Feelin' a bit sheepish...

[Baymule]

Glad I don't have them here! I have enough big ugly weeds! LOL

 

[Finnie]

My favorite weed is goldenrod. I let it grow along my whole backyard fence to provide hiding spots for the chickens. I would cut it down, and let the chickens hide somewhere else, but I absolutely love the golden yellow flowers this time of year. They look like a fireworks display all around my yard.

 

[Baymule]

Goldenrod grows here too. It’s like natures last blooming fling before winter.

 

[Beekissed]

My favorite weed is goldenrod. I let it grow along my whole backyard fence to provide hiding spots for the chickens. I would cut it down, and let the chickens hide somewhere else, but I absolutely love the golden yellow flowers this time of year. They look like a fireworks display all around my yard. View attachment 77801

Not to mentions it's great for the pollinators, as well as lovely. I love goldenrod honey!

 

[Beekissed]

Got rams in their own paddock where they can't see, hear or small the ewes and it all went very well. There's been no crying for mamas or babies in this move and all seem pretty calm. I was glad to get the ram aprons off the males as they had started to rub behind their shoulders....I doubt I'll ever use ram aprons again, just too much hassle and they were impossible to keep in place, to keep intact and to do any good at all. I'll be incredibly surprised if we don't have ewes pregnant much earlier than we had liked.

All our fault for not having separated them much earlier, but we are swamped with work here and all the other things life throws at you.

Hope to advertise three of the rams and get them sold...if not we'll hold them over until the better prices in January and take them to the annual Jan. 1st ram and goat sale here locally.

Getting those rams gone will help my breeder rams get some more tucker and conditioning in preparation for breeding on Oct. 31st.

I'm impressed with the rams we chose, both of which did not come down with worms this season...one ram we were contemplating is showing a case of worms right now, so it's good we didn't choose him. He'll be wormed and sold. Trying to keep and breed all that don't get worms, treat and sell all those that do and keep doing that until we develop a flock that doesn't require deworming. Others have done so and I'd like to join them. This being our first year, I expected having to cull quite a few sheep over that issue.

Can't wait until every sheep is bred and all can run in one flock once again. Going this evening to get a lease signed on that big field we are going to use for winter stockpile...we'll build fence there in Nov. I have a month or two to get the new dog trained to our land, the sheep and the stock moves and then he and Blue will be working that big field, which is a good distance from the house. Going after the new dog tomorrow...can't wait! He's a beautiful, big and serious looking Anatolian.

 

[Baymule]

Your sheep are turning into a business for you. Small, yes, but it gives your family meat and sales helps with expenses. I am so happy for you. Can't wait to see pictures of your new dog!

 

[Beekissed]

Your sheep are turning into a business for you. Small, yes, but it gives your family meat and sales helps with expenses. I am so happy for you. Can't wait to see pictures of your new dog!

I can't wait to get him! He just has one of those faces you want to love on.

Got the lease signed and the field scheduled for brushhogging! Things are happening! Bay, our goal is to sell enough lambs each season to pay for the taxes on the land and eventually, when the flock is bigger, to also pay for any other things we need to do such as fence repairs, little home improvement jobs, auto repair, etc.

I sure hope that one can still sell sheep and get a good price in the coming years...this world is changing quickly. Could be all we are creating here is a food on the hoof, stock piled for our family's needs, which is okay too.

 

[Baymule]

Bee, when I was still in my old house, mere blocks from downtown and a 4 lane highway that went through town a block away and a tire store across the street from us, I was dreaming of escaping. Small livestock figured strongly in my plans of becoming more self sufficient. Creating that food on the hoof was forefront in my planning. Being able to sell the lambs helps to pay for expenses. I am so delighted for you that you are now able to achieve your dreams. I remember when you were in a rent house with your first sheep and your sadness when you had to give them up. But those first sheep kindled a longing in you that never went away, a dream that grew, and look at you now. Your dreams are coming true and you are living the life that you dreamed about for so long. Dreams do come true, not bestowed on us by some imaginary fairy with a magic wand, but by working towards that dream, getting in the trenches, getting dirty, celebrating the success and suffering the loss, but most of all, NEVER GIVING UP.

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, when I was still in my old house, mere blocks from downtown and a 4 lane highway that went through town a block away and a tire store across the street from us, I was dreaming of escaping. Small livestock figured strongly in my plans of becoming more self sufficient. Creating that food on the hoof was forefront in my planning. Being able to sell the lambs helps to pay for expenses. I am so delighted for you that you are now able to achieve your dreams. I remember when you were in a rent house with your first sheep and your sadness when you had to give them up. But those first sheep kindled a longing in you that never went away, a dream that grew, and look at you now. Your dreams are coming true and you are living the life that you dreamed about for so long. Dreams do come true, not bestowed on us by some imaginary fairy with a magic wand, but by working towards that dream, getting in the trenches, getting dirty, celebrating the success and suffering the loss, but most of all, NEVER GIVING UP.

It's funny how we both wanted sheep, both wanted to have that food on the hoof. For me it was food that was bigger than chickens but still small enough I could butcher it on my own. I think that portable, easy to transport and easy to home butcher food is going to become a hot commodity soon in this world...could be a powerful bartering item. Your hogs too.

Got the DOG today...and, yes, that's how I think of him in my mind after today.

Short answer to how did it go with getting the dog today? They lied. About everything. I bought him anyway because we really need another dog, but the jury is out as to whether he will work out for us. He's ginormous, untamed, untrained, un- everything. He's over a year old and just got his first collar, has never been on a leash or tie out, never been taught anything at all, freaked out in the car all the way home, smearing poop, pee, dog hair and slobbers from one end to the other(that was before we even got a mile down the road, mind you), even though he was tied in the back....that's just how big he is. His head can be tied but the rest of his body able to trash the car. He didn't relax for the 3 hrs it took to come home and hyperventilated the whole time, alternating between thrashing around or standing and panting....this will give you an idea how big this dog is~every time he thrashed the whole car would rock and I'd have to hold it on the road, felt like a strong wind trying to blow the car off the road. Then, when he stopped and panted, the whole car would go up and down. I'm pumping gas, leaning against the car and the car was moving up and down each time he breathed. Yeah...he's massive. I'd say he weighs over 200lb. He eats about 4 times more than Blue.

He doesn't recognize his name at all, doesn't know any commands, has been allowed to put paws, teeth and his body on anyone and everyone, but he doesn't seem to have any real meanness or bad temper in him. He's just a very large, bratty child. Seems like a big, lovable lump but his size and lack of any previous training will still make it hard to teach him anything.

The Lord blessed me with good weather, a pretty drive, and no movement of that kidney stone that's hung up in there, so I'm worn clean out and I have a dog shaped horse in the front yard on a tie out, and I'm thanking God for being home. I hope and pray we can train him to at least leave the livestock alone and stay in the fences, come when called and stay off of humans. Those people got him for a pet, so he knows absolutely nothing about anything and was allowed to run the neighborhood.

Since he doesn't even come to nor recognize his name, we'll give him a new one. We've decided to give him an ironic name~Audie Murphy. We'll likely call him Murphy for short.

 

[Kusanar]

I pet sat for some people that had a St. Bernard that when I showed up the first time to meet everyone jumped up and put her paws on my shoulders as soon as they opened the front door. By the time they came back home from their vacation she was MUCH better behaved, but I will never understand why people let big animals act like that.