# Four Winds Ranch: " Life on the Farm "



## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 17, 2012)

Hi!!!!

My name is Jody! I live in Alberta Canada. Usually during the summer here it is pretty warm( 20-35degrees C), and during the winter we get chinooks! Where everything warms up to +3degrees! Between chinnooks it is usually -10 to -35.

I live with my hubby, and 3 kids! The oldest kid is 10yrs, the youngest is 2yrs. My Hubby works in the Oil Patch, I run the Farm.
Our farm is 160 acres, but unfortuanatly one fourth of it is swamp( at least we are set if there is a drought!)We have A 4-H steer, a milk cow, a few horses, 50 tunis sheep, a couple donkeys and lamas, a few pigs, 50ish chickens, couple rabbits, cats, and a old dog and a young pup! Oh, and last but not least, my baby" Johhny "( a pot belly pig )! Soon I am hoping for the beef cows!!!

I grew up on a 400sq. mile cattle ranch in the bush in B.C. Canada, so I come by farming naturally! Although I am spoiled, and this 160 acre farm is never going to be big enough for this West Coast Rancher!
I would like to think that I am almost able to supply my family with food 100% off of our farm, but, during the cold winter months, the condaments, fruit, and veggies get pretty low! I love gardening and grow a huge garden that I harvest! During the fall, I am busy freezing, drying, and canning produce! All I can say is," Thank God for the butcher shops for the meat!" Cutting and wrapping meat is definatly one job I can do with out!!!
Also I am all into " NATURAL", so all our animals and produce are organic (natural), but not certified because, the laws here will not allow one to be" certified organic" if the nieghbors arn't! I also grow natual madicinal herb garden for my animals and ourselves!


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## BarredRockMomma (Apr 17, 2012)

Your set up sounds wonderful.

oh and


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## bonbean01 (Apr 17, 2012)

Welcome and I'm looking forward to you journal!  I grew up in Saskatchewan on a cattle farm so we have lots in common.  Fell in love with a Southern man and now I'm in Mississippi and raising hair sheep and chickens and loving it.

Will check out your journal often, and again....WELCOME!!!!


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## redtailgal (Apr 17, 2012)

Welcome to Journaling!  Looking forward to hearing more about you!


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## WildRoseBeef (Apr 17, 2012)

Welcome fellow Albertan!    What part of Alberta do you hail from, just out of curiosity?


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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 18, 2012)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

> Welcome fellow Albertan!    What part of Alberta do you hail from, just out of curiosity?


I am frome the Rocky Mountain House/ Caroline area!! How about you???


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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 18, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> Welcome and I'm looking forward to you journal!  I grew up in Saskatchewan on a cattle farm so we have lots in common.  Fell in love with a Southern man and now I'm in Mississippi and raising hair sheep and chickens and loving it.
> 
> Will check out your journal often, and again....WELCOME!!!!


Thanks for the welcome!! Lol!  I believe it goes " You can take the girl out of the farm, but not the farm out of the girl "!!!!


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## elevan (Apr 18, 2012)




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## WildRoseBeef (Apr 18, 2012)

Four Winds Ranch said:
			
		

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I'm from the Barrhead/Westlock area, we drive to near Rocky Mountain House and then south to Cochrane to see family.  Very pretty country you're in, I must say!


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## SmallFarmGirl (Apr 19, 2012)




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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 20, 2012)

Well, The Day Has Arrived!! :/  

A while ago I was given a jersey cow from a local dairy. They gave her away cause she was older and had a lame foot from being on the cement her whole life. We have named her " Silver ", and have been enjoying her milk to the fullest!! Fresh milk, cream, butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, and cheese!  
But her foot has continued to be sore, so I have had the vet look at her a few times. It is really quite bad once you can see underneath!! 
So the vet suggested the only thing he can do is amputate a toe!!  
Today is the day for Silver's amputation! I will admit, I am nervous, but I suppose the vet knows what he is doing!!!


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## elevan (Apr 20, 2012)

Wow.  I feel bad for that poor cow being on concrete her whole life but at least now she gets to feel the grass under her feet.  Animals have an amazing ability to heal in great part because mentally they don't think about it the way humans do.  I'm sure that she'll get along fine after her surgery and healing time.  Please do keep us updated.  And pics of her would be fabulous (hint hint)


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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 20, 2012)

" SILVER " 

She is a purebred Jersey!







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## SmallFarmGirl (Apr 20, 2012)

ADORABLE! 



_*if I had the room ......*_


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## Mamaboid (Apr 20, 2012)

I love her hairdo.  I have a thing for Jersey cattle, always have, even when I was a kid I wanted one cause they have such wonderful faces.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 25, 2012)

Well, Silver,( the Jersey cow) seems to be recuperating fairly well after her surgery! She appears to be alot more comfortable now, than she was before the surgery ( minis the first 2 days after)!
Now, the bandaging!      -BIG JOB- every other day, hopefully for not too much longer!

Elsewhere on the farm; one of my Rams, he is a 4yr old purebred Tunis, has always been pretty good with the ladies! Every year his ewes ( 25 head ) always lamb in a 2 week time period!:cool
This spring, !!!! It is going on 5 weeks and they still haven't all lambed!!!!:/ They are all pregnant(are bagging up) but definatly are taking their sweet time! Like, what is up with that! Has " Hamilton " lost his touch?!!!  All the other ewes that were with the other rams have finished lambing a couple weeks ago!

Usually here in Alberta, this area anyway, we get green grass and leaves starting to pop out around the middle of May. Lo-and-behold    we have green grass, and the trees have the smallest of green tinge to them and it is only the endish of April!!!     It is not that often I can brag about getting a sunburn in April!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (May 2, 2012)

Early mornings are one of those things that come with the territoy when you live on the farm.
    Most mornings I have to get up and out to milk before the little kids get up, other kid gets on the bus, and the hubby gets up for work. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, it is a routine I am used to.The last couple of weeks, I have been having to get up a bit earlier than usual, because along with checking the sheep, and milking, I have to soak the cows sore back foot in a tub of water for 20 min. every day. It is a pretty easy job, actually, kind of boring as you stand there and wait 20 min. She is a very nice cow and lets ME do anything with her. ( I stress ME, cause as soon as my hubby steps one foot in the barn, she is on a dead run!)  :/
    So, this morning, I grabbed the milk bucket and headed out the door half asleep like usual. I finished the milking and got the soaking tub ready and inserted the cows foot. I stood there, leaning on the cow, trying to stay awake as I waited for the 20 min. to s-l-o-w-l-y go by. I suddenly felt her weight shift ( which usually means she is going to lift her foot out of the tub! ), so I jerk my eyes open and reached down to grab her leg! Just as I bend over, she does a nice little kick on the top of the tub which sprayed warm water filled with manure and cow sore, mostly in my mouth and all over my face!   In reaction, I jerk up spitting and gagging, and slip on the spilled water, and fall flat on my back, UNDER the cow!    As I lay there with manure water soaking through my pJ's, I realize I have never seen this view of a cow before! Yep, I am wide awake now as I drag my soaked body out from under the cow, and start on the cold, moist journey from the barn to the house! It was also great fun trying to get from the door to the bathroom without leaving a trail on the floor behind me! Lol! I can laugh now, but earlier this morning it definatlly wasn't one of my best moments!  
   Now that I think about it, I think the cow's foot soaking time got cut a fair bit short today!


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## Sunny & the 5 egg layers (May 2, 2012)

The visual of that is hilarious!  Thank you for sharing!


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## bonbean01 (May 2, 2012)

Yup...cracked up with the visual...sorry you had a bad morning, but all in a day's work on a farm...one day all goes well and some days not so well.


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## WildRoseBeef (May 3, 2012)

The grass is springing up here too, we've got a little herd of muleys (mule deer for most of you) that have been coming around regularly to graze the lawn.   Nice to see some wildlife that are not birds!


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## Four Winds Ranch (May 10, 2012)

Weeeellllll, I admit, have a problem!
I am an ANIMALAHOLIC!!!!     Yep thats me! If I see a good deal in the paper, or Buy and Sell, I just can't help myself!  Especially if it is a well bred animal for under the market value! All of these reasons why it would improve my  farm, or how I could make something off of it, start popping into my mind; I wonder sometimes how my Hubby puts up with me with out rolling his eyes the second my mouth opens (I am sure he does but is good at hiding it ).
Lol! To make matters worse! I have an addiction to surfing the local(ish) Buy & Sells when ever I have a chance, cause you never know what one might find! Yes, I know, sad but true! 
 Well, here is my newest addition to my flock! He is a purebred Suffolk ram, 4 monthds old, 126lbs, and has the best conformation you have ever seen ( well, I have ever had ), so far  !
My phone doesn't do him justice, (one of these days I need to get myself something other than my phone to take pics, with!) He is such a beautiful boy!






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## 77Herford (May 10, 2012)




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## Four Winds Ranch (May 16, 2012)

Next week is the big day!!!!
The " Show and Sale " for our districts 4-H steer sale!
Personaly, I can't wait, but there is a small tinge for regret that the day is almost here! :/ My 10 yr. old Daughter will be heartbroken!  
The steer " Coke ", a purbred Shorthorn, is my daughters, it is her 1st year in 4-H. We have had her steer since Sept.  As a 10 yr. old, she seems to have issues with doing her chores, so, guess who looks after the steer? Yep, good ol' MOM!
That is why I can't wait till this sale takes place! Twice a day feeding, the grooming, washing, and practice leading and the show stances in the last 9 months have been my norm! I don't mind giving her a hand but, I think she has an allergy to chores!
I kind of feel bad though cause every day she does go out to see " Coke ", she snuggles up and tells him all about her day at school. I can only hope that her new steer next fall will be good enough to replace "Coke"!


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## Four Winds Ranch (May 29, 2012)

Yesterday morning, when I woke up, it was a beautiful, bright, sunny morning! The sun reflected off all the new green leaves and grass as it peaked over the tops of the trees! Naturally, I couldn't wait to go out and enjoy the day!   
     I grabbed my milk bucket, and whistled my way to the barn. As I finished milking, it looked so nice out, I picked up the bucket of milk, and made my way to the pasture fence to view the pasture in the morning sun! As I leaned on the fence enjoying the warm, fresh, morning breeze, a movement in the corner of the pasture caught my eye! So I quickly stepped up on the bottem rail to get a better look! It was just our 2 llamas, but, they were acting very strange with their noses to the ground, kind of walking in circles!
     I sat down the bucket of milk, crawled through the fence rails, and started walking across the pasture to see what their problem was! THIS is what I saw!!!  





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   How did this happen!!!!!!  Yes, I know llamas have babies all the time, but not here!! My llamas are both females ( and I checked again cause after seeing this I figured I must have made a mistake ) they are DEFINATLY females!    I am sooo confused, as far as I know, my girls havn't ever escaped my fence, and I don't believe any of the nieghbors have llamas!    What is going on??!!


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## elevan (May 29, 2012)

Congratulations!

How long have you had them?  Gestation is for 11 1/2 months.


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## Four Winds Ranch (May 29, 2012)

elevan said:
			
		

> Congratulations!
> 
> How long have you had them?  Gestation is for 11 1/2 months.


About 3yrs, that is why the confusion! It may be one of those mysteries deemed to stay a mystery!


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## elevan (May 29, 2012)

Four Winds Ranch said:
			
		

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Someone has a sneaky male near you then!


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## SheepGirl (May 29, 2012)

Your other one may be pregnant too--be on the lookout for another baby llama!


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## BrownSheep (May 29, 2012)

MAGIC LLAMAS!!


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## Queen Mum (May 30, 2012)

Virgin Birth.


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## Four Winds Ranch (May 30, 2012)

I had 2 hens setting on eggs! About 8 eggs each. They are each in their own brood boxes, and a couple days ago, while I was out feeding the chickens, I could hear little peeps! I was extatic!     I love new/baby/animals!!!!  
    I checked to see how many each had, and was a bit dissappointed to find one had 4 and the other only 2!    For some reason most of them didn't make the trip out of the shell. Have to figure out what is causing the shells to be too hard) But, all the same, 6 chicks is nothing to frown at!!!  
    A couple days ago, I went to out to feed the cute little things, and was horrifide to find one dead, and its mother was attacking another!     As fast as I could, I managed to grab the little one she was after, only to find her going after yet another!    She is a black bantem hen and the only chick she doesn't attack out of the 4 of them is the black one which I left with her! ( I think black bantems are evil!)
     I gave the 2 disowned chicks to the other mother hen, who accepted them with no problem. Not before I realized that one of the attacked chicks was bleeding! Upon closer inspection, I noticed that its little leg was broken!    I decided to see if I could help the poor little thing, so got out my first-aid supplies.   I attemted my first splint cast/wrap sucsessfully, ( I think) on a 2 day old chick's little toothpick sized leg! It was definatly a delicate procedure to say the least!   
     It is now on day 3 with my splint job, and is hobbling around fine, eating and drinking!  
     I may be congradulating my self early, but only time will tell!!!!!






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## Four Winds Ranch (Jun 6, 2012)

This year, my sheep have had a pretty good year with lambing! Yes, I couldn't help but to mention to a few people how easy my "Do-It-On-Their-Own" herd is!!!  
I bragged to soon and jinxed myself!
There was one ewe left to go (Elsie), and I figure with the way the year is going, piece of cake!
One afternoon, on my regular checks, I note that she is in labour! Yes! Lambing is done now I can sleep!  p!!!!!
I leave her for a bit, and return in about 30min., and disappointedly notice she hasn't licked the lamb off and was standing at the opposite end of the pen as the lamb.  :/  I grab a towel and dry the little thing off, gentlely push it towards its mom to nurse as the Elsie starts kicking and jumping around like crazy as the lamb walks towards her! After a bit I grab Elsie and hold her so the lamb can suck.
A little while later I check and find that Elsie was still thinking the lamb is some sort of monster that is going to eat her! Dissapointed, I held the her again so the lamb could nurse. not sure how much the little thing was getting, I started mixing up a bottle to suppliment after the he nursed. This became my daily, and nightly, routine.  
Day before yesterday, things got a bit easier, cause whenever it was time to feed the lamb (which I named Energizer), Elsie would still run around and try to kick as the lamb tried to nurse, but, once I entered the pen and squatted down, she would stop dead and let her the lamb suck! This is a lot easier than catching her and holding her every time!  
Last night at midnight I mixed up the bottle and traipsed down to the barn in the dark for my nightly ritual. As I walked, I kept telling myself, " what are you doing, it has been 10 days, if she hasn't accepted the lamb by now she isn't giong to! Face the fact, you have a bottle lamb!" As I get to the barn and open the gate, all is quiet, no running every which way or lamb bleating. They are both asleep. Elsie gets up, and the lamb slowly WALKS over to see me, takes a couple sucks from the bottle and walks away! What is going on? The little fella always runs over and guzzles the bottle like he is starving!    I pick up Energizer and his little belly feels full!
As I go out of the barn and turn to look over the gate, Energizer runs up and starts nursing from Elsie!!!!   
This morning, yep sure enough! She was still letting him nurse!!!!! It is amazing! I wonder what change Elsie's mind about her lamb, I am definatly not complaining, and am sure glad I didn't give up on her and take the lamb away for a bottle lamb!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jun 15, 2012)

Well, here we are, almost the middle of June, and all the babies this farm will see this year have been born!!!! Or so I thought!
Every day when I go out to check sheep, milk the cow, and about three-quarters of all the chores every day, I walk by a huge log pile . The logs are big ( at least 2-3 feet around), old and gray, about 20 feet long. I have a black tarp thrown over part of the pile in hopes of keeping the logs dry so we can use them for firewood. Well, today as I walked past the big log pile, I heard a horrible commotion.....somewhere...... I think the log pile.....!  It sounded like one of the chickens have gotten out and invaded some birds' nest, and something was killing them all, something like that anyway!!!      I very carefully (as this log pile has been known to house a few skunks in the past) circled the pile trying to find where the noise was coming from, exactly. I THINK I have the spot, so I grab the edge of the tarp and throw part of it off! There is one of the farm cats looking at me.....mmmmm... I throw up more of the tarp and find my chicken, which I could have sworn had gotten eaten by something, sittin in the crack between a couple of the logs! She has been missing for weeks!!!  :/  The cat runs off, and I reached down to pick up the hen. She pecked me but never even moved! Thats odd, usually they try to get away even if they know there is no chance!  :/   Maybe she is hurt after all! I put my sleeves over my hands and pick her up  there are 7 little chicks that start to peep loudly, and run every which way!!!! No wonder this missing chicken was upset a bit ago at the cat sneaking up the logs to where she and the chicks were hiding!!!! 
  I now have the mother her and her 7 little chicks in their own cat-proof cage!   It looks like I will have a growing number of chicks to come, as another hen has decide she needed some babies and started setting on some eggs of her own!  










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## TTs Chicks (Jun 16, 2012)

Glad you found the momma and chicks before kitty had a snack or got beat up by the momma hen


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jun 18, 2012)

Today, I found myself a new addition to the farm!!!!!  
Her name is " Oprah ", and she is a pot-belly pig! My baby " Johnny " (who is also a pot-belly pig) is pretty impressed with his self! I think I have been replace!
Oprah is  about 18 inches tall and a touch over weight. By this fall some time I should have some baby piggies!!!!!  






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## Four Winds Ranch (Jul 20, 2012)

HOLIDAYS!
 They are sooo relaxing and fun, but once you get home you wish you never went!!!  
  I was gone for 2 weeks and got a farm sitter. He did an excelent job, everything that went on would have happened whether I was home or not. It is just the shock of change once you get home!
   When I got home, my 2yr. old Katadin ram, Andy, had lost a lot of weight! That was quite a surprise as he has always been a very healthy active young fella. Upon closer in spection, I realized he isn't eating much at a time before he goes and lays down. I THINK he must have have some of those nose fly larvas (bots), because he seems to have a bit of discharge, he interupts his eatig suddenly by whipping his head to the ground and sometimes giving his head a shake before he lays down. Poor Andy!   Don't think there is anything I can give him to kill the larva, I don't want them stuck in there! 

   The other after holiday surprise is........ my chickens! When I left, I had 49 and 3 roosters! Now that I am back, I now have 16 hens and 2 roosters!     One word " F-O-X "!!!!!  My chicken yard is a carpet of feathers, and the wire has so many round holes that there is more holes than wire!  To make matters worse, the sneaky fox has been back almost every day for another chicken!! How does one get rid of these nasty little THINGS!!!!!!!?????


