SheepGirl's Journal - Photos of the sheep 4/25

[SheepGirl]

You gotta get 2 goats........ Then one will be pregnant because she will INSIST on getting that GORGEOUS doe!

Soon you'll have 2 herds- One goat one sheep

Glad you got an extra $10 !

Actually, IDK where I got that $10 from...don't know what kinda math I was doin' lol. I really got $88.50 more than I wanted

Okay I seriously stink at math. I went back to the original post and edited it with the correct math. I actually got about $30 more than I wanted. I hope that's right...somebody double check my math lol

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SHK - Sheep tend to sell between $50 and $90/cwt here in late Aug. Lamb prices were down this week--most getting $120-$135/cwt. Goats sell by the head here and prices ranged from $20 to $130. I didn't stay for the cattle auction so IDK what they went for this week. We left in the middle of the feeder pig sale. I wish I would've brought my sheep about a month ago--prices were $20-$50 higher for sheep. The past two years the highest price I've seen for lambs is $270/cwt. It made me wish I had lambs to sell!! lol. I hope the prices rise in the spring when I go to sell lambs.

BrownSheep - hahahahaha. I noticed prices were down lately too. Like I said to SHK, makes me wish I would've brought them a month ago when prices were high and I was still really mad at Billy!

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

haha Even better you got more, eh?

Most of the sheep that sell here are older and larger sheep. They get about 50-150$ per head. Some smaller but a few go to 180$. Goats go about the same but with the kids and younger goats for as low as 30$ but most is between 65-180$ and some nicer ones 200$. Cow vary so much. You have some that is sold by weight and some with their calves. It ranges alot in the cattle. Most of the bulls here get penned together and some in chutes if they are problem bulls. But this one bull a few weeks ago was an EASY 2000 pounds!! He was alone in a large pen. He was huge. Auctions are so fun.

 

[autumnprairie]

on your sale

 

[SheepGirl]

I gave the sheep I think 5 lbs of hay last night and when I went out this morning they barely touched it :/ So I caught Ali, brought her out of the pens (you should've heard Ciqala...I sware she has abandonment issues or something with the way she reacts when sheep leave her presence lol), trimmed her hooves, and stuck them in a zinc sulfate solution to clean/sanitize them. I led her out to the pasture and she went to town lol. Then I got Ciqala. I had to herd her into Billy's old pen and corner her so I can slip a halter on her too. I got her hooves trimmed and I also put her in a foot bath and stuck her out on pasture. The lambs were soo loud. So then I got Lady Gaga and I put her in the footbath and led her out to pasture. Then I got Katy Perry and did the same. I didn't trim the lamb's hooves because they didn't need it and I'm 'saving' it for October when I bring them to my 4-H meeting for my presentation... "How to Trim Sheep Hooves."

So all the sheep were out on pasture now and I walked behind them encouraging them to move for about an hour or so. You should've seen their reaction when they saw their old barn! They were baaing and trying to get through the fence so I shoo'd them away. But they were speed eating but when it started getting hot out they slowwwed wayy down and they kept wanting to go back in the pens because it's all shady there They were breathing heavily and Ciqala was on the verge of panting. I was just kind of like....seriously girls? Go find a tree and park your butt in the shade lol. So I caught Ali by her leg and I slipped a halter on her and I walked her down to where the boulder/trench is...and all the other sheep followed. So I sat there for about an hour with them so they get the idea that it is shade for them.

I also built a one-sided shack for them as their shelter--I will have to get pics...it looks really bad lol. I don't know when we're building our barn so it will have to do for now. But right now they are down near the tree and the brush pile laying down in the shade (where I 'showed' them), so that's good. The lambs are having fun nibbling on the roots and vines down there. But then they realize they have a hard time chewing it so they give up for a couple minutes and then go back to it haha.

 

[jodief100]

WOW! I guess I am very lucky to have a graded goat and sheep auction near me. Those prices are way lower than what I normally get. Goats range from $1.60/lb to $2.50/lb depending on grade and time of year. I am not sure about sheep. There are 3 buyers that are there every month, one trucks all he buys to New Holland, one to Chicago and one to New Jersey so they can pay premium.

 

[Bridgemoof]

Aww Sheepgirl, I'm so happy your girls are finally out in their pasture. They'll get the hang of it right away, and the shade thing too. What are you doing for water out there for them? Do you have to fill a trough for them? I'm debating if I should get a heater for my trough in the winter.

I can't wait to see the pics of them out there. They will love it.

 

[SheepGirl]

Here are some pictures

The redneck cage extension - the plywood and 2x4s are scrap from us building our sheds. the wood came from the post delivery. so everything was free

I put some straw in there.

Here are the boys in the cage

okay... now some pics of my ewes out on pasture!

Ciqala

Gettin' a drink. I have to put the pink bucket out there because the lambs are too short to drink out of the blue bucket. So I just dip the pink bucket in the blue bucket to fill it up and then the blue bucket fills up because it's got an automatic waterer on it. I would just have the pink bucket available, but the automatic waterer doesn't fit on it.

Katy Perry

Now some snuggle pictures!

So then Lady Gaga left and Ali was finally able to take a nap in peace...

And then Katy Perry shows up and makes herself comfortable lol

And here's one of Ciqala minding her own business...

And here are some pics from last night, when it got cool enough for them to move out of the shade and began to graze again...

Katy Perry was standing near me expecting I had food and then she heard the sheep walk away and while this picture was taken, she was baaaing lol.

 

[Bridgemoof]

That's just wonderful, you've turned your dreams into reality! Your sheep are SO DARNED CUTE! I want to come and snuggle huggle them.

 

[Goatherd]

All of your pictures are great, but the ones with the sun and the sheep are amazing! Love their faces!

 

[SheepGirl]

Lol, thanks They are pretty huggable--if you can catch them Once caught, though, they are pretty tolerant of whatever you do to them, which is nice.

But yep, I'm so excited I will be getting my new ram here in the next month or so, and I will quarantine him and then turn him out to breed my ewes. I'm expecting to have 4-6 lambs born next year, maybe keep a ewe lamb or two, and then sell the rest and make room for more sheep hahaha. My mom tells me I don't need any more sheep but I'm just like...if you're charging me for the pasture, I might as well get my money's worth by stocking it some more lol.