# BAYMULE FINALLY HAS SHEEP!! BABIES!



## Baymule

I have lived vicariously through many of you here on BYH for 5 years now. I wanted sheep, but we lived on a small city lot. Not happening. We moved in February to 8 acres and have been a whirlwind of activity since. 16 days ago, a post appeared on Craigslist for Dorper/Katahdin ewes, bred to a registered Katahdin ram. I didn't call. They were reposted. I didn't call. They were reposted again. Only 4 of them. I called. 

Today we went and got them. As we rounded the corner and saw this beautiful ranch appear before us, my husband said, "Those sheep are going to be so pi$$ed at us! Look at this place, and we're going to take them to our little place?" White pipe fence, brick columns, concrete driveway taking us past 2 spacious brick homes, large barns, pasture, a lake that meandered behind the houses and the barns, picture perfect place. The lady was so nice and helpful. Great Pyrenees everywhere, she raises registered dogs, high quality animals. They were on guard, but friendly to us. Beautiful place, beautiful animals.

We got our girls home and unloaded. Three are 11 months old. One has lambed once. They are all bred. They are all wary of us and stay well away from us. Of course we think they are beautiful.  I tried to get pictures, but couldn't get very close. I walked Paris on a leash in the sheep pasture. She has never seen a sheep, she was very interested in them, but not in a predatory way. She sniffed sheep poop, footprints and i could tell she really wanted to get close to them. I could get closer to them with Paris than I could by myself. Tonight I put Paris back in the yard. Tomorrow i will let Paris loose after walking her around some more. If all goes well, Paris will go live with the sheep. I texted @Devonviolet a picture with the words, Baa Baa.


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## OneFineAcre

Congratulations 
They look nice


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## Baymule

Thank you OFA. I might make the move to registered sheep someday, but i felt that it was wisest to start with grade sheep. These crossbreds just looked so nice, already bred, heck, I am in the sheep business!


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## Mini Horses

The are wonderful colors.  Look to be in great condition and you will love them, I'm sure.   They will get used to you soon -- you who will carry the feed bucket!    Always works.   

I'm happy that you finally got your "dream".     Hey, if a crossbred was good enough for the ranch you described, they are surely good enough for your farm vs papered ones.   Besides, a crossbred is often hardier.     

Enjoy them!

PS   There were a few pretty and very tame sheep at the auction where I left "MY" chosen goat does.


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## Ferguson K

That's the spirit!!!

Yay! You've been dreaming long enough.


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## Baymule

We need one more name. We have Lady Baa Baa, Miranda LAMBert, and Sheepalicious .


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## Baymule

I might have it! Ewenique! Yeah, I know they are corny, but we are having fun.


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## frustratedearthmother

CONGRATS!  (love the names too!)


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## babsbag

I am so happy for you, I know you have been waiting for these for a while and a lot of hard work came before them.  I love the colors and the names are perfect. Congratulations.


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## bonbean01

Congratulations!!!!


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## BlessedWithGoats

Congrats @Baymule!! How exciting!!  Best wishes as you start a new adventure with sheep!!


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## Devonviolet

WOOHOO! You're in business!

  I can just hear your DH saying that about the sheep being pi$$ed that you took them away from that beautiful ranch!    what a stitch!

I just LOVE the names!


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## norseofcourse

Woohoo!!!  Congratulations!!!  They are very colorful, and I'm sure they'll settle in soon.  Do you know approximate due dates?


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## promiseacres

for sheep! Most people around me could care less about a sheep having papers I have found. Depends on your plans for them. I think a dorper/katahidn mix would be great for producing meaty lambs.


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## Hens and Roos

Congrats!


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## Baymule

Thanks ya'll. My dreams are coming true. I walked outside last night to check on them. They were bedded down on the inside fence next to the driveway. This morning the first thing i did was to look out to see my girls. They don't know it yet, but they will be spoiled here. They are in a small pasture with lots of trees, several very large cedars. I figure at some point that i will have to put protective fencing around them, we'll see. As we go along, we'll get more cleared out for them. I do have another small pasture that is fenced, so I can rotate them. We have more fencing to do, it will just take awhile. The horses are on approximately 2 1/2 acres and have stomped down a lot of the briars and brush. When we get more fencing up, we'll move the horses and let the sheep in the pasture the horses are in now to do some more clean up. 

My goal is to custom grow for customers that want lamb raised as organically as possible. From the interest that I have already found, I think my only problem will be that I can't meet demand. That will be a nice problem to have. People that want lamb for meat don't care about papers, can't eat them anyway.  I love the way Dorpers go  from a  white, black headed sheep to all kinds of splotchy colors as a cross bred. What fun!


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## Latestarter

Congrats! You have "arrived"!


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## Mike CHS

Congratulations on some pretty colored sheep.


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## norseofcourse

Baymule said:


> My goal is to custom grow for customers that want lamb raised as organically as possible. From the interest that I have already found, I think my only problem will be that I can't meet demand. That will be a nice problem to have.


Very nice!  Similar goal here, too, and since my flock is small I've had very little trouble selling out on lambs with only some word of mouth advertising.

Will you be saving the skins to be processed?


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## Baymule

norseofcourse said:


> Very nice!  Similar goal here, too, and since my flock is small I've had very little trouble selling out on lambs with only some word of mouth advertising.
> 
> Will you be saving the skins to be processed?


Tell me about saving the skins. What do I do with them and how do I send them to be processed? And where? And do you sell your lambs on the hoof? Hanging weight? I am thinking selling them as hanging weight. $4 to $6 a pound seems to be the going rate. How much do you get for yours, if you don't mind my asking.


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## Southern by choice

YAY! You finally got your sheep. 

I forgive you for not getting goats. 

They sure are pretty!  I would love to try some Katahdin/dorper crosses.

Hair sheep 

Can't wait to see Paris with them!


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## Baymule

Thank you @Southern by choice I have been a member here for 5 years, dreaming of this day. You have been my staunch supporter, full of encouragement, cheering for Paris and the progress she made, and dangling goats in front of me!


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## Southern by choice

dangling goats 

I still have hope for you. 

Can your sheep do this? Ruby gives kisses


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## BlessedWithGoats

Ruby looks like such a sweet goat Southern!


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## BlessedWithGoats

How're your girls doing Baymule?


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## Baymule

Ummm.....no they don't give kisses. Can't even get close to them. They were on a 300 acre ranch and are now in a 1 acre pasture.


