# Theawesomefowl~ My Hair Sheep Journal ~  NEW LAMB PICS! YAY!



## theawesomefowl

I am going to chronicle my sheep-raising for at least the first year. I currently have two ewe lambs: Sadie, a Dorper x Katahdin, and Amelia, a Katahdin x an unknown hair ram (?). These two came from Southwind Farms in Gilbertsville, NY, on May 11. We brought them home in Honey's (our Yellow Lab pup) dog crate! Our minivan still smells like sheep. 
They both are twins, though unrelated, and have wonderful twinning ancestry.
I also have a goat--because I just like goats, and I needed something to help clear out brush and multiflora rose bushes. 

My longterm sheep goals are to have 8-9 great producing hair sheep ewes. I plan on keeping stellar records and culling to accomplish this. (No, really, I  mean it! LOL, I'm not know for my record keeping skills) We have almost four acres of grass, brush, with a small amount in pine trees, and I could pursue other pasturing opportunities also. (such as renting them out for lawn-mowing, or renting our neighbor's horse pastures)

I'm also planning on keeping this operation as grain-free as possible; mainly because grain is expensive, and also because grass-fed meat is better for you. I am using grain to train the girls to be friendly; the lady at the feed store talked me into buying it.  

They have baking soda and a salt brick free-choice. Right now they are out on grass, plus a little hay in the morning and evening. 

Many thanks to the inspirational Beekissed, who gave me the idea to get hair sheep in the first place! You are awesome!  











And now, about my goat:

Billy the Goat (I know, original name, huh?) is a Nubian-cross wether.  He is a great, friendly little guy; we really love him, especially my younger sis Molly, who loves to play with him.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Hey, every farm need a goat. 

Anyway, thats enough for the first entry. I promise to update it at least once a month, more often when I can. Tune in next week for "Lice!", in which I will explain how to dust squirming sheep with insecticide. (Sounds like fun!  ) Which I just found on the goat.

Blessings to all!

Awesomefowl


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## Beekissed

Awesome flock start, Awesome!     Very bright and healthy youngin's....I can't wait to watch their progress on here.  

Yay for sheeples!!!!


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## rockdoveranch

Love the beginning of your journal and the pictures, especially your precious little sister.  She a adorable.

Our sheep are mainly pasture fed.  In the evening when I put the ewes and lambs up, they get a tiny bit of pellets.  We have only fed hay when absolutely necessary . . . drought conditions.

I am looking forward to more stories and pictures.


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## Beekissed

Hey, Awesome...bet I can guess which ewe is the Dorper cross and which is your mystery hair sheep, which I suspect is St. Croix!  

Your Dorper gal is on the left in the first pic and your SC/Kat one is on the right.  

You know what my sheep farmer guy told me about these hair sheep?  He used to raise all woolly breeds and was used to supplementing their hay/grass with pellets in order to keep them in good condition. 

 When he switched to hair sheep he attempted to do the same feed regimen but found that his hair breeds didn't thrive well on supplemental grain rations and did much better in their general health and conditioning, lambing and parasite resistance when fed only grass and hay.  

Oh, I wish I were still sheeping!  I wish you the best of luck and can't wait to see how it all comes out!


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## theawesomefowl

Well, I noticed that on the sheep's poop, there was gelatinous-looking small white "worms/worm eggs." What the heck?  They are healthy, and the membranes under their eyes is a nice cheerful pink, but what could this be?
It was just a bit startling. FYI they're on grass pasture with a little bit of a hay now. Thanks


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## Margali

Beautiful animals! 

Don't have any yet but I've read goats need copper in their minerals which is poisonous to sheep.  Do you have a mineral block out? Hopefully someone with experience can give advice for setting up minerals so sheep and goats don't get into the wrong ones.


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## Beekissed

Sounds like it's time to deworm, huh?  

My local feed store sells a goat and sheep block combination.  

For my money, I would give a loose mineral supplement like salt and sea kelp.  This always kept my sheep very healthy.  The kelp is a bit pricey but it lasts a very long time.


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## theawesomefowl

Well, I did an internet search and it seems like what I saw are most likely tapeworms. The good news is that tapeworms arn't a big problem unless there are many of them. http://www.sheepandgoat.com/PPT/dewormresist.pdf It says here not to deworm them unless they're unthrifty? The lambs are chubby, perky, paranoid, otherwise perfectly healthy for a sheep as far as I can tell. 
Anyone else dealt with tapeworms? What did you do?


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## rockdoveranch

I started another thread about parasites because I have never seen any in our sheep's poop.  I was wondering why since we have had sheep since 2004, and we only worm when they are showing signs of bottle jaw.

The posting eventually went to tapeworms saying that they were the only worms that would show up in poop.  The drug to kill tapeworms is very specific.  I would have to look it up to see what it is.  Sorry.

It just seems odd to me that sheep would ingest mosquitoes, but apparently they do.


