SheepGirl's 2016 Lambing Thread

[SheepGirl]

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!

Check out my lambing journals from past years: 2012 (2 ewes) | 2013 (3 ewes) | 2014 (6 ewes) | 2015 (8 ewes)

FLOCK SIRE

We are using a homebred ram for this year's lambs. He is related to all of the ewes, so all of the lambs will be terminally marketed next year. We may keep back a few select ewe lambs, but they would have to be very exceptional.

Odysseus, born February 2014
1/2 Texel x 1/4 Montadale x 1/4 Babydoll Southdown

MATURE EWES

#44 - Ciqala, born May 2006
1/2 Babydoll Southdown x 1/2 Montadale
Lambing Record: 1-2-2-2-3-3-1 | Lambs Expected: 1-2
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/16

#73 - Valentine, born March 2009
3/4 Babydoll Southdown x 1/4 Montadale
Lambing Record: 1-2-1-2-2 | Lambs Expected: 2
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/16

#09 - Lady Gaga, born May 2012 **FOR SALE**
3/4 Babydoll Southdown x 1/4 Montadale
Lambing Record: 1-2 | Lambs Expected: 2
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/16

#10 - Katy Perry, born May 2012
3/4 Babydoll Southdown x 1/4 Montadale
Lambing Record: 1-2-1 | Lambs Expected: 2
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/16

#13 - Rosalie, born March 2013
1/2 Texel x 3/8 Babydoll Southdown x 1/8 Montadale
Lambing Record: 1-1 | Lambs Expected: 2
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/16

#15 - Bella, born March 2013
1/2 Texel x 1/4 Babydoll Southdown x 1/4 Montadale
Lambing Record: 1-2 | Lambs Expected: 2
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/16

YEARLING EWES

#19 - Phoibe, born February 2014
1/2 Texel x 1/4 Babydoll Southdown x 1/4 Montadale
Lambs Expected: 2
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/16

#25 - Elektra, born March 2014
1/2 Texel x 3/8 Babydoll Southdown x 1/8 Montadale
Lambs Expected: 2
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/16

"Chevy," born March 2014
Border Cheviot
Lambs Expected: 1
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/16

EWE LAMBS

#28 - Pansy, born February 2015
1/4 Finn x 1/4 Dorset x 1/4 Texel x 1/8 Babydoll Southdown x 1/8 Montadale
Lambs Expected: 1
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/15

#29 - Poppy, born February 2015
1/4 Finn x 1/4 Dorset x 1/4 Texel x 1/8 Babydoll Southdown x 1/8 Montadale
Lambs Expected: 1
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/15

#30 - Hyacinth, born February 2015
1/4 Finn x 1/4 Dorset x 1/4 Texel x 3/16 Babydoll Southdown x 1/16 Montadale
Lambs Expected: 1
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/15

#31 - Dahlia, born February 2015
1/4 Finn x 1/4 Dorset x 1/4 Babydoll Southdown x 1/4 Montadale
Lambs Expected: 1
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/15

#33 - Daisy, born March 2015 **FOR SALE**
1/4 Finn x 1/4 Dorset x 3/8 Babydoll Southdown x 1/8 Montadale
Lambs Expected: 1
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/15

#34 - Petunia, born March 2015 **FOR SALE**
1/4 Finn x 1/4 Dorset x 3/8 Babydoll Southdown x 1/8 Montadale
Lambs Expected: 1
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/15

#36 - Ivy, born March 2015
1/4 Finn x 1/4 Dorset x 3/8 Babydoll Southdown x 1/8 Montadale
Lambs Expected: 1
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/15

#37 - Clover, born March 2015
1/4 Finn x 1/4 Dorset x 1/4 Texel x 1/8 Babydoll Southdown x 1/8 Montadale
Lambs Expected: 1
DATE BRED: xx/xx/15 | DATE DUE: xx/xx/15


~~ You can go to www.sheepandchicken.com for more information ~~

 

[promiseacres]

Is it that time already?