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## norseofcourse

Baymule said:


> Tell me about saving the skins. What do I do with them and how do I send them to be processed? And where? And do you sell your lambs on the hoof? Hanging weight? I am thinking selling them as hanging weight. $4 to $6 a pound seems to be the going rate. How much do you get for yours, if you don't mind my asking.


There's a good article on preparing sheepskins for tanning here:
http://www.isbona.com/images/pdf/newsletterarticles/preparingyoursheepskinfortanning.pdf
I am, however, switching from skids to half sheets of plywood.  With the skids, I could not get my sheepskins to lay smooth, causing the salt and fluids to pool in the low spots between the skid slats, and also the fluids would drip onto the skins below (I did stack the skids as she mentions).  The plywood makes them nice and flat.  Instead of putting legs on the pallets, I put wood blocks near each corner, then the next pallet/plywood.  I put more blocks on one edge, so the plywood slopes, also to help fluids drain.

I've sent skins to Bucks County Fur Products (note she has their address wrong), this year I'll send some to Stern Tanning to see how they are.  Both companies have websites with good information on salting skins, and are very helpful over the phone if you call.

I sold the lambs whole by hanging weight.  I looked at a lot of websites selling Icelandic lamb by hanging weight, and decided to stay at the lower end of the range I saw.  Mine are not organic (although I follow nearly all the practices), and I do feed some pellets/grain so I can't say they're completely grassfed, either.  I charged $7 a pound, which included all processing fees, transport to the processor, and delivery of the meat to the buyer within a reasonable distance.


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## goatgurl

just saw your big sheep announcement and all i can say is yeaaaaa!!  i know how bad you've wanted the sheep and to have them there to look at and love is such a good thing.  love all the colors.  i can't wait to see what the black ram I'm using this year does for color with my lambs.  and btw i love the names!  and like Southern, i haven't given up on getting you a goat.  you'll need one to have fresh milk for the occasional lamb that needs supplemented.
how is paris doing with them now?  and what about trip?  can't wait for more pictures


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## Baymule

thanks @norseofcourse for the information. I appreciate it so much. Do you leave the wool on the skins, i would suppose that you do for a luxurious pelt. With the hair sheep, I guess I would just have the leather. Hmmmm...... I do have a couple of the old timey slat back chairs that have stretched webbing covered by ugly fabric that i could put a leather bottom seat in. I also have a cedar chair and footstool that i covered in deerskin many years ago out in the storage room that the hair is slipping and it is not fit to sit in. 

Thanks @goatgurl Paris will probably go in with the sheep this afternoon. It is raining right now, which terrifies her and there is no shelter yet. Supposed to clear out, so DH and i will start on a hoop shelter this afternoon. I'll put Paris's doghouse in there too to make her feel more at home. Coyotes were howling last night, so Paris needs to move in right away. I have to balance the needs of the dog with the needs of the sheep. With sunny days ahead for the rest of the week, Paris should be fine. We have a portable building that we are going to extend a lean to 3 sided shelter for the sheep, but we are weeks away from that, so a temporary hoop shelter will have to do for now. This pasture is heavily wooded and the sheep have stayed up under the huge cedars.


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## Poka_Doodle

That will be hard to get them friendly but we know you can do it


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## norseofcourse

Baymule said:


> thanks @norseofcourse for the information. I appreciate it so much. Do you leave the wool on the skins, i would suppose that you do for a luxurious pelt. With the hair sheep, I guess I would just have the leather.



Yes, I leave the wool on.  You may still be able to process it with the wool/hair on - from what I've read, Dorpers shed their wool in warm weather, so if you process when it's colder out, you may get a nice pelt.  According to Wikipedia, "The Dorper skin is the most sought-after sheepskin in the world[_citation needed_]" - (it's not quite clear whether that's with the wool on or off) and of course everything on the internet is true!


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## Roving Jacobs

Congrats on the new sheep!

Processing hides isn't too hard. I flesh mine with a power washer if needed before salting them stretched out on plywood. Like norseofcourse I had trouble with pooling fluids using pallets with slats. The pelts I get from the processor are already salted and ready to ship out, it's just hides I get back from private buyers that need prep work. I love the hair on look, even from non-wool breeds or goats, and it's definitely worth the effort to have hides done.


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## Baymule

Roving Jacobs said:


> Congrats on the new sheep!
> 
> Processing hides isn't too hard. I flesh mine with a power washer if needed before salting them stretched out on plywood. Like norseofcourse I had trouble with pooling fluids using pallets with slats. The pelts I get from the processor are already salted and ready to ship out, it's just hides I get back from private buyers that need prep work. I love the hair on look, even from non-wool breeds or goats, and it's definitely worth the effort to have hides done.



Where do you send your hides to be tanned?


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## Southern by choice

So how did Paris do?


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## bonbean01

Baymule, the biggest part of owning sheep is to enjoy their sweet personalities!  Our first came from a large farm like yours did and were a bit wild.  Put them in the paddock...sat out there with them, talking to them and crunching on carrots loudly, crackers...and they are curious little critters...eventually one came to check it out and decided it was tasty, then the other did too (we started with only 2).  Then we changed it that to get the treat, they were pet first...then the treat.  So totally worth it!!!  Love and enjoy our babies!!!! 

As for pelts...no advice here...when wether freezer lambs go to the processor, I am already crying (yes, I'm a wimp...the downside of taming your sheep) and have given him "the look" and now I am no longer asked.  You are a stronger person than I am!

Good luck with your sheep...they are wonderful animals!!!!


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## Baymule

It rained almost all day, finally cleared out late, right before dark. I walked Paris around in sheep pasture. The sheep were comfortable with her, I thought she was comfortable with them. WRONG! I took the lash off, Paris went to the sheep, everything looked ok, then the sheep trotted off. Paris chased them. They ran. Paris ran. I ran. Paris bulldozed them. She rolled a sheep. I bulldozed Paris. I rolled Paris. 

I let Paris know that I was unhappy with her. She really doesn't know what she is supposed to do, this is going to take some work. But I've done this with her before and I'll do it again. I am concerned with the coyotes, I sure don't want them to get my sheep! So.....do I let the coyotes get the sheep or do I let Paris get the sheep? 

Since it was almost dark, we moved her doghouse in the sheep pasture and chained her to a post. I hate to chain her, but at least she can bark her warning if the coyotes get too near. A little protection is better than none at all. I have been out to check on her and I'll go out again before we go to sleep. She was in her doghouse, warm and snug.