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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 6, 2012)

Well,..... I havent been on for a while. 
Our farm has been pretty busy lately! but, not in a good way!  :/
Not to mention my, on going problem with Mr. Fox and my poultry, but now, in the last couple weeks I have been waking up every few  mornings to a horror show!!!   
The cayotes have discovered where I keep my sheep!!!!      just from looking at the ground, fence, and sheep that have been grabbed ( dead and alive ),one can totally read what happened during the night!       I have suddenly become a marks woman, vet, and the grave digger! I have come to the conclusion that cayotes are very disgustingly, violent, unfeeling animals, and it wouldnt be soon enough if I never saw another!     ( But, that is the problem! You can never see them; the sly, sneacky, evil things!) I am sure they serve a purpose, but what?
My gaurdian dog, Mick, has lost his hearing this summer   so I am assuming that is why I have the cayote issue. 
Just last week, I have gotten myself a couple gaurdian pups!!!!!!!  Pyrenees/Maremma. Their names are Jessie and Jake. Lol, next summer... cayotes, I dare you to try and have lamb dinner!!!!!   (at least I hope....)


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## Bridgemoof (Sep 6, 2012)

Hi FourWinds,

I really enjoyed reading your whole blog, start to finish! You have great animal stories. But I need to know, did you ever find out HOW THE LLAMA got pregnant? And did the other llama have a baby, too? This is like reading a soap opera and I missed some episodes!

I'm so sorry about the fox, and the sheep and the coyotes. I would be so devastated if a coyote showed up on our property and my sheep showed up dead in the morning!

And what about your Katahdin ram? Did he turn out okay? Maybe it is a urinary calculi, just thinking.

How about the pigs? Did they mate? (Now I'm thinking how much fun to have some pot belly pigs roaming around the barnyard...hmmm).

Keep us up to date on everything! I love your stories. Sounds like a really fun farm.


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## BrownSheep (Sep 6, 2012)

I never minded coyotes till I got sheep...now all I see when I see them are lamb corpses....those look like good coyote eaters!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 6, 2012)

BrownSheep said:
			
		

> I never minded coyotes till I got sheep...now all I see when I see them are lamb corpses....those look like good coyote eaters!


Lol, yes I am hoping they will grow fat on coyotes! I have a question! What are chukars?


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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 6, 2012)

Lol!
Actually, I never did find out how my llama ended up pregnant! And ,no, the other has never had a baby. I have to say, they were in with my sheep all along and they never seemed to do a thing to stop the coyotes unfortunatly!   :/  
I also had 2 donkeys in with them and they still got eaten!   Which reminds me, I should have a new baby donkey next spring! I don't remember ever seeing one before, but can imagine it will be a cutie!  
Oh well! I hope my new dogs do the trick!
    As for my Katahdin ram, Andy, he is still not eating as good as normal, and is still thin. Ya I dont know...... was thinking maybe whenever he is around the ewes he gets too excited  and goes off his feed, and when he can see them for extended periods of time, he ends up getting himself quite sick and skinny????         MAYBE!!!
   Well, my pigs, Johnny and Oprah did end up getting together! So I am expecting pot-belly piglets sometime around the end of October!!!!!      I will be sure to post pictures! On another piggy note : About a month ago, I bought a nice built, 100lb gilt at the livestock auction. We are going to use her for our Annual Pig Roast! We put on a Pig Roast every year for family, friends, community, and who ever wants to come! We do the whole pig on the spit just like old times and it is very tasty!!! Usually a good time  for everyone, and a good chance to meet new friends! 
   The next couple days I believe are worming days for the sheep! And training Jessie and Jake!










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## jodief100 (Sep 7, 2012)

I hope you can get the critters under control.  That is awful about the lambs.  

I can't wait to see BABY DONKEY!!!!!!!1


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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 10, 2012)

In our area, there is a local event every yr., called the Barnyard Scramble! Farm animal donations of all kind are asked for!
 They take an arena, get all the kids to line up in one end, line up all of the donated animals at the other end. They let all the animals loose, and yell go!    All the kids run to catch an animal, and the BIG rule is " what ever you catch, you bring home"!
It is very crazy to watch! Every year it is a surprize as to what ones kid is going to expect you to take home!    One doesn't dare leave home without the trailer! We have been attending these for the last 4 years, and have aquired a assortment of new animals. A couple kittens, a collie pup, a donkey, and just this last weekend, a pig! It is just a weiner pig, about 20lbs, but let me tell ya, my daughter was a pretty proud 10yr. old!     The pig's name is now Miss Piggy, and god forbid my hubby mentions the word, bacon, or porkchop when my daughter is within hearing!!  Lol!
     The Barnyard Scramble is also a good way to clean up "the barnyard"!  If ya got some 9 year old hens that won't lay, and would be toooo tough to even attempt to eat..... I am sure some little kid would love a pet chicken! For some unforseen reason the cats multiplied 20 times instead of the normal 10 times the amount that year...... all kids love kittens!  If ya still have a few left that didn't sell out of the litter of puppies, and you don't want to have 15 dogs running around the farm......I am sure someone else would love to aquire them at the barnyard Scramble!!!   
      I am almost a little worried aboub next year though, as I will have 3 kids trying to run around and each aquire a new animal..............


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## Bridgemoof (Sep 11, 2012)

Oh my gosh, that sounds CRAZY and FUN!  That's really cute that your daughter caught the piggy. We want pics!


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## BrownSheep (Sep 11, 2012)

Who ever started that wasa genius!...how in the world do you stop the adults from playing too?


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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, as some know, I have been having problems this year with my chickens going missing and what not! It is a problem I hope I now have under control( cross my fingers)!  
Yesterday morning, I let the chickens out of their house. One of my normal events I do everyday around 6:30am. or so. I open the dooor to check them before they go running out into the yard. I step on something!!!!  :/  I step back......quickly flick on my flashlight.....(it is dark out here till practicaly 7:00 every morning now).......eeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww     chicken parts and feathers everywhere!!!!!! I shine the light around and discover a hole in one corner of the chicken house!     I realize the parts strewn around are all that is left of the remaining half grown chicks that I HAD from this summer! Thinking about all the work, time, feed, and my high hopes  for them............ok, this meant WAR!!!!!!   
   I picked up every little piece, disgusting as that is, grabbed all my old eggs I had found in the hay stach a few days ago, and stuck them in a 3x2 wooden box. I cut a hole just big enough for a chicken to get in on one side. Then, I set a gopher trap just inside the little door and covered it with a bit of hay!    I have to addmit, I was a little excited as I went to bed wondering what I was going to catch!  
   In the morning, before I did anything, I had to see if my trap worked! So, 6:00am, here I am with my milk bucket, and full lamb bottles, trying to quietly sneak around the corner of the chicken house with my little lambing flashlight! As I round the corner, I can't believe my eyes!    My whole wooden box is torn/chewed apart! Yep, I cought the culpret alright! He was a big smelly, and did I mention smelly, SKUNK!  Needless to say, I was quite proud of myself!    After I was done milking and what not, while I was making school lunches, my loving hubby whent out and took care of the smelly fella for me! When my hubby came back in the door though..... that is another story! As you can well imagine, he works in the office, he had pretty much, the whole office to himself today!!!! Lol!
   I have high hopes for the saftey of my chickens now!!!!!


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## marlowmanor (Sep 20, 2012)

Glad you caught the culprit.


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## Bridgemoof (Sep 21, 2012)

hahah! Yay!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 3, 2012)

I fear the end is near for my beloved Jersey milkcow "Silver"!!!!  
   One gets so close to one's milkcow! Ya have to pay them a visit at least twice a day, everyday, religiuosly. Anyone who has ever had one, knows they talk. Before you even see your cow, she hears you and starts telling you where she is,      If she is in need of anything( or thinks she is) ,you will definatly hear about it! Or if she is upset with you, the mooing won't stop!!!  
  Silver is 13, which is old for an ex-dairy cow, she is the perfect milkcow! Even kids can milk her. She doesn't kick. Everday, morning and evening, I walk toward the barnyard, fill Silver's dish with grain, and listen for her mooo! I follow her mooos, give her her grain and I milk. No need for a rope, cause Silver never leaves while I am milking! She never has, it don't matter where we are, she always stands soooo nice! Who could ask for more, thats why I was saying she is the perfect cow, other than that she is a touch too picky when it comes to her hay!  
  This late summer, I noticed she seemed to have a little limp on one of her back legs. I checked her leg and hoof and even looked for cuts on the bottom(she stands and lets me lift her feet and trim her hooves), and I could find NOTHING!!    Since then, her limp has gotten a lot worse, and now it is very obvious what the problem is!  Her hips are stoving up on her!!     Right now, she can still walk, slowly, but I know the end is almost here!  Everyone tells me there is nothing anyone can do...... 
The lives we live on the farm!






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## Bridgemoof (Oct 3, 2012)

I am deeply sorry about Silver. She sounds like she has been a wonderful girl for you.


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## Pearce Pastures (Oct 3, 2012)

So sorry.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 11, 2012)

This last weekend was Thanksgiving here in Canada! I had planned a big dinner with family on both sides, so I knew I was going to be busy, and I hoped my house was going to be big enough! I couldn't wait! 
    Thanksgiving morning, the sun rose into a beautiful, blue sky, and it was warm out to boot!!  Yes, I knew this day is going to go perfect! I got my kids fed, cleaned up a few things around the house, and last but not least, put the turkey in the oven!( I love turkey   ) That done, I set off to get some of my chores out of the way! I lock up my sheep every night in a 6ft high, by about an acre, pen to keep them safe from the nasty coyotes. I lazily wander across the sheep pasture, enjoying probably one of the last warm mornings of the year, on my way to let the sheep out for the day. Such a beautiful, peaceful, sunny morning!  
   When I am about 10 ft. from the sheep gate, I hear a commotion in the sheep pen, and a BIG bunch of crows fly up!!  CROWS! That means something is dead!!  I start going throgh my mind trying to think if there was a sheep that seemed under the weater when I locked them up last night........nothing!! As I get to the gate, I am almost scared to look! As I open the gate, everything is totally still and silent. Not a good sign!   I can't even see one sheep! I walk a few steps into the pen and look around! The first thing to greet my eyes is a huge hole through the side of the pen!   by the look of that, and the trampled ground, obviously there is no sheep in here anymore! Suddenly, I see and hear the crows coming back to land in the far corner. I head over that direction and sure enough, it is a dead, half eaten sheep! Dancer! Now I am mad,    how did the stinking coyotes get in here, I thought I had this pen coyote proof!!!!  I am determined to not let anything ruin my day, so I drag the carcass away from the fence and turn around to go inspect the damage to the fence. Just as I turn to walk away, I almost fall on my face as I trip over a humac! Hhmmmm! Thats strange, I don't remember there being humacs here!  :/  I look around and see quite a few humacs! I give the one I tripped over a kick. Dead grass and dirt fall to the ground, and wool appears!!    I look around and count in total, 8 humacs and one half eaten sheep! Holy cow, that must mean 9 dead sheep!!!!    I am sure everyone knows, Now My Day Is Ruined!!!  
  How could this happen! WHAT did this! Coyotes don't bury their kills!! What does????? Bears.... cougers...! I quickly uncover one of the dead sheep, and the only injurys it has are three claw marks across the chest and tooth marks on the throat! CATS!!!!! I suddenly get chills down my spine!     (I have always been taught to steer clear of a predaters kills cause they don't take kindly to their food being took!) I don't bother looking under anymore humacs and just get the heck out of there!!! Of course! Cougars, that would explain everything, they could jump over almost any fence and also would have chased the sheep through there pen fence! So much for my bright, beautiful Thanksgiving!
  I did find the rest of the sheep uninjured, but very flighty, back behind my yard. We found out it was a mother cougar teaching her almost grown kittens to master their hunting skills! I gave my hubby a call and he came home and took care of the nasty cats, I hope!

   Here is one of my sheep killers!!!!!!








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## promiseacres (Oct 11, 2012)

beautiful cat...so sorry about your sheep. I hope your pups learn their job soon! Enjoying your journal very much.


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## jodief100 (Oct 12, 2012)

For your cow and your sheep.  I learned a new word today, thank you. Humacs.  I wish I hadn't had to learn it this way.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Oct 12, 2012)

Glad you got at least one of them. That's a real shame about your sheep. I don't know about anyone else but it sounds like you may need some Anatolian Shepherds....


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## Godsgrl (Oct 12, 2012)

what is a humac? Google and dictionary.com have no idea. Thanks!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 12, 2012)

Godsgrl said:
			
		

> what is a humac? Google and dictionary.com have no idea. Thanks!!


It may be my spelling, but, it is a small dirt hill, or big natural lump, covered in vegatation!


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## Godsgrl (Oct 13, 2012)

Four Winds Ranch said:
			
		

> Godsgrl said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you!!


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## Bridgemoof (Oct 14, 2012)

BAD cat BAD Cat! Argh. I would be horrified! Sorry your beautiful day was ruined by the predator. Glad you got him, though!


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## Alice Acres (Oct 14, 2012)

I am SO sorry 

We use the word hummocks too (not sure of spelling either, but once I phonetically sounded out what you said, we (hubby and I ) knew what you meant!)

The cougars have made their way down to us this fall too - one of our very close neighbors had their 2 dogs attacked about a month ago. Our coonhound had been going bonkers a couple nights at the same time period, before I knew of the cougar...guess I won't be going out with just my flashlight to see what she's barking at anymore!!

We have lots of coyotes, but now with a big cat, I'm much more leery going out


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## Pearce Pastures (Oct 14, 2012)

That is  wild!  We have coyotes which are annoying and do keep me alert but cats would be a different story.  How many have you gotten?


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 15, 2012)

Pearce Pastures said:
			
		

> That is  wild!  We have coyotes which are annoying and do keep me alert but cats would be a different story.  How many have you gotten?


So far just one! I have had the Fish and Wildlife Officers out, and they figure we have a mother cat with 3 almost full grown kittens! Well, 2 almost grown kittens now!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 16, 2012)

On a good note, maybe, we will see how it goes! I found a lady who was giving away some magazines (which I am sure some of you have heared about, Grit, Hobby Farm and a few others) I drove to her house to pick them up, and was a bit surprised, but pleased to find out she was giving me about 300 magazines!!     I love looking at others set-ups or finding out how I could better my place!
BUT..... The biggest surprise is yet to come!    While I was packing the magazines to my truck, She asked me if I would maybe be interested in a few FREE rabbits! Of course, being me I said " well sure, I would Love them!" She said "Good! I just got to grab a few boxes!"
When she appeared out of her garage, she had her hands FULL of boxes, not "just a few". I said, " thats a lot of boxes", she said, "Well, the rabbits are pretty big!" She walked over to the rabbit cage and started to put rabbits into the boxes! She just kept going and going!!!!   I lost track around 11 or so! As she loaded them in the truck she said, "I hope you like to eat rabbit!" I commented, "Lol, I thought you meant just a few as pets!" She said, " Well, you better not keep them all or in 2 months you will be in big trouble! There are 33 meat rabbits and 3 are due in about a week! The average litter is 8!"   
Ya! I guess I am now in to raising meat rabbits!  Talk about crash course!!! 
I have 6 that are supposed to be ready to butcher! So, how does one kill a rabbit?







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## jodief100 (Oct 16, 2012)

Four Winds Ranch said:
			
		

> So, how does one kill a rabbit?


You wring it's neck.  

Nice score!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 18, 2012)

Well, I hope I don't get SHOT when my hubby comes home this afternoon!    :/

I decided I needed another dog!
We already have a old yard dog, my daughters collie, and 2 pyrenees/maremma boys that are 4 months.
Lol, its not like anyone can miss this girl when they come over! She is a full grown Pyrenees female! And quite a beauty! Her name is Sasha! And the best thing about it is, she was free cause her owners had to move to town!
LOL, NO MORE COYOTES OR COUGARS FOR ME!!!!!!!

                                              SASHA






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## Southern by choice (Oct 18, 2012)

LOL!  you can never have too many pyrs!   pyrs

You can always remind hubby that this was a very well thought out plan. The pups NEED an older matured female to teach them the ropes! Especially with the cougar attacks, 3 are much better than 2!


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## bonbean01 (Oct 18, 2012)

Wow you scored big time!!!!

Go with Southern's idea...because she is right...with those cats, a grown one is needed right NOW, and the pups can learn


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## Pearce Pastures (Oct 18, 2012)

COOL!!!


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## Bridgemoof (Oct 18, 2012)

FourWinds I am just cracking up over your rabbit story!!!!


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## Southern by choice (Oct 20, 2012)

OK we are waiting...  what did hubby say???

I have come to the conclusion I need more land... so I can have more pyrs and maybe another anatolian. Pyrs are like goats... they are addictive!!! A vicious cycle. More goats... need more LGD's, oops too many LGD's... need more goats...


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## TTs Chicks (Oct 20, 2012)

I need another LGD too.  I heard coyotes/wild dogs whatever they were last night pretty close.  Jake needs a partner. I'm looking I just haven't come across anything close enough or in the right price range


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 25, 2012)

My luck hasn't been holding out too well concerning my sheep!! 
It is winter here now, about 6 inches of snow and around -15 in the frosty mornings. I went to feed the sheep their hay a couple mornings ago. As I threw hay over the fence, I noticed a snow covered lump! I knew immediatly it was a dead sheep. Annoyed that I had lost one, I jumped over the fence to see what I lost her from. I suspected bloat. I wiped the snow off for a better look, and discovered bite holes under the neck........  I know this is starting to sound like Halloween story but it is true! Also I remembered earlier in the month when I lost some to this same bite marks! COUGARS!!!!   AGAIN!!!!
I timidly stand up and almost don't want to even look around  I force my head to turn to the side so I can see the rest of the winter feeding corral and........., YEP!!!!  Sheep bodies with a skiff of snow covering them, throughout the corral!!!   
In total, I have now lost 12 mature ewes to these nasty cats  !!! And this time, the sheep were killed only 15ft. from my house!!!! 
I ran into the house and phoned the CO's, who respond immediatly and came over! They set up trail cams on the dead sheep to be possitive on what they are dealing with. The next day they came and looked at the cam pictures to discover that the cougar/s had come back! They  then brought out their hound dogs and started the Cat Tracking!!! For about an hour, everything was dead silent, except for the hounds "baying", then, one gun shot! Suddenly it was totaly silent! About 15 min. later the CO's drive back into my yard and open their tailgate! "Well, we got em!" they said!
I am soooo hoping I don't have to lay eyes on another of these nasty cats!!!!!!!







