norseofcourse's journal - spring and show update

[norseofcourse]

Change in plans, I won't use the creep gate, too worried about Brosa getting her horns caught. And the wether lambs are pretty big now anyway, not sure I could set it for them and not have any others get through. I'm trying to decide if I want to set up a pen for the wethers or not... Elding still chases them out after everyone eats their pellets, but I've been able to watch them enough this weekend to see that they do get back in later, so they do have access to the hay.

It was a damp, drizzly, muddy, cloudy dismal day today. But - sunset tonight is one minute later than sunset was last night!! It won't be long before it's noticeable in the evenings - woohoo!

Edited to add: I did body condition checks on the sheep tonight, and the wethers could stand to gain some weight, so I will work on setting up a separate pen for them. Wish I had an easy way to set up a separate paddock, but that's not possible right now. At least next year I'll be able to time it better, so I'm not keeping wethers this far into winter.

 

[jodief100]

Sounds like Elding needs a time out. Sitting in the corner in the chair sounds like a good idea.

 

[norseofcourse]

Sounds like Elding needs a time out. Sitting in the corner in the chair sounds like a good idea.

Yep, I've just got to do it on a weekend so I can get pictures!! Actually, he's been behaving pretty well lately, but I'm not hanging around after I feed either. But he doesn't make any moves toward me when I go into their pasture to feed and water, even when I have to chase them out of the run-in area to get my work done.

The place I was getting my sheep feed from stopped carrying it. What they switched to was cheaper - and the ingredient list reflected that . So I called the Buckeye customer service number to find out if there were any other dealers around, and if they had a minimum order requirement. She said no minimum, and gave me the closest dealers. I wish I would have gone this route last year, when I had trouble finding the feed for awhile - the new place I'm going to is two dollars a bag less

We had a few nice days as far as temperatures, but it's been mostly cloudy and rainy, so everything's muddy. And tomorrow winter returns, so it'll be frozen mud with some snow on top. It really hasn't been that bad of a winter yet, but there's still quite of bit of it left. Just 90 days till my first possible lambing date though!!!

 

[norseofcourse]

Yea for winter solstice! Yea for more daylight! We've actually gained 4 minutes of extra daylight in the evenings since December 13, which was somewhat noticeable today, especially since it wasn't cloudy. We are still losing daylight in the mornings, and will until January 6. But turning the corner of winter solstice is always a morale booster.

On Friday, I got home from work a little later than usual. The sheep met me at their gate - which is normal, except they seemed a little miffed at the delay. I went through the gate, then turned to look at Elding, who suddenly makes this tremendous leap straight up into the air! We eyed each other for a few moments, and I asked him, "Am I going to have to flip you again?" He didn't make any moves toward me, and behaved as we all went to the barn and I did chores and fed and watered.

Some friends with sheep told me later that what Elding did was, in fact, a threatening move (he was 'sizing me up' one put it), and that next time he might make contact at the height he reached (about my head level). I was careful around him when I did chores on Saturday, but on Sunday I knew I'd be going in and out of their pasture quite a few times, bringing stuff in and setting up a pen for the wethers.

Well, as the saying goes, "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer". I don't remember where I heard it, but it gave me an idea.

On my first trip into the sheep's pasture on Sunday, I found a collar and leash and put them on Elding. It wasn't hard, as he generally comes right up to me when I go in, to see what I'm doing (and maybe size me up for another one of those leaps...). There's also a side of him that enjoys attention, petting and being brushed, and he's fairly personable until his other brain reminds him that it's breeding season

So, I get the collar and leash on Elding, and take him with me as I head back to the gate to go get more stuff. Elding is not thrilled with this turn of events. He tries to convince me he's forgotten how to walk on a leash. I remind him that there cannot be both an irresistable force and an immovable object. By the time we get to the gate he's walking fairly nicely.

I make several trips through their pasture, carrying fencing panels, tools and other stuff. Elding meets me at the gate, I juggle my load so I can hold onto his leash, we walk to the barn, and I go in the person door with my stuff, holding Elding so he doesn't come in, too. On my return trips we walk back to the gate. Pretty soon Elding's not quite meeting me at the gate anymore... lol. Sheep reverse psychology maybe?

