purplequeenvt
Herd Master
Are you getting the BL ram from Lydia in DE??
Ohiogoatgirl's Escapades & Adventures- Pulse check! pg14
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- #132
ohiogoatgirl
True BYH Addict
...yes... lol are you in the BL fb group too?
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- #133
ohiogoatgirl
True BYH Addict
Thanks Bruce I'll look in that thread. I've been working on things so the sheep aren't back on an area sooner than 60 days. With the ok to use these other areas and having the netting I am hoping to be able to do that this year. And with the pigs helping clear brushy areas, if I can add those areas next year and get it thinned down to silvopasture and plant forages there... well at 20 breeding ewes by my current estimates I could maybe go April through the end of December only grazing. At least once those areas are growing good forage and being able to stockpile.
purplequeenvt
Herd Master
Yes, I am in that group, but I the reason I was asking is that Lydia is my sister. I read your post this morning and then a couple hours later one of my sisters here in KY said that L was planning a sheep trip to OH that included a stop here with us. Small world!
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- #135
ohiogoatgirl
True BYH Addict
Oh wow! Small world! I was so confused for a moment I was like how would they know that??
Bruce
Herd Master
Are you parents still in VT??
purplequeenvt
Herd Master
For now. My dad is still a few years from retirement, but they’ve got 3 kids (and the only grandbaby) in KY, 1 in DE, and 1 in NC so I have a hard time believing that they’ll stay up north for long.
My oldest sister and her husband are in VT (I’m working to convince them to move down here too). My youngest brother (he’s 19 today!) lives with my parents and isn’t likely to ever live completely independently.
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- #138
ohiogoatgirl
True BYH Addict
Sold 8 cull ewes today. Cheap but I'm not complaining. Better to get something from them. Lost one, who was to be culled anyways. She just went downhill since she lambed. I wormed the lambs and most of the ewe with valbazen. They are in the same paddock fed round bales. I have rotated them where I can get them easily. The farther areas have to wait until I can build the mobile shelter.
And I'm worried about the electric net being enough deterrent for coyotes. My dad saw one at the crest of the hill just above one of the fields I'm going to run the sheep. *sigh* Also not far from the permanent fence where the sheep are now.
10 days until the trade with the neighbor. Then I'll have: 8 proven ewes. 6 ewe lamb keepers. 2 ram lamb keepers. 6 grow out meat lambs. 2 doe kids. 1 ram staying. 3 rams going. ...and later on the BL ram lamb.
I was planning on taking the 3 rams to auction. I'm wondering if it would be worth processing them. Too warm and too much going on for us to do it. Figure they're about-ish 60, 70, 80 #.. 210# minus say 60% because they aren't great.. 84# meat
20# hot dogs (+$30).. 64# ground lamb..
processing $80 x3... +30 .. $270
That's $3.22/# ...hm.....
And I'm worried about the electric net being enough deterrent for coyotes. My dad saw one at the crest of the hill just above one of the fields I'm going to run the sheep. *sigh* Also not far from the permanent fence where the sheep are now.
10 days until the trade with the neighbor. Then I'll have: 8 proven ewes. 6 ewe lamb keepers. 2 ram lamb keepers. 6 grow out meat lambs. 2 doe kids. 1 ram staying. 3 rams going. ...and later on the BL ram lamb.
I was planning on taking the 3 rams to auction. I'm wondering if it would be worth processing them. Too warm and too much going on for us to do it. Figure they're about-ish 60, 70, 80 #.. 210# minus say 60% because they aren't great.. 84# meat
20# hot dogs (+$30).. 64# ground lamb..
processing $80 x3... +30 .. $270
That's $3.22/# ...hm.....
- Thread starter
- #139
ohiogoatgirl
True BYH Addict
It's been a year. Wow. I've come back several times and started to make this post and got overwhelmed. It's been busy. Or at least it's felt busy and that's enough sometimes.
In July last year I bought a mini cheviot ram lamb from a friend. He is a short solid guy and at 99 days weighed 66.8# and had never had any grain, just on grass and hay. I ended up keeping back one ram lamb from my ewes that looked promising. Ended up I'm glad I did because I lost the other rams. Long story I won't go into but I lost the other two rams. So breeding went a little different than I'd been planning. I put both rams with all the ewes. I used CIDRs on the proven ewes.
I had bred for March lambs. A while after separating the rams I noticed that the rams and several ewes were very into each other at the fence line. Figuring it was just a few of the ewe lambs I went ahead and put the rams in again. Fast forward to March. Two ram lambs born. Waiting for the whole month and right in the last days 99 lambs early in the morning. The lamb was all cleaned off. Except a big goober from the eyes to the nose. Dead. I was beyond perturbed. I think that is the same thing that happened the lambing when I first brought in all those shetlands. I was also more mad because it had to have been born within about an hour before I got out there. Last year I was outside working on things and was there when she lambed and that ewe lamb is the only live offspring. I don't think that was a coincidence. So she went to the auction. I used it as an opportunity to get a look at the big mt hope auction. Was really cool. Much much better than the little local auction barn.