Tomorrow we will build an enclosure with cow panels and put Paris in it. In the evenings, we will take Paris out and put her in another pen. We will feed the sheep in the enclosure and close them up for the night and let Paris back in the pasture. They will be safe and Paris can protect "her" pasture. In time, she will come to claim the sheep as "hers" too. I just hope it doesn't take 2 years like it did with the chickens!! 

Security comes first, shelter will come next. Ya'll cross your fingers!


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## frustratedearthmother

Dang it!   I'm betting she will come around!


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## goatgurl

paris isn't sure that its ok for a sheep to be in her pasture.  keep working with her, pretty soon she will accept them as hers.
i was thinking about your post about maybe not able to use the hair sheep/wool/hair and that made me go out and look at mine.  they all look different but also all look warm and snuggly.  1st is lama who has medium hair with a undercoat.  2nd is cookie who has a fuzzy short nap and 3rd is Raymond who has thick luxurious hair.  i think i could bury my toes in any of them.  just thinkin'


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## Baymule

Today I got a small enclosure made for the sheep. I was worried about them at night, they stayed up close to the road. There is a ranch across the road from us with cattle and we can hear the coyotes howling at night. So tonight they are closed up, closer to the house and not on an outside fence. Paris is still on a chain, on the outside of the small enclosure, but still in the pasture. I thought I would turn her loose in the pasture, but on my 10:30 check last night, (in the dark, I didn't take a flashlight) when i got to the gate, I stepped off in a hole that was knee deep to me. Paris had tried to dig out, but the chain kept her from escaping. She really does not like change, and this is a big change. Did I mention that she is a bit physco? 

This morning, i had to fill the hole, ever notice that you NEVER find all that dirt? Does it vaporize? Do Aliens suck it up into the stratosphere? I laid a sheet of plywood under the gate and half of another sheet, it's a 12' gate. I put her in the old chicken coop while i worked on the enclosure and put her back in the pasture after I fed the sheep and closed them up for the night. I'll go check on her later tonight. She is chained to a post that is part of the enclosure fence, so she is right up against the sheep. I have petted her and told her the sheep are hers to take care of, all day. We walked around the pasture again, she peed and marked it as her territory several times. Maybe she'll be nice and share it with the sheep. 

Wow @goatgurl, those are some deep looking "hair" wooly sheep! Have you ever saved any of their pelts?


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## Southern by choice

Baymule said:


> ever notice that you NEVER find all that dirt? Does it vaporize? Do Aliens suck it up into the stratosphere?


Maybe it is the Aliens... hadn't thought of that. We are always rather perplexed by this phenomenon too!

We had to bury a chicken (um yes children make you do that  )
Dig a hole realllll deep... chicken goes in.... dirt goes in.... only fills the hole halfway. 
What the heck? 

Getting Paris to be right up by the sheep with fencing between is a great way for them to acclimate to each other. She may try to control or micromanage but I bet she comes around. The wonderful thing is you will work with her... you know how it is Bay- so many people are just flat out lazy.

I love Paris! 

How is Trip doing with the sheep?


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## Baymule

Trip wants to maul the pigs and the sheep too. He is in that adolescent "attack of stupid" phase right now. Boing! Boing! Boing! Bounce off the walls, pine trees, fence , everything. We have a looooong way to go!


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## Southern by choice

uh oh


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## Latestarter

Just remember... the destination is the goal, and great, but it's the journey to get there which lends itself to the best memories.


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## Baymule

Yesterday and today we got a sheep hut built. It is small, 8x8, but temporary. We are going to build a lean to off the side of our portable building, but we are weeks away from even starting on that project. Two of the ewes udders are bagging up, don't know when they are due, but it could be close and we wanted some sort of shelter for them now. Progress is being made, we have a small enclosure to put them up at night and now a small shelter to keep the rain off them. we wrapped it in tar paper. The shelter is right up against the portable building, but is small enough that when we build the lean to, we can go over the top of it and dismantle it after we build the lean to.




 



 



 

Paris is still being an idiot. I spent two hours with her in the pen with the ewes yesterday morning. She was on a leash. Yesterday evening i took her off the leash and she laid down next to me and wouldn't move. I stepped out of the pen and the white ewe, Lady Baa Baa approached Paris and Paris jumped all over her. Ewes were racing around the pen with Paris in hot pursuit. I ran back in and grabbed her, rolled her over, shook her and scolded a lot. Paris wasn't biting to draw blood, but a mauling that could get serious quickly.  Out of the pen and back on the chain. Coyotes were howling at 4 yesterday afternoon and last night they were on the property next to us howling. When we get the lean to built, it will be secure and tight. Coyote proof, I hope. 

Yesterday we had to pick our grand daughter up from school and take her to ballet lessons. I put Paris in the old chicken coop. Paris met us at the gate when we got back home. She dug a hole under the coop, there was a sheet of OSB plywood in front of the door and it looked like a shark took a large bite out of it. This morning we had to run to town, I left the ewes in the small pen and Paris on the chain. When we got back, Paris had dug a hole under the gate, (the same hole i filled back in and placed a sheet of plywood over to discourage her). She dug under the gate, then under the pen, climbed over the wire  and was looking at us like she knew she was in trouble. Gheesh.  I unchained her, unwrapped the chain, and moved her while we filled in the holes. What could we do?  We just loved on her. We let the ewes out and worked on their shelter. Tonight the ewes are in their enclosure and Paris is chained outside the pen, but in the pasture. Two sides of the pasture are on the fence line, meaning that if she dug out, she would be running down the road. I am thinking about cutting the 4' horse wire in half and hog ringing it to the bottom of the fence wire to keep her from digging under. That would be over 400' of scooting on my bottom, hog ringing as I went. 

Lady Baa Baa seems to be the perfect name for her as she is the spokesheep for the group. When we rattle a coffee can of feed, she is the one that talks to us. Hearing that first Baa was music to my ears! They have settled down, come to us when we have feed and hay. At least _something _is going right.


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## Latestarter

Sorry you're having such a difficult time with Paris (and Trip)... I hope she (they both) catches on to what her job is sooner rather than later. All you can do is keep at it, right?


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## Southern by choice

Do you have hot wire at the bottom of the fence?
You must have been mortified coming home seeing her... thankfully she didn't get wrapped in the chain or strangle. 

The sheep are beautiful!