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## Pearce Pastures (Oct 25, 2012)

I sure hope that takes care of it for you.  Every time I look at your journal and see those pics, it makes me shudder a bit.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 25, 2012)

Pearce Pastures said:
			
		

> I sure hope that takes care of it for you.  Every time I look at your journal and see those pics, it makes me shudder a bit.


Yes! I hope so too! It hasn't been a good summer sheep wise, but I am sure it will turn around shortly!


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## Southern by choice (Oct 25, 2012)

How devastating! I can't imagine walking out and seeing my animals dead. So sorry!

I know you are waiting for your pups to grow, it'll be good when you have a team. So how did DH do with your new addition Sasha?


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## bonbean01 (Oct 25, 2012)

I'm so sorry...those cougars have really been busy with your sheep 

Are you able to lock them up securely during the night?  That had to be so awful for you 

Now, if someone reading this thread responds on saying that cougars are beautiful and should be protected, I will not respond because I will lose it.  Cougars in the wild are one thing...cougars killing your sheep...quite another thing!


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## Southern by choice (Oct 25, 2012)

Sorry Bon... Cougars are beautiful and should be protected..... once shot and stuffed!!! Than  nothing can happen to them! 

Actually they are beautiful but when it comes to livestock-they gotta go!


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## bonbean01 (Oct 25, 2012)

Southern, you are too funny! I could handle a stuffed one too


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## GoatCrazyLady (Oct 26, 2012)

So sad. You've had a whole lot to deal with.   sorry


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## Pearce Pastures (Oct 26, 2012)

LOL Southern.  Yeah, maybe she should get the stuffed and put them out in field to warn the other kitties.  Or make their hides into sheep-coats.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 7, 2012)

I have finally gotten ALMOST all of my feeder lambs shipped!!! I only have my little June babies left and there are only 3 of them this year, which makes for quiet days around here! I have to have my feeder lambs up to 60-80lbs or I will only get about $1.00/lb. Once they hit the 60lb mark, suddenly the price jumps to $1.40-$1.80/lb. The extra month or so of feed don't account to much, so I get them to 60+lbs. Once they get to over 80lbs, it is crazy, the price drops to $1.20!  :/
Luckily, I also have all my sheep separated out into their special pens with the ram I have alotted them for this year!
One disapointment is, I have one too many rams now, with the amount of sheep the cougars have killed off!    I don't want to sell him off as I have big plans, which are going to have to wait for another year. Poor guy, is going to be short changed this year!
Another thing, in the veggie department! I only have another 4 recipies of beets to process and then just apple sauce!!!!   I can't wait! I seems I have been processing for ever!!!
This fall, my chickens had to decide to molt all at once! Now I have to buy eggs from my neighbor, which is sooo much better than the store!!! I am one of those lucky people because of my neighbor!!!!!     If I run out of potatoes, I run to her! All summer, if I need any kind of veggie, she has tons! Same goes for eggs and even meat!!!!   I just trade my homemade wine and both of us are happy!!! I am lucky to live in a neighborhood where there are quite a few neighbors who are strictly organic and all natural like myself! We like to fancy that we will live longer than most!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 14, 2012)

"Farm Life" definatly has its ups and downs!
I will start with the downs, that way I can finish leaving myself and everyone reading, on a happier note!!!

My typical morning routine, get up before the kids get up for school and get my morning chores done. At this time of year, it is dark out while I am doing my morning chores. I am pretty good at seeing in the dark outside, but not in the buildings, so I pack a mini little flashlight at all times. (My farm coat has permanent treasures in it at all times, a pocket knife, lighter, small wrench, and a mini flashlight).
Well, this morning I headed out to milk, feed the dogs, and what not. I have to go into the barn to milk the cow and feed the pigs, but, because I have done this soooo much, I don't need to use my flashlight even in the dark cause I know where everything is. (Flashlight is usually used to make sure I hit the pigs trough with the feed and to count bunnies) I leave the main part of the barn's door open so my milk cow, Silver, can go in or out as she pleases.
I walked into the barn to grab my water pails for the pigs, I know they are sitting on top of the straw bale stack, just to the left once I enter the barn. I reach out to grab the pails just as my right foot trips on something hard! I try to catch my self with my other foot, but it stubs on something hard, and I fall!!!!      I landed on FUR!!!!!!    Anybody knows that in the dark, when you run into, or fall onto something furry that is NOT supposed to be there, it is enough to make anyone wet their pants!! (I didn't, but almost)! It wasn't only the pigs sqealing this morning!!! And I think I was louder!!!! 
In my frieght, I tryed to get off the fur as fast as I could! Which resulted in me "falling" off the pile of hard fur and hitting the barn wall, and then backing up on my hands and knees in a big hurry untill I got to the barn door!  
I dig through my pocket trying to find my flashlight, find it and turn it on!!!!!     My light falls on my cow!!!       I guess I had tripped on her outstreched head and landed on her lifeless body!!!!     It has been determined that she died of "old age".  She had a good life while living with me, and I knew that the end was just around the corner. But when the day is actually here it is so much different than just knowing!  
I guess I will have to start searching for another milk cow. Store bought milk tastes horrid if you are used to fresh!!!

Now, to start on a more happier note!!!  

One of my York sows is going to have a litter of pigglets next month!!! Pigglets are sooo cute, their cuteness makes up for their smell!!!
Also, one of my Rex does should be having a litter any day!!!!
I have 12 bunnies to "bop", but I believe I will wait until my hubby gets home and try to talk him into doing the "bopping"! I don't mind the butchering part. "Bopping" is not my thing unless I have to!

I had a fellow come up to me about a month ago. He said a friend told him I grow something in my garden that will help him sleep, and hopefully ease the pain in his back.
I figured he was talking about "valarian", so I dug up some root and gave him a bit and told him how to use it. I seen him again the other day and he is right impressed with the results of the valarian! He has never slept so good, and he can relax in the evenings!!!! He said he is soooo happy with it, that he wants to give me a Six toed kitten! So, I guess I have a new addition joining my farm shortly!!!! I feels good when you can help someone!!!!


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## BrownSheep (Nov 14, 2012)

sorry about your cow. 
 about everything else
and give your extra ram a   for me. Poor guy is probably going cuckoo.


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## Bitterroot (Nov 14, 2012)

I'm so sorry to hear about Silver.  She sure had a good last bit of life, though.  I'm curious, how does one acquire a retired dairy cow?  I've always eyeballed those pretty Jerseys, and there are several dairies around here.  Do I cozy up to the owner and ask for one, sneak it out under my jacket, or ...?

I'm crazy for natural medicine, too.  On the nights when my legs start buzzing (it's not quite RLS), some valerian and hop tea with raw honey sets things right and helps me sleep.  Nature is so amazing, if only we'll slow down and look!

Fingers crossed for lots of rex popples.  You've just _gotta_ share pictures of them as they grow.


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## danielburns271 (Nov 14, 2012)

Great, I think you really love farming, I also wish to try farming with my cow, I just need enough knowledge to run it


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 14, 2012)

Bitterroot said:
			
		

> I'm so sorry to hear about Silver.  She sure had a good last bit of life, though.  I'm curious, how does one acquire a retired dairy cow?  I've always eyeballed those pretty Jerseys, and there are several dairies around here.  Do I cozy up to the owner and ask for one, sneak it out under my jacket, or ...?
> 
> I'm crazy for natural medicine, too.  On the nights when my legs start buzzing (it's not quite RLS), some valerian and hop tea with raw honey sets things right and helps me sleep.  Nature is so amazing, if only we'll slow down and look!
> 
> Fingers crossed for lots of rex popples.  You've just _gotta_ share pictures of them as they grow.


To aquire a retired dairy cow, I went to the dairy, asked to talk to the owner, and asked him if he has any cows he would be willing to sell. I told him I don't mind if they are older. I would pay him cash, and it would be cheaper for him cause he wouldnt have to haul it to the auction sale in the near future.  He agreed and showed me Silver.
Give it a try!!!! The worst they can say is NO!!!


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## Bitterroot (Nov 14, 2012)

Uh-oh, this could be dangerous.  

Thanks for the info, I'll give it a try, see what they say.  I know I always see ads on CL practically giving away bottle dairy calves, so they'd probably appreciate an easy outlet for one of their older ladies too.  Makes sense.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 16, 2012)

Lol, seeing as my mind was all tyed up earlier in the fall, I forgot to mention : 

I got a call back in Sept. from a lady that said she had heard that I raise sheep, and she wanted to donate a ram to my herd!  :/ I was a little sceptical because, who in their right mind is just going to give someone a sheep!  She proceded to tell me how she doesn't whant him any more because he has rammed her a few times when she has had the grain bucket. And that she bought him for $450 last year as a ram lamb, so he should be good! He is registared, and that she has his Purebred Babydoll Southdown papers right in front of her!
I went out to her place to have a look at him, and offered her a bit of money cause I have to admit, he did look good!     She out right refused the money and said she knows he will have a good home!
So, needless to say, I brought him home!!!
Here is " Gilligan"   








[/img]


Also, here are one of my babies!!    This is Jake, and he is now 7 months old, and is going to mature to a big boy! Already he is 80+ lbs.






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## jodief100 (Nov 16, 2012)

So sorry about your cow.  She had a good life with you.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 19, 2012)

I got me some new roosters!!!!
They are Silver Duckwing/Mille Fleur crosses, and are very beautiful boys!!!! I can't wait for the chicks that are going to hatch at my place next year!!!!    They have only been crowing for the last couple weeks, so they are still on the young side!






[/img]

I got them for "free" as long as I promise not to eat them!!!
Ya have to excuse my girls (hens) heads, they must not have wanted to miss out on the action, as very few people take pictures of hens!


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## Bridgemoof (Nov 20, 2012)

You really have an interesting blog FourWinds! I haven't been keeping up, but I kept flipping the pages back to see what I've missed. You certainly have a lot going on.
 Cougar
 Roos 
  the ram, be careful he doesn't ram you!
 for Silver
 for beets

How's the pig doing? I hope she recovers okay.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 27, 2012)

Last summer, I took it upon myself to start raising potbelly pigs!!! I figured it would work out awesome, as I know of quite a few people that are interested in buying the babies! Also, my hubby already has a barn with pigs, so we already have the set-up for them!  
Last year, I was given by a friend, a piglet! I named him Johnny, taught him to lead with a harness! He is now 2 years old. Just last summer, I got Operah! She is a 3 year old female.
Last August, they accidently got to gether  , and I was excitedlly expecting little black, potbelly piglets around the 23rd of October! I couldn't wait! Like most others, cute little baby animals are the best!
Well, October 23rd, came and left! No piglets!!!   I figured mabye potbelly gestation is a little longer than that of an average sized pig! 
November 15th came and left! Still no piglets! The crazy thing was, Operah, had gotten quite loose in the rear end, and also bagged up with milk. She cut down the amount she was eating by more than half, and seemed to only want to sleep. She started to loose weight and acted like she was uncomfortable, not to mention how bad tempered she was!
On November 17th. when I went out to feed the pigs, I saw a few little piglets in her bedding! At first I was overjoyed, then realized they were all yellow and dead! Also, I was horrified to see that Operah was eating them!!!     I quickly pulled them out of her pen and disposeded of the poor little things!
Ever since that day, Operah the potbelly sow has been eating normal and acting her same old self!
I am very dissapointed about the piglets, am not sure why she would have had them sooooo overdue? Happy that she is going to be OK!
I wonder how long it takes to breed a sow back after having a litter, or one thes was wwaaaaaay overdue?


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 29, 2012)

I have been talking to a bunch of neighbors and some other people about my problems with cougars attacking my sheep. Everyone says coyotes are a regular problem, along with neighbors dogs, but cougars, everyone is saying is usually a once in a life time event that very seldom happens because they are sooo shy of humans! Well then......., how did I get soooo lucky     to have it happen twice in a month??????!!!
As a matter of fact!   I am even more of a statistic!    The nasty, stinken CATS came back again last night!!!!!!  
Believe it or not, I lock all my sheep up IN the barn at night now (because of the past cougar problems). Make sure they all in there snug for the night!
Well, I went to let them out and feed them this morning to find one with blood on it! I look them all over in hopes of finding out where the blood was coming from, or what caused it, when my eys fell onto a pile of wool in the middle of the barn!   I go over to have a look, and sure enough, it is dead, all the evidents of a cougar are there!!! And one of my purebred canadian Arcotts at that!!     I quickly grab the bloody one, which wasn't hard cause she kept laying down anyway, and check her over! It was bad!   She was bit across the whole top of her head, and she acted like she could hardly see!!
I can't believe it!!! They came right into the barn through the window!!! My sheep are safe no where!!!!  
I phoned the Fish & Wildlife, and much to their credit, they were out here in less than half an hour! Meanwhile, I hooked up the trailer and rushed my poor bleeding sheep to the vet!!!  
I don't know the out come till a bit later, so stay tuned for updates! The vets, told me cougar attack victims are rare, and they rarely make it! :/


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## Southern by choice (Nov 29, 2012)

Oh my goodness. This is surely a nightmare. I don't even know what to say, I know there is nothing that can bring you any comfort or solace. 
If I remember right you have LGD pups growing up now, don't you? I know that will make a difference when they are old enough.
So sorry 4winds


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## bonbean01 (Nov 29, 2012)

That is so awful!!!  So sorry 

Guess putting bars on the window/s is your only chance of keeping them safe.


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## Alice Acres (Nov 29, 2012)

That's really bad 

Sounds like a young one or a old one - one who is really hungry and can't use normal precautions. And now it knows where a steady meal is, unfortunately. I hope they can get this cat. And hope your injured sheep pulls through.


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## Pearce Pastures (Nov 29, 2012)

I am so sorry.  That is scary how gutsy those cats are.


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## Bridgemoof (Nov 30, 2012)

Oh that's just awful FourWinds!  I hope somebody can get those cats! I also hope your wounded sheep makes it through okay.


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## jodief100 (Nov 30, 2012)

Don't know what to say......


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## bonbean01 (Nov 30, 2012)

Any update on your wounded sheep??  Really hope she pulls through


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 30, 2012)

Update on my cougar bitten Canadian Arcott sheep!
Vets say she has a 50/50 chance! One whole side of scull is crushed, and other side the optic nerve has damage from puncture wounds. If I can keep it from getting infected, she may make it, but may be permanatly blind on the one side!  
She is all antibioticed up, and on a pain killer/antiinflamatory due to a huge headache!
It is now time to stick my ewe lambs in with the rams! Winter seems soooo long to wait before I get lambs!!! This spring I should have LOTS of pictures to share! I am expecting a baby donkey, couple foals, piglets, lots of lambs, and possibly puppies!!!!!!!  
I have a busy weekend coming up, as I am expecting a bunch of family for one of my sister's Birthday Party!!!!! Being one of six kids makes for a lot of Birthday celabrations!!! Lol, and cake!


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## Southern by choice (Nov 30, 2012)

You really have been through it the past few months. Glad your sheepie at least has a chance. 
I hope you have a great time with your family this weekend! I'm sure you could use some good humor and cake  !
Until then just picture the dancing cows.... :bun :bun :bun :bun


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## bonbean01 (Nov 30, 2012)

X 2 !!!!!  Really hope she pulls through!!!!!

And pretend those dancing cows are dancing sheep...oh...better yet...doing their funny boing de boing bouncing run


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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 10, 2012)

I haven't been on for a bit cause , typical of the time of the year, our house just had to up and catch the flu! Oh, well, we are all much better now!
My sheep that was chomped by the cougar is now doing awesome!!!! She is blind in the one eye, but seems to be compensating for that quite nicely, and she is back out with the other sheep!!!  
I got all my ewe lambs moved in with the ram so they will have May lambs! I try to have all my ewes, lamb in April, and the ewe lambs, in May, otherwise it makes the month of April WAY too stressful!
Maybe I watch the ewe lambs to closely! I have had a few one year, a few years ago, that refused to nurse their lambs and it makes me nervous of them now, especially at night !
The other night, a neighbor 2 miles south of me, had 4 goats killed by a cougar!!!   It is really too bad for her, I know exactlly how she feels. But I can't help and think, "Thank God It Wasen't Me" again!
Luckily, that goat killing cougar was gotten, so it won't be coming over here!!


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## Bridgemoof (Dec 10, 2012)

I'm so glad to hear your sheep has recovered, well, mostly! Great that she's back out with the others. That must have been so traumatizing for her and you! So if her skull was crushed, how does that heal itself?

That's a shame about the cougar and your neighbor's goats. How heartbreaking! Glad they got it and hope it was the ONLY one!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 10, 2012)

Bridgemoof said:
			
		

> I'm so glad to hear your sheep has recovered, well, mostly! Great that she's back out with the others. That must have been so traumatizing for her and you! So if her skull was crushed, how does that heal itself?
> 
> That's a shame about the cougar and your neighbor's goats. How heartbreaking! Glad they got it and hope it was the ONLY one!


The vet said, if she made it through the first week, her scull will slowly heal itself back to together. Not straight mind you, there is no way they can make it heal straight, but supposedly, animals are faster at healing than humans! It doesn't seem to bother her too much! She doesn't head butt any of the others mind you, if they are up for that, she backs off and leaves, so I guess she knows it isn't a good idea!


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## Alice Acres (Dec 10, 2012)

So glad your ewe is healing and going to make it!

While I'm sorry your neighbor got their goats killed, wonderful that they were able to get the cougar.  It had found some easy prey and was putting your stock at the top of the menu.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 12, 2012)

I think I need to learn to be firmer with people!!:/
I usually have my butcher lambs ready by the end of Oct. They get sold live or taken to the butcher shop, and I am done with them. This year, everything went smoothly, except for one lamb!!!  
I phoned the buyer in the middle of Oct. and let him know when it will be ready. he said "Yep, sounds good!" He wanted it live and was going to pick it up on the last week! 
Well, the last week came and went, and I phoned him in the beginning of Nov. and left a message, and he never got back to me. Middle of Nov. I decide I am going to take this lamb to the sale. The day before the sale, the guy phones and wonders if I still got his lamb! I said, "Ya acctually, I do", He said "Good, I'll come pick it up on the weekend"! TWO WEEKS later, I ran into him in town, I asked him if he is coming to pick the lamb up? He said "Yep, for sure! In 2 days I'll be there"! That was Nov. 30.
Ya, now it is Dec. 12, and I still have the lamb and, ya, what to do!???  