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## theawesomefowl

Well, sheep101 said Valbenzan (sp?) or Safe-Guard. I'm going to talk the vet tomorrow about dewormers for tapeworms.

* Manure Management   Part 1  *

Well, I really hate wooden floors. They stink!!! My 'official' 15' x 9' three sided sheep shed (with a dirt and rock floor!) isn't quite ready, so I have them in a smaller stall in the barn which has a plywood floor. Phew. 

My (sort of) temporary solution was to sprinkle it liberally with baking soda to help deodorize the urine. And I also added some peat moss which can absorb 1000x its own weight in water. We shall see if it makes a difference. 
They're only here for now, anyway, and they spend their days on the grass, so I'm not going crazy. If only it would stay dry!

Still, these guys are great compared to a cow or pig. Sheep manure has a mild odor, not bad at all, comparatively. And I like their _ baa _ which sounds so funny compared to the obnoxious goats'!


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## rockdoveranch

Here is a good Anthelmintics table.  I forgot I had it saved with my sheep stuff - http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/antheltable.html


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## theawesomefowl

Thanks, rockdover!

Well, to update everyone, I called a friend who raises Icelandics and she suggested worming them with Safe-Guard. I'm going to drench them with some this week. Will let you all know how that turns out....

For now, though, they are doing wonderful!  I think they're growing....I took Billy-goat for some walks last week as I plan to train him for pulling a wagon or cart. Haven't found time this week however.

The sheep continue to be rather shy; but they will come up and eat grain out of my hand, which I like. Amelia is the dominant bossy girl. Sadie just sort of stands there while Amelia pigs down the grain....  

I like my electric fence. I have one 82' Poultrynet from Premier; I can use it in the winter to keep my chickens in. 

However, electric fencing definitely has some cons. For one thing, it *zaps* nastily, which may not be the best thing if you are older or have very young children.  It also can be a pain in the neck to set up, and you do have to have a reliable source of power i.e. a plugin or a car battery. Plus, electric fencing is a * pain * barrier, not a big strong physical barrier, so they can get through it if they want to. 
But what I like about my fence is that it is easy to move if your pastures aren't well-defined. And a LOT less expensive than a permanent fence!!! This set up only cost me about $200 altogether. I can set it up in about 10 minutes. Getting the animals in it isn't so easy though! I pick up Amelia and Sadie usually follows me with her, bleating indignantly, into the enclosure. Then I round up the goat and toss him in too.


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## Beekissed

Will they follow you if you carry the grain bucket into the area first?  My sheep got a little wary of that strategy so I would have to actually place the grain on the ground, walk away nonchalantly and act as if I didn't notice they were sneaking into the new pasture to get the grain...and then quickly close the opening/gate!  

They are very smart....don't know where folks get the idea sheep are dumb.   

If you are looking for a loose mineral that both your sheep and goat can have, you might look into kelp meal and salt.  The kelp meal is expensive but it lasts a very, very long time and it works well for all livestock.  My sheep loved it!  

I bought a 50# bag for $50 through my local feed store and used it for a cow, calves, 3-5 sheep for 3 years and still hadn't used it all.  Finally gave the last bit to my mother for her roses.  

Kept everyone sleek and fit....Salatin uses it for his cattle and claims he has had no more pink eye since using it.


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## theawesomefowl

I actually haven't been giving them any salt or minerals yet--and they seem okay.... am I really bad?   They do get limited access to a salt block sometimes though.  Our grass isn't phenomenal (but is a good mix: weeds, dandilions, legumes in the form of sweet clover and birds foot trefoil, and different grasses), but they are doing well on just grass and a small amount of grain every day, mostly as treats. The goat especially is looking wonderful, and I haven't seen any more tapeworm segments in the lamb's manure since worming them with Safe-Guard.

Beekissed, yes, they will now follow me with some grain in my hand!  much easier than chasing them and getting all hot and sweaty. 

Hoof trimming was rather interesting to say the least....finally accomplished it since their tiny hooves were overgrown badly. The lambs will be 3 months old on June 26 (Amelia) and July 5th (Sadie).  

I'm going to get them bred at the end of November if they weigh enough and are healthy; I'm thinking of trying to flush them with some BOSS and pumpkins like some of you ladies here do with your does. I also might just get them some sheep grain mix; I really want them to be healthy before they are bred, because I am REALLY hoping for twins from Sadie at least. (Her mother twinned in her first year)  
Well, I do realize none of this is relavant, but I like to plan ahead! Any thoughts? I may use twinning as an eventual culling criterion some day. Any ewes who don't produce a good crop of weaned lambs will have to go!


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## theawesomefowl

...Wow, I was just looking at some old photos of the ladies, and they look so young! They are getting larger, and shedding their lamb coat. And dirtier.