The remaining 17 ewes and ewe lambs are due starting May 11. I was really mad at myself for putting in the rams a second time, I didn't want to do lambing twice. Well, now I'm darn glad I did! Certainly wasn't the plan but at least the weather will be nice. I'm working on being able to be in the canvas tent by then. Will make it easier.
I talked to someone in the spinners and weavers guild who has a commercial flock (about 300 ewes) about her sheep and all. I was working out buying a ram from them. After talking to her at the last guild meeting she got back to me with a terrific price on bottle lambs. I'm SOOOOOOO excited about this! I won't go into too much until I go out there and bring home the lambs. I'm working out a spot in the barn for them.
What I will say is that these sheep and the mini cheviot is the direction the flock is going. I'm writing multiple versions out to look at my options. As of right now the best simplest option seems to be using the commercial rams on the proven ewes. The retained ewe lambs will go to be bred by the mini cheviot ram. Then after their first year I can further cull if needed and the now proven ewes will go to the 'main' flock and bred by the commercial rams. I'm waiting to see about the ram lambs this year to keep one for breeding with Chonk. I have several ewes now that are part cheviot so I should have some options of more than half cheviot lambs.
In non-sheep news, I have 26 freedom rangers and 44 assorted brown egg breeds brooding in the house currently. Hatched the last few days of March. I'm ready for them to be moving outside. I have a breeding plan but I'll spare y'all the rambling. I'm waiting to decide on them until they get bigger and I can start to figure out which are what breeds, and which are roos/hens. I'll probably end up with a flock of alot of egg hens and certain hens that I'll be collecting eggs for hatching for the breeding project. Possibly two flocks but that means a second setup so we shall see. I'm building a chickshaw and a Salatin style broiler pen and ordering some chicken netting.
In July last year I bought a mini cheviot ram lamb from a friend. He is a short solid guy and at 99 days weighed 66.8# and had never had any grain, just on grass and hay. I ended up keeping back one ram lamb from my ewes that looked promising. Ended up I'm glad I did because I lost the other rams. Long story I won't go into but I lost the other two rams. So breeding went a little different than I'd been planning. I put both rams with all the ewes. I used CIDRs on the proven ewes.
I had bred for March lambs. A while after separating the rams I noticed that the rams and several ewes were very into each other at the fence line. Figuring it was just a few of the ewe lambs I went ahead and put the rams in again. Fast forward to March. Two ram lambs born. Waiting for the whole month and right in the last days 99 lambs early in the morning. The lamb was all cleaned off. Except a big goober from the eyes to the nose. Dead. I was beyond perturbed. I think that is the same thing that happened the lambing when I first brought in all those shetlands. I was also more mad because it had to have been born within about an hour before I got out there. Last year I was outside working on things and was there when she lambed and that ewe lamb is the only live offspring. I don't think that was a coincidence. So she went to the auction. I used it as an opportunity to get a look at the big mt hope auction. Was really cool. Much much better than the little local auction barn.
The remaining 17 ewes and ewe lambs are due starting May 11. I was really mad at myself for putting in the rams a second time, I didn't want to do lambing twice. Well, now I'm darn glad I did! Certainly wasn't the plan but at least the weather will be nice. I'm working on being able to be in the canvas tent by then. Will make it easier.
I talked to someone in the spinners and weavers guild who has a commercial flock (about 300 ewes) about her sheep and all. I was working out buying a ram from them. After talking to her at the last guild meeting she got back to me with a terrific price on bottle lambs. I'm SOOOOOOO excited about this! I won't go into too much until I go out there and bring home the lambs. I'm working out a spot in the barn for them.
What I will say is that these sheep and the mini cheviot is the direction the flock is going. I'm writing multiple versions out to look at my options. As of right now the best simplest option seems to be using the commercial rams on the proven ewes. The retained ewe lambs will go to be bred by the mini cheviot ram. Then after their first year I can further cull if needed and the now proven ewes will go to the 'main' flock and bred by the commercial rams. I'm waiting to see about the ram lambs this year to keep one for breeding with Chonk. I have several ewes now that are part cheviot so I should have some options of more than half cheviot lambs.
In non-sheep news, I have 26 freedom rangers and 44 assorted brown egg breeds brooding in the house currently. Hatched the last few days of March. I'm ready for them to be moving outside. I have a breeding plan but I'll spare y'all the rambling. I'm waiting to decide on them until they get bigger and I can start to figure out which are what breeds, and which are roos/hens. I'll probably end up with a flock of alot of egg hens and certain hens that I'll be collecting eggs for hatching for the breeding project. Possibly two flocks but that means a second setup so we shall see. I'm building a chickshaw and a Salatin style broiler pen and ordering some chicken netting.
Baymule
Herd Master
I enjoyed reading your journal, how have I missed this? I raise hair sheep. There is a spinners guild in the county next to the one we live in, but I have not investigated it. I’m afraid I’d jump into wool sheep and have to learn to shear, spin, knit and crochet. LOL I’ll just content myself by reading about others wool sheep.
Post more often, a year is waaaay too long to stay away!
Post more often, a year is waaaay too long to stay away!