The same with the rabbits!!!!!!
A month ago, a lady phoned me up and said she had heard I raise rabbits, and was wondering if I would sell some. She wanted 3 does and a buck. I told her I could do that, and she was supposed to come out that Thur. to get them. She never showed, and on Fri. she phoned and said she still wasnt ready for them and will be out next Thur. Two weeks later, she phoned and said it has been to cold, so still isnt ready, next week! She is supposed to come tomarrow, we will see!:/ I hope she comes soon cause they are eating up all the money she will be paying me for them and they are in the way! 

Sometimes people are a pain in the butt!!!!


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## bonbean01 (Dec 12, 2012)

Yup...people can be a pain in the butt...aren't animals so much easier???


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## Bridgemoof (Dec 12, 2012)

Maybe you should ask for a deposit up front, which would be non-refundable of they don't pick up the animal in xx amount of days. But then again, buyers like that would probably be too lazy to even come up with the deposit.

How about just tell them you will hold them for a week, and after that, bye bye!


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## Pearce Pastures (Dec 12, 2012)

What a PITA.  And now you have had to spend more time and money on feeding it and taking care of it---I'd be saying sure you can come get it but the price now includes a boarding charge.  Actually, I'd probably just take it to be sold elsewhere and tell him I ate it if he ever called again.


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## jodief100 (Dec 13, 2012)

I tell people I will hold them X number of days and that is it.  Nonrefundable deposit is required to hold it longer.  I am a softie, I will refund the deposit if I sell whatever it was quickly.  

I had a guy call me last spring, asking about chickens.  He seemed interested, but made no commitments.  I get calls like that all the time, most I never hear from again.  

He called 6 weeks later.  I told them I had sold them all.  He was upset, said I told you I was interested in those hens!  He said he wasnt going to ever buy from me again.  

Ummmm- he never bought from me in the first place so no big loss.  

I dont worry too much about it.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 17, 2012)

Thanks for all the ideas on how to deal with people!! I will definatly be trying a few!
Last Thursday, I am happy to say, the lady did come and pick up her rabbits!!!! Finally! Now I just have to figure out what to do with the lamb!
While I had the flu the other week, I sent my hubby out to look after the animals for me, and I know he tried his best and everything made it. It is just that he doesn't do the animal thing, so when a couple of the sheep had a out break of pinkeye, he never noticed!:/
When I was well enough to venture out of the house I was properly shocked at the look of the sheep!! My old girl must have come down with it the day I took sick and was over looked! A couple of the others had mild cases. I went into separation mode and got everything put in its rightful spot. I got to treating my old sheep with the eye spray!! Sadely, it was in both eyes and was really bad, so the next day I gave her some penicillan as well to go along with her purple eye spray!
This is day seven and she has started to eat a couple days ago, one eye has totaly cleared up, but the one is still cloudy and sore! It looks like she is going to be OK!!!
Other than this little setback, everything is going good and i am almost ready for Christmas! We have a 3 family dinners we are supposed to attend that all require at least 2 hours driving there and then another 2 home! I think it sounds like fun, but, I won't be the one that does most of the driving, so we see how it goes!


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## elevan (Dec 24, 2012)




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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 29, 2012)

Thanks for the Sheepsmas card Eleven!!!!!!

My Christmas turned out awesome!!! As I hope, did everyone elses!
And, this morning!!!!!! Guess who FINALLY showed up???!!!! The fella that has been saying he wanted my meat lamb that he has left sitting here for the last 3 months!!!! I am no longer waiting on anyone, and I am definatly doing things a little different in that area next summer!
I have six rabbits ready for butchering, and I have found a market in the city for $25 per butchered rabbit! Only problem is that it isn't a very big market they only need 3 butchered/frozen rabbits a month, but it will pay for all the rest of the rabbits feed and my fuel!
Around the farm here, at this time of the year, things are pretty slow. Guess it is time to start looking through seed cataloges, and to plan out my veggie and herb garden! Just writing about it has me getting excited for the growing season to get here!
I am a bit discouraged with my 2, 8 month old LGDs!
It seems they have taken to chasing my sheep! They haven't done any serious damage, just a bit of pulled wool, and scuffed up ears. But, I don't want it to get worse so I have taken to having one tied while the other is loose. It isn't discouraging them, they still are at it solo!!!!! I am thinking maybe a shock collar, that way they won't see me???!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 2, 2013)

It was a beautiful day here today! Only -6 degrees C, and sunny!!
So, I put my past pink-eye victim ewe out of the barn with my feeder lambs, and one ram. This pen gets special feed, and the old girl lost a fair bit of weight during her bad bout with pink-eye. My "Special Feed Pen", consists of 2 white Kadahdin lambs that I bottle raised (they are now 4 months old), now my old girl, and my youngest Suffolk ram. Not quite sure what is up with my ram (Glen)!
I have had him since he was 4 month old, and he has always seemed to cough a little after he ran, sometimes his nose seemed to have a bit of clear discharge, but nothing too big, and most of the time you could hear him breath like his nose was a bit plugged or something. He is now 11 months old and still the same!  He also, always seems to be on the thin side, thats why he is in the "Special Feed Pen", for the extra grain! I asked the vet about it, but they didn't seem too concerned, and said most likely caused by dust or something that is irritating. BUT, it is now winter, has been for the last 3 months, with snow, and there is no dust. He is still the same.:/
I was raised on a big ranch that was a couple days drive to the nearest small town, so we very seldom got to town. I know it sounds crazy, but there was a period where I hadn't went to town for almost 5 years!!! Usually my Dad would run in once to 3 times a year to pick up the things we couldn't do without, everything else we made. So, even now, when I have to go to town, I am a little out of my element! Lol, I try to get everything I need, and get everything done as quick as possible and get home! So, of course, in the stress of trying to hurry and get out of town, I ALWAYS end up forgetting things!
Ya, today was a town day! Now that I am home there is a number of things I was looking forward to grabbing that I forgot! 
Luckly, I did remember the horse wormer!!! This year has been horrible for lice on the large farm animals! Everyone is saying the lice is coming from the large amounts of deer that are in the area this year! I don't know, but my horses sure got some!!!! Not for long though!!


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## jodief100 (Jan 2, 2013)

Sounds like a nice crazy day.  I love the idea of almost never going to town.  Too bad I have to go five times a week.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 7, 2013)

All my Sheeps, cows, llamas, donkeys, horses, pigs, dogs, chichens, rabbits and cats are doing good this slow time of year!
I got my new kitten today! I got him in payment for some herbs I gave to a fella to help him sleep! I am going to name this boy "Link", because with his six toes, his feet look big like a linx! I will see if I can get a picture of Link tomarrow, he is quite shy!
I am in the process of  advertizing my Babydoll ram for sale! I have had a lot of calls, but, everyone gets dicouraged because he is registered in the USA and not Canada.  I didn't realize it was possible to register an animal that lives in one country, to another country!:/ Oh well, if he doesn't sell I will keep him for a bit! The Babydoll Southdown ram, crossed will regular ewes actually throws some pretty meaty, fast growing market lambs! Just can't keep any of them back!







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"Gillagan" is a very PROUD, cute boy, as you can see!


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## BrownSheep (Jan 7, 2013)

I think it's odd he's registered in the US instead of Canada. He sure is a handsome fella though.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 7, 2013)

> I am in the process of  advertizing my Babydoll ram for sale! I have had a lot of calls, but, everyone gets dicouraged because he is registered in the USA and not Canada.  I didn't realize it was possible to register an animal that lives in one country, to another country!


I wonder why they don't recognize the other. Nice sheep!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 10, 2013)

As I was moving some rams into the ram pen today, I couldn't help chuckling as I remembered an "almost" ram incident from early in the fall! 
I don't put my rams out until November 1st, so they were all tucked up comfey in their ram pen back beside the horse pasture. Or so i thought.......!
We have had some problems with cougars attacking the sheep this fall, so there were quite afew different time when some sheep weren't where they were supposed to be!
Also, unfortunatly, I am guilty of keeping two pretty nasty rams! As the saying goes, "They try to ram the cold out of winter!"
Well, the begining of Oct., I was at the edge of the the yard trying to dig my extention cord out of the dead grass. I use it to plug in my chickens heat lamp when it starts to get chilly out. I am not sure how I over looked putting the cord away in the shed this spring, but anyway, there I was bent over with the pruners, cutting dead grass and pulling the cord, cutting and pulling. I got a strange feeling like someone or something was watching me, but I just shrugged it off, and chalked it up to my over active imagination  and kept cutting and pulling. Suddenly I heared a scuffing noise that definatly WAS NOT me!!! I broke out in goosebumps, and very s l o w l y stood up while I turned around!  The sight that met my eyes, I could have swore I wet my pants!!!There were all six of my rams standing not 10 feet from where I was bent over!!!!! I was soooo scared, I started backing up and ended up tripping on the cord I had cut out of the grass, I fell on my behind and as I scrambled to get up, I wiped out yet again! I was possitive I was going to get smacked at any second so I started to roll away until I could get my feet under me and then ran a few steps!!! I guess the rams thought I was pretty crazy, cause when I stopped to turn around to look, they were high-tailing it down the driveway!!
Lol!


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## greenbean (Jan 11, 2013)

That's too funny!  I'd have reacted the same though!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 14, 2013)

I have been having a good few day visit with my sister and her kids from B.C.! We don't get to see them much, maybe once a year, so it was nice!
Today it warmed up to + 3 C, and snowed about 12 inches of fluffy sticky snow!! We all went out and built snow men, snow horses and snow chairs, oh, and slid down a big hill!!!!
Unfortunatly, my awesome day wasn't to last!!!
I went out to do my chores, and discovered that one of my ponies had jumped out of his pen and ran back to the big bunch of horses!  :/   Not tooo big of a deal, but annoying!  
Now for my sheep!!!! I have had one missing for  about 3 days!!!!    Can't find wool or hide of her anywhere! And the strange thing is there are no tracks of her running off in the snow! No tracks of a predator around, or of anything dragging her off! Crazy!      Where could she be!! My missing girl, is none other than my cougar surviver! 
Well, today I was raking up the hay the sheep left on the ground from the last round bale my Hubby had put in their pen with the tractor! I usually rake it up before he puts another, and they pick through it a bit more.
I was raking away, and I hit wool!!!   I dig around it a bit and find my missing sheep, "squished flat as a pancake"!!!!   I guess my hubby didn't look before he dropped the bale!!!!  
I guess that poor sheep just wasn't meant to live!


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## Pearce Pastures (Jan 14, 2013)

Oh man, that is awful.  So sorry


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## bonbean01 (Jan 14, 2013)

oh no...I'm so sorry


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## Bridgemoof (Jan 15, 2013)

Oh no that's just tragic.  And the fact it was the survivor, awww!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 15, 2013)

Such a beautiful morning!!!! We are enjoying one of the famous Alberta chinooks!    It is 48 F this morning and it isn't even light out yet!!! Lol, we seem to get huge amounts of snow and then a chinook hits and 3/4 of the snow melts.
We have traded one of my ponies to a neighbor, for a hydraulic post pounder, field roller, and a 6 horse trailer. I am kind a sad to see the little fella go, but his IS one of those PTB horses!  :/  He is a gelding but wasn't done properly so he still acts like a stallion! (Proud-cut). My 10yr. old daughter was hoping to use him for a Gymcana pony in the Rodeo, but unfortunatly, she can't handle him! I am very glad he is going to a good home instead of the auction to a meat buyer!!  
I "believe" my Babydoll ram is sold!!!!!! I just have to deliver him on the 26th, to a new home that is about 2 and a half hour away. I am very impressed!!!! They are going to pay top dollar for him, and  the lady never even asked me if I would take less for him or anything, and, she is buying him sight unseen!!!!!    In my opinion, that is definatly brave and trusting, I don't think I could buy anything without looking at it first! He ia a very nice built ram so I don't think she will be disapointed!  

Here are pictures of my children's current Rodeo ponies!!

"Whinnie" he belongs to my 3yr old son!






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"Honey" in the process of trading from my 10yr old to my 5 yr old daughters.




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"Totem" 10yr old daughters Rodeo horse!





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## bonbean01 (Jan 15, 2013)

Love the photos!!!!  Nice looking kids and horses   Honey looks like the pony I got for my 6th birthday...best birthday ever!  Great way to grow up...on the Saskatchewan prairie rodeo was a big deal...and riding your horses in parades...your kids are lucky to have this experience...I loved it!

Yeah...the Alberta chinooks...gotta love the break from cold...funny...you are already higher in temperature than we'll get all day...and I'm supposedly in the deep South???


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## greenbean (Jan 15, 2013)

I love the pictures!  They're all so cute!


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## Bridgemoof (Jan 16, 2013)

wow fantastic deal on the pony trade!  Glad he found a good home! Cute pics of all the ponies.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 16, 2013)

So sorry about your girl.  

love the pony pics.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 18, 2013)

I can't belive the weather we are having!    It has been 54 F out for the last 3 days!!! We have hardly any snow left, and there is water running everywhere!    Boy, once it cools back off there is sure going to be a lot of ice!! Lol, and cold people and animals!
Well, I am having a birthday party in a few days for my oldest daughter! She is having a bunch of friends from 4-H and school. That will definatly liven the place up!! I promised her a skating rink to take her friends skating on, and I haven't got it done because of this warm weather!!  :/  I know this sounds backwards, but I am now hoping for colder weather so the skating rinks will freeze!!!!   
I went and looked at some sheep today. And bought 10 middle aged ewes!!!!     They will be coming on Sunday, and I will post some pics of my new girls!!!! I can't wait! They are Tunis/Suffolk crosses, bred to a Suffolk ram, and will lamb in May!!! 
Lol, it is funny how some of us get sooo excited about our animals!!! Just wait till my lambs start coming!!! Everyone on here will get bored of all my lamb pics, and hearing about them! I am expecting/hoping for 60ish!!!!! Lol, I can't wait!!!!!!


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## bonbean01 (Jan 18, 2013)

Congrats on buying more ewes 

And you must know it is not possible to bore anyone on here with lambie pics


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## CocoNUT (Jan 18, 2013)

well-said Bon! I was just going to say I HIGHLY doubt we're the types to get bored of lamb pictures! Now...MAYBE if you had like 40 photos of ONE lamb, I might nod off a bit....but 60 photos of 60 lambies....HEAVEN! 

Oh..and good luck with the birthday party and things freezing back up for you! Now THAT is a cool way to celebrate a "winter" birthday!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 22, 2013)

The daughters B-day party went good! The skating rink worked for a bit! It was bumpy but the girls didn't seem to mind!!! Lol, my hubby thought they looked like they were having sooo much fun, he had to go out too! I am not quite sure what happend, but I heard a loud "DAD" and a bunch of groans and mumbling! I looked off the deck and somehow the ice rink was cracked right across the middle!  
Lol, I think my hubby felt bad so he took them all on sled rides behind the snowmachine!  
Last year, I bought a nice big Cheviot ram, kept him in solitude for 40 days, wormed him, looked him over good, and everything seemed fine! So I gave him some ewes and everything worked out good, untill we sheared in March!!!   One word "KEDS'!!!!  These things are sooo gross and ugly, oh and did I mention big!!!!    I have them on my mind because shearing is coming up again soon and I still haven't been able to get rid of them!!!!   
 Last year, when we were done shearing, I came in the house to warm up by the wood heater stove. I took my hair out of the elastic band and heared "plop, plop, smach,plop", I quickly looked down, and 4 keds had fallen out of my hair on to the stove!!!!   There was no more warming up for me!! In to the shower I went, only to find yet another in my tucked in shirt!! Uuuggg!!!!!  
The problem with these nasty bugs, is, ivermectin, and other wormers won't work on them because they are a biting bug, not a blood sucking bug!! None of the vets will give my anykind of pour on (which I am sure is what I need), they say there is none for sheep, and that I have to use the topical louse powder! Now try putting that on 40+ head of sheep and massaging it in through the wool on their entire body!    And it didn't even work!!!  
Her are the new girls I just got home on the weekend!!!     The fella I bought them from gave me 11 for the price of 10, so i gave the 11th to my daughter for her Birthday!!!  






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Lol, now I have to name them all!!


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## CocoNUT (Jan 22, 2013)

AWww.ww...so glad the party went so well! You definitely got good use out of the rink! 

Bridgemoof had the same problem earlier...I remember her saying something about a topical for treating keds. Check her journal or send her a PM. Power would be a pain if you ask me! I would say treating them after shearing would be more effective too. 

Those sheep are beauts!


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## purplequeenvt (Jan 22, 2013)

This is what we use on our sheep to get rid of lice. It says that it works on keds too. Permethrin 1.0% Synergized


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## bonbean01 (Jan 22, 2013)

Glad the party went so great!  And love all your new sheepies!!!!  Congratulations!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 22, 2013)

Thanks purplequeenvt!! That does help, cause I have been looking at the different cattle pour-ons availible, and around here anyway, there is no info on if they are safe for sheep!! I have a question though! Have you used Permethrin on your ewes when they were pregnant? And for dosage, my cattle pour-on(permethrin) says 3ml. or every100lbs, does that sound close to how you measured the dosage for your sheep?


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## purplequeenvt (Jan 22, 2013)

On the bottle that I have, the dose is the same for cattle and sheep - 1/2 fl oz. per 100 lbs. I think that it is safe for pregnant ewes, but I don't know for sure. I just sent an email to the vets at Pipestone, I'll let you know what they say when I hear back from them.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 22, 2013)

purplequeenvt said:
			
		

> On the bottle that I have, the dose is the same for cattle and sheep - 1/2 fl oz. per 100 lbs. I think that it is safe for pregnant ewes, but I don't know for sure. I just sent an email to the vets at Pipestone, I'll let you know what they say when I hear back from them.


Thanks! I really appreciate that!!!


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## purplequeenvt (Jan 22, 2013)

They wrote back and said that it is safe for the pregnant ladies.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 22, 2013)

purplequeenvt said:
			
		

> They wrote back and said that it is safe for the pregnant ladies.