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## theawesomefowl

WELL, I do believe it is time for  an update. 
All three ruminants are prospering. I haven't fed any hay since May; they're on grass all day and get a small amount of grain at night, when they have a salt block. Haven't wormed them since June either, and they are still looking good. Mucous membranes are still quite pink. I can't believe how big the goat is getting! He is a real pain in the neck, but mostly well behaved. He jumps the 42" fence when he gets tired of the grass inside it, and then the sheep (who prefer not to jump the fence) stand there idiotically, baaa-ing indignantly until I either let them out of the fence or pick up the (quite heavy) goat.

The girls are nearly six months old; I think they are starting to come into heat as I noticed Sadie "humping" Amelia today.  My goodness. I'll take some photos tomorrow.  I now know one thing: I officially dislike Dorpers. Sadie, the half Dorper-cross, has the most ugly and irritating partially shedding coat of fur, dotted with snarly burrs.  Amelia's coat shed out so neatly!

I promise some photos soon. 
These sheeples are so easy when you let THEM do the work as opposed to doing it yourself. They spread their own manure on the pasture, except at night (I'd rather leave them out all night but the goat jumps out if I do), harvest their own feed via grazing and browsing, and don't require tons of daily labor, excepting moving the net fence. TIP to Sheepish Newbies: *Always* order the longest fence available! I ordered the shorter one and am regretting it immensely as it has to be moved _so_ often.


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## Beekissed

I didn't like Dorpers either!    Ugly, small faces with that little wrinkle on the top of their noses, squat and short bodies, stubborn dispositions.  

And now you see why I love sheep....and wouldn't give 2 cents for a goat!  Stinky ol' goats!


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## theawesomefowl

Beekissed said:
			
		

> I didn't like Dorpers either!    Ugly, small faces with that little wrinkle on the top of their noses, squat and short bodies, stubborn dispositions.
> 
> And now you see why I love sheep....and wouldn't give 2 cents for a goat!  Stinky ol' goats!


Yup. Except I must say I LOVE goats and their flamboyant personalities  but they DO smell--much worse than sheep!


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## theawesomefowl

These sheep are so picky. I put them into a fresh spot of nice grass and they eat parts of it down the first day, then they act like they are starving the next day and won't touch it. Anyone else experience this? I find I have to move the electric net quite often to avoid them not being full. I have to admit I often let them free-range.......saves me the bother of moving the fence!


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## theawesomefowl

...Does anyone have any opinions as to which breed I should cross the sheep with? I'd like to breed them their first year. This year.


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## Beekissed

Any pics of your gals all grown up?    If they were mine I'd cross with a Katahdin ram.  That's my vote!


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## theawesomefowl

okay, you asked for it! Here are a lot of sheep photos I just took! (How amazing modern technology is that I can go out, take a ton of pictures and upload them on the computer--all in less than 20 minutes!)

BTW, they are now over 6 months old, goat slightly less. Please excuse the burrs and whatnot stuck in their fur. It isn't worth it to me to have to catch them and pull them out.

Amelia the sheep:










A squirrel-y sheep tail:








Sadie lamb:








Wow, that goat has grown! Compare this photo to this one!




Pure sheepish curiosity:








Grass-Its Whats for Dinner:




The old dairy barn on the property, my younger sister, and the electric fence (moved it yesterday):




The small "barn" where I keep the chickens, duck, and sheep:




The sheep and goat's shed on the side of the barn:




A curious RIR cockerel, checking out the shed:




..And then they all escaped from the fence. Better got put them back now. They are on our driveway!!!





Enjoy! 
I will discuss the ram more when I have time.


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## theawesomefowl

Oh, and one more photo I edited on Picnik.... copyright me, please do not steal!


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## Beekissed

I am simply astounded at your green grass and the tender forage you seem to have at this time of the year!  We've had such droughts the last two years that my fall grasses do not have that deep and vibrant green that you seem to have right now. 

I love your little barn and also your shed...so cute and rustic looking!  The sheep have grown well and are really showing some of their Katahdin characteristics.  I can't wait until you have your first lambs from those two...then there will be pics galore on this thread!   

Excellent pics, beautiful place and _very_ beautiful daughter!


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## theawesomefowl

Beekissed said:
			
		

> I am simply astounded at your green grass and the tender forage you seem to have at this time of the year!  We've had such droughts the last two years that my fall grasses do not have that deep and vibrant green that you seem to have right now.
> 
> I love your little barn and also your shed...so cute and rustic looking!  The sheep have grown well and are really showing some of their Katahdin characteristics.  I can't wait until you have your first lambs from those two...then there will be pics galore on this thread!
> 
> Excellent pics, beautiful place and _very_ beautiful daughter!


Thank you!   Actually, she is only my younger sister, as I am a teen. She always helps me with the sheep: hold them, feed them, and set up the fence. The goat won't walk on the halter unless she is with him.  I'm going to "give" her one of the lambs next year, if she keeps on helping me.
The grasses are really green because we had a ton of rain, causing some terrible flooding down in the village. But it didn't affect us since we are out on a hill.


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## Beekissed

I would never have guessed that you were a teen due to your maturity level of thinking and writing!  Sorry about the faux pas!


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## aggieterpkatie

Nice pictures!


