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

[Bridgemoof]

That's so great Sheepgirl! I'm glad your dad likes the sheep, too. What a great Easter present to have him home. :bun

 

[SheepGirl]

Thanks! He's happy to be home. He's talking about all sorts of things...building a barn, seeding the pasture, putting up more fence, putting up pens, getting a pair of Clydesdales... But tonight him I showed him how to 'evening feed' the sheep. In the mornings, the ewes get hay and Ciqala gets 1/2 lb of grain. In the evenings, the ewes get hay, Hank gets a couple handfuls of hay (I have been reducing it since the grass is starting to grow), Ciqala gets 1 lb of grain, Ali gets 3/4 lb of grain, and the 2012 ewes get 1/4 lb of grain each. Once they go out on pasture, no more grain for them. They'll be pretty unhappy! Oh and I had my dad hold Rosie while I gave her her first CD/T vaccination. So that got done tonight. Today was an icky day...it rained all day. I was hoping to set up the creep feeder today, but it was too icky & cold to do anything. The only thing my lambs have eaten is a little mouthful here and there out of their mom's feed pans. So sometimes when I remember I will give the lambs some alfalfa leaves. But I've only done that 2 or 3 times and they each got a handful

eta: We also set up the new stock tank tonight. It's actually lower to the ground than the blue bucket, so no need to worry about having the pink bucket out for the lambs! I don't know what I could use the blue bucket and the pink bucket for... I guess it's good to have them on hand 'just in case' Hank already has a 5 gallon water bucket and he barely drinks anything so no use giving him the blue bucket (9 gallons).

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Very happy for you to have your dad home with you.

Does your Dad have experience with Clydesdales?

If not, you and he should stop by and visit. The big ones are more destructive and not in a bad way, it is just that they are soo big and strong. A kick from a draft horse can really cause some damage. My barn has a few dents from the girls just kicking. My girls decide to scratch on a fence post and when they back those 2,000 lb butts up against a fence post for a scratch, they can move the fence. But I love my girls. I would not have anything else.

And the big thing is finding someone to trim their feet. I trim my own and it is a workout.

 

[autumnprairie]

So glad your Dad is home. Thank him for me for his service.

 

[SheepGirl]

Very happy for you to have your dad home with you.

Does your Dad have experience with Clydesdales?

If not, you and he should stop by and visit. The big ones are more destructive and not in a bad way, it is just that they are soo big and strong. A kick from a draft horse can really cause some damage. My barn has a few dents from the girls just kicking. My girls decide to scratch on a fence post and when they back those 2,000 lb butts up against a fence post for a scratch, they can move the fence. But I love my girls. I would not have anything else.

And the big thing is finding someone to trim their feet. I trim my own and it is a workout.

haha nooo, he doesn't have much experience with horses at all. I keep telling him that we don't have the space for a big draft horse, especially with my sheep But he has his heart set on getting a Percheron, a Belgian, or a Clydesdale. There's three Percherons across the street from us and then my best friend has a Belgian warmblood (I think she's a Belgian x Paint QH cross). My dad only has experience with hotblood horses (TBs) and ponies, when he cared for them at a summer camp wayyyy back when lol. But he wants horses because it was the only good memory of his childhood :/ (He was bounced around from foster home to orphanage to foster home but would see his mom on the weekend if she didn't have a 'hot date' and would remember to pick him up from the orphanage or the foster home.) Soooo maybe we will get one in the next couple of years. I keep telling him how expensive they are and how they are hay burners though And how much more expensive a draft horse would be because they are so much bigger than a regular horse and they have to eat more. Neither of us know how to ride and have basic horse knowledge (I took Horse Care & Management at my high school back in freshman year, so about 4 yrs ago) so it would just be a pasture pet, eating the grass my productive sheep would be eating lol.

 

[bonbean01]

So happy that your Dad is home...safe and sound!!!!

 

[SheepGirl]

My dad and I put up a pen for hank today. It is 8x28. Much bigger than what I initially wanted but I guess the size is good to put weaned lambs in there also. So tomorrow hanks shelter will be moved in there and so will hank and then my ewes are going out to pasture.

 

[autumnprairie]

looks good

 

[SheepGirl]

Thanks!

-----

Well yesterday I moved hank into his pen and the ewes were moved into the pasture. I got home from work and they all had HUGEEEE bellies. Poor things looked so uncomfortable and katy perry had her head tilted to the side ans kind of waddled along lol. Well this morning I wake up and look outside and see lady gaga laying flat on her side with a big belly freaking out that she died, I ran downstairs, outside, and she still didnt move. I went into the feed shack to get some grain and she finally woke up from her deep sleep at the sound of grain rattling. needless to say, everyone is still alive and they areghappy they can eat all day rather than 2x a day lol

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

Lol, I have the same scare at least once every year!!!
Go to bed with uncomfortable, big bellied sheep, and wake up to laying flat on their side, big bellied sheep! Luckily nothing usually to serious happens!