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- #3,671
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Putting him down was my first thought when he was so crippled up. But BYHers wanted me to take him to Texas to retire. He is the best natured of the rams, the easiest to handle and DS1's favorite. Add to that that he is my best sire . . . 
But I would hate for him to have a problem in the trailer while travelling and go down. DS1 is really bummed about his condition. DH suggested sending him to the auction but I hate to do that since he is not in what I would consider the sort of condition I like sell my sheep - even at the stockyard where the others are all sickly looking. I have seen a lot worse looking rams in the auction pens! I don't have to make up my mind yet. I will wait and see if he sired any lambs this year, and if he gets better without being in with the ewes. I might see if the vet has some Banamine or something that might help him. Last stop would be the needle to give him an easy passing.
Got a text from Bob May, the shipper - he will call me next week about everything including costs. I wonder if I can get insurance on the load for replacement cost of the ewes, rams, and horses. The lambs would not be valued at more than meat prices. Still, it would be a hefty cost to replace them all. I will check with him when he calls. His trailer is a 32' aluminum stock transport. Not sure if it is double decker or has plenty of air flow. Will have to cover that with him. He hauls across the country
for all the big breeders, shows, and show people. He has an excellent reputation. DH says if we open both gates on the driveway he can get through to the field to turn around.
We will build a ramp with wings and set up the portable panels to run the sheep in a few at a time. By using the paint brands we can mark the lambs with their mothers' tag #s. I will get a couple sample jars of paint to match the color of their tags. The paint brands will also make it easier to identify the sheep with the health paperwork at any livestock checks at the border. The dogs will travel with us.
After weeks of tossing and turning, I took an Ativan last night and had the first night of uninterrupted sleep I have had in weeks! I am not sure if it was the tranquilizer or having decided on using the hauler instead of trying to work out the multiple trips back and forth with different trailers, who would have to stay with animals and who would stay in CA to load. Just realized that the headache I have had to weeks is gone too. Don't regret buying big gooseneck trailer. It has allowed us to haul twice as much stuff in one load. The fully contained over the nose storage bin is waterproof. We packed it with furniture and boxes then it sat for a month during tremendous storms and nothing even got damp. DH and DS1 both said it pulled like a dream too. So good buy after all.
DH and I will load as much as possible into the 5th wheel and take that back. Then we will spend a week or so setting up more pens. We need one for the celibate rams and another for a breeding pen, both with shelters. We have a lot of 5' high corral panels so will use them as walls for 3 sided shelters. Then we will put tops on - we have several corral cover frames without any roofing panels on them which we can lift ourselves. Once the sides are up with the frames on top, we can attach galvanized or fiberglass panels making a shelter 8'x12' for the pens and 12'x 16' for field shelters. They will only be 5' high but that is enough for a sheep shelter. And they will be "portable shelters" since the corral panels can be removed and the roof is only held on with corral clamps. Since the sheep will probably only use them for rain shelters, we might not need to use a heat barrier on them. There are plenty of trees and bushes for shade. I will save the heat barrier for the barn, shed, attic, and any permanent buildings..
DH has to run a water line from the well to the barn, and electric lines to the barn from the house. He'll dig the ditches with a ditch witch and cover them with Baby 'Bota. If we lived closer we could have been doing all these things before moving, but it will get done.