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## Ferguson K

This morning, i had to fill the hole, ever notice that you NEVER find all that dirt? Does it vaporize? Do Aliens suck it up into the stratosphere?

--

Isn't this the truth?!!!

--

My best friend just lost her dog to a similar situation. Thank God Paris is okay! Silly pup. She will figure it out.


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## goatgurl

my mama always said that patience was a virtue but there have been times in my life when i was anything but virtuous.  paris must make you feel that way.  I'm guessing it will take time for her to know that those dang sheep aren't trespassing killers.  hope she figures it out soon for your sake.
on a lighter note I'm loving those dorper colors!  i hope that Raymond the ram puts some color on my next years babies.  i have found out over the last few years that ewes are a lot like goats in that they will tease you and make you wait for those babies.  and their shed looks cozy and warm.  if it gets as cold at your house this weekend as it is suppose to at mine they are gonna need warm and snuggly.


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## Baymule

Paris is back in "her" backyard. Saturday morning i was standing in a hole big enough to sink my tractor, in my pajamas, filling it in.  Before coffee, even.  I was livid. She did the crawl under the enclosure fence thing again, dug holes,and crawled back under the enclosure fence again.  But the kicker was the Volkswagon bug sized hole under/in front of the gate. Clearly she wanted away from the sheep. Ya' think? Not only was I not getting anywhere, it was just getting worse and worse. I put Paris back in her happy place. This is the most neurotic, physco dog I have ever had.  I just had to stop and back off for awhile. What I was doing was obviously not working, so time to stop before I did her damage.

We had our grand daughters all weekend, so all I did was a 9 month old, crawling, delightful little love. I got outside to care for animals only on her naps-which weren't very long. They went home Sunday afternoon. 

Saturday, our hay guy and his friend cleared their way through the wilderness, briars and brush, down the property line in preparation for the last stretch of fence. 1,186 feet from front to back, then about 250 feet across the back to join the fence that is already up. Our hay guy brought his cutting torch and cut my drill stem pipe to length so I can start on the lean to for the sheep. Progress comes in small steps.

We have workmen here building a screen in porch across the front of the house. Trip barks at them, so I am not going to try him with the sheep until they are gone. He would be split between playing with the workmen or playing with the sheep.  I am going to wait until I have their new shelter up and put in a place for Trip where he will be next to them, but can't get to them. 

The sheep are getting friendlier to me. I look real good to them wearing red--a red coffee can, that is. A red coffee can with feed in it, just rattle it and suddenly I am not a ewe eating ogre any more. Today I sat on the hay wagon, next to the feed trough and talked softly to them. Lady Baa Baa and Sheepalicious wanted feed more than they were worried about me. Miranda Lambert and Ewe-nique were too scared to do more than grab a few bites and run. Sheepalicious stared at me then sniffed my hair. I was delighted. Sheepalicious has a huge belly, her udder is getting bigger, I hope she has her lamb soon!


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## Ferguson K

I love love love their names! 

I'm saddened that Paris isn't working out like you hoped.


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## Baymule

On a brighter note, Sheepalicious ate from my hand this evening! I sat on a bucket while they ate their pellets, but I kept some back for anyone who was brave enough. She sniffed my back, edged closer, then finally with the softest whisper of velvety lips, she hoovered up the feed in my hand. She sniffed noses with me after the longest intent stare. Needless to say, I was delighted.


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## Devonviolet

What a nightmare to go out and find those huge, deep holes!

Our dogs dig holes, but they are not all that big. DH collects dog poop and layers it in the holes when he fills them. That seems to be a deterrent, as they don't re-dig the hole.

I'm hopin' with you, that eventually you can find time, in your busy days to help Paris realize that the sheep are safe, and eventually she bonds with them, like she did with the chickens.


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## Devonviolet

In Baymule's Feeder Pigs thread, I mentioned that we stopped by to visit, when we were down their way yesterday. Baymule & her dear, sweet hubby served us the best beef stew and corn bread!

After we ate we went out to meet the new pigs & sheep. When I stuck my hand over the fence, Sheepalicious came running over to check it out. She seemed disappointed that I didn't have anything in my hand, and she ran away.   

A few minutes later Baymule and I went into the sheep pen and I was able to give Sheepalicious a few handsful of treats. She was the only one brave enough to eat from my hand. It was so sweet! Her lips are like velvet! 

It reminded me of how it feels when I feed our NDs (Nigerian Dwarf) goats BOSS  (Black Oil Sunflower Seeds). They nibble so gently!


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## Baymule

@Devonviolet we sure enjoyed your visit yesterday. For those who don't know, Devonviolet and her husband live about an hour north of us and they go to Tyler every so often--ya know--country come to town!  They always stop by here on their way back home, tall glasses of iced tea await them and we offer a potty stop with all the comforts of home. Since we have had such miserable rainy, drizzly cold weather lately, I made a big pot of beef stew and cornbread. We all ate, visited, DV and her hubby were rested and refreshed for the last leg back home. They got to meet the sheep and I introduced them to their pig, Bacon. They brought a big tub of acorns they swept up in their yard for the pigs. I pick up acorns in our yard, the pigs just love them! And hey, it's free food! We all had a great visit, we really have to get up there to see ya'll!


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## Devonviolet

Actually, I was thinking it would be good to have y'all up this way for a visit, too!


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## goatgurl

I've been gone for a while and am wondering if paris has come to terms with the sheep yet?  it may take her months to get used to them.  have you thought about letting her get used to them from her 'side of the fence' instead of trying to force her to live in their area?  or chain her up outside their pen since she is not digging to get in but is trying to get out?  perhaps she will feel more willing if she go on leash with mom and sits while you feed and love on the girls?  don't know, just a thought.  lambs yet?


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## Baymule

@goatgurl I have been sick and just quit for awhile. I actually thought of putting her outside of the fence, just goes to show ya great minds are the same.  I did take her in on a leash and she got between me and the sheep, protecting me from those fuzzy monsters. I haven't given up on her. No lambs yet, but Sheepalicious sure is bagging up. She will eat out of my hand now and today Lady Baa Baa ate out of my hand too.

And we have had workmen here, adding a covered screen porch on the house. Paris likes to bark at them. I'll have to get back to work on her.


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## Beekissed

Which one is Sheepalicious now?  I forget...old, I am.


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## Baymule

Sheepalicious is one of the black and white spotted ones. I really need to get better pictures.


