SheepGirl's 2013 Lambing Thread - Update - July 2013

[SheepGirl]

Today would've been 17 days since Katy Perry was bred. I replaced Hank's green crayon yesterday with a blue one and when I went out to feed today, Hank wasn't interested in her nor did she have any blue on her. So I think she might be bred!

 

[SheepGirl]

Here's Miss Ali - she's due 3/3

Ciqala - she's due 3/9, but I think she'll have her lambs on 3/8. But she is very photogenic. She will stand in front of me for a half hour posing for pictures. I don't even have to have any feed. She just sees me with my red camera, she comes up to me, I sit down on the ground, and she just stays there, looking off into every direction looking dramatic. She's so great!

Babies aren't babies any more I go out to feed them and I'm just in awe of how tall they've gotten over the past couple of days. It is visually noticeable. They are finally building frame! lol

Hanky

Okay...I like big butts and I cannot lie. Hank's leg muscles are huge. I'm in love with Texels! <3 They are so muscular. And Hank is pretty well behaved for the most part. He's only attempted to ram into me 2 or 3 times. Once was when I had the santa antlers on him and he was getting annoyed with them being on his head. Another time is when he was learned that he does not get any of the lamb's feed. I can also control him by holding onto his harness. And before he had his harness on, you could scratch his brisket and he would stay completely still and he would start falling asleep. I saw that in a sheep show once so I figured I would try it out with Hank. Apparently it causes hypnotic symptoms with sheep! How cool is that?!

 

[greenbean]

Everyone looks great! I can't wait to see babies!

 

[SheepGirl]

Thanks! I can't wait to see how the lambs turn out, too.

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The pasture is getting run down fast. I've been feeding 2-3 lbs of hay to the flock each day, but they still don't finish it and instead they go out and graze what little grass is left. I'm tempted to put a fence around their shelter & water, keep the ewes in there, and just keep Hank out on pasture. That way the pasture won't be ruined and turned into a muddy mess and also so I can feed my sheep carefully in late gestation through early lactation. If I pen them up now, I probably won't let them back out until mid to late March.

But before I do that I have to build a shelter for Hank. All I would need is 2 pieces of plywood and six 2x4s. Plus nails and screws. I figure it would cost no more than $40 or $50. Maybe my mom & I can build it this weekend and I can hurry up and put T-posts in the ground while it's still saturated and not frozen. Then I need to either get some more wire or zip ties to attach fencing onto it. Or maybe I will just use those step in posts and get a small roll of 3' tall fencing from the feed store so I won't use up the good left over fencing from when we put up the fence in August.

Sorry just kind of thinking out loud here!

 

[Royd Wood]

Everyone looks great! I can't wait to see babies!

Yes they do look great and whats this about pasture - lucky you sheepgirl getting thus far - mine went 6 weeks ago

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

We still have green pasture here. Well not me here but several cattle pastures are still green.

 

[Southern by choice]

I always love pictures of your sheep! You really have it together sheepgirl! Funny how your one ewe poses for the camera.
Your sheep sure do love you!

 

[SheepGirl]

Everyone looks great! I can't wait to see babies!

Yes they do look great and whats this about pasture - lucky you sheepgirl getting thus far - mine went 6 weeks ago

Last year there were 9 sheep on 18 acres. This year I have 5 sheep on 2 acres. This is what the grass looked like back in I think February. It didn't start getting low until early March, but it was only like that for a week or two before thing started growing again.

While there probably isn't much nutrition in it (it's brown not green), the sheep came out of winter fat as hogs. I was hoping to try to do that as much as possible this year, but I guess my stocking rate is too high for winter pasturing.

And thanks SBC I like to think they love me too. But really it's probably just they love me feeding them!

 

[bonbean01]

Always love photos of your cuddly sheepies

And yes...they do grow so quickly!!!! Even our first lamb that will be 2 weeks old tomorrow looks like he's doubled in size already...and first ewe lamb born 6 days ago is already bigger!

 

[SheepGirl]

I love lambing season. Back at my neighbor's farm it was always so nice putting the ewes in the pen with their newborn lambs one afternoon or evening, and then going down the next morning checking on them. It would be chilly, probably in the 50s or 60s, the sun rising and shining into the barn, the musty smell of straw & hay, the birds flying in and chirping in the rafters, the lambs looking for their mother's teat, the soft bleating of the ewes, and touching their wool which was cold to the touch. I'm going to miss that! It was always so pretty & I could spend hours there. One of my favorite times of year. Other than shearing day. This year I won't have birds chirping when I tend to my lambs--there are no rafters in my 4' tall 'barn' ! lol