The freshly tiled and cleaned garden space (Jeremy hauled lots of junk, trees, wood, and concrete out then before tilling it and leveling it) is now a nice pasture space LOL. DH said we will put temp fence across it and put the sheep in to eat the grass down before he tills it under. I told him to consider it as "cover crop" instead of crying about the weeds. LOL
But I would hate for him to have a problem in the trailer while travelling and go down. DS1 is really bummed about his condition. DH suggested sending him to the auction but I hate to do that since he is not in what I would consider the sort of condition I like sell my sheep - even at the stockyard where the others are all sickly looking. I have seen a lot worse looking rams in the auction pens! I don't have to make up my mind yet. I will wait and see if he sired any lambs this year, and if he gets better without being in with the ewes. I might see if the vet has some Banamine or something that might help him. Last stop would be the needle to give him an easy passing. Got a text from Bob May, the shipper - he will call me next week about everything including costs. I wonder if I can get insurance on the load for replacement cost of the ewes, rams, and horses. The lambs would not be valued at more than meat prices. Still, it would be a hefty cost to replace them all. I will check with him when he calls. His trailer is a 32' aluminum stock transport. Not sure if it is double decker or has plenty of air flow. Will have to cover that with him. He hauls across the country
for all the big breeders, shows, and show people. He has an excellent reputation. DH says if we open both gates on the driveway he can get through to the field to turn around.
We will build a ramp with wings and set up the portable panels to run the sheep in a few at a time. By using the paint brands we can mark the lambs with their mothers' tag #s. I will get a couple sample jars of paint to match the color of their tags. The paint brands will also make it easier to identify the sheep with the health paperwork at any livestock checks at the border. The dogs will travel with us.
After weeks of tossing and turning, I took an Ativan last night and had the first night of uninterrupted sleep I have had in weeks! I am not sure if it was the tranquilizer or having decided on using the hauler instead of trying to work out the multiple trips back and forth with different trailers, who would have to stay with animals and who would stay in CA to load. Just realized that the headache I have had to weeks is gone too.
Don't regret buying big gooseneck trailer. It has allowed us to haul twice as much stuff in one load. The fully contained over the nose storage bin is waterproof. We packed it with furniture and boxes then it sat for a month during tremendous storms and nothing even got damp. DH and DS1 both said it pulled like a dream too. So good buy after all. DH and I will load as much as possible into the 5th wheel and take that back. Then we will spend a week or so setting up more pens. We need one for the celibate rams and another for a breeding pen, both with shelters. We have a lot of 5' high corral panels so will use them as walls for 3 sided shelters. Then we will put tops on - we have several corral cover frames without any roofing panels on them which we can lift ourselves. Once the sides are up with the frames on top, we can attach galvanized or fiberglass panels making a shelter 8'x12' for the pens and 12'x 16' for field shelters. They will only be 5' high but that is enough for a sheep shelter. And they will be "portable shelters" since the corral panels can be removed and the roof is only held on with corral clamps. Since the sheep will probably only use them for rain shelters, we might not need to use a heat barrier on them. There are plenty of trees and bushes for shade. I will save the heat barrier for the barn, shed, attic, and any permanent buildings..
DH has to run a water line from the well to the barn, and electric lines to the barn from the house. He'll dig the ditches with a ditch witch and cover them with Baby 'Bota. If we lived closer we could have been doing all these things before moving, but it will get done.
The freshly tiled and cleaned garden space (Jeremy hauled lots of junk, trees, wood, and concrete out then before tilling it and leveling it) is now a nice pasture space LOL. DH said we will put temp fence across it and put the sheep in to eat the grass down before he tills it under. I told him to consider it as "cover crop" instead of crying about the weeds. LOL
But maybe a condo by the beach or on a lake in Texas would be nice. 
. What's that?
I couldn't figure out how to blend those two emojis to have the running figure wearing a beard and carrying a cane! We are ready to file after having them gone over by our accountant. Right after our tax appointment we will leave for Texas again. I am starting to load boxes and stuff in the 5th wheel now and DH is having new tires put on it since it has been sitting for 2 years or so. This will be almost our last trip to Yantis before the final move. 
and set up corral panels. As soon as the family leaves, we head back to California with the trailer. We need to be in town for the vet on March 16 for the vet visit, blood tests, and health certificates. One week for the results to come back, get the health certs and transit docs. DH has found the $$ to pay for shipping the sheep and horses back to Texas. The week of April 23-24 Bob May will come out, load the sheep and horses, and head to Yantis. We will load up the dogs and follow him.