Yay!!! Thanks!!! I can finally see an end to the creepy crawlies!!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 3, 2013)

I haven't had time to be on for a while! Lol, sometimes life gets in the way!  
I got my Babydoll Southdown ram delivered and sold! I think it all went good, and the people seemed happy with him! Glad he has a good home, their other sheep look well taken care of !!   
I have my 1 year old Suffolk ram feeling and acting his self finally!!!    Practically all summer, he has slowly been going down hill! I was possitive it was Progressive Pnemonia, and the drug of choice around here is available by prescription only!!    All the vets I have talked to about my ram were sure it was lung worm! I finally found one that was willing to believe me, and gave me a bottle of 'Nuflor' (I paid for the big bottle so if I need it in the future I have some on hand and don't have to get the vets to prescribe it) it is pricey stuff though! I gave my ram "Glenn" his injections and all his symptom went away, his appitite and energy are back and he is actually acting like a ram again!!!!    Now I just have to get his weight back up!


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## Southern by choice (Feb 3, 2013)

for your perseverance, and    to the vet who finally listened!


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## bonbean01 (Feb 3, 2013)

Sounds good!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 19, 2013)

I think sometimes I have too much company!    I seems usually 5-6 days a weeks we have anywhere from 1-3 different batches of company coming and going! It feels I am forever cooking, entertaining, or cleaning up for people! :/  It is nice to be popular I suppose, and I am not complaining about the people, just how busy I can't stop from being with looking after all the animals, my kids school projects, appointments, supper engagments, charity events, and the company!!!!   :/  Oh well!! That is it for my complaining!!!   
The babies have started to arrive here at Four Winds Ranch!!!!!! A few days ago, one of my does had her first litter of kits!!!!!!    She had 6 but the runt, I am sorry to say didn't make it this morning! I don't have pics yet cause it is pretty chilly here and I don't want to drag them out of their nest. She is a smart little mamma and dug her nest down into the middle of a square bale of hay!!! An awesome place for a nest cause it is still -9 F here during the nights lately!!


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## bonbean01 (Feb 19, 2013)

Just curious...but is your company coming from Saskatchewan?  Talked to my Dad today and they were still at -28...many nights going to -40 with the wind chill...they would think your temperatures are right balmy 

Congrats about the kits!  Sorry you lost one, and that mama sounds really smart to pick her next in a hay bale!


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## Bridgemoof (Feb 19, 2013)

Hey Fourwinds! Just catching up on your journal and I have to say your new Tunis girls are very pretty! How did you make out with the keds treatment? Did you find the Permethrin and was it effective? I have treated my sheep twice, 14 days apart for the lice. I think it worked. It says it can take up to 8 weeks for the entire life cycle to die though. They seem to be scratching less. Well, I was curious to see how your treatments worked.

I'm so glad you were able to rehabilitate your ram! That's great news he is up and about and doing well. 

Company is fun, but it's exhausting!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 27, 2013)

So far soo good with the keds treatment on the sheep!!!    Will be soooo glad to get these bug in check before the lambs start to arrive!!!!
Well, we heard about some sows for cheap, and they weren't to far away so went to have a look at them. Lol, once we saw them you knew why they were cheap!  Both were 8 months old and due to have their first litter in a few weeks! They are pretty small practically babys themselves! The fella said he has nowhere to put them in for when the babies are born, so the piglets will probably be eaten by the other pigs as they are born! ( They were in with about 30 other pigs and he wasn't going to separate them).    Well, we felt bad for them and bought them!   when we were done loading the two girls, the owner said, he has another sow we could have for $50 if we want, she should fit in the trailer. So we went to have a look at her. He pointed out a B-I-G sow! And I mean BIG!!!    she weighed 800 lbs, and her back is higher than my waist!!!!!    Now my hubby loves his pigs, so he said " SOLD" and they proceded to, try, and load "Rosie" into the trailer. It was quite a feat, the trailer was rocking every which way and ther was a lot of grunting and stomping, but she made it into the two horse trailer, JUST!   On the way home she decided to turn around in there and bulged out one of the back doors a bit, but we made it!
Here is " Rosie"!






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Not sure of her breeding, I am asuming from her ears and build, probably a Landrace!


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## CocoNUT (Feb 27, 2013)

Good Gravy that's a big pig!!!  
I can't believe they weren't going to separate the mommas! Good thing you snatched um up!


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## bonbean01 (Feb 27, 2013)

Bacon, bacon, bacon!!!!


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## marlowmanor (Feb 27, 2013)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> Bacon, bacon, bacon!!!!


My thoughts exactly!


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## greenbean (Feb 27, 2013)

Congrats on the new pigs!  Rosie's huge!  I can't wait to see the babies  

 at bon and marlow


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## Bridgemoof (Feb 27, 2013)

That's great! I can't wait to  see pics of the little piggies when they arrive.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 27, 2013)

I will definatly post pictures of the piglets when they come!    I hope we can get them to all live as this time of the year here, it is nasty cold yet, and our barn has cr@#@$ heat! Oh well, I guess the mommas, and piglets that do make it will be better off than wherer they were!
When it comes time for butchering the BIG Rosie, I will be hoping for a lot of company! That would be as much pork as butchering a whole cow! I don't thing my deepfreeze will hold it all!  :/


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 27, 2013)

WE HAVE PIGLETS!!!!!!!!  
There were 3 (first time, little mommas, don't have many), but unfortunatly, the biggest didn't make it!    We have a heat light going for them, hence the red light! These tow should get big and chubby with all that milk to themselves!!! 






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Here is a pic of the litter of bunnies born about a week and a half ago! There are four but couldn't get the fourth in the pic.





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## bonbean01 (Feb 27, 2013)

Wow...that was fast on the piggies...sorry you lost one...congrats on the two


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## CocoNUT (Feb 28, 2013)

Wow! Looks like you picked up those piggies JUST IN TIME huh?! Looks like those babies will be eating pretty well too! 
Two survivors mean you can name them "Bacon" and "Sausage"...


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 4, 2013)

I am the luckiest person alive!!!!!  

On Saturday, I got a phone call from a neighbor, who is older and she said she has a few chickens  and would I be interested in taking them? She knows I already have some and she said if I am interested she would give them to me for free cause she knows they will have a good home! That even just looking after the chicks is getting to be too much for her!  
I said "Sure! That would be wonderful", and offered to give her some money for them, or bring her over a few dozen eggs every now and then! She said "no" to both offers and asked when I could come pick them up? I told her I will be right over in an hour!
I went scrounging around for a few boxes, when my hubby suggested he take me over in his truck and we will put the chickens in his "Ewe Haul" (A wooden box built to fit in the box of a pick-up to haul sheep, goats, and pigs), cause it was already in the truck. I figured that would work but thought it was a little over kill (big) to put a few chickens in! :/ Oh well!
We pulled into the neighbor's yard and she came out and asked if we could back up around that way to the chicken house, which we did. She said, "I have them locked up in the hen house so hang on and I will catch them a couple at a time and hand them to you to put in the box".
So she handed a couple out the hen house door to my hubby and I worked the Ewe Haul door. Everything went good, BUT, she just kept handin them out and handin them out............!!!!  I am sure my mouth dropped further and further as they just kept comin'!!! We were at this for at least an hour!  Finally she came out with one and said, "Well, thats the last of them!" Because I was too stunned to count, I asked " How many do we got there?" She says, "About 25 or so."
We again try to offer her money and eggs, but she flat out refuses and thanks us soooo much for taking them!
When we get home, and I unload them into the chicken house I decide to count.    49!!!!!!!!   I am soooo glad for the Ewe Haul instead of my cardboard boxes!!!!

The neighbor said she didn't know the names of the breeds that they were, just the age.
Here are some pics, does anyone know what breeds some might be????   






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## ragdollcatlady (Mar 4, 2013)

Nice haul! I would guess maybe mostly rhode island red, the buff could be an orpington or cochin (feathered feet??). The golden one with some black might be americana type (Easter egger or a mix) if she has a beard....not sure about the blue or speckled kids.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 5, 2013)

ragdollcatlady said:
			
		

> Nice haul! I would guess maybe mostly rhode island red, the buff could be an orpington or cochin (feathered feet??). The golden one with some black might be americana type (Easter egger or a mix) if she has a beard....not sure about the blue or speckled kids.


Thanks for your expertise!!!    It gives me some ideas!!!! I don't know why, but knowing their breeding helps with their individuality and separate personalities in my mind!


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## Southern by choice (Mar 5, 2013)

The gold with black may be Buff Brahmas... if they have feathered feet and a peacomb. Close up pics are more helpful as far as seeing combs etc.

The one looks a bit like an austrolorp

The speckled... has a semi Mille Fleur Pattern but too far away of a shot to see head/comb  and feet

Pretty cool though I will say! That is great, good for her and good for you. Definitely quarantine them for 3-4 months if possible.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 19, 2013)

The first lambs have just arrived this afternoon!!!!!!     
Twin rams, from a ewe lamb!!!!








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Lol, the start of many lamb pics!!!


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## Bridgemoof (Mar 20, 2013)

Congratulations! They are so precious! Isn't lambing FUN????


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 22, 2013)

We had a set of twins born, just in time to greet the dawn on the first day of Spring!!!!!!!





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They are Tunis/Suffolk cross lambs.

Also, last night we had 8 new piglets born!!! Pics to follow!!!!!


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## bonbean01 (Mar 22, 2013)

Congratulations on your super cute lambies!!!  Is lambing season just not the best???  Mine are all lambed now and I'm already looking forward to lambing season next winter


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## promiseacres (Mar 22, 2013)

very cute lambies


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 22, 2013)

Well, it looks like I might be supplementing a couple of bottles a day for the first set of twins! It seems their Mom, a ewe lamb, doesn't have enough milk! After they suck they still seem hungry, so I checked and her udder feels kind of beefy/thick (if ya know what I mean), but even I can't get anymore than a drop! Oh well, at least they arn't true bottle babies!!!!
I have never really had a lot to do with hair sheep. Lol, this is a Kadahdin ewe, the first and only one I have ever been around. I wonder how they are in the milk department for twins, or triplets, and is it common for ewe lambs to have twins and triplets........?


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## alsea1 (Mar 22, 2013)

I have a katahdin ewe that will be a first time mom soon I think.
My exp. with hair sheep so far has been good.
My black belly ewe is an excellent mother.
My other black belly ewe I dunno because she has yet to produce.  She may be replaced with a dorper ewe if she don't do something soon.

I don't know about sheep, but I started my boer doe on alf. right after she kidded. She seems to have plenty of milk for them.  So I figure I will do same for the sheep. 
 Looking forward to more pics


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 26, 2013)

There was another lamb born yesterday, a single ewe! 
All the lambs were supposed to be born in April, but last fall, a cougar attacked the sheep and a ram got out with the main herd a little earlier than usual. Hence the March lambs! Still have 36 girls to go!!!
On a bad note, I believe in all the years of raising sheep, I lost my first lamb to pnemonia!!    Suprising concidering it is the number 1 cause of lamb death on sheep farms (supposidly)! It wasn't surprising concerning the lamb really, he had a bit of a rough start, but was coming back around marvously! Poor little thing!! 
I believe I will start a Spring Baby Thread instead of clogging up my journal with baby pic! Cause we are expecting well over 100 babies at Four Winds Ranch this spring!!!!!!


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## Canadiannee (Mar 26, 2013)

Sorry to hear you lost one of your ram lambs... 

With an expectation of 100 lambs coming, lol, I sure hope you're resting up and getting some sleep... exciting, but gosh, that must be a lot of work!

Nice neighbour! So with 49 new layers, plus your own ranch flock... does this mean you'll be needing a new cookbook? lol, Maybe one titled "1001 eqq recipes"??


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 26, 2013)

Canadianee, not all the babies are lambs! We are expecting between 40-60 lambs, 40ish piglets, 2 foals, an baby donkey, puppies, kittens ( of course), and hopefully 50ish bunnies, and 30ish chicks! We raise all our own meat, and yet make the animals pay for themselves! Free, healthy meat that way!
Lol I do need an egg cookbook, especially pickled egg recipies!!
I just got home from running the last summers orphan lamb into the Easter sale!! We did pretty good with him!!!     Unfortuanatly the kids are on spring break from school and I had to bring them along!  :/   There were a few tears as "Bobby" walked into the ring!!


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## Canadiannee (Mar 26, 2013)

Oh my! lol, sounds like you'll need more than just "some resting up and sleep"... you'll have earned yourself a spa retreat by the time the last babe is on the ground! 

Now egg recipes I can pass on! Heaps and heaps of them!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 27, 2013)

Here, the dusk is just turning into light! It is supposed to be above average temps. for today!  12 C!!!!    I definatly have high hopes of spring!!!!!!!

Here on Four Winds Ranch, I do all the animal care and feeding, my hubby goes to work, therefor, tractor work once a week, and at times helping me with the fence is his farming dutys. So at busy times like this, I am wiped!!!    I need my kids to get old enough to trade lambing checks with!  :/  Last night was one of the basiclly sleepless nights! I am not complaining, I love my sheep!!! But, I CAN'T sleep till I know that each new lamb has nursed.
During the night, I was blessed with 2 sets of twins, a set of triplets, and another ewe (Dora) in labour as we speak!!       Twix is the momma with the triplets, she is a Tunis, the ram is a Tunis, and Twix had 2 beautiful red lambs, and   a SNOW WHITE (looks to be albino) ram lamb!    First albino born on the Ranch!!  
One of the triplets is pretty little and I haven't yet decided to take it or not! Twix doesn't have a super big udder, she is awesome with twins, but triplets! Guess I will wait a bit and see how things go! 
I better get off BYH and do another check!


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## Canadiannee (Mar 27, 2013)

Congrats to all mommy ewes, and to you Four Winds for still being coherent after such a sleepless night!  I bet you're bushed! Wow, a set of twins and then triplets, and an albino to boot! I bet you're humming this morn! (or simply vibrating) and still another ewe getting ready to go... lol, I'm feeling tired for you!


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## Bridgemoof (Mar 27, 2013)

That's great FourWinds! So many cute babies, and a white one! Never heard of that.  You sure have your work cut out for you. I feel your pain, though, with the sleepless nights. I have to make sure the lambs are nursing, too. And warm, and dry, lol. Good luck with the rest. I have one right now that just lost a mucous plug, so I better get out there too!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 29, 2013)

Unfortunatly, I have to get rid of my baby "Johnny". He is my 3 year old pot-belly pig, and weighs about 60 lbs! When he has his leash on he is a perfect gent, but when it is off, he tends to want his own way or else!!!    He ate one of my chickens because it was eating out of his dish, and if the steers don't do what he tells them, they end up with bloody legs and noses!!!  I have decided that Johnny isn't safe to be around my kids!! I feel horrible for him, but it is for the best!!    The folks I am giving him to are going to pick him up on Easter Saturday!! Poor Johnny, at least he is going to a good home (I think)!!!







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## Bridgemoof (Mar 29, 2013)

Awww sorry you're losing your guy, but I would be doing the same thing. Pigs can be scary. We got rid of our big pot belly recently. He was HUGE and I just didn't feel it was safe for him to be around lambs or baby goats! He weighed at least 200 pounds. But we found some lady who wanted him as a pet! I'm glad you found a home for your guy. Could have been worse.


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## Canadiannee (Mar 29, 2013)

So sorry to hear you're re-homing your boy Johnny, but completely understandable when he's killing your poultry and tackling your steers!

I've never had much luck with pot belly pigs, I was starting to believe it was just a female "thing", but now reading your post, it looks like gender doesn't matter!

The first pot belly that came to our farm was named "Pork Chop", and she came on the trailer with a girl bringing a horse for boarding... funny, the girl ended up selling her horse a month later, but left the pig behind! That pig terrorized everyone, specially our youngest son Sawyer who was 12 years old at the time... Every month she'd come into heat and chase that boy around the outside of the house... Some days he'd jump on top of the dog house screaming for me, as she'd be running around the dog house to get him... One morning after running a marathon to get away from her, he ran into the house thru the side door and was leaning up against the wall in the kitchen heavily panting and crying "I hate that pig" and suddenly there was loud squeal followed by the crash of metal hitting the kitchen floor... that pig had come up onto our back deck and jumped thru the screen of our french doors (taking the screen door out) and landed in my kitchen to get him! In the three months she stayed with us (I sent her to a pot belly rescue) She was notorious for breaking out of her pen, and no one could catch her... in her escapades, she rode my husband's large industrial shop vaccum down the driveway numerous times (didn't dare leave the garage door open) and one morning I woke up to find our 1 acre front lawn torn up... it looked like WW3 had happened... trenches and pits everywhere! When she wasn't in heat... she was a little nicer, but not by much.

I guess I didn't learn my lesson tho... I bought an ewe off a Kijiji ad, and when we went to pick her up the seller wove me a good story on how the ewe and the pig were best friends, and thus she wanted them to go together (the pig wasn't mentioned in any of our e-mail or telephone discussions)... Dear hubby was standing beside me shaking his head "no", but I wanted that ewe, and after an hour and a half drive to pick up the ewe, I thought, what's the chance of having another bad experience?!?! LOL! It took one day to figured out this BFF thing between ewe and pig was a big pile of pucky! That poor ewe was terrorized when Annabelle was around! So Annabelle too went off to the rescue! 

I have friends who have pot belly pigs who love them to death, most have had them casterated or spade when they were young, so I'm sure that made a difference... but my experience with them wasn't too grand! Does make a good story to tell tho... 

Thankfully you found Johnny a great home!


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## Bridgemoof (Mar 29, 2013)

Oh that's a funny story about the pig Canadiannee.  My sheep are terrified of the pigs. Even the little tiny one (who isn't so tiny anymore).  If Blossom gets in the sheep pasture they all go running like it's a big predator! We have two bigger pot bellied pigs right now in the garden rototilling for us.  We'll see how that works out.  The gigantic pig we got rid of was neutered, and he never seemed to be a threat, but he had tusks! And I didn't want to be cornered or have one of my animals cornered by a big pig with sharp tusks. He was like a wild boar.


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## elevan (Mar 29, 2013)

Sorry about Johnny.  We had to rehome ours for similar reasons.  He actually put a 2 foot long gash in one of the horses upper legs.  Nasty nasty wound.  He went from that to going after the kids.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Mar 29, 2013)

We have about 20 regular meat pigs in the barnyard, and we haven't had any issues with them, but that could be because they have more respect for people because no one wants to make a pet out of something you are going to eat!  
From my experience with my pot-belly and everyone elses pot-belly stories, I don't think pot-bellies are going to be in my future!!!!
Yes eleven, that is just what I am worries about!!! If Johnny figures he can go after the other anomals, then how soon before he gets one of the kids!!!