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## theawesomefowl

thanks, aggieterpkatie! (awesome username btw)
Forages.
I finally did some reading on Sheep201, and Sheepandgoat.com about identifying forages. I knew what most of the grass were in our back and front yard, and the weeds out behind which we got "bush hogged." (chopped down) But I really found this slideshow (from the lady (Susan Schoenien) who runs both websites' Flickr account). 
Most of the forage on the lawns are a weedy mix of what I think is Kentucky Bluegrass (since it is a common lawn grass), white clover, this funny weed I can't identify which they sometimes eat, crabgrass and dandelions. Mostly the bluegrass mixed in with clover and dandelions. Out back there is tons of goldenrod, milkweed, (both poisonous, but they do eat the goldenrod leaves) and many grass and weeds including some red clover, a tall juicy looking grass like ryegrass, and a ton of woody stems since it was recently chopped down. I'm planning on reseeding that area this fall with  and letting the ruminants chew down the stems and hang out there during the winter. 

Right now I am going to try a little experiment: a few weeks without supplementary sheep grain, just some B.O.S.S. I ran out of the sheep concentrate a few days ago, and while I will probably buy some more soon I am thinking to see how they (the sheep) do without it.......since the grass they have to eat isn't exemplary I feel they need some for balance, and the minerals.

...So, any thought? What kind of grasses do your sheep get?


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## Royd Wood

Great pics and I'm with beekissed on the green green grass wow so lush there. We have had a awful year for grass and decent hay. Looks a nice set up and a good little helper


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## Beekissed

I usually supplemented winter hay feeding with BOSS on occasion just to give a little extra selenium to their winter diet.  As for the forages I had here....my sheeples stayed so fat on it that I didn't really need to supplement with added grains.  Same with the hay in the winter...fat and sleek without any added grains.  

I really think drenching with the UP/ACV helped with nutrient uptake by improving digestive performance.  It might have made all the difference for my sheep.


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## theawesomefowl

Beekissed said:
			
		

> I usually supplemented winter hay feeding with BOSS on occasion just to give a little extra selenium to their winter diet.  As for the forages I had here....my sheeples stayed so fat on it that I didn't really need to supplement with added grains.  Same with the hay in the winter...fat and sleek without any added grains.
> 
> I really think drenching with the UP/ACV helped with nutrient uptake by improving digestive performance.  It might have made all the difference for my sheep.


How often did you drench them? And how much? I tried it last week, but the sheep hate being drenched. I did manage to get some UP/ACV in them though. :/ And they refused to eat any garlic. My ruminants are so durned picky. If they don't like what I give them they starve or knock down/jump out of the fence!!! And then baa and maa at me obnoxiously.

BTW, how big were your sheep at almost seven months old? Mine always look so small to me...but then, I really have a difficult time telling as I have no adult specimens to compare them to. The goat is a little big, but he is a male.  Their heads come to maybe a little less than mid thigh on me and I am about 5' 2.5".


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## Beekissed

I only drenched mine about a couple of times a year but the people who use this tonic to prevent fly bots, etc., state they drench monthly.  I just put the garlic juice or powder into the UP/ACV drench and dose both at the same time.  I don't know of any sheep that likes drenching but the more you do it the more they get used to submitting for it.


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## theawesomefowl

Height (from ground to back): 36" or so
Height to head: Almost to my waist.

(I'm just putting this here so I'll remember it)


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## theawesomefowl

Whew--I noticed a clotting scab on Amelia's front leg, and treated it with Blue-Kote. And I also "sat" Sadie, and I noticed a tick!!!! Not surprising, seeing as they were back in what was formerly deer-haven for a while. 
But I felt like an idiot for not noticing and yanked it out and Blue-Koted it too, after wiping with a cloth with a bit of disinfectant. Sadie, the Dorp cross, is so much calmer than Amelia who is a pig and stuggles like an idiot (wait, she's a sheep..) when I sit her on her rump. Sadie jump sits there, like a _good_ sheep.  She also has a bigger, meatier build than Amelia, obviously Dorper. And pretty long eyelashes. 

MEMO to self: Work these sheep more often so they get used to it.  Their disgusting scent glands next to their adorable little udders were gross, but no more ticks. Their hooves were still not too overgrown, even though I hadn't trimmed them since spring. Will trim before breeding as they should need it by then.

The sheep and the goat are having a delicious time clearing out our (mostly weeds) garden. Billy-goat even ate a couple of mildly spicy yellow peppers! What a goofy goat. 

I still haven't fixed the fence, so its back to the original short poultrynet for now.


