SageHill Ranch Journal

[Baymule]

Sounds like a fun Halloween party.

 

[SageHill]

Ah - Saturday. Lots of little chores to get done and the weather is perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, just right (Goldilocks style ). Hopefully I'll put a dent in the list -- or maybe even get 'er done.
Yesterday morning Obi Wan was limping on the right front - same leg he broke the toe on. GRRR. So I'm laying him up for a few days. He seems better today, but I'll be hitting the toe and shoulder with the cold laser and cross my fingers Ree isn't ready for grazing yet.
Sheep are out and Auntie Barb is back at her mothering antics. She's either getting easier to separate at night to go in the big stall, or I'm getting better at outsmarting her.
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[SageHill]

Happy Sunday all.
Took the sheep out to graze again this morning - 50 degrees (going to 80) while it was cool. The arena trial wether did better today - more munching than watching for the dog. Hope it stays that way - but I'm not holding my breath on that.
Yesterday (?) I sawed out a board of the palette that I'm using as an entrance to the creep feeder. It ~was getting to be a tight fit for the lambs to get through. Gotta love battery power tools - grabbed the saw, took out the board and DONE. After grazing I put all the sheep in the corral and just watched aaaannnndddd the revised entrance works great.
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Creep feeder - mama sheep and Auntie Barb on the outside.
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[SageHill]

Happy Halloween

Well - yesterday was nice. 50 went to 82. Today is slated as 54 to 80. Time will tell.
BUT holding off on taking the sheep out to graze. Last night I went out to put them away in the barn and RATTLESNAKE on the driveway. A baby one. Took care of it - but there is no reason to chance anyone having an unplanned encounter with one. I'll hold off until we get a good string of "cold" days.
I've got plenty of things to do around the yard, house and such - guess those are going to get tackled now.

 

[Baymule]

I haven’t seen a rattlesnake in several years. Feral hogs like them. There are just enough copper heads to bite dogs once in awhile. At least dogs survive copper head bites. Rattlesnake and they are dead.

 

[SageHill]

I haven’t seen a rattlesnake in several years. Feral hogs like them. There are just enough copper heads to bite dogs once in awhile. At least dogs survive copper head bites. Rattlesnake and they are dead.

It's our 3rd this year - the first two were big - 3 ft or so. Both around the time the grove behind us was harvested earlier this year - late spring.

 

[SageHill]

Rain today. Somehow the hourly forecast is predicting it will stop in 45 mins --- but it's been saying that for the last 2 hours . I'm sure it will clear eventually. It's a nice drizzle, occasional real rain, then mist, fog, and drizzle. Perfect. Ground gets wet, soaks in, wet and soak - couldn't plan it better.
Sheep are out, still holding off on grazing and waiting for a few more days of cool.
If it does clear up I'll go drag the arenas today or worst case tomorrow.

 

[SageHill]

Woke up this morning to 48° and drizzle. A good thing!! YAY By 8 things were a wee bit warmer (50°) still a little drizzly and windy brrr. But we were literally on the edge of that. Heavy clouds to one side of the valley and clearing sky on the other. Taught herding lessons and decided to work with Zo when lessons were done. He was amazing. I really do think he is trying to be another Obi Wan. Around the house he'll watch Obi and then do the same thing. He hasn't watched Obi work with the sheep so what I'm seeing is all Zo - and loving it.
The lambs are doing great and growing like weeds . They're still very cute - but they've gone from being baby lambs to lambs. I'm sure there's a dorky stage coming before the switch into sheep. With all the years of herding and teaching at another facility daily I've spent a lot of time watching lambs - the cute stuff, run, lamb races, bounce around, etc - but I never watched as closely as I am now. I'm not hovering or anything, it's just different.
I'm still trying to find a vet. I'd like to have one come out and check things over and have one I know when I need one. What's it take to find and get one?!!?!?! They either "don't do sheep" or don't return phone calls. GRRRR I guess the "poodle" people stole them all.
.
Open the door - it's time to run and bounce around....

 

[SageHill]

After a few days of thinking it's about time to do a simple take all the sheep just outside their pasture, I finally did it. The lambs were pretty good - though they did find "escape routes" and Obi had to cover them - he did well and the lambs responded well. Of course Mama ewe and Auntie Barb were extremely vigilant -even though both know Obi well - to be expected of course.
Took them part way to the meadow and decided to turn around and go back and put them all away. We all got to the pasture gate aaaannnnndddd - the lambs were lambs - yup to be expected and they don't know where the gates really are (except to crawl under them and get out a few times last week). SO they skirted the open gate and ended up outside the pasture fence. Obi went went nice and waaay wide to cover - but caught and ripped his carpal pad on the right front (OWWWW). Guessing on an irrigation pipe or corner post or ??? What is it with the right front?!?!?!!
He's cleaned up and bandaged for a bit. I'll hit it with the cold laser later today. Than goodness pads typically heal quickly.
Outside the pasture fence....

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Outside the fence, lambs thinking
"What mischief can we get into now!?"

 

[SageHill]

Hello Tuesday -- rain, wind and cold will = green very soon.
I took 2 green bins of the alfalfa stems to my friend who has a hydroponic farm. She's going to use it for mulch and
gave some to her chickens. Hmmm - never thought of giving it to the chooks! I gave them a bushel full yesterday and they had a grand old time picking at it and scratching around it. It ~was a big pile and they effectively distributed it all around their run . It looked to be a bit less this morning so maybe they snacked on it as well.
The shredder I ordered last week was shipped yesterday and is "on the truck for delivery" today!! UPS - which means it should get here today! YAY. If it helps the sheep eat more of it great @farmerjan even if they don't eat it I'll still be able to reduce the huge volume some making it easier to "trash" or use. I'll still be looking for formulas on what and how much to feed of x, y & z. I remember doing that in school for cattle, hogs and horses.
Wimping out here - going to drive to the barn and clean out stalls.
Tomorrow is supposed to be clear - probably be spending time dragging the arenas and maybe the ranch road or tractoring the ranch road with the blade.
The lambs are growing fast! Four weeks old yesterday.