Mystang's Homesteading Circus

I know we've been doing sheep now for about 3 years and should already have a decent start to the genetics we want, but things being what they are, the plan now is to raise a ram that is, at the very least, not destructive. Docile would be nice to but I don't think anyone in this family will ever trust a ram again, even if that ram was Ringo.
 
FarmerJan is so right abut inherited temperament. It goes for horses, dogs, and all species of animals, humans included. How many of us know a happy family with one moody member that we say "Oh, he's just like his uncle, grandpa, aunt, etc.". When buying a dog or cow horse, we look for the temperament and ability that will allow us to train it to be a hunting, herding guarding dog or roping or sorting horse. Ability is not worth as much it the animal doesn't have the temperament to be used.

Baymule's ram is nor the normal type of ram. He is extremely gentle and tame. Part is genetic and part how he has been raised by Mike and Teresa. However, most rams are not as gentle as he is. All of our other rams have been well behaved and docile, BUT although I will pet them when they come up to me, I never turn my back on one. I have had too many injuries to take a chance. Even the ewes are powerful and when racing through a gate for the barn or the pasture, I make sure to stand clear. They can take out a knee accidentally.

DS1's registered Hampshire show ram, Killer, was as large as our Shetland pony. He was meaner than sin and deserved his name. He couldn't be approached in a stall any larger than 6 x 6 without extreme care. We kept him in the sheep pen which was fairly large. It had a window over the built in feeder so we just dropped hay into the feeder from the feed room. If DH and DS1 went down together they could catch him but I never went into the pen to get him. Instead I dropped some grain into the feeder from the feed room window, caught him around the neck with my crook and put him in a halter with a chain shank. I tied the halter to the feeder. Then I could go into the pen to work with the ewes, or take him out on the halter. He was halter trained and safe to handle in a halter. The pipe corral bars he bent were the larger corral pipes 1 5/8" pipes.

DS1 was 13 when he bought him. He was a big strong boy and made the mistake of thinking he could turn his back in him when he went into the pen. For about a year DS1 told us that his ram "loved" him, but one day Killer nailed him and sent him flying Luckily it was not full on hit or he could have broken DS1's leg, hip, or back. DS1 was moving to the side when Killer got him. DS1 took a piece of 1" PVC pipe into the pen after that. Killer was a gorgeous ram, and did a lot of winning, but I was happy to see him go when DS1 sold his show flock. He bought a nice tempered market sire for his market ewes.

Since you have Awassis, I would start looking for a ram with docile temperament from a breeder, even one across the country. If you buy a young ram lamb you can have it shipped to you in a dog kennel air freight. Livestock shippers routinely transport sheep from sheep shows and auctions to buyers across country. If you breed your own ram from a mean ram you might be stuck. Sell your ram instead and replace him instead. That way you bring in new blood to our flock of ewes too. With this quarantine you can go online and find a good breeder that will ship.
 
Can't remember if I've mentioned this away but start working on a lean to in my pasture so I can store my hay equipment. I had some cedar logs which has been dropped of to me and figured I'd use those for my corner and center posts.

I planned them in the ground about 2 weeks ago or so and today I got around to tying everything together for the walls and roof. Was about to put the 2 x 6 on the front posts where the lowest part of the roof will be and saw that the 2 posts in the middle are completely misaligned with the two corner posts. I tried looking at that from all sorts of angles and nothing. I'm trying to find a work around to that but right now I'm thinking I'm going to have to pull those 2 middles poles up, dig 2 more holes, then put them back in.

I'm hoping with a good night's rest they will align themselves.
 
I build things like that too! I am no carpenter, but I manage to do what I don't know how to do anyway. I think maybe you just had a headache and your eyes were crossed. I'm sure when you look at the posts in the morning, they will be ok. :yesss:
 
Let's play a game. I take a picture. You guess what it is.
20200423_134207.jpg
 
Sorry, couldn't post until I got the darn thing off.
20200423_142233.jpg

That was a lawn mower tire, split in 2 down the middle, then sawn in half again going across.

These are all the tools I had to use in order to get it freed. That's not including the tractor or jigsaw.

It's raining here today, so I figured I'd keep the day simple and check out the slow leak in the mower tire. I removed the tire, cleaned it up, sprayed some soapy water on it and watch the bubbles come out from all around the rim area. Ok, so the tire itself is probably fine but something is keeping the bead from sealing all the way I figured.

I don't have a tire puller so I figured I would simply run over the tire part with the tractor to pop it free from the rim. After running over it a few times nothing is popping free. So I get a bit more aggressive and use the front end loader tipped down. Nothing pops off.

By now it's starting to dawn on me that this isn't simply going to be....simple. I take the hammer and start hammering away on it. Nothing. Next it's on to my pry bar. Then to my thick flat head screw driver. With that one I punctured the tire.

Whelp, at least I can take the gloves off. Out comes the jigsaw since I don't have to worry about putting a hole in it anymore. I split it right down the middle as the original picture shows. Then I see all the rust. The tire is literally rusted into the rim. No amount of pulling is getting it off and the ring of the tire which goes around the bead of the rim has metal banding inside which keeps it in place to.

After a while of messing with it I bring out my angle grinder and CAREFULLY grind the metal banding apart.

20200423_143014.jpg

The left side had already had the wire wheel taken to it before I took the picture.

20200423_145009.jpg

That's about as good as I could get it. Still pitted all over the place. I have no clue where the previous owners too this mower but I think they went fishing with it.

What was supposed to be a 15 minute job turned into a days worth. Just another day I suppose. At least I was kept busy, wouldn't want to get bored lol.

On my son's mower though, (the one that I just bought which had wood blocks keeping the wheels on it) I finished "upgrading" the wheels lol. They are now raised to the height I want them at. We'll see how long that lasts.
 
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