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## Ms. Research

theawesomefowl said:
			
		

> Whew--I noticed a clotting scab on Amelia's front leg, and treated it with Blue-Kote. And I also "sat" Sadie, and I noticed a tick!!!! Not surprising, seeing as they were back in what was formerly deer-haven for a while.
> But I felt like an idiot for not noticing and yanked it out and Blue-Koted it too, after wiping with a cloth with a bit of disinfectant. Sadie, the Dorp cross, is so much calmer than Amelia who is a pig and stuggles like an idiot (wait, she's a sheep..) when I sit her on her rump. Sadie jump sits there, like a _good_ sheep.  She also has a bigger, meatier build than Amelia, obviously Dorper. And pretty long eyelashes.
> 
> MEMO to self: Work these sheep more often so they get used to it.  Their disgusting scent glands next to their adorable little udders were gross, but no more ticks. Their hooves were still not too overgrown, even though I hadn't trimmed them since spring. Will trim before breeding as they should need it by then.
> 
> The sheep and the goat are having a delicious time clearing out our (mostly weeds) garden. Billy-goat even ate a couple of mildly spicy yellow peppers! What a goofy goat.
> 
> I still haven't fixed the fence, so its back to the original short poultrynet for now.


Dumb question alert:  Teaching a sheep to sit, is that due to shearing?  

As much as I hate mosquitoes, I hate ticks.  Nasty things.  Found one on Jake this year.   Glad you were able to pull the one off of Sadie.  Poor baby.


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## Beekissed

Yes, this is the usual position for shearing and for hoof trimming.  Usually a sheep will sit quietly like this as they are basically helpless in this position.  My ewes would cease to struggle and just relax against my legs, making it hard for me to do the job at hand....I swear they looked like ladies lounging back and getting a mani-pedi!


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## theawesomefowl

Ms. Research said:
			
		

> Dumb question alert:  Teaching a sheep to sit, is that due to shearing?
> 
> As much as I hate mosquitoes, I hate ticks.  Nasty things.  Found one on Jake this year.   Glad you were able to pull the one off of Sadie.  Poor baby.


It is the position used for shearing and trimming hooves. These ewes are hair sheep so I won't have to shear them though. 
No question is a dumb question, except those that go unasked! 
Oh and I love your title! 
Edit: Stupid me-- didn't notice Beekissed had already answered your question.


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## Ms. Research

Thanks to both for answering my question and not thinking it was dumb.  

Something to look forward to when I own "hair" sheep.  Teaching them how to sit.  Should be interesting.  Definitely will have lots of questions once they are part of the Livestock Adventure.


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## theawesomefowl

Today I let them free range-- and they filled their rumens up tighter and fuller than when they either are in a fences area of grass or on hay. Does that mean they're not getting enough roughage when they are in their fence?!?


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## Beekissed

These hair sheep seem to need as much browse as goats.  I didn't have any  browse on my place, so I just kept all my corn stalks for feeding them some roughage...found they also liked sunflower stems also.  Sometimes I'd give them old branches off the apple trees and they would go to _town_ on them.   

For my Kats, it seemed when the grass was the richest, early spring and fall, they really needed some roughage to balance out their rumen.  I've read that most rumenants will balance their own rumens when the roughage is available, thus preventing grass scours.


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## aggieterpkatie

theawesomefowl said:
			
		

> Today I let them free range-- and they filled their rumens up tighter and fuller than when they either are in a fences area of grass or on hay. Does that mean they're not getting enough roughage when they are in their fence?!?


No, it just means they were excited to have "new" food and went to town eating.


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## theawesomefowl

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> theawesomefowl said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Today I let them free range-- and they filled their rumens up tighter and fuller than when they either are in a fences area of grass or on hay. Does that mean they're not getting enough roughage when they are in their fence?!?
> 
> 
> 
> No, it just means they were excited to have "new" food and went to town eating.
Click to expand...

Whew--you have reassured an anxious soul.  
Good....as I still haven't fixed the fence they can go to town again today. But no way are they doing this once I have tempting baby lambs next spring!!!


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## theawesomefowl

Yay! Fence is FIXED!!!! 
The sheep were starting to go across the road and eat our neighbor's pansies, so its a good thing.


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## theawesomefowl

alright, so flushing has officially begun. I am working my way up to almost a lb. of concentrate per sheep; right now they get 1/2 lb. Goat gets none (he wasn't happy about that ) Plus they get whatever grass they can scrounge up, and grass hay. Sound good?

The Dorp cross, Sadie, is SO wooly!!! She has at least 3/4" of WOOL and hair on her!  Oh my goodness. 

I should be able to bring in the ram in a week or so.


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## doo dah

"Flushing" is when you feed a female animal lots of excellent food to make her more fertile, right?


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## SheepGirl

Flushing is when you feed higher quality feeds or more feed to get a female in breeding condition, which will encourage her to ovulate more eggs, thus producing more multiple births.


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## Beekissed

I wonder if anyone has ever bred selectively for ewes that do not require prebreeding flushing to produce well?  I'll have to read up and see if anyone has.....if they have, I bet hair breeds would be well-suited for it.


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## SheepGirl

Some years we flush our ewes, other years we don't. When we flush, we have had sets of triplets and twins and very little singles. When we don't, we just have primarily twins and a singles. We don't selectively breed for not flushing to produce well, but it would be interesting to see those who don't flush and what their production records are.


