Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Mike CHS]

They do look good. Most of the ewes that we now have as breeders came from Ringo. The ewes that we kept from Maxwell are also half Ringo's and they are as good as you could ask for.

 

[Baymule]

I’m keeping these two until I get a registered ram from Ringo.
They are in a pasture with Sentry and Sheba. Every evening I sit in a lawn chair to pet the dogs and give them special attention. Both rams come up to get their share of scratches too. @Bruce Snip is so named because of the white snip on his nose.

 

[Margali]

Can 2 unrelated rams stay friendly pasture mates long term? Or do you need a weather as companion for each ram?

 

[Mike CHS]

Can 2 unrelated rams stay friendly pasture mates long term? Or do you need a weather as companion for each ram?

We never have more than one ram but we know several sheep farms that literally run all of their rams and wethers together but you shouldn't run mature rams together with ram lambs. They may have issues establishing a pecking order but that applies to almost any animal.

 

[Ridgetop]

We have 4 rams. 3 rams are in with each other all the time as one ram is cycled in and out of the breeding pen. They do some mild fighting when they are reintroduced to the ram pen but more like shoving each other around to establish their order again. One ram is almost 6, two are almost 3, and the 4th is a yearling. He is in the breeding pen for the next 2 breeding groups. I don't put lambs in with the larger rams though since they are too small to defend themselves. While the yearling ram is not as large as the other rams, he will be large to defend himself by the time he goes into the ram pen. Also the larger the pen or field, the less they fight.

The hen decided she will settle for the six chicks. There are a couple of the chicks that are running all over the place in the coop so we think the hen abandoned the eggs to stay with the chicks.

Once most of the clutch has hatched the hen will often abandon the nest. One reason it is harder to get hens to hatch duck eggs (aside from the higher moisture needed for duck eggs to incubate) is that they take several days longer to hatch and the hen's inner clock will often tell her to abandon the nest several days before the duck eggs are ready to hatch.

 

[farmerjan]

Likewise with turkey eggs..... have to have a "set til they die" type of hen to hatch them out so that they don't quit the nest too soon. And then, they don't speak the same language... so sometimes funny to watch the hen trying to communicate with the poults......it is even funnier to see a hen with pheasants or guineas..... trying to communicate sometimes....

 

[Mike CHS]

A little update on the feral kittens. They do sometime disappear for long periods but the food is always eaten so they have figured out our routine. For the last three days, they have stayed in the same spot across from our shop which is where they get their food. I can go down and sit in a chair and do a "meow" and the little tabby will immediately come out. The other three kittens will come about half way across the drive but they aren't brave as the tabby to come the whole way.

When I was down at the shop this evening to remove the food bowl I sat down in a lawn chair and meowed a few times and the tabby came trotting across the drive. I didn't make any move toward the kitten and she lay on her back a few times but eventually came up and brushed my leg as she walked by. They are getting there.

 

[Baymule]

Sheep teach patience, calmness, slow movements and quiet. It is useful with other animals. It may take awhile, but your heart will wrap around the kittens and make them feel safe.

 

[Bruce]

Sheep teach patience, calmness, slow movements and quiet.

So you are saying that the sheep taught Mike to be calm?

 

[Baymule]

Sheep teach all of us to be calm, gentler people—at least with sheep! LOL