SA Farm's journal

[SA Farm]

Haven’t shared the wool stuff I’ve been doing lately. Chain-plying some Woolfie/EF wool and picking through Kit’s fleece from last year.

Need to get a wiggle on! Sheared Coy yesterday. Four more to go! Lots more wool to play with And my sister said she was gifted some Alpaca wool, so she’s going to give it to me to try out!

Why are the boys always friendlier? Kit’s boy just comes right up begging for pets while Vulpix hides behind her mum

Had the sheep out (it’s spring, this happens more and more lol) and the lambs were playing king of the hill with the haylage bale

Shows that Vulpix is a pretty good size here next to one of Foxy’s triplets - about 3 week age difference.

I was looking at Woolfie’s boy and thinking that he’s freaking huge! DH found my hanging scale today, so I think I’ll try to weigh him soon.
I looked back and found a pic of Woolfie with Dingo shortly after we got him, so he would’ve been around 3 months old.
Woolfie’s ram lamb in the first pic at 1 month old! The difference is even more extreme since Woolfie had been shorn before we got Dingo.

 

[Baymule]

Alpaca wool! And you can mix it with the sheep wool, that will be real soft. What are you going to make?

Playing lambs are so cute!

 

[Bruce]

And my sister said she was gifted some Alpaca wool

I have a lot of it, I'll trade you for some lamb

 

[SA Farm]

Alpaca wool! And you can mix it with the sheep wool, that will be real soft. What are you going to make?

Playing lambs are so cute!

I never know what I might make I’m just going to make yarn and see what happens!

Playing lambs are the best!


Got Foxy sheared this afternoon (pics above from this morning). She was going to get her usual pedicure as well, but she relaxed a bit too much when I put the shears away and I didn’t feel like holding pee legs or trimming pee toes
My shears are dull already. I cleaned them, but they struggled with getting through Foxy’s fleece, so there’s no way they’ll even put a dent Woolfie or Dingo!
Gotta order new blades and look into getting these ones sharpened.

My Foxy lady. I can’t believe how much I love this sheep. She’s my girl. I would keep her as a pet before I’d ever sell her


Oh, quick behavioural question…what does it mean when a lamb squats when you pet it? Just like a submissive thing, I would assume? Coy’s daughter and Kit’s son both do it, so it’s got me curious

 

[Baymule]

No idea on the pet, squat and pee.

Airborn lambs! You got some great pictures!

 

[SA Farm]

They don’t pee, just squat or crouch…it’s just curious since it’s different lambs from different moms. Even different genders.
It’s not a learned behaviour since their moms and siblings don’t do it.
Curious
They both have the sweetest temperaments, so I was thinking it was a submissive behaviour. I remember Woolfie would kind of squat like that when I would handle her udder area when she was a lamb…still does it to a lesser degree when I milk her, so wondering if there’s a correlation for future ease of handling?
Wish I could keep them both to find out if my theory is correct
I’m definitely going to try to get the eweling sold to a pet/milking home. Maybe they’ll be nice enough to let me know how she does

 

[Bruce]

what does it mean when a lamb squats when you pet it

They think they are hens and you are a rooster?

 

[SA Farm]

I keep double-guessing my sheep culling choices.
I don’t think anything is written in stone until it’s done with me lol
Now I’m thinking about keeping Coy’s spotted ram lamb to breed to Vulpix and Woolfie. Vulpix since he’s smaller and should make for an easier lambing for her - especially if she has a single. Plus double the chances of super cute spots
Woolfie because I want a cute ewe lamb from her and think his smaller size would be beneficial to me for ease of handling.

I’m thinking these thoughts because Woolfie knocked me good again today. She’s so big and strong I can barely hold her unless she wants me to…like if I have food or am giving her good brisket scratches lol

I’m rethinking selling Coy too. For now. The deworming I gave her was the garlic recipe that I think Mike posted ages ago.
She was just at the questionable point on the Famancha scale. I also think she had the wormload when I got her because she came from a place that didn’t do rotational grazing. She hasn’t needed it since, so…yeah. Double-guessing and rethinking my options and priorities a little at the moment.
Her uneven fleece could be because of my very questionable shearing skills
I mean, look at her neck


At least Woolfie was good with the lambs today. Finally figured the lambs are all old enough to get away from her, so she joined the free-ranging this afternoon…hence the problem trying to get everyone back in their respective houses without her

Woolfie at the back, Foxy’s trips right behind her looking a little uneven and Kit’s little boy trailing behind.

Vulpix and her brother aren’t nearly as cow-hocked as their mom. Yay


The eye-candy herself

Future Shepherd? Maybe. He loves the sheep and lambs

 

[Baymule]

As your ewes lamb, you get better sheep to pick from. Culling for the betterment of the flock is a hard decision. Sometimes you just gotta have some eye candy!

 

[Bruce]

Clearly he needs a herder's crook!