Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

Spent yesterday packing. BUT FIRST had to get the summer clothes out of storage and put the winter clothes away in the boxes. Then packed the large suitcase for a 3 week trip, along with birthday gifts and baby gift.

Today Baymule arrived early. We walked out to the pasture and admired DS1's electric fence, dog pass through, and the tub/sweep sorter. We got Ozel to go through the V gate. Then we headed to Yantis for the Texas Grazing Land Coalition meeting and talks by TX Parks & Wildlife, USDA NRCS, and several other people. Very interesting talks about how to turn your hayfields into native pasture. The TX Parks & Widlife do a lot of this if you sign up. It keeps your land out of grazing or planting for 3 years, but the benefits of the nature pasture are incredible. We saw the charts of protein in various native forbs. We also got gifts of fabulous books about native plants, etc. and other swag. Then after a walk through the pastures which were completely reseeded with native forbs and grasses, we had a fantastic BBQ rib eye lunch! Learned about burning a field in a controlled burn and what it would do for the soil and regrowth. Apparently if you reseed with native forbs and grasses you shouldn't fertiize since the native forbs don't like heavy fertilizing. There is also tremendous benefit with the pollenating insects that are attracted.

The meeting ended at 3 pm and we came home where I immediately did a load of clothes to pack more items for our trip. Got to go fold them now. Tomorrow I will strip the bedding anThen DS1 has topack and drive back to California for his visit with Elizabeth who has d put on clean sheets. Then we have to sort out the 12 ewes that will go in for breeding, give them selenium shots, check feet, and worm. They will go into the new electric fenced pasture with Rommel. DS1 will put on the breeding harness and crayon and move Rommel over to that pasture while DH goes to the vet for stitch removal. He had another biopsy done on his face last week and it is positive for basal cell so another MOHS surgery when we get back. The VA has to get approval for the MOHS surgery which will take a couple weeks. They will call me and I will schedule it for when we return. After the stitches come out in Greenville we have to go to Rockwall to Costco. DD2 will meet us there with a suitcase of clothes for GD Maysie. Maysie and Elizabeth will be traveling back with us.

We will be gone about 3 weeks. When we return we have to go through the remaining ewes, shear those with Mohawks (most have almost shed clean), check hooves, and check condition for the next group of breeding ewes. Then I have to decide who goes to which ram. When we get back DS1 wil be packing for his trip to California. He will take Elizabeth back with him since she has to be back by July 2 for summer Scout camp.

 

[fuzzi]

Spent yesterday packing. BUT FIRST had to get the summer clothes out of storage and put the winter clothes away in the boxes. Then packed the large suitcase for a 3 week trip, along with birthday gifts and baby gift.

Today Baymule arrived early. We walked out to the pasture and admired DS1's electric fence, dog pass through, and the tub/sweep sorter. We got Ozel to go through the V gate. Then we headed to Yantis for the Texas Grazing Land Coalition meeting and talks by TX Parks & Wildlife, USDA NRCS, and several other people. Very interesting talks about how to turn your hayfields into native pasture. The TX Parks & Widlife do a lot of this if you sign up. It keeps your land out of grazing or planting for 3 years, but the benefits of the nature pasture are incredible. We saw the charts of protein in various native forbs. We also got gifts of fabulous books about native plants, etc. and other swag. Then after a walk through the pastures which were completely reseeded with native forbs and grasses, we had a fantastic BBQ rib eye lunch! Learned about burning a field in a controlled burn and what it would do for the soil and regrowth. Apparently if you reseed with native forbs and grasses you shouldn't fertiize since the native forbs don't like heavy fertilizing. There is also tremendous benefit with the pollenating insects that are attracted.

The meeting ended at 3 pm and we came home where I immediately did a load of clothes to pack more items for our trip. Got to go fold them now. Tomorrow I will strip the bedding anThen DS1 has topack and drive back to California for his visit with Elizabeth who has d put on clean sheets. Then we have to sort out the 12 ewes that will go in for breeding, give them selenium shots, check feet, and worm. They will go into the new electric fenced pasture with Rommel. DS1 will put on the breeding harness and crayon and move Rommel over to that pasture while DH goes to the vet for stitch removal. He had another biopsy done on his face last week and it is positive for basal cell so another MOHS surgery when we get back. The VA has to get approval for the MOHS surgery which will take a couple weeks. They will call me and I will schedule it for when we return. After the stitches come out in Greenville we have to go to Rockwall to Costco. DD2 will meet us there with a suitcase of clothes for GD Maysie. Maysie and Elizabeth will be traveling back with us.

We will be gone about 3 weeks. When we return we have to go through the remaining ewes, shear those with Mohawks (most have almost shed clean), check hooves, and check condition for the next group of breeding ewes. Then I have to decide who goes to which ram. When we get back DS1 wil be packing for his trip to California. He will take Elizabeth back with him since she has to be back by July 2 for summer Scout camp.

How exciting, having your grands come visit!

 

[Baymule]

Elizabeth is your shepherd girl. She’s going to have a fantastic time on your farm!