Had another set of twins last night!!!! 2 big ram lambs!! (10.5lbs, and 12.2lbs) I was expecting her to have triplets, but I guess they were just big!!     I am not sure what it is this year, but almost all the sheep so far have decided they wanted me to stay up all night and earn my keep!     I have only had 1 ewe lamb in the daylight, all the rest have been after dark, and before first light!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 4, 2013)

I had 2 more litters of bunnies born a couple of days ago!!!!!  
I didn't check how many in each litter ot the color patterns because I have learned that sometimes it is best to leave them alone for a week or two! 

Last spring, I had a doe who kinddled! Like usual, I went to reach in to peek in the nest.     So I opened the cage door and reached in!  I heard a odd growling noise but didn't put two and two together. Just as I reached my hand in, the doe attacked!!!!    She grabbed one of my fingers with her teeth and wouldn't let go, the whole while growling and scratching and clawing the rest of my hand with her front feet!!!!!    I am sorry to say, but in my mad panic to get my hand away from her, I jerked her around a fair amount and she ended up doing a somersault and hit her head on the side of the cage, which did make her let go.....finally.....!  :/  She was totally fine and when to back to eating, wish I could say the same for my hand!!  I believe I will have scars to prove my .....um...(embarassed) rabbit attack for the rest of my life!
Also, I have learned that mother rabbits (some of them anyway) perfer to be left alone with their new babies! Unfortunatly, I am not brave enough to find out which which is which!!!   
So, needless to say, everyone will have to wait on baby bunny pictures!!!


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## Canadiannee (Apr 4, 2013)

Sorry FourWinds... I don't mean to laugh at your expense, but that story was FUNNY!!!! And even more humerous was that I could picture it happening! Tell me, was this the vicious doe you mentioned last week? 

YAY!!! On the two new bunny litters!!! Congrats, Congrats!!!


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## jodief100 (Apr 5, 2013)

Congrats on all the babies!


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## elevan (Apr 5, 2013)

Yay for babies!


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## bonbean01 (Apr 5, 2013)

Congrats on your babies!!!!!

Rabits can bite really hard...when I took my 2 year old to a petting zoo and thought it safe for him to pull some grass and feed it to one...he was bit HARD...looked like the tip of his finger was just hanging by the skin ...rushed to emergency and they put it back together...who would have thought that could happen?  He healed just fine and plays piano, clarinet, saxaphone and guitar...so glad that worked out...now be careful of your fingers!!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 7, 2013)

I have a question for all the "Farm Girls" out there! How do you guys keep your houses clean?????!!!!   

Cause, it doesn't seem to matter how fast I work in the day, I just don't have the energy in the evening to get any house work done!  :/

My day starts out : Making breakfast, making lunch for hubby and older kids for school. After they are out the door, me and the small kids are out the door to haul grain/hay, feed the sheep/cows, slop pigs/dig out pig pens, feed rabbits/clean out cages, feed chickens/clean coop, and pack water (unfortunatly we don't have waterers so I have to pack all the water for everything by hand,  which I wont even get started on!) Feed t/water the horses, llamas, and donkeys.  By then we have to come in to make little kids their lunch and send them for their naps. While they are napping I go outside to get done some stuff that is just plain faster without kids in toe, like chopping and hauling the wood for the day (we heat with wood), doing some much needed paper work. Once the naps are over, we traipse back out the door to work on vaccinations/worming/trimming hooves/tagging/branding/docking tails/sorting, which ever needs done, or fixing/building fence.  During the fall, haying season, basically no house work gets done! Summer and spring there is the garden work 
Hopefully, I remembered to put somethin into the slow cooker for supper! Once everyone is fed supper, kids are bathed and in bed, I no longer have the energy to clean!!!  

So how are most peoples houses clean all the time????  :/
When I find out company is coming I always am in a mad dash to try to pick/clean some of the easy to see mess, but wish I could stay on top of it!!!


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## Kellykidz (Apr 7, 2013)

Four Winds Ranch said:
			
		

> I have a question for all the "Farm Girls" out there! How do you guys keep your houses clean?????!!!!
> 
> Cause, it doesn't seem to matter how fast I work in the day, I just don't have the energy in the evening to get any house work done!  :/
> 
> ...


Mine is never clean.  My goal is don't trip on stuff on the floor, vacuum often enough that we don't have hair all over our clothes.


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## jodief100 (Apr 7, 2013)

Kellykidz said:
			
		

> Four Winds Ranch said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


X2.  it is never clean.  The goal is to keep the pet hair out of the food.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 8, 2013)

Lol! That is good to know!!! Thanks! Suddenly my house feels a little less messy and more lived in, now that I know others are in the same boat!  
It is horn fileing for me today!! My daughter has a 4-H Show on Saturday and her steer can`t have horns any longer than 2 inches !  :/ I find it kind of an annoying rule, but I suppose it is in place for the kids saftey! Next year, we are picking a steer with no horns!!!


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## promiseacres (Apr 8, 2013)

you do what you can when you can! especially with toddlers! my DH will probably never think it's good enough but it is what it is!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 16, 2013)

Strange things are happening here on the farm!!!!!   :/  
The sheep that are lambing this month of April are all purbred Tunis! Laming is going awesome!!!! I have 2 Purebred Tunis rams, my old guy, and a 2yr. old fella I just bought last fall. The new boy "Dodger" is garenteed purebred Tunis, but doesn't have papers. We are getting lots of lambs, and everything is healthy!! Everyone who has ever owned a Tunis ram or ewe, knows that Tunis lambs are born dark red with a white spot on their heads.
Well, this is the strange part!!!!  :/   Approximatly half of my Tunis lambs are (HEAVEN FORBID) WHITE, and each of them have a black dot somewhere on their bodys!!!!!!  
I am comfused!!   Either I have been horribly ripped of on my 'supposidly' purebred ram, or there is somehow some crazy gene in there somewhere!!!  
Here are a couple of examples!!!







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## Canadiannee (Apr 17, 2013)

I don't know ANYTHING about tunis sheep (or sheep breeds in general)... lol, but my golly, don't you just love genetics!?! (a genetic sleuth) Very cute, kinda weird, but on the bright side... if this new boy always throws a black spot in his offspring, you'll always know who Daddy is right?!?!  

So glad to hear you're having a wonderful April lambing! Was wondering how you were doing this past week!


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## promiseacres (Apr 17, 2013)

Odd! Bet something not Tunis is coming out Imo but I am not overly familiar with them.... hope it doesn't ruin your lamb crop


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## PendergrassRanch (Apr 17, 2013)

What color are they suppose to be? 

Considering the clean house thing...we have an abundance of boot scrapers, mats for scraping and I have a strict "no work boots" in the house. The dogs are another story. They aren't dirty dogs but hair is an issue with one dog. We just vacuum a lot.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 30, 2013)

Along with all the new babies, plowing, and spring clean up (YES, this is the first week without snow on the ground finally!!!  ), we seem to have a farm mystery!!!!  

It all started about a week ago! I went outside to do my evening chores. I finished giving the lambs a bottle at the barn, and walked back to the house to move a hen into her brooding box and collect the last of the eggs for the day. It was dusk, and I was setting up the brooding box, bent over it making the nest nice and soft for the brooding eggs. As I stand up and take a step back, I bump into something....., I spin around really fast and find one of the posts for the chicken pen broke off laying on the ground.   I get goosebumps as I begin to wonder how a 4 inch fence post got snapped off, in the chicken pen and 20 feet from the back off my house none the less!!!!!    I give one of the remaining, standing posts a kick thinging maybe they are rotten, but NO! It doesn't even budge, solit, still froze into the ground!!    It must be something pretty big to snap something that size off!! All the cows are quite adistance from the house, the horses are securely penned up.........???  I couldn't find any tracks at all anywhere near, and there were no missing chickens?????? Oh well, I guess it will be chicken fence fixing time as soon as the ground thaws! 
Then, 2 days ago, around dusk, I went to go grab the last of the days eggs and lo and behold, another post is broke off!!!!!!!    It was fine at noon! No tracks, no missing chickens!
Last evening, again, the main gate post is snapped!!!!   This is really creeping me out!!!! It appears something or someone BIG is coming (not sure what for) in broad daylight and snapping off fence posts right behind my house!!!!

I will keep everyone updated to when this mystery is solved!!


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## ragdollcatlady (Apr 30, 2013)

Scarey!  

Could it be a person?


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## Four Winds Ranch (Apr 30, 2013)

Yikes!!! For me, the thought of a person is even scareier and an animal (well, minis a cougar, them things give me the heeby geebys)! I would think a person wouldn't be doing it cause we live quite remote. They would have to walk quite aways to be able to get here without us hearing them! But, ya never know about some people!!!

So far the biggest lamb of the year was born around noon today! She is a single birth and weighed in at 18.2 lbs!     The ewe did it basically herself, exept I had to reach in and hook a knee! She is the same ewe who had the 17 lb'er last year and a 19 lb'er the year before, so I guess she is getting the "big" lamb thing down pat!!!! Before today, the leading lamb of the year was 14.4lbs, and his twin was 12.8!!!  Big twins!!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (May 1, 2013)

I fear my hubby is getting too in love with pigs!!!!  
Lol, the reason I find this a problem is because I am the one who looks after the  feeds/waters, nutrition, farrowing, and treating what ever needs treating. (He works off the farm, so the farm is my baby besides him loving the tractor work).
We have 4 breeding sows, (2 with piglets, and 2 soon to have piglets), and a boar! When all 4 sows have 2 litters every year it equals out to a lot of pigs, if ya get my drift!! Lots of pen cleaning! 

To make matters worse, last week my hubby was late for supper, and came home with 2, 50lb Duroc gilts for future breeders! 

2 days ago, he went for coffee and lunch with one of his buddies, and came home with 2, Great White, 200lb breeding sows!!!  

Now, he just informed me that he will be late for supper today cause he s picking up a 450lb, Berkshire breeding sow!!!!

Everyone may officially start hearing from me less and less as my days are going to start filling up with cleaning pig pens!!! :/  Truthfully, those 300lb plus, sows kinda scare me!!  As long as they stay on the other side of the fence and I don't have to go in there!!!


One of the Great White sows.






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## ragdollcatlady (May 1, 2013)

My DH loves pigs too. But thankfully he only gets them one at a time. The bigger they get the more afraid I get that they are going to knock me over or something. And I don't like when they are loose (on purpose) and try to go somewhere they aren't supposed to. I much prefer my goats. But he loves his pigs and gives them a good life. Then we eat them. This last one was a real sweet animal. He would pick up the edge of his pen and just shake it up and down when he was excited. He was pretty mellow. I am very thankful that mine doesn't want more than one. I don't like to share responsibility for his pigs so he is supposed to buy all the food and work out a schedule for the kids to share the pig work. I only fill in on an emergency basis. Like when the water is gone and it is too hot out. 

Good luck with the pig business. I assume the plan will be to sell more babies for profit?


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## Four Winds Ranch (May 3, 2013)

Yes, the plan with the pigs is to sell weiners and finished pigs for profit!! And last but not least, our freezer full of pork!   I love ham, and am on the look out for some big crock pots to cure my own!!

Lol, I had a busy day today! 
For starters, this morning I went down to the barn to feed the pigs. As I opened the barn door, I ran head-first into 2, 200 lb sows, who, I later found out, chewed through thier pen wall!!! I decided my best plan of action is to get a bucket of feed and get them to follow me back into their pen. Ya, it didn't work at all, the one went in good, the other took off the other way down the barn isle!!:/  Ok, now I am a little scared of big pigs so I grabbed the pen cleaning shovel, and decided to try to chase it back into its pen! I got half way to her and she charged at me making some crazy growling noise!!!  I swear she was triing to bit me so stuck the shovel at her and she bit it and ripped it out of my hands!!!   I jumped up on another pen wall!  Now how was I to get down!! I reached across to the open loft and grabbed the pitch-fork. I figured, if I could put a run on her she hopefully would run right into her pen with her friend!! I jumped down and started running and yelling down the isle!!! IT WORKED!!!!! In she went and I boarded up the hole in the fence!  

I had 2 ewes in labour this morning as well. The first one had a beautiful Suffolk cross ewe lamb, but, another old ewe in the pasture continuesly tried to steal the lamb from her mother!! The old bully ewe would smack the mother out of the way and nose the lamb off! I couldn't get the old girl to leave them alone!!  Decided my best course of action would be to pen the new mother off by herself, which seemed to work pretty good so far!!!    I hope that old ewe has her lambs before anyone else so we don't have the same problem with the others!!!

The 2nd ewe was in labour...labour........ for atleast 3-4 hours with no progress! She is a 2yr. old and it is her first lamb, so I decided to check what was going on. I put her in the shute, and discovered just inside was 2 back legs!! BREACH! (I don't know why but everytime I have ever had to assist with a breach, the ewe never seemed to have much for contractions!) It took us a bit but, we got it done!  A big strapping ram lamb!  I was quite impressed because the ewe even let him nurse all on her own!!!

This afternoon was a little more relaxed! Taught my 11yr. a couple of riding lessons, cause rodeo season is just around the corner, May 20th is the first one of the year!!!
We oiled up the 4-H steer because he was full on clumps of manure (as you can see in the pic.), I made bread, washed 7 dozen eggs, and supper!!

Lol, I am so glad my life isn't boring!!!  

The 4-H Steer, Monster





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## promiseacres (May 3, 2013)

Nice steer!  Glad I am the only one who brings home critters last one dh brought home is our 11 yr old rotten chow Shepx when she was 6 mos....


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## bonbean01 (May 3, 2013)

Congrats on getting that breach birthing done with a healthy lamb  

As for large pigs...they do scare me...as a kid I was bit pretty hard, but was lucky it was winter and had a thick heavy winter coat on...tore a chunk right out of my coat.  For that reason I do not want any pigs, but DH is trying to talk me into it...so far it's not working   Be careful around those big ones!!!!  They can and do bite hard!


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## Four Winds Ranch (May 14, 2013)

Spring is always such a busy time of the year, I am afraid my journal gets ignored a fair amount!!  

Exciting news!!!!!    We now have chicks!!!!!! Unfortunatly, just 2, but I am not complaining!!!

I am thankful DH butchered a couple of his hogs yesterday, cause 'man' those things multiply!! In numbers as well as work!! Guess I really shouldn't talk, if ya include the babies in the spring in livestock numbers it is truely scary!!   For instance, including babies, Four Winds Ranch has; 8 horses, 2 llamas, 3 donkeys, 1 steer, 32 pigs, 123 sheep, 65 chickens, 5 dogs, 5 +cats, and 74 rabbits!!!   

We got the crop all in!!!! Now waitin' on the rain!!! Mostly barley this year!

I have started on the garden, but still have a ways to go in that area, because I have been distracted trying to get a feeder rabbit pen put up! AND, replacing the posts in the chicken pen!! Never did find the culprit, but luckily the posts seem to have stopped magicaly stopped snapping off!!
On a not so good note, a couple of weeks ago, a couple big dogs wondered over here and were chasing the sheep along the fence. My older LGD, Sasha, put an end to that! There was quite a tuffle, but everything seemed all fine! But, now, all my dogs have fleas!!!    Such a pain in the butt!

'Jake' doing his LGD duty! He takes his job very seriously!





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Some of my Standard Rex bunnies that are almost ready for the pot, or to sell as breeders!





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One of the new 'peepers'!





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Getting the dirt ready for 'potato plantin'





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Nappin' in the sun!!





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## Bridgemoof (May 15, 2013)

Aw the lambs are so cute FourWinds!

Tell DH ENOUGH with the pig buying spree already!   sheesh that sounds like a terribly frightening encounter you had with that big sow. I like pigs, but when they get that big and scary..well.... Be careful!


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## promiseacres (May 15, 2013)

WOW! and people think I"m busy.... love the rexes so pretty!


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## Four Winds Ranch (May 27, 2013)

Guess what!!!!!!  I am sooooo excited!!!!  
I have been waiting for what feels like forever for a couple of babies to be born, and last night one has arrived!!!!!!!!  
She is a little filly, and is Hancock, King, Jets blood lines!!!   Such a little beauty!!

Now comes the exciting part of finding a fitting name!





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## Four Winds Ranch (May 28, 2013)

I have had a bad start to my day!!!!   
I got up to feed my bottle lamb at 6 o'clock this morning to find 3, half eaten, 1 and a half month old lambs!!!! 
Right off the bat, I assume coyotes, cause I seen one in the neighbors field a few days ago, but.................... my older LGD had brought the mangled bodies up to the yard????????? I sure hope it wasn't my LGD, cause I would feel horrible if she has to go!


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## ragdollcatlady (May 28, 2013)

WOW! So sorry to hear about your babies!  

I hope you find the culprit soon.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jun 1, 2013)

This month, we had a late lamber! She had twins and would only take the one, so we had no choice but to have a bottle lamb!  They are sooooo cute and fun, but  I have a lady the takes them and raises them for me as long as I buy the milk replacer, and then she gives them back in the fall!!!!   It definatly frees a person up I tell ya!!  

This week my luck hasn't been so good!
I have lost 4 lambs and a ewe to coyotes!!! Where the heck are my dogs!!! The coyotes get the dogs running in one direction, and then attacks from the other! Snecky, but smart! :/  Catching the nasty culprit is definatly top on my list!

And to top off my luck, yesterday, we were casterating pigs, and of course, my job was to hold the little squirmy suckers! Well, wouldn't ya know it, I got bit in the face!!!   It just barely broke the skin, but left a pretty big bruise and scrape marks!  Oh well, I won't complain, the rain has finally stopped after 9 days of constant rain!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jun 6, 2013)

Still haven't cought the sneack coyotes, but luckily they have had no more sheep breakfasts!! Is a lot of work trying to cram them all in our herding corral everynight! What I really need in a herding dog! 
My new foal was born a couple days ago!!!!!   A little filly, and I named her "Twister"!!! My mare is a little spooky now, as the coyotes keep bothering the foals!  
These were taken the day Twister was born!







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Twister, and her mother Caiyou!






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## Four Winds Ranch (Jun 9, 2013)

We have new piggies!!!!!!!  
Bumpy is a first time Great White, mom, so she only had 4! They are sooooo cute, but then they grow up! 






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Hope everyones weekend is going good! Personally, I am glad mine is almost over!! It has bees SUPER busy and I think I just need a day to catch up. 
We are responsible for the 4-H Float in the local Parades, which is a lot of work! Fun though, and the kids love riding and waving to everyone!