I'm hoping penning the wethers at night helps, they'll have all night to eat in peace, and I can feed them pellets separately so Elding can't butt them away from the feeder. Getting the wethers into their pen was hard the first night, but it was a little easier tonight. I hope as they get used to the routine, they'll go right in on their own.

As for Elding? So far, so good - and he still hasn't seen the Naughty chair

 

[SheepGirl]

I do the same thing with my rams! They've all been pretty friendly, so if I have to go in the field with them, they'll walk up to me, and I will grab hold of the marking harness and have them walk along with me. Sometimes they don't want to move. But I make them. I keep pulling and pulling. I just don't want them to get more than an arm's length away because otherwise I feel like I can't control them when they're far away and when they're close like that, they can't do a whole lot of damage.

 

[jodief100]

It isn't his brain reminding him it is breeding season. That is shutting down. Only enough blood to operate one head at a time and the brain isn't getting any.

 

[norseofcourse]

It isn't his brain reminding him it is breeding season. That is shutting down. Only enough blood to operate one head at a time and the brain isn't getting any.

Well, I did say his 'other brain'

 

[norseofcourse]

We're gaining nearly a minute of daylight per day in the evenings now!

I hope everyone had a nice holiday. I got together with family, it was good.

One of the three quail I have left hasn't been doing so well. It doesn't seem to be respiratory. She is still eating and drinking. On Christmas eve, in the evening, she was laying in their cage looking like she was dying - then half an hour later, she was up eating. Yesterday I got some probiotics and started adding them to their drinking water. I figure after the antibiotics, this should help their systems, no matter what she might have. I'm still getting eggs, I got two yesterday, so the other two haven't got whatever it is. I've talked to a friend with chickens, she said usually when a bird starts showing symptoms of being sick, no matter what you do, they don't usually make it.

The sheep are doing well. Gracie and Brosa weren't sheared this fall, so their wool is getting very long! I'll try to get some current pics this weekend. The wethers learned the routine of going into their pen in the evening, so they're getting extra feed in the evenings and mornings now. And the ewes are getting a bit less, since they had been gaining more weight than is good for them.

In a couple of days we'll be heading back to 'normal' winter temperatures. In a way I won't mind - at least frozen ground is easier to walk on than this mud we've had.

 

[norseofcourse]

Happy New Year everyone!

The extra daylight in the evening is noticeable now, and it's nice to do evening chores without needing a flashlight. In a few days the sunrises will start to get earlier again, and I'm really looking forward to that, too.

Monday I must have left the gate between the sheep's run-in area and the rest of the barn unlatched I came home to find they'd had a high old time in the barn! Luckily the feed can lid was firmly on, so the only thing they really did was made a mess of the hay.
Wednesday I came home and the same thing had happened Did I really leave the gate unlatched again? There's a lot of stressful stuff going on, so maybe... either that or I'm losing my mind... Or did the sheep push the catch up? I don't know. I put a snap on the latch in case it was the sheep. If I forget to put the snap on, at least I'll know that was me

Three weeks till the wethers go to the processor. I still need to figure out how to get them into the trailer. If the ground stays frozen I might pull the trailer into their pasture, which will make it a little easier to get them into it, making a chute with fence panels or something. And on top of the logistics is the emotional part of dealing with it, as my first time.

74 days till my first possible lambing date! I got some pictures today.

This is Rose (left) and number 3 (right). They got sheared in September. Number 3 has really grown well (she is Rose's daughter, and in this picture is just shy of 9 months old).

Brosa didn't get sheared in September, and her wool is getting really long! The plan is to shear her about the time she would normally shed in the spring, and try separating her soft undercoat (thel) from the longer, stronger outer coat (tog), to spin them separately.

And here's Elding. I tied him to a fence post while I took pictures, so I didn't have to worry about watching him. He wasn't happy! lol

I lost another quail, I'm down to two now . And my car broke a strut and had too much rust to make it worth fixing, so I had to find another one within budget. Ended up with a decent used chevy sonic hatchback.

Is it spring yet?

 

[jodief100]

The sheep are beautiful! SO sorry about the quail.