 

[Poka_Doodle]

I look forward to watching this thread as a livestock lover myself

 

[SheepGirl]

We have some ewes who have been bred already:

9/15 - Bella
9/16 - #33
9/17 - Katy Perry
9/22 - Ali
9/25 - Rosie

Which means lambing season starts February 9!

 

[SheepGirl]

9/28 - #28
9/29 - Bella

 

[SheepGirl]

Had an anonymous call into animal control about my sheep and goat being neglected. They said the caller had stated we had too many animals in an area and they had inadequate shelter as well as no access to food or water.

1. There are 19 animals on 1.5 acres. No that amount is not ideal for GRAZING the animals (especially as we approach the fall), BUT that is not what I am doing. I am feeding them hay, especially since the grass is eaten all the way down (that was my goal; when we had the sheep on the dry lot under the deck, the grass grew back thicker and greener, which is what I want the grass to come back like next year when I have a greater demand for it). So the space they have is more than enough. The ACO checked this part as okay.

2. We just had a barn built less than a year ago. 20x32. We have more boards put on now that the last picture of the barn I have posted on one of my threads. And they want to complain about it?! I've sat in there in snow storms, heavy thunderstorms, etc, and I have come out dry and unaffected by the weather (albeit a little cold sometimes).

3. No access to food? How about all the hay in the barn? How about the half used bin of feed I mixed up? The ACO did state that due to the pasture being short, if there had not been hay in the barn, we would've been cited. And all of the sheep are in good condition, except for Ciqala and Ali, who are always a little thin. (I wasn't home when she came by, but I would've asked her if straw in the barn would've been okay too--many sheep resources cite feeding straw along with grain.)

4. No access to water either? How about three buckets full! We have two of large blue heated water buckets (the largest ones you can buy) as well as a 40 (or is it 70?) gallon water tank.

The ACO said it was one of the cleanest and most organized places they've been to and she said it she saw no reason why she had to come out. The sheep looked healthy, and she had walked around the place before she came to knock on the door and she lifted up the lids on the feed buckets and saw grain in them. I know they are allowed to do that but her just walking around willy nilly like nothing--who knows if she went to another farm with her shoes? If ours is the cleanest, how bad are the others that she goes out to? What if she brought a disease to my flock by walking around their barnyard? Like I said, I wasn't home (I spent the night at my cousin's because I went to a Drs appt with her the morning they arrived), so I don't know if she put on protective boots or not.

She said due to the fact you can't see the sheep from the road, it would've had to been someone who came up the driveway. We are thinking it's our neighbor (or one of their visitors; they put in a modular home so they have people coming up all of the time) because we don't really get along with them. Either way, whoever reported it needs to get their facts straight before wasting tax dollars on things that don't even matter. If they had a problem with the way the animals were, they could've knocked on the door and even pretended to buy a lamb so they could get more info before making a judgement on whether to call AC or not. I would've been more than happy to show them around and let them look at my records. But now that this has happened, I am going to make feed inventory forms, animal inventory forms, and water cleaning records to document how I care for the animals; feed inventory on a weekly basis to document that I am using the feed (read: sheep are being fed), animal inventory on a monthly basis to document that there aren't millions of sheep on the land, and water cleaning records (much like the bathroom cleaning records you see on the door at Walmart) to show that their water buckets are being scrubbed AT LEAST once weekly. (I usually do it Tuesdays and Fridays.)

And five more ewes are bred, I just have to check my phone to get dates on them.

 

[Ferguson K]

I feel your pain! We had a bad neighbor that called AC and complained my guineas were keeping him up at night.

I reiterate. At night.

 

[goatgurl]

i just don't understand people. what have they to gain except the satisfaction of harassing you.

 

[promiseacres]

pain in the butt neighbors

to you sheep girl, glad it worked out, hopefully the ACO takes good notes and no more wasted time.

 

[OneFineAcre]

That's awful what happened
Glad all turned out ok for you
I know you take good care of your animals