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## Latestarter

Well, since y'all are so good at getting my mouth watering, and since this IS your sheep thread, thought I'd let you know that I have a leg of lamb roasting and just about ready to come out of the oven! Man does my home smell heavenly!   Haven't had it in many decades, but the local store advertised it on sale this past week so I bought one. I've already sampled slices off the outside and I gotta say, it looks like in addition to goats in my future, there's gonna be some sheep as well! Makes me want to make/try some mutton stew, and some ribs... too expensive to buy


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## Devonviolet

Sounds yummy, @Latestarter!


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## Latestarter

Eating a plate-full with gravy right now... oh man... so good. Wish y'all could be here to share w/me.


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## frustratedearthmother

OMG!  This has got to stop, lol.  I think I gained 5 lbs just reading this...


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## Baymule

Lamb is crazy expensive here too! Lamb chops, I think one of the most expensive cuts, is $35 a pound!


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## Latestarter

Exactly! For the price of a rack I could buy a bummer lamb, pasture raise it, and butcher it for TWO full racks as well as all the rest of the meat!

Bay, you are planning on some of yours for the freezer aren't you? I think I remember you saying you'd be raising them and selling them for meat; on the hoof. Not sure how to read the USDA reports, but if I'm reading it right, it seems a carcass weight of 40-50 pounds brings the highest price at almost $8.00 a pound. The price/lb drops as weight goes up. Again, if I read this correctly, an 85+ pound carcass is selling for ~ $3.50/lb.  http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lswlamb.pdf

I guess it makes sense to raise as many lambs as you can and send them off to butcher when they get to be ~75-80 pounds live weight... Is this right?


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## Mike CHS

Baymule said:


> Lamb is crazy expensive here too! Lamb chops, I think one of the most expensive cuts, is $35 a pound!


 
$35 a pound???!!!  We buy one every 4 or 5 months since we got our place in Tennessee but I definitely would have to switch back to beef for that price.  What we get is usually a 3-4 year old Katahdin/Dorper cross and costs $125 for the sheep and $100 to process.


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## Latestarter

The difference is in buying the live sheep then having it processed vs selling just the choicest cuts from the carcass. Also, it appears (to me) that the highest priced and choice animals are the yearling young sheep (lamb) vs the over 1 year old and older sheep (mutton). How is the texture/flavor of the Katahdin/Dorper cross? What is the normal yield packaged weight vs live weight?


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## Mike CHS

I never ask about live weight since he just has a flat fee per animal but we usually wind up with up to 80 lbs processed and he usually throws in some pork jowl bacon and a few packages of his sausage.  Our 1st year we bought lamb from 2 people and had our butcher process them.  A little later the butcher called and said he had some cull sheep to sell and asked if we were interested.  We found we prefer the taste and other than the size of the cuts, we couldn't really tell any difference.  I truly won't butcher a lamb anymore since it doesn't cost hardly anything to grow them out not to mention that it is cheaper for more product.


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## norseofcourse

Baymule said:


> Lamb is crazy expensive here too! Lamb chops, I think one of the most expensive cuts, is $35 a pound!


Yikes!  Wow, that's expensive.  Granted, you don't get many lamb chops per lamb, and they're a highly desired cut, but I don't know anyone who can afford to pay that.  And they wonder why Americans don't eat more lamb...



Latestarter said:


> Not sure how to read the USDA reports, but if I'm reading it right, it seems a carcass weight of 40-50 pounds brings the highest price at almost $8.00 a pound. The price/lb drops as weight goes up. Again, if I read this correctly, an 85+ pound carcass is selling for ~ $3.50/lb.  http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lswlamb.pdf


I've been learning how to read those reports.  A friend who raises lamb has helped.  The prices quotes are usually per hundredweight (cwt).

Taking the first page center column, which is carcass weight (hanging weight) - I don't know why the day of the week makes a difference, but it must.  The lamb carcass getting the highest price per pound is the 45lb and under carcass Sat - Fri, bringing 461.43 per hundredweight.  That's $4.61 per pound.  So, if it's a 40 pound carcass weight, it brought about $184.40.

The biggest carcasses (the 85lb+ ones) brought only $2.97 to $2.98 per pound.  Maybe bigger sheep are more likely to be older/mutton?  Or more likely to have lots more fat, which will give a lower yield of meat?  That's just a guess, maybe someone has more info to help us understand.

So, an 85lb carcass brought about $252.88.  Yes, more than the 40lb carcass brought, but how long did you house and how much did you spend on feed for that lamb to get it to that weight?  You need to figure out all that, to know which is your best profit maker.

For the live weights, they do the same, and give the price per hundredweight.  So the left column on the first page, for example the first lambs listed, brought from $148 to $150 per hundredweight (per hundred pounds of live lamb).  So they sold for $1.48 to $1.50 per pound live weight.  So a 125lb lamb in that category would have brought about $186, give or take a bit.  The highest price per pound that I see for live weights is $2.75 (60 to 70 lb lambs in PA).  The lowest I see is 22.5 cents per pound for 'extremely thin' cull ewes in Ft. Collins.

You can generally get more selling them privately, I've seen website ranging from 6 to 14 dollars a pound hanging weight (the high end is usually certified organic). There's more work to doing it that way than just trucking them to the nearest livestock auction, but it can be more feasible for someone selling a smaller number of lambs.


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## Latestarter

Ahhhhh Thank you! That makes a LOT more sense. Thank you.


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## goatgurl

years back i went to buy a leg of lamb for Easter and they wanted over $65.00 for one leg.  i said something like "i don't think so"  or maybe it was more like "my azz".  so i went and bought 2 young ewes and a ram and started building my own leg of lamb.  because of the acreage i have it costs almost nothing to raise them and my butcher charges $36. to butcher them.  win win for me.  i sell the extra lambs and turn a nice profit.


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## Baymule

I have done some checking around here and going price for hanging weight is $6 to $8 a pound. Good price for the buyer and a good price for the seller.


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## Latestarter

The semi-boneless leg that I bought was over $40, and was ~5 lbs... I had some of the gravy over white rice for dinner  Forgot how good rice can be when mixed with the right ingredients...


