Quick and easy cattle panel hoola-hoop house

[soarwitheagles]

Thank you for the kudos and celebrating with us! Sure feels nice to have found the lost lamb...

Jan, thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience. I never realized that the ewe may accept the larger and more aggressive lamb and shun the little guy...but that is exactly what appears to have just occurred. In the future, we will do our best to monitor the birthing processes and the immediate aftermath much more closely. Then we can take the appropriate action that is required.

Dang, this has been like an emotional roller coaster ride!

Ok, let's not forget the end of the story....

And they lived happily ever after!​

PS I still think they look more like a skunk than a sheep!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

 

[farmerjan]

What is the ewe crossed with? She is not all dorper. And I can't remember where you are but it sure is green there and a garden already??? Wow.

 

[babsbag]

The lambs are adorable and so glad that it was found. It is a horrible feeling when one is missing, been there, only to find them tucked away safe and sound.

I always put my goats in a kidding stall, not so much for birthing in a safe place but it helps with the bonding.

Nice to see some sunshine today.

 

[Latestarter]

They look like drowned skunks at that... Look at how green you are there... Sorry for all the water. Glad the lamb is well/found/bonded now.

 

[soarwitheagles]

What is the ewe crossed with? She is not all dorper. And I can't remember where you are but it sure is green there and a garden already??? Wow.

Jan, you sure are good with sheep! Ok, I thought the mama was all Dorper, but, as mentioned before, I purchased both Dorpers a little over a year ago at a local auction for $60-$75 per lamb. Both Dorpers were approximately 8 weeks old when I purchased them. The Katahdin lamb that I purchased with the Dorpers died within 4 days from pneumonia. If I had to do it all over again, I would have hit all three lambs with antibiotics before even taking them home, then, I would have quarantined them for 30-60 days.

Please let me know if you have any ideas on what these "Dorper like" sheep are! Who knows, maybe that is why they were selling for so cheap. Other Dorpers at that time were selling for $55 if you bought 10 at a time. A few months ago I watched as 19 pregnant Dorpers were sold for $37.50 each.

The father of these black lambs birthed by the ewe Dorper was a full grown American Blackbelly. So I would say they are a Dorper/AB cross...but now I am not sure what other percentages are involved. When I finally sell the lambs, I may title the ad as "Heinz 57."

Regarding our location, we are in central valley California. And yes, here we grow gardens all year round. During the winters we focus mainly on various kales and swiss chards, but many people also grow brussel sprouts, cabbages, lettuces, etc. all winter long. This year, we planted over 1,000 fava bean plants in October/November as an experiment. We hope to successfully make some sheep silage with the fava bean plants and beans. The fava beans should be ready to harvest in April. The nice thing about growing them here in fall/winter is there is zero water costs...and we find that really, really nice. Free silage and free fava beans galore for us to eat! If we succeed with this crop of fava beans, we hope to plant some acres of it next fall.

The lambs are adorable and so glad that it was found. It is a horrible feeling when one is missing, been there, only to find them tucked away safe and sound.

I always put my goats in a kidding stall, not so much for birthing in a safe place but it helps with the bonding.

Nice to see some sunshine today.

Thanks babs! Guess what? Bees are working like crazy today...I was concerned we would have some swarms [the activity was off the chart], but, so far, all is well.

They look like drowned skunks at that... Look at how green you are there... Sorry for all the water. Glad the lamb is well/found/bonded now.

Thank you LS...yes, we have had all green since October...that is when the rain began...so this has been an incredibly luscious fall and winter for the sheep...hope they do not become spoiled!

 

[soarwitheagles]

Wow, this just happened a few miles north of us. My wife and I both drive Highway 99 every day.

Our soil here in northern California is super saturated. People can no longer pretend everything is "normal" and life goes on as usual. Super saturated soil is a major game changer...as the video shows...

http://www.kcra.com/article/freight-train-derails-near-elk-grove/8729535