The things we do for THEIR self-esteem, lol!Love the way a man's chest swells with pride when he is able to do something for his woman.I bat my eyes and fawn over him.
They are so cute!
Put her in a jug, then got on with the feeding. 
. I decided to pull more hay off the roll outside and watch until she calmed down. After moving two more wheelbarrows of hay into the storage jug, I walked over to her causing her to stand up and move away while the lamb slithered out. I cleared the nose and mouth and Ozel started licking the lamb. I walked back into the barn and the mother returned and started nosing at the lamb. It was shaking its head and was alive so I went back to unpeeling hay and filling the hay jug. A the ewes trailed after me so I shut the gate. After another 10 minutes The lamb was up and nursing so I let it have a feed then went over and picked him (yes, another ram lamb) and moved mama and son into the jug and iodined the cord. Her hay and water were already in there so I brought her grain bucket in and tied the bucket to the bars. Then I poured the 40 lb sack of grain into the troughs in the barn and let the sheep back in. I started to go inside BUT about then half a dozen sheep appeared from nowhere and went into the barn. Another 20 minutes of rounding up and moving them into the pen without all the others escaping. Luckiy the rest were making sure that the grain troughs were empty. It is possible that the electric netting is down somewhere. We got extra step in posts at lowes for $2 each. Much cheaper than Premier! 
I ordered 4 tubes of horse wormer as well (on sale), and even with the shipping cost the price only went to $10.49 per bucket so about half of the 12 quart buckets at Atwoods. And they arrived today! 
If anyone else lambs tomorrow I would have been out of grain containers so Yay!
Did you figure out why Ozel was driving in the sheep?Went out today and no new lambs in barn. I fed the rams and horses. Opened the gate to the pasture but the sheep did not want to go out immediately. I started unpeeling hay from the bale to fill the jug feeders and finally they all went out to the far field. I continued going back and forth with loads of hay filing feeders. I heard galloping and saw the hirse galloping acrss the field filowed by Josie. So pretty. Then looked over to see Ozel driving the sheep back to the barn! What?! Scolded Ozel and continued unrolling hay into the wheelbarrow to move into the barn. I want to have plenty inside in case of rain. I lose a jug, but will have hay under cover. The sheep gradually went back out to the far field and I kept peeling hay, packing it into the wheelbarrow and coughing from the dust. The sheep came running back again with Oze driving them! I stssrtd to ye at her then thught abut it and decided she must have a reason. I had seen about 5 or 6 Black Mexican Buzards circling overhead so maybe they had found the ewe's carcass and were coming in t bther the flock. Once the sheep were back inthe barn she sat outside the gate. I was debating calling Erick for advice about this sheepherding/chasing behavior but decided to wait until I went inside. Since we usualy chat for an hur I wanted to be comfortable. LOL I started watering the jugs. This entails pouring water from the full 5 gaalln buckets into other buckets so I can carry them in and top off the ewes' buckets. I noticed a ewe laying by one of the hay rolls in the pen acting suspiciously. Yes she was in labor. I started filling the grain buckets for the jugs, checking on the ewe intermittently. Then I decided to get another jug ready for her. The only empty jugs were the ones in the side barn. One was filled with hay and the ther was n the open side where the rain blows in. I need to put up the tarp to prevent rain and wind before I can use it. Instead I filled a hay feeder and water bucket in one of the jugs in the big barn. The ewe had progressed now to where the head was hanging out and she was still pushing. Ozel was up close and personal but not interfering. After 5 minutes more of no progress, I decided to go check. I could tell that the lamb was pretty large. Just as I got close enough to put a halter on the ewe, she noticed me, jumped up and proceeded to rodeo around the pen with the entire flock in attendance. The lamb was hanging out with one leg out but the other trapped.
FYI: A sheep halter is not made to rope a fleeing ewe. Now I know why cowboy's ropes are so stiff. They need to be stiff to hold the loop open when throwing the rope over the animal's head. The halter rope is soft and just collapsed. I went back into the barn and set up a catch pen by the jugs. Then after unsuccessfully trying to move her into the catch pen, I went and got a scoop of grain. The entire flock proceeded to jostle their way to the trough pushing the catch pen closed at the same time.
My men got home as I was finishing with the sheep. They drove non-stop from california alternating driving with DS1 driving all night and DH all day. The car is unoaded and waiting for me to put everything away. DH noticed a puddle/wet spot under truck and asked what I did to the truck to cause a leak. ???? I drove it once on one of the warmest days. Following DH's instructions I waited forn theOglow plugs to inform me I could start the engine, idled it for 5 minutes to warm up the diesel engine and drove 2 miles to Yantis post office to pick up our mail. Then drove 15 miles to Sulphur Springs to pick up my prescriptions at Walgreen. On the way back I stopped at Atwoods for sheep grain. Backed into the carport so I didn't have to unload immediately. DS1 said it might have lost a freeze plug if it froze. DH is going to take it into the shop tomorrow to check.
My new grain buckets arrived from Valley Vet. I didn't have enough grain buckets for all the jugs (thus having to feed in random buckets and tie them to the bars). I use the Fortiflex hookover buckets. They are the 12 quart size I used to give a vinegar and psyllium mash to the horses. They are actually too large for the amount of grain for the sheep, but are easy to hook on and off the jugs and I already have them. I wanted to get some more of them but the cheapest I found were at Atwoods for $19.95 and I needed another 10. $$$$$$ Even on line the prices were all over the place ranging from $19.95 to $39.95!
However, I found some 8 quart buckets at Valley Vet for $7.49 if you bought 6 or more. 8 quarts was plenty large enough so I ordered 12. My TX Ag was on file so no tax, but the shipping was $38.00!
