Baymule’s Journal

[Baymule]

I have this adorable black and white spotted ewe lamb, 3 weeks old, named Fancy. For whatever reasons, she runs to me for petting and scratches. I’ve never had a lamb this young be so friendly, they normally stay close to mom and run from people. Fancy will leave the flock out on the field to run to me. When I was leash training Buford this morning, she ran to me, even with a big goofy puppy at my side, unafraid. After I put him up I got some pictures, too cute not to share!

Left the flock and running to me!

Chin scratches!

Sentry gave Fancy some love.

Sheba had to get in on the action too.

Here comes Frimplepants looking for her daughter.

 

[Baymule]

Big pond is FULL. It overflowed with the torrential rains we’ve had.

The overflow is the small cut in the side of the dam, about halfway in this picture.

It’s full!

 

[Mini Horses]

Fancy will leave the flock out on the field to run to me.

They're the ones that make it worth the heartaches.

 

[SageHill]

OMG - that first pic of the pond with Fancy and Sheba

 

[Baymule]

They're the ones that make it worth the heartaches.

She is sure something special.

OMG - that first pic of the pond with Fancy and Sheba

I love this picture too.

 

[Mike CHS]

I have thought about it but have no idea why some are so tame. Most of our flock is like that but like you, the lambs are a little slower. All of the lambs we kept last lambing are as tame as Ringo and of those we kept this time, most are coming for petting anytime I'm with them.

 

[Baymule]

The little pond is full too.

The overflow.

I took this picture of a tall crane at the little pond yesterday evening. It was a long shot for my phone!

 

[Ridgetop]

This is probably a stupid question.. but I've never had any dealings with sheep other than years ago at a petting zoo...
They have SUCH long, dense coats/wool - when it rains for days and days, does it just run off because of the oils or does it soak down a bit? I keep thinking about my grooming days when people would bring in Old English Sheepdogs with a year's worth of matting and we'd find maggots from their skin NEVER actually drying out!!!!
Of course - sheep are DESIGNED to keep that wool so they wouldn't get nasty and extreme like that. But I was just wondering about how they handle THIS much rain.a

Wool breeds have enough lanolin that in winter the rain does not get through their wool to the skin. Some wool breeds grow extremely long fleece which ends up parting in the middle along the spine. Those one or two breeds are at risk of getting pneumonia during the winter (rarely) since the icy rain can get onto the skin and run along under the wool. This is rare since very few sheep grow wool that long.

Normal wood breeds have no problem staying out in rain and snow. However there have been rare occasions when a spring blizzard will blow in after shearing. This happened in the late 1800's in Utah when about 80% of the sheep flocks on pasture froze to death with their lambs. It also has happened that storms will hit and sheep that have not been shorn before lambing will stay out in extreme temperatures. The ewes, having plenty of lanolin rich wool, won't feel the icy temperature and seek shelter so the lambs freeze to death.

Hair sheep have a lot less lanolin in their wool, and a lot less wool. Then they shed it out in the spring. While Katahdins shed completely, some some Dorpers retain a mohawk strip along their backbones. This is acceptable for Dorpers since in South African sheep can get severe sunburn on their spines.

FYI: In my grandmothers' and great grandmothers' times there were no rubber pants for babies' diapers. And no disposables either. Instead you would knit various size diaper covers on very fine needles with wool. Then those would be boiled to shrink the wool. Once that was done the wool diaper covers were essentially waterproof! My grandmother told me that years ago. She also went to visit her mother- and aunties-in-law on their farm in Iowa. My uncles were still in diapers and since they only did a boiled wash once a week, she was appalled that they just took the wet diapers, laid them over the bushes to dry out, then put them back on the babies until washday arrived when they boiled them up. She was a city girl and accustomed to having a laundress available as needed. Amazing what people can do when necessary.

 

[Blue Sky]

Wool breeds have enough lanolin that in winter the rain does not get through their wool to the skin. Some wool breeds grow extremely long fleece which ends up parting in the middle along the spine. Those one or two breeds are at risk of getting pneumonia during the winter (rarely) since the icy rain can get onto the skin and run along under the wool. This is rare since very few sheep grow wool that long.

Normal wood breeds have no problem staying out in rain and snow. However there have been rare occasions when a spring blizzard will blow in after shearing. This happened in the late 1800's in Utah when about 80% of the sheep flocks on pasture froze to death with their lambs. It also has happened that storms will hit and sheep that have not been shorn before lambing will stay out in extreme temperatures. The ewes, having plenty of lanolin rich wool, won't feel the icy temperature and seek shelter so the lambs freeze to death.

Hair sheep have a lot less lanolin in their wool, and a lot less wool. Then they shed it out in the spring. While Katahdins shed completely, some some Dorpers retain a mohawk strip along their backbones. This is acceptable for Dorpers since in South African sheep can get severe sunburn on their spines.

FYI: In my grandmothers' and great grandmothers' times there were no rubber pants for babies' diapers. And no disposables either. Instead you would knit various size diaper covers on very fine needles with wool. Then those would be boiled to shrink the wool. Once that was done the wool diaper covers were essentially waterproof! My grandmother told me that years ago. She also went to visit her mother- and aunties-in-law on their farm in Iowa. My uncles were still in diapers and since they only did a boiled wash once a week, she was appalled that they just took the wet diapers, laid them over the bushes to dry out, then put them back on the babies until washday arrived when they boiled them up. She was a city girl and accustomed to having a laundress available as needed. Amazing what people can do when necessary.

Hair sheep that no longer grow fleece or do so erratically are “goats” and have no fleecy protection from wet and cold. I learned that the hard way two years ago. Also rams with big horns may be at risk because horns that shed heat in the summer can be trouble in zero degree weather.

 

[Baymule]

After a couple of weeks of practically non stop rain, there’s been 3 beautiful sunny days. I’ve been outside almost all day. Yesterday I had Buford on a leash, mingling with the ewes, along with Sentry and Sheba. I found a clump of grass to sit on, and Buford stretched out and went to sleep. Sentry and Sheba were napping too, ewes were ruminating, lamb’s laying next to their moms. Idyllic day.

I thought about you, @SageHill and how the days out on pasture with your sheep and dog, nurtures your soul.

Number One, registered ewe, along with her ewe lamb—my one and only registerable lamb, were not far from me. I’ve been wondering what to name that lamb. I kinda run out of names for white sheep. The lamb started playing on her momma. She jumped, bounced, crawled and had fun. I caught this picture of the lamb leaping off her momma. It looked like she was flying!

I have a name. Y’all meet Aerial.