Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[farmerjan]

On the Dall rams, we try for at least 3-5 years for the horn growth. If the rams are growing good AND they have not broken off a tip from butting heads in the fall season, we will keep them closer to 5. Some grow faster than others too... and the measuring also is the circumference around the base of the horn as well as the degree of curl... real tight to the head are not as desirable as ones that curl outwards... DS sold one that had exceptional horns, we used him for breeding for 2 years, and then rather than take the chance of him breaking a horn, sold him rather than switch and use a different ram and put him back into the "bachelor ram group".... I think he got 900 or 1,000 for him. Most are 3-400 and really it is not much when you figure what they are bringing at the normal stockyard sales when there is a big demand, like before a holiday or something. We haven't sold any for 2 years with the covid crap and all cutting the businesses off for over a year and then trying to recover. I think he is going to talk to the 2 places here soon and see what the current situation is. There are about 8 he needs to get rid of... mediocre to average heads and maybe 1 or 2 would be good heads. He needs to cut back on the rams although they are at doug's farm and run in with several fields of the feeder calves out behind in the lots. They go under the couple of places there is some board fence (it was built for cattle not sheep)... and get around to eat... and they do eat some of the silage in the winter....
Of course this year he lost 3 of the 5 or 6 lambs early to the coyotes...
He seems to be getting more interested in them again... maybe things are not as hunkey dorey and he is finding his way back to enjoying the animals a little more...maybe he has just decided that he needs to take better care of things in general. He said he trimmed most all the sheep hooves at his house that needed it so had to catch them in the small pen that they have to go through from the small field behind his house to the other couple of "lots" that he fenced off for them to rotate into, in front of his house. And he found out where they were getting out and has remedied that (for now... they will find something else, they always do) and is going to put in some new T-posts and restretch the wire along the other side so they can't keep jumping a low spot and then he can go back to rotating them better.

 

[Mike CHS]

It is officially cold here and getting down in the 20's tonight so our stalling ewes will probably drop their lambs tonight or in the next set of nights in the 20's.

 

[farmerjan]

It is officially cold here and getting own in the 20's tonight so our stalling ewes will probably drop their lambs tonight or in the next set of nights in the 20's.

Sorry to laugh but that is Murphy's Law at the finest !!!!! Yep, they wait for the cold snap, or the hurricane, or the snowfall, or the pouring down rain, to lamb or calve or something....Supposed to be 20's and 40's all this week... with some COLD RAIN on Tues and some possible snow flurries ... and then maybe a few more flurries on Thursday....

 

[Baymule]

Yep, this will be when they lamb. Could you bring them in under the shelter, so y’all don’t have to go traipsing out in the cold?

 

[Mike CHS]

They are in the paddock where they are never very far away.

 

[Ridgetop]

Most are 3-400 and really it is not much when you figure what they are bringing at the normal stockyard sales when there is a big demand, like before a holiday or something.

That is not very much $$ when you have to keep them for several years. Maybe the hunting ranches are starting to get hunters again and you can get them sold.

 

[Mike CHS]

We brought most of the sheep in to work this morning. We did the usual and pulled fecals from a few and got weights on all of them. We still had a few ewe lambs that needed shots and we got them this morning also.

Teresa cooked my all time favorite meal of corned beef and cabbage in the Instant Pot so Reuben Sandwiches are on the menu this week for me.

 

[Ridgetop]

 

[Mini Horses]

. Love both -- from pot and sandwiches!! Yum!

 

[Mike CHS]

We dropped off Teresa's car this morning to get the oil changed and I took her there this afternoon to pick it up. She went in to pay and a couple minutes later she came out and gave me a thumbs up so I headed home. About half way home she called and she said they couldn't find the key fob so I went to the house to pick up my set of keys and took it back to her.

We found a place in Columbia that has the keys and the ability to program it so at least we don't have to go all the way to Franklin for a key. We figured we would give the shop a few days to see if the key turns up and get us past Thanksgiving before replacing it and dropping off the bill at the shop.