2021, Waiting on lambs!

[Kusanar]

Are a few of them limping, tripping, or just wadding in that video? Maybe some mud wedged between their toes?

Yeah, that big white one at 31 seconds looked to be hopping quite a bit on a front foot.

 

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Are a few of them limping, tripping, or just wadding in that video? Maybe some mud wedged between their toes?

Both.
They've made the ground into tiny daggers on freezing days and mud soup the other days. Don't have anything else to keep them out of mud.

 

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Today was very sunny, so the sheep ventured out to sun bathe.
I used a couple of panels to block the muddiest part of the gateway. They always take the shortest route, even if its mud-soup & give me dirty looks. Walk 2ft off to the side!! They watched me and were not impressed.

Fish water & metal water is better than water from rubber bins....I don't get it. They're clean, they use them in summer, but now it's a problem.


Mud by gate & feed bins. Walk on the hinged side!


I also had a fire scare by my hay last night...
Turns out it was a reflection of something...

 

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...so, a sheep decided to be one with the feeder...

 

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Moved in a solar light to test. I need a different one that is on preferably a few hours after dusk and a few before dawn. But idk if they make a cheap one like that.

 

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Kibito may be 3yrs old, but that doesn't mean that she can't have fun!

Smug Saola

Peri & kitty

Kibito & Tatiana messing around.
Many ewes were bouncing around & grumbling with others today.

Pretty sure it's Shelly who was limping in the video. But she seems better today.

Wideload Ewenique & kitty

Kibito & her daughter Seadra bouncing around

Seadra finally let me pet her nose!!

Then Seadra ate some hay she found on Ewenique's back.

 

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Trying to upload next versions of faces.
Top is this year, bottom left is lamb, bottom right is in between.
Looks like their woolly faces came back!

 

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Okay....
Looking at custom feed vs 2 other ready options.


$900 in storage bins alone.

$1,170 for 2,000# 20% protein, meal. Custom at FHC.

$1,000 for 2,000# 14% protien, 50/50 of 12% all-stock & 16% alfalfa, pellet. At Tractor Supply Co.

$1,370 for 2,000# 16% protein, straight alfalfa pellet. At Rural King. Plus gas an hour away.


I seem to be going through 500# in roughly 14 days. 35# a day, 8.7# a bucket. Idk if that's right...
I'll weigh the buckets tomorrow.

 

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Cut feed in half & added about 10 cups of hot water per bucket. Once soaked & fluffed, went out to feed it.

Some weren't happy about it. All are mashing it down into the feeder, making it harder for them to gobble it up like hogs.

Still recording a timelapse of this feeding. I'm hoping to see zero choke & so far, looks good.

Ends up fluffed to nearly a full bucket!
The sweet feed soaks & fluffs much faster than the alfalfa.