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## Beekissed

My sheep seemed to really get fat on fall fescues right before breeding time, so I didn't bother to flush an already fat and sassy set of ewes.  Mine both had twins...but Katahdins are known for twinning, so I don't know if that counts.  

If the sheep are already obviously well-nourished by these fall grasses, is it necessary to flush?  Or is the objective already achieved?


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## SheepGirl

I've read that you're not supposed to flush ewes in already-good condition (BCS 2.5+).


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## aggieterpkatie

Bee, if your ewes were grazing the fall fescue and getting fat, that's still flushing only not with grain.    After frost, fescue's starches turn to sugar which not only increases palatability, it also increases nutrition.  So, your ewes were technically getting flushed, but with forage instead of grain.  

Even if ewes are in good body condition, they could still benefit from flushing.  We all know how if animals are under hard times (food wise), they're not going to breed as well because their body won't put in energy for egg production when the animal can hardly support itself.  When the ewe is flushed, her body says, 'Hey, look at all this extra nutrition! Let's ovulate lots of eggs because we've got plenty of food coming in!"  Some breeds are naturally prolific, like Fins.  I would think Fins don't need to be flushed, because they'd probably have trips easily, instead of up to 5 or 6 babies by being flushed.  If people are finding their ewes cannot support multiples, then they should not flush.  If their ewes can easily feed 2 and 3 babies, then they should.  I would want any ewe of mine to have at least twins every time.  IMO, if they're having singles they're not pulling their weight.  My Southdown ewe had a single her first lambing, and I told her I would give her one more try, and she had twins the next time (all babies were ewes too, which was a bonus although not really her doing ).  

So, IMO, flushing isn't "necessary" because the ewes aren't good enough, it's insurance to make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck.  If that means I have to provide extra feed for a few weeks before breeding, I'll gladly do it.  I don't have room for any freeloaders here, so I'll do what I can to ensure the most lambs per ewe, and flushing is easy.


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## doo dah

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> Flushing is when you feed higher quality feeds or more feed to get a female in breeding condition, which will encourage her to ovulate more eggs, thus producing more multiple births.


Ahh ok, thank you.


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## SheepGirl

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> I would want any ewe of mine to have at least twins every time.  IMO, if they're having singles they're not pulling their weight.


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## theawesomefowl

We are hopefully picking up Rambo tomorrow. I had planned to begin breeding the ewes two weeks ago but life got in the way.  And flushing got all messed up! I'm going to switch form sheep feed to whole corn, and just keep the ram longer. And hope for the best!

I also feel incredibly stupid for not stocking up on hay sooner.


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## Beekissed

Don't forget the vinegar in their water!  Girl babies, girl babies, girl babies!


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## theawesomefowl

Okay! I just picked him up: he is a little 5 month old, absolutely adorable and in good health. He has well-muscled back legs, and well formed large testicles.  (I remembered to check!)  He is smaller than my ewes and VERY CUTE!   He doesn't know how to eat hay though, having eaten pasture his whole life.  I'm hoping the girls won't be too mean to him and will let him eat some....

And I just saw him attempt to breed Sadie while she was eating!


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## theawesomefowl

Hello, BYHers! 
I haven't been on in ages.

The sheep and goat are doing nicely. They are all woolly for the winter, and would score around a 3, so they are in good condition.
I switched from feeding them concentrate to feeding whole corn, which is cheaper (around $2) for me and they love it. I'm cutting down on it though and maybe I'll just put them on hay until April or whenever I need to start feeding extra again (for the last 5-6 weeks for pregnancy).

I still have the ram in with them; I am going to attempt to draw blood from them this week and send it to Bio-tracking. If they aren't pregnant then I'm not sure what I'm going to do!!!     

Our Christmas was nice. We went down the day after Christmas to my brother's (he lives 4 hrs away); his wife just had a baby girl in September. Baby Kayleigh is SO cute.  

While I was away (at my brother's) my neighbor took care of the 20 chickens, duck and sheep/goat. She gave them plenty of love but overfed them!!!  Not overfeeding as in making-ruminants-sick, just as in omgosh-she-used-so-much-hay.  

So everything is good, but I'm so scared the sheeples aren't pregnant/expecting/"with child".    please!!! Think LAMBS. LAMBS. LAMBS.  I really want to taste some home grown lamb.

~ Diana


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## SheepGirl

We have found that a harness + marking crayon is really good for tracking breeding dates. Just have to check the ewes each day and mark which ones have marks on their butts. We switch out the colors about every 17 days so we can see who was rebred. Really great tool for figuring out due dates!

Plus they last for years.

I hope your ewes are bred though!! Can't wait to find out.


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## theawesomefowl

Quick update: am planning on getting blood for Biotracking tomorrow--wish me luck. 

Sheep are okay, but bored with this winter weather. No fresh grass. I have them on hay only, but am going to start feeding corn again as they are only scoring about a 2.


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## SheepGirl

How did your blood drawing go?