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## Ridgetop

I am glad you have sheep now.  I hope your dog gets better with them.  Dog holes are horrible to repair, and can be dangerous is you go out at night without light.  We had a dog that liked to dig out of our acreage and we bought rolls of 6' chain link which we separated into 4' pieces.  We laid them on the ground along the fence bottoms and wired it to the bottom of the fences so it extended inside our fence along the ground.  The grass and brush grew up through it and it was impermeable.  You will get about 150' of fenceline chain link laying along the ground from a 100' roll of 6' chain link fencing.  The dogs can't dig out and it will be hard for the predators to dig in.  Check for used fencing from construction sites.  You will only have to use it on the problem areas.  We had a section of about 500' in a gully that the dog routinely dug out of and it worked like a charm.  We don't have that dog anymore, but that chain link secures the gaps under our fencing where the rains washed out on the hillsides. 
Why don't you try turning her loose in the pasture outside the sheep pen so she can patrol around them, at least at night.  Will she dig out of that pasture?  Why is she digging out?  Does she want to come into the house?  Maybe you need a dog that has already been bonded to livestock who could then help teach her to accept the sheep.  We pen our sheep up at night since I like to check them out each day and we don't have easy visibility into the sheep area.  Our Anatolian accompanies them into the barn, checks them into their pens, and then shows up at the patio door for her family time inside.  After a few hours she goes back out to patrol.  Maybe your dog will get more acclimated to the sheep if she can move freely around them but is separated from them unless you are with her.  Do you have any sheep that are aggressive enough to punish her for her roughness?  Aggressive ewes can nip overly rough play in the bud, but it takes a special type of sheep or goat personality to be an effective guardian trainer.  
I will be interested in how you like the Dorper crosses.  I am thinking about bringing in a Dorper ram in a couple of years after we have used our Dorset ram to the max.  The Dorpers are supposed to shed out their wool so if you don't want to be bothered with shearing they are easier.  Dorpers are a cross between Dorsets and Persian Blackface so I think what I love in my Dorsets would show up in the Dorpers. 
I sell my finished lambs for $200 on the hoof, delivered to the butcher/processor here in southern California.  My processor charges by the head for slaughter and custom cut & wrap.  My customers pick up the meat and pay the butcher direct.  He says my prices are too low for finished lambs but it is hard to advertise here because of the animal rights people.  He suggested I advertise at his shop with a flyer, and also to sell for fair lambs since I have 7 ewes due in January which would be ideal for late summer and fall fairs.  A lot of kids can't afford a $400 show animal and I will probably only charge the 4-H and FFA kids $150 for a younger lamb since I don't have to finish it.  My ewes usually are spaced out more, but this year they were all exposed to the ram at once so of course all bred at once.  I hope most of them are ram lambs this year since my pasture is barren from the drought.  Naturally  since that is what I am hoping for this year, they will probably be mostly pretty little ewe lambs - sigh.
Have fun and I hope the weather clears for you - TX has been having too much flooding this year.  Send us some of that rain, we are waiting for El Nino here.  Should break around February, but since all my ewes are due in January - in January! LOL


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## Baymule

@Ridgetop you asked some very good questions. Paris seems to be location bound. She hated being out of her yard, plus she didn't think much of the sheep. We only have a very small shelter for the sheep right now, but will be building a larger permanent lean to off the side of the portable building. When we get that built, I will put in a dog kennel for Paris with a wire bottom so she can't dig out. I'll pen her up at night with them in the shed with her. During the day, I'll put her in a larger area next to the sheep and over time, start letting her out when the sheep are penned up so she can claim "her" pasture. I think once there are lambs, she might get possessive of them and want to protect them. We'll see......

Your prices do seem to be low, maybe the butcher can help you get a better price. I like your idea of helping the 4H and FFA kids that can't afford an expensive show lamb. Your heart is in the right place.


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## Baymule

Well we had our first lamb last night-dead. I found her this morning, a tiny black ewe with a patch of white on the top of her head.  I quickly looked at the ewes to see whose it was and it was Ewe-nique. I thought Ewe-nique was the least likely one to lamb, she barely even looked pregnant. I wasn't even expecting her to lamb anytime soon. I have two others that look like they will explode, they are so big and their udders are getting full too.

Could have Ewe-nique miscarried?  The lamb was tiny and Ewe-nique sure didn't have "pregnant belly". Ewe-nique had passed the placenta, so that was good. I watched her carefully, she was eating and drinking, so that was good. I contacted the breeder we bought them from and she was heartbroken for me. I buried the lamb and placenta, covered them with lime so odor won't bring in scavengers and so my own dogs won't dig it up.

I've been down in the dumps today. I know all too well that when you have livestock, you get dead stock, but did it have to be my first lamb? I got my smile back though. I wanted to move them to another pasture, so I got a can of feed and shook it. Instantly I had 4 ewes for best friends. I opened the gate and they followed me closely to the other pasture and I opened that gate. I poured some feed on a board for them, but they were so excited to have fresh grass, they barely noticed. When it was time to move them back for the night, I just repeated the process. It made me smile to have them following me like a pack of dogs. I love them.

Picture of the lamb.

 Stop here if you don't want to see her.


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## Southern by choice

Oh Bay, I am so sorry.   

She seems very tiny... what was her coat like? 
Hoping your lambing goes smoothly from here on.


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## Baymule

Her coat was very short. I have no other lambings to compare to...but she did seem awfully tiny to me. The ewe barely had a belly bulge, especially compared to the others, two of which look ready to explode. I hope the next lambings go better too.


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## Southern by choice

If it ever happens again take the lamb and refrigerate- send to lab. We get necropsys on kids for $10-30 from our lab... and it is always good info.

We lost our first kid too. She had twins one lived one died at a few days... we knew she would... the lab results were very conclusive and helped a great deal. Sometimes they find nothing but that is also good info.

Again very sorry, I know it hurts and it is very sad.


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## BlessedWithGoats

I'm so sorry Baymule!


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## Latestarter

Sorry Bay  That's a really tough break. Nothing you could have done, you couldn't even tell she was pregnant... Hope the big girls deliver without a hitch.  Glad the ewes are your close friends now


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## frustratedearthmother

Dad-gum it!    I'm so sorry - that just stinks!  Hope that gets all the bad stuff out of the way and the rest of the lambing season goes well!


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## samssimonsays

I am so sorry for your rough start with the little lamb... Glad to hear the momma is healthy and doing well though! Better luck next time!


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## purplequeenvt

Baby looks several weeks premature. So disappointing!


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## norseofcourse

I'm so sorry for your loss      That's a difficult thing to deal with.  It's good that she passed the placenta, though.  Best thoughts that the others have no troubles.

