2020, Waiting on Lambs!

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Just needs rear and gables

 

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Several ewes look close.
I need to start clearing out the barn & setting up jugs & communal area with feed & water.
I want to keep them off the paddocks as long as possible.
Everyone is still out on winter field. Planning on leaving the rams & alpacas on it full time, except for shearing day & breeding season. That gives the ewes all 8 paddocks to rotate through every 7 days. That'll drastically reduce parasite loads & hopefully up growth a bit, too.
I also need to move the horse water trough onto the easement that their shelter is on so that the sheep can use the area in front of the barn. Probably make that the maternity ward...
Nice out today, hopefully, I can get everything done...

 

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They are so horribly rough on plastic...My red hook over water bins are now just for grain...Will need to use regular buckets and clip them to the walls for water.

Cleared out & waste hay spread out as bedding. It's the hay that falls from the stacked bales.
Minerals & baking soda corner setup.

Would be nice to have that floor space the hay is using up, but maybe next year...

Three jugs ready for moms n lambs.

 

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Some more planning today.
Paddocks 9, 10 & 11 make roughly 1.5 acres.
Paddock 10 & 11 are in sucky areas that are a pain to mow or isn't made into hay much.
Paddock 12 might just stay an open area, hay will come in from the thin grey lines through this area.
Pink is 100x60ft arena for my ponies.
Blue line is horse track.
Red is hay barn.
White are shelters for ponies and in paddock 8 is for sheep/pacas.
Green will be temporary hotwire track for ponies.
Paddock 9 will probably have the shelter moved into it from paddock 8, so 8 will rest all winter.
I'm thinking paddocks 10 & 11 should be winter grazing before they're released into the big area later on or put the ponies in there first for winter before later in the big area. And 9, 10 & 11 maybe also used during breeding season & for rams/pacas when hay is being made.
Or rather....Leave paddocks 10 & 11 empty all winter & move expecting moms there? Idk...

 

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Saola is first in the lambing yard!
Wasn't expecting her to be bred, let alone one of the first, being a lamb and all!
Noticed discharge and caught her to feel for an udder, she has one. Its larger and firmer than I've seen other first timers have, so I had to put her in the pen! Can't have a first timer lamb out on 18 acres!!
Moved Hirola in with her for company. Thought about moving Patchie or Tatiana in, but they eat so much more than lambs do.

Added a bin for grass hay and a bin of chopped alfalfa/timothy mixed hay.

Now to impatiently wait for the first lamb of the year!

 

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Totally jumped the gun on Saola, but still, better safe than sorry.

 

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Lambing season has finally started at Forever Farms!!

Sugar had a ramling!
Sire is Billy.
She had him about 600ft out, but she followed him very nicely all the way to the barn.

 

[animalmom]

Oh what a cutie! I love the wooly knee socks on the baby.

 

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Icarus had a ramling!
Sire is Oreo. Codon needs testing, registerable with OEBSR.

Icarus had a bold white patch on the top of her head as a lamb & her ramling also has one! Sire is also spotted! Tail got stepped on, so can't tell if there's any white on it.

I wish he was a she, so that I could keep it. Ah, darn...