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## theawesomefowl

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> How did your blood drawing go?


Awful. I couldn't even find the jugular vein because they were so wooly. I need to find myself some clippers. 
So I have no idea whether they're preg or not---we'll see in April, when they would be due.  

As of right now the girls are shedding. I pulled a ton of fluff off of Sadie's neck! They seem to be drinking more too.


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## theawesomefowl

Curse you people! Looking at all the photos of your adorable little lambs makes me want some so....bad.  

Okay so in preparation  for lambing, what supplies are essential? I have iodine, gloves (in case I had to help out) and a jar but that's about it.  

My poor ruminants (sheep + goat) are going crazy for spring. Our grass is all still dead now and it is cold. Their diet is grass hay, whole corn and sheep mineral right now. Plus BOSS when I remember to give them some.


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## Remuda1

Lubricant, sheep NutriDrench for quick energy for both lamb and ewe after a difficult birth.


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## SheepGirl

Our ewes normally lamb by themselves...we rarely have to help. But it's good you're prepared just in case you do, anyways.

But once we find the lambs, we will sometimes jug them and the ewe...not all the time, though. It depends on the ewe. But anyway, once we jug them (or catch them), we dip their umbilical cords in Iodine. After that, if we don't jug the lambs, then we will tag them and dock them. If we do jug them, we will wait until the day we turn them out (1-3 days old). Because you have hair sheep, it's not necessary to dock the tails.

So my suggested supplies:
- Iodine (which you already have)
- Ear tagger (or some other form of ID)
- Elastrator and rubber bands (if you want to castrate/have males)

IF you have an issue, you may want to have some Pen G, 18 g needles, and 3 cc syringes on hand, especially if you have to assist. Also I would recommend having a thermometer.

But that's all I can think of now lol. Good luck!


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## theawesomefowl

Thanks! I will certainly start collecting all those things....gosh I hope they got bred. They most likely did though; it's just that I tend to over think everything.

My goodness, you really can tell the difference between the Dorper cross and the pure hair sheep. The shed hair of the Dorp is mostly wool, with very little hair fibers interspersed, while the other is shedding hair like a dog. (so is our lab right now and our house is covered in nasty dog hair!  )

Photos from today:






Sadie:








Amelia:




Fowls!





Sorry, the photos aren't great. I'm no photographer.


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## SheepGirl

They look bred to me 

I really like Amelia. She's got such a sweet look to her.


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## ShadyAcres

theawesomefowl said:
			
		

> Okay so in preparation  for lambing, what supplies are essential? I have iodine, gloves (in case I had to help out) and a jar but that's about it.


Check ahead of time with your local feed / farm stores to see if they carry milk replacer etc.  If they don't you may want to order some to have in emergency.  

If your goats kid first, you may want to save some of their colostrum.  I like it better than the powdered.  Every lambing season I collect some from one of the ewes and freeze.  

A lamb sling is a cheap item to add if you are placing an online or catalog order.  Not a necessity, but does come in handy at times.  Even if you plan to jug or lamb in a barn, sometimes one surprises us or comes early.  My ewes dont seem to know how to look up.  If I am carrying a lamb in my arms mom cant seem to find them.  The sling holds the lamb low like it is walking away from mom, and she will follow.  

And re-read your books / magazines and mark pages you think might need a quick reference to.  Such as positions a lamb could be in and what you need to do if she needs help.  When it is 2 a.m and pouring down outside it is frustrating to run around the house trying to remember which magazine had the great pictures that showed exactly what was now going on out in your barn!  

Saving aside a shot of whiskey to drown your sorrows, or a bottle of wine to celebrate your victory doesnt hurt either.


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## theawesomefowl

We live in dairy farming country, so our feed stores carry all that good stuff.  
I've been re-reading all my reference books; I think I have an idea of what to do, plus I have a shepherd friend I can call.

I can't drink whiskey because I'm under 21, but thanks for the suggestion anyway!  Will have to find something to celebrate with once the lambs come! 

The goat is getting rehomed today, so the poor girls will probably feel miserable afterwards, but at least I won't have to worry about him causing an abortion by bumping them into something.


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## theawesomefowl

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> They look bred to me
> 
> I really like Amelia. She's got such a sweet look to her.


They do?  
Why thank  you.


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## Remuda1

ShadyAcres said:
			
		

> theawesomefowl said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Okay so in preparation  for lambing, what supplies are essential? I have iodine, gloves (in case I had to help out) and a jar but that's about it.
> 
> 
> 
> Check ahead of time with your local feed / farm stores to see if they carry milk replacer etc.  If they don't you may want to order some to have in emergency.
> 
> If your goats kid first, you may want to save some of their colostrum.  I like it better than the powdered.  Every lambing season I collect some from one of the ewes and freeze.
> 
> A lamb sling is a cheap item to add if you are placing an online or catalog order.  Not a necessity, but does come in handy at times.  Even if you plan to jug or lamb in a barn, sometimes one surprises us or comes early.  My ewes dont seem to know how to look up.  If I am carrying a lamb in my arms mom cant seem to find them.  The sling holds the lamb low like it is walking away from mom, and she will follow.
> 
> And re-read your books / magazines and mark pages you think might need a quick reference to.  Such as positions a lamb could be in and what you need to do if she needs help.  When it is 2 a.m and pouring down outside it is frustrating to run around the house trying to remember which magazine had the great pictures that showed exactly what was now going on out in your barn!
> 
> Saving aside a shot of whiskey to drown your sorrows, or a bottle of wine to celebrate your victory doesnt hurt either.
Click to expand...

