My Sheep Journal~ I'm a grandma! Black Betty had twins!!!

[aggieterpkatie]

I once heard a sheep person say he would never buy a breed he considered ugly, no matter how great that breed may be. He said, "If I have to look at them every day, I may as well enjoy looking at them!" That kinda always stuck in my head. I think that's why I'll never own a shetland (no offense to those who like shetlands, they're just not my cup of tea. )

And give your new ram some time. When I got my Romney ewe Purl last fall, she came from a flock that didn't get much handling on a daily basis. She was very flighty and very much an independent sheep. She was very different from my Southdown, Darla, who was very personable and calm (she was a show sheep). Now, not even a year later Purl has calmed down and even comes up for nose scratches and will eat out of my hand. She's still not as friendly as Darla, who will stand to be scratched and loved on for forever and a day, but she's definitely made a HUGE improvement. It just takes a while for them to get used to more interaction (calm interaction, of course).

 

[Beekissed]

You know, Aggie? I think you are right and I noticed that my girls settled down more each time I "man-handled" them.

I was reluctant to hold onto them and do anything to them for fear it would create a fear of me in their little sheep minds...but it seems like they grow closer to me each time I have to restrain them for this or that.

Could it be that handling them for things that do not result in unpleasantness creates a trust with these sheep, and they are less flighty because they get caught, restrained and fussed over?

Could be that the new ram needs to be caught, fussed over, examined, drenched and just handled so that he understands that I mean no harm.

Sheep are a lot smarter than folks around here give them credit for, in my book.

I'm glad that there are others that want pretty animals....it really even pains me to see my chickens during moult. They are usually so sleek and fluffy....

 

[Beekissed]

This may be something that only occurs when your pasture is your backyard, but I am seriously getting ganged up on by the sheeple mafia!

They are very food aggressive most of the time but its getting much worse...they follow me right up to my back door and try to come in the house. They actually did come in last fall and then busted out the storm door glass as soon as they realized the door had closed behind them.

I picked a mess of corn yesterday and had prepared it to eat, sat down at the table to eat and had a funny feeling...sort of like someone was watching me....

Glanced over at the back door and saw all three adult ewes and little Fats lined up with their noses pressed to the glass, breathing steam circles with every breath! It looked like a group of velociraptors ready to pounce!!!

I didn't know they would become so.... scary.

 

[ksalvagno]

What, aren't you feeding those poor things? Are you actually making them eat grass and stuff and not bringing them out lavish dinners?

 

[Baymule]

I stayed up last night reading every last page of this post. My eyeballs were about rolled out on my face, but I was determined to read it ALL!! I love your journal, I love the pics, especially the apple trees in bloom. I want sheep. We are still living in town, but have 16 undeveloped acres 3 miles from town. By undeveloped I mean no water or electricity. It is fenced for horses, mostly wooded and full of predators. LOL Building a barn, house, fences, pasture isn't anything that couldn't be cured by throwing money at it. I hope to change jobs soon for mo' Money. Funny you should mention Royal Whites-they are exactly what I want. Then maybe a heritage breed, just because I don't want to see them disappear. Keep the posts coming!!

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks!!! I hope you finally get your sheeples....I have such fun with mine! I'll try to get back to journalling the things I've learned in my research about sheep maladies and husbandry. I'll also post some more updated pics of my herd....Black Betty is so pretty in her big ol' pregnancy state.

Yesterday I caught Fats, as he is easy to catch, and loved all over him! He is so soft and creamy and tubby....sweet guy, that wether.

A fellow came to see Ugly Betty and the evil little ram yesterday evening...this was not someone who was particularly interested in developing a herd of hair sheep, I could tell. He was just a...well, we used to call them a horse trader....he goes around trying to scoop up bargains and resells at a higher price.

Tried to convince me that UB was too expensive, the ram also. Offered me $50 less than I was asking and acted like he was doing me a favor.....

Nope. I told him that I gave tithe at church yesterday and that was all the charity I was giving out this weekend and to try back next Sat. before I go to church again!

I know the quality of my sheep....I know what they can do, how healthy they are and pretty soon I'll know just how good a mother they are. Next month I will be having baby sheeples once again!

 

[Beekissed]

Well, it is time for my first sheep culling. I really looked over Ugly Betty and this ram today and I really don't think they are worth what I'm asking either....so the horse trader man may have a point.

Ugly Betty is young and healthy, but she must be barren. She had two months with the ram in April and I know she was having regular heat cycles prior to that time. I don't believe she is preggers nor is she having a regular heat cycle right now, or the little ram would be trying her on for size.

She is supposedly due in less than half a month and she has absolutely no udder....flat as a pancake. Her belly hasn't filled out at all.

So....she will be taken to the stock auction. I hate it but it has to happen....no free loaders on this place. That's my personal and financial policy.

The ram lamb? He has an occasional cough. I noticed his sire had the same thing when I was on the breeder's farm and he said that that ram's sire had the same cough. So its some kind of genetic thing....I'm sure its not infectious but who in the world wants to pass on a cough gene? Not I.

I may band him before he goes to the auction, may not. What would you all do in that case? He is filling out and seems very healthy and virile....but that cough.

So...culling is necessary. These sheep will be tagged at the auction for butchering only, so I don't worry too much about someone carrying on the ram's genetics.

And that is the sad part of keeping livestock...sometimes you just have to let go and keep only the good~or lose money. Who can afford that now days?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Do you mind me asking what you were asking for them? No biggie if you don't want to share.

Was UB with the ram this past fall? How long over all was she with the ram? I know they breed out of season, but I just wonder if maybe she's slightly more of an "in season" breeder.

And here's my $.02 about the auction. It's generally "buyer beware", so I would not castrate him, and I would not mark them as feeder only. I might consider marking the ewe feeder only, but only if she was with the ram in the fall and did not get bred. Your prices would probably decline a good bit I'd imagine, if they were only tagged as feeder only.

Some might say that's dishonest, but I don't really see it that way. I mean, it's an auction, and people don't go to auctions for their price winning breeders, KWIM? If someone came to look at them at my place then I'd definitely give all history on them.

 

[Beekissed]

Aggie, she was exposed to the ram in April/May and part of June. She had been a very regular heat cycle kind of gal and she really got interested in the ram when he arrived. Poor guy was getting tail thrown in his face immediately and often.

She is 17 mo. old and that was her first breeding. I was asking the usual price for a young ewe that is in lamb....$150.

I bought the ram for $100 just 3 wks. ago, so his price was just the same.

They require all sheep without a farm number and tags to be tagged for "slaughter only" at the local auction~called blue tagging....but the auctioneer does tell folks that those tags are on there as a suggestion, not as an order. They can take them home and "slaughter" at their leisure.

Most ram lambs of these hair breeds go from $100-$250 around here and young ewes from $150-$200.

These kind of sheep do not bring a high price at the local auction, as they deal mainly in standard wool breeds. Most hair sheep breeders go over in VA to sell their stock where they can get $.10 more on the pound than they can if they were selling woollies.

Hair sheep bring more there because of the lack of lanolin and resulting strong odor/flavor that lanolin causes ~and the higher percentage of ethnic population there.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I certainly think those prices are fair.

I wonder what's up with her? I wonder if she's cystic or something? Don't you hate it that they can't talk to us? I certainly don't blame you for not wanting to keep her though. It's best for us with small acreage to maximize our production, and that means keeping animals that pull their weight!

Good luck at the auction!