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Last night we went to DH work BBQ, and he won the Package of 4-H Beef, for the door prize!!    Unfortunatly, his company bought DD's 4-H steer a couple weeks ago, and it is only a matter fo time before she puts two and two together and realizes she is eating her pet that she cryed over for hours after he was sold!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jun 12, 2013)

It is corral, pen, and pasture building/fixing time of year around here!!!   :/  Very tiring, but in the long run rewarding!

I got my top rabbit, feeder pen finished and put 2 batches of 2 month old feeders in! They loved it!!!   I guess I got it finished none too soon! Cause the next morning, one of the does I took the bunnies from kindled!!    I am not to sure how she came to be pregnant cause she has been only in the bunny cage with her babies, and once got loose for about 15min.  I assume she got breed when she was loose, but not sure to what, cause far as I know, we don't have any loose rabbits    maybe a wild one  

As I was choring this morning, I noticed that we might be having some new little piglets today, or possible tomarrow!!!!  

The other day DH came home with his new find!!  Ya all will laugh cause it is pretty old, but still works!!! He loves collecting old stuff unfortunatly!!!!
He is acctually planning to use it!  






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## promiseacres (Jun 12, 2013)

My Grandpa used an older and smaller one than that for Many years. Hope your DH has fun!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jun 17, 2013)

YES!!!!!!  
Finally, the fencing has come to an end for now anyway!!!!!!  
We have still been loosing lambs every once in a while unfortunatly! So far we have lost 8 and 1 ewe!     Not sure what is up with my dogs!  
 This new pasture has coyote/wolf proof fence so my sheep should be safe!!!!   

Here are a few of my sheep enjoying the new pasture!!






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 This bad buck has eaten, or ripped apart every cage I have ever put him in to get loose!! And now, he has been ripping apart does cages to get to them!!! Very annoying!!! I have a feeling he will be rabbit supper in not too long! I am sooooo tired of having to catch loose rabbits and repair cages because of him!!! 






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## Four Winds Ranch (Jun 23, 2013)

Well, I have a older doe, who just had her litter of 9 weened off about 2 weeks ago. And she seems to have developed enteritis!!!   Luckily I think I have cought it early enough, cause I have treated her and now, three days later, she seems to be coming around awesome and acting normal!!!!    Hope everything continues to go good!

We have just discovered this morning, that our whole barn of pigs has MITES!!!!!!!! Kind of a shocker!!  It also means a lot of work!!! Sheesh!! Stinkin' parasites!!  
Oh well! I would much rather be treating rabbits and pigs anyday than sitting in a office in the city!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jun 24, 2013)

Butchered the first rabbits of the year yesterday!!  Just 4, but come August, we should have 36 to do! :/ Going to be a busy day!
The rabbits were a little on the fat side, so I think the next ones will be butchered about 2 weeks earlyer!

Some of my August butcher rabbits!!







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## Four Winds Ranch (Jul 22, 2013)

Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!
I have finally come home from a much needed holiday!!! We have been gone since the beginning of July, and it is sooooo nice to get home! I think I worry about my animals as much as I do about my kids!!  :/ Lol, maybe it is like that with all ya all!
Luckily, this year, throughout the entire holiday, the only casualties were 3 hens (they were some of the old ones too) that fox had for supper.

A strange thing!!!   A few of my 3 month old feeder rabbits seem to have swollen areas on their face (nose/cheeks) on one side and one of them has it on both sides. The other one has the base of one ear swollen and it just lets it hang???  I have no clue as to what is the problem, they have no other symptoms of not feeling well or anything.

I am super excited!!!! I found an incubator!!!!!!!     I have never used on before, and had to try it out! So, I have 20 regular eggs from my chickens today!!! I holds 48 but I figure 20 will be fine to start!!!  
I hope ya all are having an awesome summer!!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Aug 5, 2013)

Here is our latest batch of piglets!!!! 10, and for some reason they are multiple colored!!  Mom and Dad are both white!







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This is my foal "Twister", I am quite proud of this girl so far!






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## promiseacres (Aug 5, 2013)

So cute!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Aug 11, 2013)

Yay!!!    My eggs in the incubator are piping!!!!! First time using an incubator so I am a touch excited!!!!  

Yesterday, One of my broody hens hatched out 4 chicks! And another hatched out 1!    I checked the rest of her eggs and all 7 remaining eggs had fully formed, not livng chicks in them!  So, I wonder why they couldn't get out of the eggs? 

A couple days ago, I decided to take 2 little runt piglets away from their mom, cause out of the litter of 10 (first time mom) these little ones were on the thin side. They are 4 weeks old so are good to eat normal pig food, but I mixed a little lamb replacer in to make sure they weren't lacking anything. The littlest one didn't seem to pick up at all, were as the other  spruced right up in 24 hours.  :/ Unfortunatly, we lost the smallest this morning, poor little thing. It was 4 weeks old and only weight 2.3lbs, was a true runt and they can be tricky sometimes to keep alive.  

Ok! This experience has me fumming!!    DH feeder pigs (7, 100 pounders) escaped on him! They got into the barn and made a huge mess, and somehow got the water hose turned on in the barn so the whole barn had about 3 in. of water covering the floor! But, the horrible part is, they ripped apart one of my rabbit cages and ate a litter of 5 week old baby bunnies!!!    The doe escaped, and I found one poor little soaked, cold bunny huddled in a corner on a mound of wet hay!   It wasn't injured, just sooo cold! I tried to warm it up a bit, cought its mother and held her on her back so the poor little thing could nurse. I put the mother and baby in a dry cage, and before I went to bed, held the mother again so I knew for sure the bunny had something to eat. This morning, the doe made the bunny a nice nest again and is feeding it herself!!!   It is going to be one fat little bunny with all that milk to it's self!!!

Well, I got to run and give the bottle lamb a bottle before it wakes the entire house!!


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## ragdollcatlady (Aug 11, 2013)

Sorry about your bunnies! I am really glad you found mama and one baby. 

I myself am not particularly fond of pigs. I don't mind them when they stay in their pens....but we can't build a pen for nothin....so DHs first pig got out, into the garage and dumped several hundred pounds of "my" animals food all over, broke my shelves, and refused to stay in her pen after that....  .....But I didn't lose any animals to her. Second pig, Wilbur was actually really nice. I have to say I almost liked him. He didn't get out and was very sweet. He did "bounce" his cage though. He would pick up the edge with his snout and literally bounce the whole panel/kennel up and down just from excitement when we went to feed him. But I was lucky with him. The kids we bough them from knew I was afraid of pigs so they picked out the mellowest one for us.

Again, I am really sorry to hear about your babies! Hope the little one and mama are good.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Aug 19, 2013)

We are smack dab into hard-core haying here in the the heart of Central Alberta!  
It is a nice feeling of acomplishment to see the nice cut field after field, and the stacks and stacks of hay getting bigger and streaching longer everyday!!!   
We sell a large portion of our hay every  year and just keep what we need for our selves.
After haying immediatly it is time for Swathing!!! And then of course Combining!
And to tob it off, in amongst all that, I still have about 30 sheep that need shearing! :/  I am attempting to slowly chip away at this, so, I am trying to do 1-2 every morning!
AND, I have to replace my weaning pen fence this year. As luck would have it, the post bounder blew a hydraulic hose, and once that was all fixed, the wireing is screwed!!   So, now I guess it is pounding by hand, which means slow going.  :/
Oh well, I guess between throwing around thousands of square bales, and hand pounding fence posts, I will be in good shape going in to winter!!!    (Actually, shearing sheep is actually quite a workout too if you are not used to it!) ( Come Feb. shearing will start all over again).


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## Four Winds Ranch (Aug 24, 2013)

Yay!!!!   I am finished picking-up, hauling and stacking square bales!!!!!!!!!!  Unlike normal people, we do all this by hand (except the hauling)!  :/
Lol, well, also had a bit of an accident today!!!    I can kinda chuckle now, but at the time,     Drivin' along baling with the round baler, guess one of the berrings went and wasn't noticed, so, as ya turn to the next swath, glance behind out of habit, and         the whole windrow behind is all smoke with 2 foot high flames!!!!!!    Not good in a field full of hay!!!!!!    Soooo scared the bale in the baler was on fire, quickly drop the bale (which was fine) and pour all the drinking water on the smoldering baler!!!    Thanks goodness one of the hired hands was out there to help put the fire out!!!  Yikes!!!  Definatly scary!!!!


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## jodief100 (Aug 26, 2013)

I am glad you are okay and didn't loose your hayfield.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Aug 29, 2013)

We only got a couple hundred round bales left to bale and we will be done haying!!!!!!    Unfortunatly it poured this afternoon which will set us back a day or two, but, the end is in sight!!!!!!!!   
Well, and then the grain crops start!  :/
I almost have my weaning pen totally redone!! Had to stop today before it was totally finished because I was a little on the clumbsy side!  
All the posts were pounded, and I was streching and stapling the wire on. When I got the wire to where i was putting the gate, I decided I should pound one more post for stability!   (I use the hand pounder that fits over the top end of the post and has handles on each side, ya lift it up by the handles over your head, and SLAM it down over the post, weighs 60lbs.) I get the post all measured and in place and start pounding! All of a sudden, I am sitting on my behind on the ground kinda dazed!     My first thought is " Its that damb ram" (As I was working in the same pasture he is in.)  As I dizziley start to get up I realize the ram is all the way on the other side of the pasture!  :/  And then it hits me!!! THE POST POUNDER FELL ON MY HEAD!!!!    I know this is kinda funny and all but it has happened to me before quite a few years ago so I know the symtoms, and yep, I had them all!!    I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting with an ice pack on my head, luckily the headache isn't too bad! :/


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## jodief100 (Aug 30, 2013)

I am glad you are OK.  So nice to be done with the hay eh?


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## elevan (Aug 30, 2013)

You're lucky.  Our fence post driver hit DH in the head last year and busted his head open...he had to get his head stapled back together.  Scared the beegeebies out of me!  Glad you weren't hurt more than a knock in the head.


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## BrownSheep (Aug 31, 2013)

That's almost happened to me a couple of times! Enjoyed catching up with your journal!
 Your not the only one that stacks by hand! I did 40 tons a couple weeks ago  .


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## ragdollcatlady (Aug 31, 2013)

Hope your head feels better!   That is some dangerous work, putting in fence posts....


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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 9, 2013)

Every year we go to a community event called the 'Barnyard Scramble'! It is a weekend event with all kinds of mule races, silent and live auctions, swap & buy tables, ext, ext!!! On the Sat. evening they have a couple of kids events! Kids 10 and under do a Barnyard Fowl Catch, where the get the kids to line up at one end of the arena, and let cages full of  fowl out on the other end! They blow the horn, and the only rule is : You have to take home whatever your kid/s catch!!! I had 2 kids in this event, so I ended up bringing home a Grey Silkie Rooster, and a Brown Leghorn hen! I now have a very puffed up proud 4 and 5 yr. old!!  

The older kids (10 and up) event is "The Greased Pig Race"! They used 3 greased pigs for this one. My oldest 11 yr. DD entered this one, and I am very proud to say, she caught one of them greasy pigs in about 30 sec.!!!!!   All her having to help with the pig chores at home really payed off!!!

It had been raining all day so I can honestly say when I brought my kids home, they stunk as bad as the animals!!! Mud and manure everywhere!!! Oh well, memories!!!  







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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 18, 2013)

I am never going to feel the same about going outside for quite some time now!!!!!  

Yes, I know I am kinda strange, going outside when itis pitch black out at 5:00am., in the pouring rain  to check my sheep!!! Well, thats what I just got back from doing.

As I was walking down to the sheep, I stopped to open the gate (I try to keep all gates shut at all time just incase). I just got it unlatched, when I faintly heard something that sounded odd, so I stopped to listen. Not a sound but the rain falling! So I continue through the gate and hear it again! :/  I stand there for a bit listening, thinking how strange that there are no other early morning sounds, like a cow mooooing, coyotes howling, a neighbors dogs barking, well heck, lol, my dogs barking (I have quire a few). And then I hear it twice in a row, MMMEEERRROOOWW, MMEEROWWWWW,   and it sounds like it is getting louder, witch means CLOSER!!!!!!  That sound means "COUGAR" I remember from my experiences with them last year!!!   Once I realized what was making the noise, I developed a serious case of goose bumps, and a paranoia that something was following me!    I practically ran the rest of the way to the sheep and checked everyone over with the flashlight, and everything looked good!!!    So I took the fastest route back to the house (practicaly ran) and just barely refrained myself from slamming the door behind me!  
Well, now I am sitting here having a coffee, safely in the house, thinking it might be a good idea to drive the kids to the bus this morning!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 18, 2013)

I decided to drive the kids to the bus!!!
As we were waiting for the bus, we seen all the horses and donkeys come running into the yard!!! Which means they broke out of their pasture for some reason!!  :/
Once the girls got on the bus, my son and I grabbed a bucket and got all the horses and donkeys back into the pasture!  They did tear down the gate, and luckily, only one of the babies as just a small scratch! As I was trying to fix the gate, I noticed a big lump in the hosre pasture and the horses kept going way around it and snorting!!   I told my son to wait in the truck, and I go into the pasture and sure enough the lump is a dead sheep!!!!   (No wonder the horses broke out)! And it is none other than my bottle baby from 4 yrs ago, Sheila!!!!!   Very freshly killed, probably within min. of me getting there, witch is pretty creepy!!!!    She has the classic couger killing symptoms, but the officers will be out shortly to check things out!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 20, 2013)

Well, the CEO Officers were out and confermed a 'Cat" kill!!!    They figure it was a pretty big one too, as it drug my 150lb sheep over 300 yards, and over two, 5 ft. fences!! Not much they can do I guess now, except fill out their forms, and hopefully I will get re-embursed for my sheep. It will just be cull, meat price but that is better than nothing! 
I am kind of worried about going too far outside as some of the neighbors have reported their dogs taken right off their front decks, and another has had his mini pony killed in the corral right behind his house!! And I hear the cat out there at night, I think sometimes fighting with something, and sometimes calling........   

On a kinda more possitive note!! :/  Usually a pack of coyotes follows cougars to clean up, well, I caught one sneaking into the back part of the sheep pasture! I was standing up in front counting the sheep and caught movement out of the corner of my eye!  I look up, and there is a coyote just crawling under the fence! All I had was my 22, so took aim and 'wham', it dropped!!!   I walked up and sure enough, a clean shot right to the ear!  Ok, yes I am a bit proud of my shooting, cause it was a long shot, 280yards, with a 20 inch barrel, 22, one shot!!!!!!   
And it is 100% legal here, me owning an operating farm with livestock, as soon as any predator animal so much as steps foot on my property, I can shoot it, with exception of the Grizzly!






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## BrownSheep (Sep 20, 2013)

Coyotes are considered varmint here no cause nessecary for removal.

Maybe play a recording of hounds. Our cougars hate dogs thanks to the bear and cougar hounds that are used.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 23, 2013)

So far so good!!! The cougar hasn't come back!!!  

Through out yesterday and today I got the sheep all checked, wormed, culled, taged, and all that lovely stuff!!! As well, I did up the replacement ewe lambs! I am beeing super picky this year and am only going to keep 9 back! 
I guess it is off to the auction with the lambs!! How many do you think I will be able to fit into a 20ft.,stock trailer? I have 77 to go, we'll have to see if they will mabye, all fit......!!  

With all the excitment with my cougar visit, I forgot to mention my newest farm additions!!!! (Sorry, I can't post pics cause for some reason my comp. wont download them)
I am now the proud owner of two, 4 week old Flemish Giant rabbits!!!!     A buck and a doe, the buck is the typical sandy color, and the doe is a carmel!!!!   They are going to grow into pretty big bunnies! Already at 4 weeks they are bigger than my 2 month old Standred Rex bunnies!!!


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## promiseacres (Sep 24, 2013)

That Barnyard scramble sounds fun! doubt it'd fly around here though. 

Great shot on the coyote....am still waiting til we get another shotgun so I can start practicing.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Sep 25, 2013)

I have one 4 yr old ewe that is very thin! I was attributing it mabye to a heavy worm overload, but she has been properly wormed a few days ago, but still is weaker than the rest  and she doesn't seem to have much of an appatite!  I usually worm every spring and then in the the fall! This year has been a bit wetter than normal, which is not good for worms! I probably should have wormed again sometime in the summer!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 8, 2013)

Well, my not doing so well ewe is still lagging around and still not doing well!! She is sooo painfully thin! Some days she has the bottle jaw other days she doesnt! I am asumming that must mean there is something wrong with her stomach, it isn't absorbing the protin like it should. 

Unfortunatly, last Thursday, around 10:30 am, I was looking out my living-room window, facing the sheep pasture, talking on the phone, and I see the sheep suddenly start running this way and that, and then, a cougar  brings one down!!!!!!!      Those nasty cats are so quiet and sneaky the dogs didn't even realize what was going on untill it happened!!  I run out with my gun, but of course it is long gone!! I call the Fish & Wildlife, and they come out with the hounds, but call them off cause they don't have approval to bring the cat down in the neighbors property!!     So, around here "COUGAR AT LARGE" !!!   

Today, I took a load of ewe lamb lambs into the sale. I was quite impressed with my price so am looking forward to bringing the main bulk herd of lambs in next week!!!  
On a nother note, I also discovered I have Carpal Tunnel on my right wrist, caused from hand shearing too much this year!


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## purplequeenvt (Oct 8, 2013)

Bottle jaw is a sign of anemia and a high parasite load. 

Sorry about the cougar!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 9, 2013)

I don't believe she has parasites because she was wormed in May, then 6 weeks ago she was wormed with Valbazen, then given the second dose 10 days after. And last weekend she was given the 2nd dosing of Ivomectin. I could take a fecal into the vet I suppose! She has normal manure!
So if thats not the issue, whats causing her anemia???  Hmmmmmm!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 18, 2013)

I talked to the vet about my anemic ewe! He figures hardware!! I have to admitt, if that is the problem, it is a first for me!!!  He GAVE me Iron + Vit. shots and she is now on Nuflor! Hoping for the best!!!!  
We are going to BC for a few days on Sun.!    But, boy, the last two days leading up to the date we leave are sooooo busy getting all the livestock ready sore the farm stay!!


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## promiseacres (Oct 19, 2013)

Have heard of hardware in cattle but not sheep hope she gets better.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 23, 2013)

Unfortunatly, I have lost my ewe with the hardware!!!    The Vet warned me this would probably be the outcome.  