Tomorrow DS1 and DH said they will remove Moyboy and tractor him to the "sheep graveyard". DH said he thought I had already moved him! Duh! I couldn't move the ewe myself. DSIL2 stopped to move the ewe on his way to Arkansas and Tennessee so when could I have removed him?! I just hope Moyboy doesn't fall apart or explode from decomp when we try to pull him out of the shelter.
Anyway I fed everyone - we were going to have steak but the little BBQ wasn't working properly. Flames were not coming out of the burner but rather from the connection to the on/off for the propane. Decided not to take a chance. We'll have to pick up another tabletop grill tomorrow. I made Cream of Mushroom soup with green onions and mushrooms and biscuits. Take it or leave it Boys! Actually, DS1 offered to drive back into town and pick up fried chicken but I didn't want him to do that after making the long drive home.
So lots to do tomorrow. I need to find some square bales of hay, need more sheep feed next week, have to take the truck to the shop, need to run the electrical lines to the barn and side barn, etc. etc.
At least DH and DS1 are home.
Yes, my calm days of quiet exhaustion are now enlivened by DH wanting to know where something is, and not having his hearing aids he can't hear anything you say unless you stand in front of him and shout. Poor darling. He goes back to the VA next week. Hopefully the hearing aids will be back. I am not who it is hardest on, DH who can't hear, or us who constantly have to get in his face to talk to him.
On the way back Skittles ran past and through the gate into the barnyard. We chased her around the barnyard for a while to get her back into the pasture (Skittles is a wily and cunning horse). When I asked DH why he had left the gate open he said "Because the horses were far away in the pature". I said "I know. That is why I latched the gate because I can't beat Skittles back to an open gate from half an acre away!" I hung the halters up in the tack room and went back to carrying water buckets. In the meantime, half a dozen sheep appeared out of the sheep pasture. DH went to chase them back into the sheep pasture. Every time we thought we got them al back in more appeared! We finally got them all back in the pen after about 20 minutes of effort. I told DH that I thought there was a hole in the fence and he went to check. Came back and got a pallet. Said he found the hole and thought that would fix it temporarily.
I hope you don't mind me laughing, but your escapades tickled me. ThanksYes, my calm days of quiet exhaustion are now enlivened by DH wanting to know where something is, and not having his hearing aids he can't hear anything you say unless you stand in front of him and shout. Poor darling. He goes back to the VA next week. Hopefully the hearing aids will be back. I am not who it is hardest on, DH who can't hear, or us who constantly have to get in his face to talk to him.
Figured out Ozel kept bringing the sheep back to the barn so the ewe would lamb in the barn. Once she lambed the rest of the flock went back out again and Ozel just watched the new mama and lamb. The back field is where predators come from so safer to lamb around the barn area.
BL14 lambed yesterday morning with split twins. Nice, big and healthy. They were up, clean, and eating when I got in the barn. Put them in a jug next to BL16, fed and watered. Peeled off hay to feed the jugs. That dusty hay makes me go into sneezing fits! DH came out and brought the truck to the barn to unload the feed bags. This meant I had to immediately feed the horses, halter them and tie them so he could get through the gates. He unloaded the rest of the feed. I dumped the 13% into a metal barrel, and put the last bag of alfalfa pellets into another barrel. The sweet feed is stacked in the barn for feeding the ewes. Then he took the truck back out through the gates and came back to help water. This meant that he filled the buckets and I carried them into the barn to refill the jug buckets. Then he said "You forgot to untie the horses". I said that I didn't forget, I was going to do it after I finished the grain buckets. I looked over to where I had tied them and they were gone. They were in the pasture trailing their lead ropes. Trudged across the pasture and removed the halters. I had latched the gate but it was standing open. DH had left it open while fetching the hose. I yelled to DH to close the gate but of course, he COULDN'T HEAR ME.
He and DS1 decided they would work on the electric in the barn. The electric feed was already run there to a panel. Brian and DS1 did that last summer. Now DS1 and DH went out to the jugs and checked where to put all the electrical stuff. They sat down and planned it for half an hour. They decided to put in permanent fixtures for the heat lamps. Then we all went to Lowes for a 2 hour inspection of the electrical department. At the end of that time they bought what they thought they would need. And stuff that would be returned later when they change the plan.
FYI: Ridgetop putting in permanent heat lamps guarantees that temeratures in northeast Texas will never drop below 40 degrees from now on. When they instill the barn fans this summer Texas will have balmy summers never exceeding 80 degrees.
More tomorrow on the Ridgetop Electrical Saga.
DH was not imprssed with my methd and did nt oike the fact that yu had to sort ur the pieces of honey locust thorny branches. Also the 2 bales that Payton moved in a week ago are almost gone. DH asked why I did not pull the hay from the rolls on the other side of the barn - just as close and noone was eating them. Now the hay for the pasture sheep was almost gone and we have to get payton to put out more. 
We trekked over to the hay bale storage field on the jug side of the barn. Same distance to transoirt wheebarrows of hay and I won't get stabbed by the Honey Locust branches between the jugs and the hay roll. DS1 had joined us and said he uses hay hooks to unroll the layers. Then they tear off in long strips. I was pulling out handfuls - no wonder it took me 6 hours to do all the chores. DS1 cut open the netting on a bale, DH took the wheelbrrow over and they started filling it. DH wheeled it tome, OI e,ptied the hay into large tubs to walk down the jugs and fil them, he took the wheelbarrow back for a second load. The hay job that used to take me 2 hours took 30 minutes! Love my guys. As long as they are helping like that they can think I am as incompetent as they want! Then DH brught a pallet over to the side barn and DS1 brought 2 bales of alfalfa from the main barn. DS1 wants to feed some alfafa each night to the lactating mamas. 