She looks further along than the lamb my Brosa lost last spring.  I bred Brosa again this fall, but I know I'll be on edge as her pregnancy progresses.  I had a necropsy done that didn't give a positive reason, but did rule out a few things.


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## Devonviolet

Oh BAY!  I am so sorry!    Seeing the tiny lamb on the shovel made me cry.  I was so sad for you when you called me yesterday with the sad news.

The lamb does look small. Is this Ewe-nique's first lamb? I'm not an expert. But, can't help but think it's a blessing that this little one didn't make it. If it had, it might have been a weak/sickly sheep.

I'm so glad you were able to find some joy so soon after losing your first lamb. I love it when I can have my chickens out free ranging, and can call them (chook, chook, chook, chook) when I am ready to put them away, and they come running - well throwing some scratch always helps. 

How exciting that the other ewes seem to be progressing well.  I'm _so_ looking forward to meeting your little lambs!


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## Hens and Roos

sorry that you lost a lamb


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## Roving Jacobs

I've had more experience with stillborn lambs than I wish I had and that one looks close to lambing but not close enough to survive. Maybe around 130-135 days? It doesn't look mummified or rotten so that's a good sign and so is the fact that she passed the placenta with no problems. The ones I've lost at that age were due to a genetic defect, nothing you can do about that after the fact,

Sorry this happened to you, especially your first time lambing


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## Baymule

This was Ewe-nique's first lamb. I bought her and the other three ewes as bred ewes. Ewe-nique barely showed a belly, especially when compared to Sheepalicious and Miranda LAMBert, they are HUGE! I figured there was something wrong with the lamb and that's why she lost it. And @Roving Jacobs you are right, nothing I can do about that.

This afternoon I walked the ewes up the driveway to the other pasture with a can of feed. When I went out to put them up for the night, I called SHEEP! SHEEP! SHEEP! and didn't rattle the coffee can of feed. Their heads popped up and they ran to the gate. I opened the gate and they followed me back to their night pasture. I did rattle the can when I went into their small enclosure and they ran in. I enjoy them so much and can't wait to post pics of me snuggling a lamb!


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## Latestarter

So happy for you Bay!  It's obvious that you love your new ewes  Can't wait to see you snuggling a new baby lamb! Hope it's a couple months off and they are all healthy!


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## BlessedWithGoats

Aww! I'm glad the girls are becoming attached to you, that must be so special for you!


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## Baymule

*BABIES!!!! BABIES!!!! BABIES!!!!*
That was all I could splutter in my cell phone to my husband when I checked on the sheep this morning. What?? Babies? Baby what? Finally I got LAMBS! BABY LAMBS!  out of my mouth and he came running. Not only did a ewe have twins last night, but TWO ewes had lambs last night and they both had TWINS!! I have four of the cutest lambs! Ram lamb and ewe lamb for each ewe. I spent most of the day with them. I let the other two ewes out of the enclosure and sat on a milk crate, just watching and marveling at the miracle before my eyes.

I took lots of pics, but have a brand new I-phone and can't figure out how to get the pictures off. When I do, just get ready for an overload of pictures. I am a sheep grandma!


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## BlessedWithGoats

Aww!!! Congratulations Baymule!! How exciting!!


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## Goat Whisperer

YAY! So happy for you!!! 

That is the kind of update I like


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## Ferguson K

Congratulations D!!!!!

I'm sure your hubby is exited and nervous as all new dad's would be.


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## Baymule

Our DD, DSIL and our 8 year old grand daughter and 10 month grand daughter came out at almost dark to see the new lambs. Our 8 year old grand daughter was thrilled. The 10 month old almost started walking, to get to the sheep. They re coming back on Friday, to play with the lambs.

My husband is in love with the lambs. He knows we will keep the ewes, the rams will be for slaughter. One of the ram lambs is a fawn brown with white hind feet and a white tip on his tail. DH is heart broken that we won't keep him.


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## goatgurl

i just saw this and I'm so sorry you lost your first lamb.  i know how excited you are about having them.  then WhooHooo for the new babies!!!  you know what we want and there are no excuses for no pictures!  new phone indeed...  i have to wait another 3 months for lambs but that's ok i guess.


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## Baymule

I know, new phone....is no excuse. But in my defense, I haven't had a new phone in 6 years. I got notifications of updates on my old phone and they wouldn't update. I got a message that my phone was incompatible with the update. So I got a fancy-fangled I-phone and I have just completed the first 24 hours with it. Have to carry both phones right now, my contact list wouldn't transfer and I have to input each and every phone number contact.


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## Latestarter

Man can I identify with replacing old phones... trust me when I say better to at least have the old one still viable. On my previous one, it completely died and I had to start over from scratch.  The up side is it eliminated all the useless chaff stored on it without me having to worry about it 

Now on a happy note: waiting anxiously for the pics to follow! SOOOOO happy these births went without a hitch! you must be about floating on a cloud... especially since you've got your kids and grand kids to share in it with you 

Perhaps with the one ram lamb that DH likes... could he be a replacement for the one you already have? just a thought.

Congrats again!


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## goatgurl

when i went from my old flip phone to the phone i have now i went thru heck and back trying to learn how to use the darn thing so i totally understand.  i still don't know how to use all the things it has to offer.  i pretty much hate a phone that is smarter than i am!  so ok i'll accept your excuse for now but i am waiting...


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## Southern by choice

Congratulations!


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## babsbag

As far as getting pictures off of the phone...I use Dropbox. Free and works well.


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## norseofcourse

Woohoo - Congrats on the lambs!!!!  I can only imagine how excited you are.  I'm looking forward to seeing the pics, too


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## sadieml

Dear, dear @Baymule ... I don't know how I manage to miss the updates on this thread, thought I was following, but I guess not.  So sorry about the loss of your 1st lamb.  So sad.

BUT...BABIES!!!  And 2 & 2.  That's awesome.  Maybe you can figure a way to hang on to one little ram?  For your DH's sake?
I can't wait to see pics!  Congrats!!!


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## frustratedearthmother

Fantastic!  So happy that these births went well and you've got BABIES!!!!!


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## Hens and Roos

Congrats!


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## Shorty

YAY!!!! Congrats!!


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## Baymule

Thanks ya'll! @sadieml I will buy a ram, probably a Dorper. I just love those big Dorper butts!