This is all great advice. One other thing I thought about is rather than JUST having the latex gloves on hand, you might want to get some palpating gloves. These go all the way to your shoulder in case you have to reposition one inside of the ewe. You might want to check the sheep/goat section of Jeffers Livestock catalog. Lots of good supplies there and perhaps seeing them all may help you decide what all you need to be comfortable. I have antibiotics in my cabinet just in case I need them. I've got some frozen goat colostrum that was given to me by a friend but I also still have the powdered in my cabinet. 

For me.... The comfort I get in knowing that I have these things on hand is worth the expense. If problems arise, it's stressful enough without worrying about whether our feed stores will be out of what I need OR the real possibility of needing these things at one or two in the morning when everything is closed. You're doing a great job doing your research before the need arises


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## theawesomefowl

Oh my! Beautiful hot weather, and the sheep are happy. The goat is gone--I sold him last week.

QUESTION: They were acting silly and butting heads today--do sheep still do that when they're pregnant, or are they in heat????


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## SheepGirl

My ewes do that when they fight for food or when they're re-establishing dominance (i.e. a lower-ranking ewe wants to move up). When my ewes are in heat, they don't really bother each other. They're just busy looking for a ram! lol


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## theawesomefowl

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> My ewes do that when they fight for food or when they're re-establishing dominance (i.e. a lower-ranking ewe wants to move up). When my ewes are in heat, they don't really bother each other. They're just busy looking for a ram! lol


*whew*  Thank you SO much.  This gives me hope that they...could...still...have..lambs.


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## theawesomefowl

Funny story of the day.........
Today I was sitting outside in the glorious sunshine in "maiden meditation fancy free" eating a grapefruit when the sheep decided to come over.  They sniffed around for a bit, and then Amelia tried to taste part of the grapefruit. She ended up eating it!  It was only a small piece so I'm not worried but _ really _, girls??? Those crazy sheep!

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a surreal parallel universe where the sheep eat grapefruit, the chickens eat styrofoam and I can never remember what I just did....


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## theawesomefowl

Three weeks until the earliest possible lambing date.


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## aggieterpkatie

Exciting stuff!  The time will be here before you know it!


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## Gracie9205

I'm in the same boat!  I have been watching the udders on my 2 ewes for the past couple weeks.  I can't tell if they are growing, or if the girls are just getting fat!  I would love to have a couple lambs this year


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## theawesomefowl

No lambs.   
But they are growing udders. Large ones. WTH?


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## SheepGirl

Yay! It will be soon


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## theawesomefowl

asfhdklhsdklgfhdglk Amelia lambed!!! Of course, being a sheep, she had to go and lamb the one weekend we were away.   I just got home an hour ago!!!
He is dry, so she must have licked him off, a male, and his tongue is warm so I'm assuming he nursed?! I put some iodine on the cord.
Amelia's udder is full but not too painful because I even was able to milk it, but she seems to not be letting him nurse!!! She is nickering to him, but butted him when he tried to nurse. The other sheep is butting him too when he gets too close. I am not able to separate them...damn.  Any thoughts?? I'm just going to keep checking on them every so often.....HE MUST NURSE!!!!!!!!!

I hope this made some kind of sense.....kind of freaking  out now.    BTW, his name is Quark Tennant at least until he gets old enough to eat when his name will be simply FOOD. (After David Tennant from Doctor Who ) Quark because I'm reading a book about string theory.


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## theawesomefowl

The lamb's lying down in the hay next to mom, but its mouth is still warm so I'm assuming she let it nurse???


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## SheepGirl

If his mouth is warm, that's a good sign. If his mouth gets cold, that's a sign of hypothermia and you will need to warm him up and then get some fluid in him. If you can't jug him and his mom, then I would see about tying her up or holding onto her and then having someone hold the lamb up to her teat. If you can't do that, then just watch him to make sure his belly is filled out. If it's sunken in and you can see the bones sticking out to the side of his spine, then he's too thin and not eating.

Congrats!  Can't wait to see pictures


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## theawesomefowl

Well, he's still alive, still adorable as all get out, and I saw him nurse.   I think I'll shut the sheep in their pen for a few days though before putting them out on grass again.
Will post pics ASAP.


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## theawesomefowl

Out on grass today!!!




Me with the lamb:


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## SheepGirl

What a cute lil guy! Congrats!


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