It is now time to put the rest of the ewes out with the rams!!!!!   

We brought in the 4-H Steer the other day!!  I must say, no wonder my DD is proud of him, he is a fine lookin' boy!! He was born March 6th, 2013, and already weighs 920lbs!!
Meet " Washington"







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## purplequeenvt (Oct 24, 2013)

What cross is Washington? He looks a lot like a 1/2 Charolais 1/4 Hereford 1/4 Holstein bull that I had. Most beautiful color and gentlest personality.


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## promiseacres (Oct 24, 2013)

Nice boy! Sorry about the ewe


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 24, 2013)

Lol, Washington is a purebred Simmental!! His coloring tends to throw everyone off!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 27, 2013)

This week I believe is butcher week here on the farm!!!  :/
We have quite the list!  

15 roosters,
22 rabbits,
3 pigs,
5 lambs, 
1 llama, 
and, it is hunting season!!!  

Ya, by Halloween, I won't be interested in handling another piece of raw meat for a while!    I hope my family doesn't mind being vegatarians for a bit!!


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## BrownSheep (Oct 27, 2013)

Big baby!


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## promiseacres (Oct 28, 2013)

Sounds busy! And yummy! But I have not heard of people eating llama...interesting.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Oct 29, 2013)

Well, we got the lambs all done out in the morning!  
Took a load of straw bales to a distant neighbour and picked up our pony. Being at this ladies place for the summer definatly didn't do the pony, 'Lightning' any good!! He was hard to catch, and once I got him loaded, my DH reached in the front trailer door to grab a rope, and Lightning layed his ears flat back and took a big chomp of my DH arm!!!    He's never done that before!!!! :/  Once we got home, I undid Lightning's rope from the front trailer door (cause my DH won't reach in there again), as DH walks in the back of the trailer to lead him out. I untied the rope, my DH says " K, I got it we are coming out! " and suddenly I hear huge banging and smashing from inside the trailer, and the trailer starts rocking from side to side!!!    I rush around to the back, and there is Lightning, reared up stricking my DH with his front hooves!!!!!      As my DH is backed up against the trailer wall, I grab the fallen lead rope and pull Lightning down and he follows me nicely out the door and I calmly lead him to a tree and tie him. I have NEVER had a horse act like this before, makes me wonder what happened to him, or how he has been treated!!!     Unfortunatly my DH now has a broken hand!!
We decided to run the big pigs into the butchershop instead of attempting them ourselves now that DH is a little gimped! Oh well, ya gotta do what ya gotta do!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 3, 2013)

We had a BIT of a scare yesterday!!!!!!!   

       It was our Annual 4-H Weigh-In. My DH is an assistant leader, so we had to be there early! We got my DD steer loaded and drove down the road a bit, to pick up the neighbor girl's steer, as they don't have a trailer. And off to the Weigh-In we went!   Unfortunatly it had been snowing all night, so of course the roads were horride, but we got there, and both steers weigh-in pretty good! (DD was very proud as her steer weighed in the heaviest out of both the clubs at over 900 lbs, she is positive Grand Champion is heading her way!!!)  
      At Weigh-In, the 4-H steers and heifers are checked to make sure they meet 4-H requirements, and the neighbor girl's steer had the start of a set of horns coming, so he had to be dehorned.   Once alll the 4-H animals had been checked and all the info recorded, we checked the two steers in the trailer and headed home!!!
      Our plan was to unload our steer first, then take the other girl's over to her house. We backed up to the steer pen and opend the trailer door to let "Washington" (DD's steer) out.     The whole 20 ft trailer floor was a pool of blood!!!!!!!    The neighbor girl's steer had hit his freshly dehorned horn stub on the trailer on the way home!! It wasn't just dripping blood, it was running blood!!!!!  Scaringly fast, ya could fill a cup in 10 seconds!!!!!! As my DH phoned the vet to meet us in town, I poured blood-stop powder on the horn stub...... didn't even slow the blood down!     I grabbed a bunch of white flour and poured it on..... no success!!!!!    Got a bunch of flour in a lot of papertowels on the stub with vetwrap holding it on, and my DH was ready to drive! Unfortunatly the vet is a 30 min drive!   We drove, bad weather and bad roads but we finally made it and thanks goodness the steer was still standing!!!  
       The vet got the bleeding stopped with some sort of spray, took bood tests to see how much blood was lost and all that stuff. The steer is home now, in his stall. He just needs Iron vit. shot every couple days!
       All I can say is "Thanks goodness cows have a lot of blood!"   

       And this morning, we have 20 inches of snow now, and it is still falling!!!   :/  Winter is here for good!!!


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## promiseacres (Nov 3, 2013)

sucks about the steer glad he is ok. Not good on the stress levels though. How is lightening doing now he has been home? That really sucks about dhs hand.


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## ragdollcatlady (Nov 3, 2013)

Wow! That would have been scary! Glad to hear she is OK! 

Good luck to your DD on showing her steer too! He is a good looking animal. Hope she wins!

My DD wants to get into bovines, but one of the baby beef steers smacked her good with his head in the round robin. She still held his lead for dear life til they told her to let go. She was crying and had a huge red spot on her face, but she still likes them.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 8, 2013)

Lightning seemed to settle down after he's been home for a few days!!!  
Acctually, a couple young girls came today and picked him up for a few days! They are going to see if they like him cause they love riding ponies!!!  I hope they decide they want him! It would be awesome if he found a loving home!     He is too fast for my kids!
Tomarrow there is a lady coming who is 'probably' going to buy my old paint, Totem!! It will be a good home for him too! He is getting to old for what I need him for, and will fit perfect for this lady who needs a quite old boy, cause she has had a broken back from a previous horse accident!

On the hunting side of the farm!!!! Deer season is open in our area!   Two whitetail does for this girl!!!!  One for my DH! Yummmmm, tenderloin tonight!!!!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 14, 2013)

Well Rosie the big pig momma finally popped!!!!  Of course she had to go into labour in the middle of the night on one of our coldest nights yet (-15C)! So the first 2 ended up to cold and didn`t make it  but over the course of the day, she had 15!!!  This is actually going to be the poor old momma`s last litter as she is getting up there in years and her birthing times are getting longer and longer with more casualties every time.      I will see if I can get some cuter piglet pics in a couple days!!


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## elevan (Nov 14, 2013)




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## ragdollcatlady (Nov 17, 2013)

Cute babies! Wow! 15 is a lot of little mouths to feed!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 2, 2013)

I am very excited!!!   We might be getting a milk cow again!!! Not just one, but maybe 3!!!
Yesterday we went to look at a Jersey milk cow that is for sale in our area! I liked her, DH, not so much, as she will need a bit of work! But when we were getting ready to leave, the lady selling her said if we are interested, she would give us a killer deal if we took both her milk cows and the 6 month old Jersy heifer calf ( she will also throw in the rest of her straws of semen from a puebred bull)!   For this area this IS a killer deal on Registered Jersey milk cows!!!  I am soooo hoping we get them!!!     The lady even offered to deliver for free and she will take payments!!!!!
IF we get them , there will be pics to follow!!!


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## Asian Menagerie (Dec 2, 2013)

I envy you! As a kid, I always visit my grandparents' farm during summer break. Now, those farms are gone  Someday, I'll have my own farm and herb garden like you do  Enjoy!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 2, 2013)

Asian Menagerie said:


> I envy you! As a kid, I always visit my grandparents' farm during summer break. Now, those farms are gone  Someday, I'll have my own farm and herb garden like you do  Enjoy!


Thank you!!! I do so love how I live and wouldn't trade it for anything!!!  
Good luck with getting yourself a farm!!!  One day is just around the corner!!!!


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## promiseacres (Dec 2, 2013)

hope it works out, milking is a lot of work but I'm sure rewarding. Besides didn't your dh bring home several hogs not too long ago???


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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 2, 2013)

promiseacres said:


> hope it works out, milking is a lot of work but I'm sure rewarding. Besides didn't your dh bring home several hogs not too long ago???


Yes he sure did, and not only that, they have multiplied quite drasticaly too!!!    Soooo I guess it is my turn!!!


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## ragdollcatlady (Dec 2, 2013)

Hope you get those Jerseys!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 10, 2013)

Yes!!!! I am getting the Jerseys!!!!!! 2 cows with calves!!!!
Lol, our weather is much to be desired!!  We have too much snow and it doesn't want to stop!!!! At least it is warmer than it was on the weekend! It was -42 C , and thank god there was no wind, cause they were calling for a -56 C wind chill!!  
Here is some pics of our snow!!!


 This is the  "Sheep Barn"!

 5ft fence is now 2! 

  Trying to dig out the truck!!!


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## jodief100 (Dec 11, 2013)




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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 15, 2013)

Yay!!!  I have my new cows!!! The 2 cows are purebred Jersey, as well as the 6 month old heifer. The little steer is a Beefbooster X, but that is ok!!!
Tomarrow morning it is back to milking for me!!!    I am all happy imagining the fresh milk, cream, yogurt, butter, buttermilk, cottage cheese, and oh so many different types of cheese I can now make!!!!  
 Here are my new babies!!!!


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## Livestock lover (Dec 16, 2013)

Congrats on the new cows!


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## promiseacres (Dec 17, 2013)

yea! for cows!!


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## ragdollcatlady (Jan 6, 2014)

Congrats on the new cows! Fun!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 7, 2014)

I have been kinda busy lately what with the holidays and what not! So, I haven't had much of a chance to comment or even look at anyones Journals or Questions!
A couple days ago I had my very first, (yes I know it is probably amazing that it hasn't happen to me before as I hear that it can be quite common) ewe abort her lamb!!!!!   She only had about a month left until she lambed and I found, her stuck on her back where they all bed down for the night! Seeing as she had aborted, I separated her just to be on the safe side incase it was something contageous!    So far everything is good.
I put my first 2 ewes into the lambing barn today!!!!!!    LET THE LAMBING BEGIN  Lol, yes I know by the time the 50th lamb hits the ground, it is not so exciting, but, every year the first couple are a big thrill!!!!!
And just so everyone is prepared, there will be pics!!!


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## ragdollcatlady (Jan 7, 2014)

Sorry about your ewe and the lost baby!  

Wishing you lots of healthy babies from easy deliveries for the rest of the season....


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## jodief100 (Jan 7, 2014)

Sorry about the lamb.  Even though it happens to everyone,  it always hurts.  

I agree, the first few are always the most exciting thing every year.  I have been snuggling up on the two babies I have so far, hugs and kisses every day.  Once I get to about 30 kids, no more picking up babies.  My arms get too full.  We expect 38 does to kid this year, how many Ewes do you have bred?


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 7, 2014)

Thanks Ragdollcatlady! I appreciate the good wishes, especially in the up and coming nights when there are 10 or more ewes lambing at a time and I run on very little sleep!!  
 Jodief100, I have some of my ewes spaced out to lamb in different months. 2 for Jan., 5 for Feb., 10 for March, 48 for April, and 11 ewe lambs in May( which sometime can be hit or miss). I am going with my market demand, I also think it may be less work in the long run than having all 76 lambing smach dab all at the same time!!  (Hopefully)


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 7, 2014)

Lol, I have done it!!!!!!  I have officially joined the ranks of all you 'goat' people!!!    But my DH is not going to be too impressed for a while!!  He HATES goats!
I just got home my new Billy!  Meet "Rudolf"!!  Now I need a nanny or 2!!!


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## jodief100 (Jan 8, 2014)

Welcome to the Dark Side.......  Who Hoo!


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## promiseacres (Jan 8, 2014)

cute billy, what breed?


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## ragdollcatlady (Jan 8, 2014)

It's so easy to fall in love with the goofy antics of goats....soon you will be knee deep in them!!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 9, 2014)

ragdollcatlady said:


> It's so easy to fall in love with the goofy antics of goats....soon you will be knee deep in them!!!!


Yes, I hope so, as long as I can keep them out of my DH way it should be all good!!!  I do love goats! I grew up with them as my Mom owned a Goat Dairy!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 9, 2014)

promiseacres said:


> cute billy, what breed?


Rudolf is a Pygmy! I would rather a bigger breed, but he was free so I couldn't be picky!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 9, 2014)

Well, I have the first lamb of the New Year on the ground!!!!!! A beautiful big Tunis/Kadahdin ram lamb!! Brand spankin' new born in this pic, standing for the first time!!! Tomarrow I will have some cuter ones!!! Lol, I guess DS named him Freckles!


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## Parsnip (Jan 9, 2014)

AWWW Just look at that cutie :3


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## bonbean01 (Jan 9, 2014)

Congrats on the cutie!!!!  Could your ewe text mine that it is time now?


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## Southern by choice (Jan 9, 2014)

so exciting... it's baby time! WOOO HOOO!


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## BrownSheep (Jan 9, 2014)

BIG baby boy!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 10, 2014)

Yes Freckles is a healthy young ram!!!  There will be more pics coming soon, as I have another gal, Cookie, who should be lambing anytime as well!!!  Bonbean, I will try to get Lily to text or send word to your girls, that it is TIME!!!


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## jodief100 (Jan 10, 2014)

Woo Hoo Time to do the baby dance. 

he is very handsome...


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 15, 2014)

Yay!!!!   Another cute ram lamb!!!!


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## elevan (Jan 15, 2014)




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## jodief100 (Jan 16, 2014)

I want sheep.   They are cute.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 19, 2014)

Here are a few more pics of my 2 lambs!!




 



 

Also!!!    I got a few new ewes!!! Pics to follow! They are of unknown breeding, so we will have to guess!!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 22, 2014)

Here is a pic of my new "babies"!!!    

 The people I got them from told me the 2 big ewes are Dorper, and the smaller ones are Dorper/kahtadin! The little ones look to be Kahtadin, but I don't know what the 2 ewes are! Anyone with any ideas?  I will run a thread inthe forum and ask! It is the first time owning white sheep!


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## BrownSheep (Jan 22, 2014)

I love black sheep a lot, but when it comes to lambs nothing beat a little pure white baby!


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## jodief100 (Jan 25, 2014)

They are pretty.  Congrats!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 27, 2014)

Well, Buffy lambed yesterday night!! Twin rams!!!
Unfortunatly, one is a bit runty, so needs some special attention!  
And last night, it got to -30 C, so even a heat light wasn't doing trick so I had to bring Runty in the house! (I am hoping his mommy will take him back)    I would

  soooo rather not a bottlebaby!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 27, 2014)

Lol, another shot of Runty!!!


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## jodief100 (Jan 27, 2014)

I hope she takes him back.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Jan 29, 2014)

Well, Runty ended up develping pneumonia! Which he thankfully recovered from, but as a result, he as been away from his Mom too long! She doesn't remember the poor little guy! I guess we now have a bottle lamb!   Oh well! They are cute!


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## promiseacres (Jan 29, 2014)

glad he's ok!


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## jodief100 (Feb 2, 2014)

So happy he made it through pneumonia.   Bottle kids are a pain but at least they are alive.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 10, 2014)

I have been pretty busy around here lately, so havent had a chance to update anything!
This is a pretty busy month for 4-H, Public Speaking, Record Books, Getting the Steer Leading down pat, halter making, and getting all the show clothing ready! Here is this years 4-H Sreer, Washington, at 1,374lbs!



 

Also, have been given 6 GOATS!!!!    I am quite excited, but have no experience with goats so I feel kinda green here!! There is one Boar Buck, a Pygmy buck, and 4 Pygmy nannies!!!!  The nannies are bred and I am excited and nervous about my first kidding experience, as they are supposed to be bred to the Boar Buck!!!   The 2 older girls are pretty far along, as in already bagging up and swelling!    I will post pic in the next day or so!

And I was also given a orphan, 1 month old kid! Unfortunatly when I got the little fella, he had a bad case of the runs!   Which just got worse fast and the poor little thing didn't make it!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 16, 2014)

I think goats just arn't meant to be my thing!!!    Not right now any way! I have just found out my goats I was given, have Caseous!!!!       I am not very impressed with the people I got them from,   but am sure glad they are still in one of my separation pens only!!!  That would be horrid if my whole herd of sheep ended up with it!    Soooo the goats are gone!!!
On another note, My older Jersey is going to calve any day!!!!!!!!   Her due date is the 19th or 20th!! I can't wait!!! I am hoping for a heifer!  
Lol, also, I am so spoiled! For Valentines, I got 3 new ewes from DH!!!!!  
Here they are before they got unloaded!



 

Unfortunatly my phone taked terrible pics! 

Here are my Toulouse Geese in their winter straw bale house!!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 19, 2014)

The other day, we took my goats to the sale.     My DH gave me a hand to load them. DH isn't do to much with the animals, but sometimes it is nice to have someone bring up the back when moving livestock!
The goats loaded without a problem, and I decided seeing as there was room in the trailer, I was going to throw in my yearling Kahtadin/Dorper ram as well!! "Kill two birds with one stone" --- Now, Max, the said ram lamb, was supposed to go a couple months ago. He didn't go because DH decided to give me a hand catching Max, and.............. Max ended up being grabbed by one horn and his horn came off!!!!!    I was horrified, and DH was feeing pretty bad, so needless to say, Max didn't go that day!----
Well, this is going to be Max's day!!!     I told DH "Just back the trailer full of goats up to his pen and I will be right over to catch him, I just have to mix the bottle for the bottle lamb!"
I get the bottle all mixed up and head out the door. As I get to the barn yard, I can't see DH anywhere! Thats strange, he is supposed to be waiting for me!   I feed the lamb his bottle and look around a bit more. As I peer over the shelter gate, I see him! Blood everywere!!!   There is DH sitting on the shelter floor holding Max!!!!!  "What happened!" I yell as I jump over the gate! DH says "I thought I would give you a hand and catch Max for you, but he tried to get away and his other horn came off..... sorry'!!
So, as everyone can probably guess, Max is still here! (And I hope DH will now leave the catching to me )
Poor Max! 

Lol, The goats got to the sale fine!!


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## BrownSheep (Feb 19, 2014)

Seems like a great survival technique to me! Lose a horn and stay in your comfy pen!


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## Four Winds Ranch (Feb 19, 2014)

BrownSheep said:


> Seems like a great survival technique to me! Lose a horn and stay in your comfy pen!


Lol, too funny, but ya never know! Lol, oh well he is fresh out of survival techniques, so next time he will be taken to the sale!!!   (I hope)!


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