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## Devonviolet

Baymule said:


> I know, new phone....is no excuse. But in my defense, I haven't had a new phone in 6 years. I got notifications of updates on my old phone and they wouldn't update. I got a message that my phone was incompatible with the update. So I got a fancy-fangled I-phone and I have just completed the first 24 hours with it. Have to carry both phones right now, my contact list wouldn't transfer and I have to input each and every phone number contact.


Woo Hoo! 

Yesterday was a busy day . . . we _went to town_!    Didn't get home till late. When I checked for Alerts, it said I had none, so I clicked off BYH, without looking around.

This morning I got about *TEN* texts from Baymule with photos, showing me the new lambs.   She said she hasn't posted pics, here, yet because she can't figure out how to do it yet. I hope I'm not stealing her thunder. But, I know how _crazy_ y'all are to see the previous New lambs. So here ya go:



 

 







Aren't they precious???  I can hardly wait to meet them in person and cuddle them!!!


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## Baymule

THANK YOU!!!! I did manage to send them in a message to @Devonviolet and she posted them for me!

The fawn/brown lamb is a ram. The white lamb is an ewe. The black lamb with tiny white spots (nursing) is a ram and the lamb with a white hind leg is an ewe.


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## samssimonsays

Congrats!!! I am so happy for you! How exciting! HAPPY DANCE!!!


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## Ferguson K

THEY ARE SO CUTE.

I need lambs in my life... In time. This year we have to get through DHs first kidding.

Oh how precious they are. I know you'll spoil them right!


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## Mike CHS

I'm glad you posted - I can see the pics when you post but not when Baymule does.


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## BlessedWithGoats

Aww! Congrats Baymule!
I like the little brown ram lamb! Cute!


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## Devonviolet

Mike CHS said:


> I'm glad you posted - I can see the pics when you post but not when Baymule does.



So glad I could help.  

I know what you mean about not being able to see some posted photos. Maybe once Baymule starts posting photos from her new iPhone, you will be able to see them


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## Goatgirl47

Congratulations @Baymule! They are adorable!


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## Goat Whisperer

They are adorable! 

You will want to keep em ALLLLLLLLL!


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## Roving Jacobs

Congrats! What lovely little lambs


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## OneFineAcre

Congrats.
Just saw this.

Did you know they were expecting?


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## sadieml

OMG, @Baymule , I'm with your DH on this one.  That little brown ram is bee-you-ti-full!  They really are all lovely.  I am sooo jealous.  I wants BABIES.

*mutters to self "Patience, Lesa, patience" *


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## goatgurl

i am so envious of your black babies.  my ewes keep giving me white and or tan babies.  if your dh just has to have tan lambs I'm sure i can come up with a couple.  have a tan with a big white face going to freezer camp next week.  that is unless Raymond the black changes things.  they are sooo cute.  I'm so happy that you have lambs to love.


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## Baymule

OneFineAcre said:


> Congrats.
> Just saw this.
> 
> Did you know they were expecting?


Yes, we bought them as bred ewes. I was told they were due anytime between NOW and March.  I watched these two ewes get HUGE, their bags filled and hung down for WEEKS!! I checked on them multiple times a day, in the evenings when I fed and put them up for the night and at 10:00 at night before bed. Have one more to lamb.


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## Baymule

goatgurl said:


> i am so envious of your black babies.  my ewes keep giving me white and or tan babies.  if your dh just has to have tan lambs I'm sure i can come up with a couple.  have a tan with a big white face going to freezer camp next week.  that is unless Raymond the black changes things.  they are sooo cute.  I'm so happy that you have lambs to love.



My ewes are half Dorper and half Katahdin. From what I have seen, the Dorper color of all white with a black head goes spotted and splotchy when cross bred.


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## promiseacres

nice sheep


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## Baymule

I was gone all day and DH fed the animals for me as it was late when I got back. Our neighbor texted that he was on his way with a round bale for the horses, so we grabbed a flashlight and out back we went. We got the bale in the hay ring and visited a few minutes. Sheepalicious could hear me talking and BAAAA BAAAAA BAAAA 'ed at the top of her little sheepy lungs. Her lambs were in the shelter, snug in a bed of hay, but she was standing at the wire of the enclosure yelling at me. I just _had_ to go see her. I got a handful of feed, she slurped it up as I talked to her and then she was fine. How sweet! melted my heart.


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## sadieml

They have definitely crowned you MaaMaa.


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## Baymule

We had another lamb born Monday. Our grand daughter spent the day with us because she was out of school and she named the new lamb Lily. Lady Baa Baa is Lily's mom. Lily is brown with one white foot and a white tip on her tail She is so cute! Lady Baa Baa pawed a depression in the dirt under a big cedar tree for Lily to lay in.










Our grand daughter named the other ewe lambs, the white one is Snowflake and the black one with one white leg and tail is Zebra.










The two ram lambs were wethered today. Russell, our neighbor that is building the barn said he could do it, so we did. I held the lambs just like @Bossroo said to and Russell cut them. I am glad to have that done. It didn't look that hard to do. Next year I will probably get Russell to help again, but I want to do it myself so I will know how. The wethers will be raised for slaughter.


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## BlessedWithGoats

Aww, Lily is so cute!! Congratulations!


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## Poka_Doodle

They are adorable


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## norseofcourse

Congrats!  Lily is just darling!


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## Latestarter

Thanks for sharing! Your GD and the lambs are very pretty.


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## Ferguson K

They are so cute!!! Congratulations!


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## frustratedearthmother

Toooo precious!


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## sadieml

Lovely babies, and precious GD.  I know you're proud.


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## HoneyDreameMomma

Congratulations -they are beautiful!  Love all the colors!


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## BlessedWithGoats

How're all the lambs doing @Baymule?


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## Baymule

BlessedWithGoats said:


> How're all the lambs doing @Baymule?


The lambs are growing, eating grass, browse and hay. It is amazing how fast they started eating what mom eats. The two ram lambs were cut. We will keep the ewe lambs to grow our flock. I get such a joy from my sheep!


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## Latestarter

How are the sheep doing Bay? Are you still growing out the ram lambs or have they been sold/processed? I have no idea how old they should be when they get processed... I guess it's really based on weight, right? Anyway, could you share some updated pics? The ewe lams must be getting quite large by now as well.


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## Baymule

@Latestarter I am so enjoying my sheep! The lambs are growing and I will be weaning them soon. It's all new to me, so I am learning as I go. My plans are to let the lambs graze for the spring/summer, then sell them to be processed. The ewe lambs will rejoin the flock after they are weaned.


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