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

[CocoNUT]

Ok your kitty is adorable! Mine just sit there and YOWL while I'm in the back, feeding critters....they set Gus off!
I talk to my critters....and they actually talk to me! Singing...well....I'm not really good at that...so I just blabber!

 

[stitchcounting]

What are CD/T shots?
I feel a lil more normal now... i talk to my pets too.

You got to have something to swear at....I mean talk too.

true true

 

[SheepGirl]

Not much going on... just my normal routine... wake up, get ready for work, go to work, come home, feed the sheep, shower, get on the computer, and go to sleep. LOL same ole, same ole.

I did sign up for classes, I'm taking Psychology, Stats, and English. Not much, but with a full time job where I only get 2-3 days off a week (which will be the days I have class), I think I have more than enough on my plate, plus lambing season is upon us in a little over a month

Speaking of which---we are ALMOST to February (one more day haha) which means one more month until lambing season!! It'll be a short season, though, lol, with only two ewes lambing within a week of each other and then another ewe lambing in May. She didn't rebreed so 1) she's pregnant or 2) she didn't get pregnant but stopped cycling. I'm not sure how late my sheep cycle (they're always bred for March/April babies), so I don't know when to expect them to stop having heats lol. I'm hoping she's gonna have a baby! I'm really torn though. I hope Katy Perry has a boy. That way I can keep him intact--not like I can use him his first year, because he'll be too young when I want to breed. BUT if she has a girl, I don't really wanna have another straggler lambing in May by herself. My intention is to keep most if not all of the ewe lambs if they have an ADG of 0.4 lb/day or higher.

I'm working on trying to figure out an adjustment because of my ewe's frame sizes. One is like 26" and 200 lbs and the other is about 23-24" and 145 lbs. (And that's with a BCS of 3/5--neither are fat or thin, but just right.) Obviously their lambs will grow at very different paces (larger framed sheep tend to grow faster). That said, if Ciqala has any girls, likely they will be the ones to meet my standard because I expect them to be growthier.

I'm also looking into entering wether lambs into the carcass contest at our fair. They have to be at least 80 lbs, so that means my lambs have to gain at most 0.428 lbs/day. I think this contest is geared to large framed sheep OR those who are born earlier than early March! lol. If I had a better shelter I would consider lambing in February. Not that early March weather is that much better...but it's still better than any weather in February! haha. But with half Texel lambs I think I might win...or at least be in the top 5 Plus my old ram, Billy, was really muscular (dude, you should've SEEN and FELT his butt! .... okay, that sounded a bit weird, BUT you get what I'm saying....I hope ), and because it is his mother and twin sister doing most of the baby making here, I think they've got pretty good meat genetics in them so they can take credit for half the win lol.

Okay, I'm just rambling here. So I think I will stop. Oh nevermind, forgot something.

When the weather gets nicer and it's sunny out I'm going to do some photo tutorials of hands-on management-type stuff with the sheep. I may make them videos, depending on how easy/complicated it would be. But the things I'm thinking of doing are vaccinations, hoof trimming, Body Condition Scoring (when sheep are sheared), and when lambs arrive--tail docking, ear tagging, umbilical dipping, etc. I'm actually looking forward to doing them, lol. So I hope it happens sometime soon!

Okay, I'm done now

 

[CocoNUT]

Ooooh...let me know when you get to those tutorials...those sound REALLY good!
It does sound like you have a LOT on your plate...but I think you'll do just fine! You may be crazy...but you'll be fine!
Lambies...lambies....can't wait for everyone to have their lambies!
Watch out with this wind today! It's getting crazy around here!

 

[jodief100]

Can't wait for little lambies!!!!

Your schedule sounds good, one in the fuzzy studies, one straightforward class and one basic requirement. That shouldn't overload you too much.

 

[Bridgemoof]

Yep one more day til Feb, only a month away! So let me know when you up their grain portions and how much each ewe is getting. I THOUGHT I was going to have 2 January lambs, but now it's looking like February lambs, unless I get lucky TODAY!

I'm really looking forward to your video tutorial. Tim does anything related to shots or hooves. I am such a wimp and don't think I can give a shot. I get really squeamish. I can take their temps though, by golly!

 

[Southern by choice]

I think you are right on with the tutorials! Trying to do the same on my website... more for education and info.
Very excited for your lambing to come!

 

[SheepGirl]

Well today Ali is 30 days woot) from lambing so I started her on 1/2 lb of grain (my ewes are GREAT with sudden changes in diet....I can start them on a pound of grain a day and feed it to them for a week or two and suddenly stop and their poop/behavior/etc doesn't change...I love how my sheep are so versatile) and I gave her a CD/T shot. And I asked my mom to take pictures for a pictorial of vaccinating, BUT the pics she took turned out blurry :/ She claimed she was 'too cold' to take good pictures...pfffft yeah right. haha

So we will try six days from now with Ciqala. Hopefully those pictures will turn out okay. If not I will just have to try with Hank...he's due for his shot too. Or maybe I can just forget about Ciqala and just do it with Hank. I've never given him any shots so I'm not sure how he'll take it. My ewes are awesome--they just stand there like nothing even touched them, so they make great models. But I'm trying to remember how Hank acted when his last owner gave him a shot of Levamisole. I think he took it okay lol. But we shall see.

 

[SheepGirl]

My great uncle passed away on Sunday & tomorrow evening is the viewing and Thursday morning is the funeral. We saw him 1-2x/year at our annual family reunions/picnics (one at my great aunt's house Memorial Day weekend and one at his house Labor Day weekend). Seeing him often like that my entire life (and my mom's, too--they've been having these picnics since the 60s) makes it hard to believe he's gone. But his health has been declining the past couple of years...not being able to move around much, needing an oxygen tank, etc. My aunts & uncles will be coming up to our house tomorrow. My aunt is flying in from FL and my uncle is driving in from NC. My grandparents (he was my grandfather's little brother) were in NC with their RV but they drove their car up yesterday. It's so weird having them here without their RV!!

I have nice black slacks and a black knee-length pencil skirt, but I don't have any nice/appropriate shirts to wear. So looks like I have to go to the mall after work today and find something :/

----

On a more positive note, three more weeks for lambs!

 

[jodief100]