Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Mike CHS]

We got the ram and the ewe unloaded without any drama but the loading had a bit of it. Brandon had the ram in a temp netting pen in a small holding cell. I backed the trailer up to the cell but there was a gap just a bit wider than I am. We didn't think he would try to get through that gap with me in it but our thinking was a little off. Brandon got him headed toward the trailer and when he got next to me, he looked at Teresa who was behind the trailer gate on the right side, he then looked at the trailer and then looked at me on the left side. I could almost see what he was planning on doing and about that time you could almost feel him thinking, "I can take the white haired guy out" then lowered his head and did just that. Fortunately, I have enough arm strength that I held on to the trailer and the cell gate so he just pushed me up in the air as he went under and through me.

 

[Bruce]

I hope you don't pay in the morning, that had to hurt!

 

[Mike CHS]

I hope you don't pay in the morning, that had to hurt!

Nothing hurts so far. I literally had my weight off the ground as he came through so he mostly just helped raise me up. I made a lot of progress with him before it got dark at the stall. I just sat there for a good bit of time and his curiosity got the better of him and he came up to sniff on the cracker but he couldn't decide yet if that was something he wanted to try. They ate a good bit of the grass that I brought to them but didn't touch the hay so they seemed to be satisfied.

 

[Mike CHS]

The bottle lamb is a week old now and completely spoiled. We make a point of making sure that he gets plenty of time outside but that kind of restricts what we can get done other than staying with him. We had a 10x10 kennel that we used to use for lambs but we lost that to a tornado several years ago. We decided that we were going to get another one but then decided to use one of the 88' runs of netting to fence off a 50'x50' portion of the chicken yard. We energized it with a solar charger that we have and after a couple of times getting zapped, he leaves it alone. Having been raised alone, he does a good job of playing by himself and he is grazing well. We have taken him out to the herd quite a few times and although they keep smelling him they aren't aggressive with him but I guess he has our scent, so they accept him. In another couple of weeks we are going to try to leave him with the others and just go out to give him his bottles (at least during the day).

 

[Baymule]

Mike can FLY! With a little help from a death grip on the trailer and a shove from the ram. Hahaha! I laughed at that. I use half hog or cow panels to close gaps. Just a FYI. Glad you weren't hurt, but I would have loved to have seen that!

It won't take long for him and the ewe to warm up to you and look forward to your animal crackers. He's obviously not mean, just a ram being a ram. He will soon get with the "Mike" program. Why do you think I come get YOUR rams???? I'm not stupid. Crazy maybe, but not stupid!

 

[Mike CHS]

Other than cut grass this morning there wasn't much else done today. I made some progress today with the ram. I went down several times during the day and just talked to him and put very small amounts of feed in the trough. The first couple of times he waited for me to go back in the door before going to the feed but I kept the door open so he could see that I was there. Several times I did things like sweep up their pellets and give them fresh water and grass and he seemed more at ease by the end of the day. The last couple of times that I put out feed, he was comfortable enough to approach the trough with me sitting on the door stoop beside it. I did cheat a bit and put a few pieces of animal crackers in the feeder and finally whole crackers so he would recognize them when I try to give them to them by hand and he did eat them.

 

[Baymule]

A little at a time and he'll be your best buddy.

 

[Ridgetop]

I will try mixing animal crackers with the barley corn and see if they decide they like them.

 

[SageHill]

Lance REALLY doesn't like having to tolerate a lamb and can't figure out how he went from herding sheep to having to let one lay down by him. He tolerates the lamb only because he is well trained and leaves him alone because I told him to.

Sassy could care less and likes having the lamb around.

The expression on Lance's face is priceless!!!

 

[Mike CHS]

One of our few neighbors came over this afternoon so her son could see the bottle lamb. Teresa took her out to the field so she could see the newest babies and all of those that haven't lambed came running up to see who was there and what did they have for treats. The yearling bottle lamb (Babs) is in the lead and as sweet as she is she is going to be culled for a lot of reasons.