norseofcourse's journal - spring and show update

[norseofcourse]

What tannery do you use?

I've used Bucks County Fur Products in Pennsylvania, and they did a nice job. This time I'll be sending some to Buck's and some to Stern Tanning in Wisconsin, just to see if there's any difference.

All three of the lambskins that I took to Wooster this past spring sold. The guy that bought the last one said "I knew I should have bought both when I was here earlier." So I am hopeful I do as well next year.

I had a couple of new tires put on our stock trailer and all of the gates are up on our first paddock so we will bringing our sheep home in the next week or so. We are hoping on getting the next paddock finished soon. It is right at 250' square.

How exciting! What kind of sheep are you getting?

 

[Mike CHS]

Hopefully you will report if there is any difference in the tanneries.

We are getting between 6 & 10 mostly Katahdin crossed with Dorpers. We go once a week to train our dogs and decided they would progress faster if we were able to work them some every day and still go to the trainers once a week. We won't be able to work much since most of those we are getting are due to lamb in December and January. We are hoping to pick out a few that are lightly (or not at all) bred and at least a couple wethers so we can have one processed.

 

[norseofcourse]

I meant to get pictures over the weekend, but ended up busy with other stuff. So, pictures another day.

I've been cleaning and re-salting the lambskins, to get them dry/cured enough to send to the tannery. I have the six lambskins from this year, and... the five from last year. I had cleaned and salted them, and then, I just couldn't bring myself to deal with them. I could blame the weather for some of it, but it was mostly me. I did check them occasionally, and when I finally made myself deal with them along with the 6 from this year, I was glad to see that they seem in good shape. They were salted and under cover, which helped a great deal.

We've had a few frosts, and a couple of mornings there's been a layer of ice on top of the water in buckets/tubs. I haven't switched to the heated water tub for the ponies, yet. When I do, it will probably be in a different spot, because I'M GETTING THE OUTSIDE FREEZE-PROOF HYDRANT REPLACED!!!!!! It was rusted shut when I moved here, so I've just carried water to everyone from the house during winter, when I can't use the outside hose. Soon I should have running water outside all year long

The sheep are doing well. I'm working on a name for the ewe lamb I kept.

For all the lambs that were processed, I had the butcher save the hard interior fat, so I can turn it into tallow and use it as an ingredient in the soaps I'm making. I experimented once with beef tallow for candles, but didn't like it (it wasn't quite as bad as 'crisco on a string', but close...). I may see if sheep tallow is any different.

All the leaves are nearly off the trees (except the oaks), and we have snow in the forecast for next week. I've seen someone with Christmas lights up already. Winter is on its way...

 

[norseofcourse]

It was 73° today, amazing! We actually broke the record high for this date. I took off work early and got a few outside things done. Unfortunately winter hits tomorrow, rain changing to snow, and winds increasing. They called to ask if I minded rescheduling the hydrant replacement, so fingers crossed it's next weekend. I probably should have set up the heated water tub today... Sunday night's low is supposed to be 26°

I took the camera out and was able to get a half decent picture of the ewe lamb I'm keeping. Introducing Druna (formerly number 13):

Druna is Icelandic for 'thunder'. Kind of fitting, since her sire is Elding - Icelandic for 'lightning'. She is fitting in fairly well, although I think she still misses the other lambs. I've been paying extra attention to her, petting her when I can, to get her more used to me.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

And she has a heart on her nose! How precious

 

[TAH]

She is adorable

 

[Latestarter]

Very pretty lamb!

 

[norseofcourse]

And she has a heart on her nose! How precious

I tried really really hard to keep her markings from influencing my decision. Her color did play into it some - most of my other ewes are black, although some carry moorit (brown). And of the moorit and white ewe lambs, she was bigger and had a longer body.

I did get the frost-free hydrant replaced! However since the well hasn't been used in years, the water coming out of it is cloudy and has bits of stuff in it (most likely rust from the inside of the pipe), and it smelled like a combination of sulfur and dead fish... Running it has helped a lot, although I haven't been able to run the water as much lately due to weather, darkness, and other stuff going on. So I'm hauling water again from the house, till I can flush it more and then get it tested. Hope eventually the hydrant's well clears enough, and then tests good enough, to use.

I had a great day yesterday - I went to the Buckeye Shepherd's Symposium in Wooster, Ohio. It's put on by the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association. There were quite a few presentations and seminars on topics ranging from nutrition, to parasites, to farm equipment, genetics, and effects of diet on the taste of lamb. It was also great to talk to a lot of other sheep farmers and raisers. The membership runs the gamut from owners of smaller flocks like mine, through midsize, and all the way to multi-generation farms with hundreds of acres and hundreds of sheep.

A lot of the research and stuff is targeted to the typical market producer and club lamb producer - those raising sheep like Suffolk, Hampshire and Shropshire. Although I did overhear some of the larger producers talking about adding sheep like Polypay, Dorset, and Texel. But from what I understand, the trend in Ohio is an increase in the number of people with smaller flocks - possibly like me, with various breeds, marketing towards handspinners, or direct marketing of lamb, or who knows what. There are some classes and educational opportunities geared more towards smaller farms or beginning shepherds, but I'm hoping they increase. Many things are common to any shepherd, like parasites, nutrition and health care, but the small and large producers face different challenges, although sometimes not as different as you might think. I talked to one farmer who said he's added some natural colored sheep, and I asked him how he was marketing the wool. He said he hasn't quite figured out the best way yet. I think he wants to market to handspinners but isn't sure quite where or how, yet.

Anyway, it was a really great day. And an excellent lunch, with roast lamb of course. Every family got a neat flexible cutting board from the American Lamb Board, with an outline of a sheep, sheep facts, and a chart of cooking methods, times and temperatures for various cuts of lamb.

Luckily the snow held off so driving there and back was fine. Then between last night and today we've gotten about 3 inches of snow, and the temperature is actually going up and will be about 37 tomorrow, so much of it will melt. Then back to the deep freeze, with a couple single digit lows (Thursday night low of 2, brrrrr). At least I am happy that sunset is finally getting later again!

 

[norseofcourse]

Well, we made it through our deep freeze - temps got into the single digits for awhile, and we've had snow, freezing rain, sleet, rain, rising temps, more rain, falling temps, more snow, more freezing rain, sleet, and right now snow again. Only one casualty - put a hammer right through the side of a water bucket. Yeah, I know you're not supposed to hammer on them to break the ice out I've done it before, but either the temps were too low or the bucket was too old. Got it many many years ago at Equine Affaire, a company was giving free buckets to the first 100 people at their booth, so a friend and I got there really early

I have a leg of lamb defrosted and ready to cook today. I am more confident about cooking lamb since I got a meat thermometer. Here's some of the last leg I cooked, took it to just under 150°:

That's a small plate, I didn't have room for the vegetables! The lamb was very tender and juicy, and had a nice mild flavor. I haven't had enough lamb to really compare it against anything, and I've never had strongly flavored lamb or mutton, but I'd say it's pretty good lamb

Temps will be close to single digits again for a few more nights. It'll be nice to have a white Christmas. Then just a couple more months and it'll be spring!

 

[Mike CHS]

That is a pretty plate. We like ours between 140 (for me) and 150 for the lady of the house. One of the best things I ever bought was a digital instant read meat thermometer.