Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[farmerjan]

I wish a big ole black snake would move in around here... or something not poisonous...

 

[Mini Horses]

Hmmm....guess you'll have more before long.

 

[Mike CHS]

Hmmm....guess you'll have more before long.

I don't know if the male or the female was the one that stayed so who knows.

 

[Mike CHS]

All of the ewes that have lambed are in what we call the nursery paddock and as I looked out the bedroom window, they were all getting their last bit of grass before bedding down. I was surprised at how good the pictures turned out since I left it on "auto adjust" which is probably a whole lot better than I would have done with a manual setting.

This area was originally meant to be part of the sheep loading and handling area until the first time we tried to use it. At the time, we were using a Tacoma pickup for the trailer and it is not known for good traction on wet or loose gravel. This hill is steep enough and the gravel loose enough that we found that we would be throwing most of the gravel on the driveway into the grass trying to get the trailer out. It still has use since it is flat enough to get mower and tractor into the paddock and it gives access to about half of the other paddocks. This area is a bout 500' from where the ewes are lambing but they all will follow me and their lambs down the driveway to get them in here but there are several gates that also work if they are in different paddocks.

 

[Baymule]

Yeah, ya’ gotta get a running start to get up that incline….. 😀😀😀

Good pictures of a peaceful view.

 

[Mike CHS]

This is the first season that we have been moving the lambs the day they are born but it will be the norm from here on. We have lambed in the pasture ever since we have been raising sheep except for the first year which was a lesson in NOT what to do. We always went out late in the first day of birthing or at least early in the second day to check out the lambs before they got too skittish.

One of the big differences in moving them early for us is that the new Mamas merge with the rest of the flock as soon as we walk them into the area where the rest are rather than spend 2-3 days off by themselves. The lambs are also affected as they have no fear of humans.

 

[farmerjan]

How are your gardens doing? Are you getting/or had enough rain? It is really crazy weather...

 

[Bruce]

I wish a big ole black snake would move in around here... or something not poisonous...

How about this one? DD1’s fiancé found it in the attic, thought he would be looking for a squirrel

 

[Mike CHS]

How are your gardens doing? Are you getting/or had enough rain? It is really crazy weather...

We didn't put in nearly as much as usual but what we did put in is doing great. It got hot so early that we went ahead and put shade cloth over some things.

 

[Mike CHS]

Our yearling ewe Penny had a set of twin ewes yesterday. She was one of those sheep that was tame the first time she was handled as a lamb and stayed that way until a day ago. I was out and saw that she was off by herself and was pretty sure she had a lamb by her. I walked out and saw that she had twins that looked to be pretty much cleaned off but I backed off to give her more time to bond. About an hour later I walked out with the intent to pick up the lambs and walk her to the nursery paddock. As soon as I got around her to pick up the lambs she started a fast walk in the opposite direction and the two hour old lambs were right behind her. It was obvious that she wasn't going to let me get close to her or the lambs so I just kept her moving toward the stall in the holding paddock.

It was funny that as soon as she got in the stall she reverted to her old self and was as calm as she could be. We picked up both of her lambs (who stood there as calm as could be also) as we picked them up to put in ear tags. As soon as we let them out she merged with the others like nothing happened.