avo trees that remain. They are definitely survivors as they get no water other than our rain (which is little at best). Not a lot a avos on them but I know where each is! LOL
We built a house here 2018-2020 and a barn 2021. Absolutely needed the barn to keep sheep safe at night - coyotes.
We have chickens for eggs, they are in a Fort Knox of chicken runs - hardware cloth sides and top - safe from hawks and coyotes. We have 5 sheep (lost one last week - such is life she was old - 13??). Old sheep 10-12 yrs+?? Hopefully getting 4 this weekend - if the owner can get them in a trailer
.
I have dogs that I work herding the sheep. I do teach herding lessons to a few folks who like to take their dogs to herding trials (AKC and AHBA style - not border collie stuff). I've been doing the dog/sheep thing since 1981.
I enjoy working with livestock. Yeah - crazy me. So much so that my favorite times of the day are when I take the sheep out to graze with one of our dogs. The best of them is Obi Wan, who was in the June/July Farm and Ranch Living magazine as the top winner of "Farmer's Best Friend Contest". Obi Wan keeps them on our 'ranch road' and turns into a 'fence' when we get to where I want to graze. Now that we're in the "brown season"
) we don't do that. Our barn went in November last year, got the sheep that I'd shared with a fellow herding trainer, and started the graze routine in November. At that time we had no fences. ROTFL - I'm sure our neighbors though "OH GAWD - new folks with sheep and no fences" But I am Little Bo Peep who has NOT lost her sheep. By May this year we got fencing done, two training arenas in, and gates! Amazon thinks they can just 'drive through'. Not any more! HA - and Amazon sends our packages USPS which means I have to drive to the PO to get them. Such is ranch life.
With the fencing I can now work the other dogs (we have 6, though two are "retired"). I need more sheep. I ~thought~ I would just do training, but the way things evolve I seem to have switched over to the I want to raise sheep to both train the dogs and have some for the freezer. AND very much so to graze down the ranch - esp here in So Cal where brown=food for fires.
I like to cook, bake and garden - oh and take photos! At one point I was shooting for PBR at their World Finals - on the dirt with the cowboys.
Here's the ranch as we bought it......
Here's the ranch today
It's HOT here in So Cal - and I've been staying cool inside reading, and decided - what the heck jump into the journal pool under the AC vent with coffee in hand.
I did an intro when I first found you all.
I'm not sure how I'll journal-up --- perhaps current and a bit of back track.
We bought our land in 2017 -- 12 2/3 acres of old avocado grove that was left to die by it's previous owners. As things stand now we've got about 60 avo trees that remain. They are definitely survivors as they get no water other than our rain (which is little at best). Not a lot a avos on them but I know where each is! LOL
We built a house here 2018-2020 and a barn 2021. Absolutely needed the barn to keep sheep safe at night - coyotes.
We have chickens for eggs, they are in a Fort Knox of chicken runs - hardware cloth sides and top - safe from hawks and coyotes. We have 5 sheep (lost one last week - such is life she was old - 13??). Old sheep 10-12 yrs+?? Hopefully getting 4 this weekend - if the owner can get them in a trailer
.I have dogs that I work herding the sheep. I do teach herding lessons to a few folks who like to take their dogs to herding trials (AKC and AHBA style - not border collie stuff). I've been doing the dog/sheep thing since 1981.
I enjoy working with livestock. Yeah - crazy me. So much so that my favorite times of the day are when I take the sheep out to graze with one of our dogs. The best of them is Obi Wan, who was in the June/July Farm and Ranch Living magazine as the top winner of "Farmer's Best Friend Contest". Obi Wan keeps them on our 'ranch road' and turns into a 'fence' when we get to where I want to graze. Now that we're in the "brown season"
) we don't do that. Our barn went in November last year, got the sheep that I'd shared with a fellow herding trainer, and started the graze routine in November. At that time we had no fences. ROTFL - I'm sure our neighbors though "OH GAWD - new folks with sheep and no fences" But I am Little Bo Peep who has NOT lost her sheep. By May this year we got fencing done, two training arenas in, and gates! Amazon thinks they can just 'drive through'. Not any more! HA - and Amazon sends our packages USPS which means I have to drive to the PO to get them. Such is ranch life.With the fencing I can now work the other dogs (we have 6, though two are "retired"). I need more sheep. I ~thought~ I would just do training, but the way things evolve I seem to have switched over to the I want to raise sheep to both train the dogs and have some for the freezer. AND very much so to graze down the ranch - esp here in So Cal where brown=food for fires.
I like to cook, bake and garden - oh and take photos! At one point I was shooting for PBR at their World Finals - on the dirt with the cowboys.
Here's the ranch as we bought it......
Here's the ranch today
. I've worked with Dorpers
.