 

[Ridgetop]

Sadly she will only be here for about a week then has to go back for Scout Camp. Maysie will be here for the entire summer with her mom and dad so we will see her a lot more frequently.

So DS1 finally finished th ectric fence and dog jump through gate.
There are 2 gtes -when both are open the drive through area is 16'. The jump through gate is to the right of the gates. Here is a closeup of my sweer girlies inspecting it.
Ozel (2 years) to the right and Hazine (1 year) to the left looking it over. They are not terribly impressed. Ozel did finally jump through but Hazine looked suggestively from DH to the drive through gate, willing DH to open it for her. LOL I thought the V gate looked pretty big and it seemed low and wide but DS1 assured me he built it completely to the specs off the internet. We will see how it does with the sheep.

This morning Rick set up the tub sorter and we ran the sheep through the chute. A view of the chute into the tub/sweep. We still use Baby Bota to move it around any distance, but DS1 was actually able to move it into position himself. He removed the wheels, set the jacks, unfolded it and set it all up with minimal help from us. View from the front of the chute to the tub in back.

We were sorting out the yearlings born last year, vaxing with selenium and CL vaccine. They had the CL vaccine last year and need a booster every year. We just did all the lambs last Sunday. The lambs will need a booster in a month, then annually.
Sheep in the tub with the squeee gate to the right behind them. It moves around pushing them to the chute. The chute holds 4 adult ewes and has a sorting gte that will release either right or left. We divided the pen and sorted the ewes with those to be bred going in the smaller pen to the left. The others were released to the right. We will sort those when we get back from California for another breeding group and they will get a doe of selenium then too. We will also be checking for condition since some of these girls gave a lot to their lambs and were pretty skinny when we weaned. They never lost weight in California on a diet of alfalfa, but on pasture here, even with some grain, they were "putting it all in the pail" or actually into their lambs.
DS1 is checking ear tags #'s for the ones we are pulling out to breed. One ewe seemed to be missing until I noticed I had her # down twice. Oops.

We also marked a couple with paint to check for lameness, etc. and replacing missing ear tags. Luckily since we tag with both scrapie and flock tags, we can figure out who is missing a tag.

After we finished separating the sheep into 2 flocks, DS1 decided to get a bucket of grain and lure them to the new front pasture. I tried to suggest that we take some panels and make a chute to take them there but was voted down. O got DS1 the bucket of grain then DH and I stationed ourselves behind the little group of ewes as DS1 lured them along.
So easy right? NOT! Confronted with freedom and all that lovely lush clover they broke and scattered to graze. DS1 tried to get them to follow the buck et, DH and I ran (hobbled) back and forth. Finally DS1 moved the other sheep into the barn ut of sight (butnot hearing). Still no luck. After a final aborted attempt while DH and DS1 shouted at each other, I started making a pen wall from the barn to the inner pen where DS1 decided to put the sheep until they calmed down. DH came to help me and when we were finished putting together the 30' of panels DS1, DH, and I were able to herd them along that section of panels into the center safety corridor. This is the one with a gate at each end which we built to prevent any livestock or dogs getting to the road when pulling our vehicles through to the barn. Once the sheep were safely moved along, I only mentioned about 5 times that it was my original idea and that CERTAIN PEOPLE should have listened to me in the first place!

We finished in time to shower and get DH to the doctor for stitch removal. He still has to be careful not to stretch too much or carry anything too heavy for another 2 weeks because the doctor had to do some internal stitches due to the size and location of the incision. Until that inner stitching heals it could still pull open. Then a "quick" trip to Costco where we found Sketcher Step In shoes on sale for $29.99! These are the same shoes that DS1 got for DH at Christmas that cost $70 on line! DH can't reach down to put on his shoes anymore so he really likes these. He tried them on and they fit perfectly so we got him 2 pairs. He has a high arch and is hard to fit. I got a pair of ladies' Sketchers in beige. I have a similar pair in black that must have been a prototype - they are not completely stepins, but are close. I also have a hard time finding comfortable shoes so this worked out very nicely. Also rendezvoused with DD2 who gave me all the Christmas and birthday gifts for her nephews and niece.

While DH and i were checking out of Costco DS1 called and said that the sheep were jumping throught the dog V jump gate! Apparently one went through and then they all followed. He had put up another board across the bottom but R17 is apparently an Olympic quality high jumper and had jumped through the small hole he left for the dogs again. He was going to close up the opening with another board and then refigure the dimensions again next week. Disappointing after all the effort he put into it, but when he had it laid out, I told him it looked too large. He insisted that he had followed the specific measurements on the internet directions. We must just have "special" sheep. LOL Or the poster just guessed at their dimensions.

When we got back fron the VA, DS1 and I went out and ran the remaining 34 sheep through the chute again to check tag numbers so I could identify the ewe with the missing tag. We also found another missing a scrapie tag so I wrote down both numbers and when we came in I checked through the book and IDed the numbers to be replaced when we return. That chore took hardly any time thanks to the chute set up. After we were done DS1 closed up the chute and tub. I came inside to get everything ready for leaving in the morning.

I won't be on again for about a week. Going to see the new grandson.