Ridgetop
Herd Master
Yay! It certainly went fast! And no problems! That is the best part! Congratulations on a great season.
Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal
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Mike CHS
Herd Master
I snapped a picture from the living room window of the yearling cleaning off her twins. I'm out with the sheep more than Teresa so I see most of the births but Teresa finally got to see the twins being born.
Baymule
Herd Master
So many babies! I never get tired of it.
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Mike CHS
Herd Master
I have lost track but I think the last twins comes out to 38
We have been discussing the number that we want to keep but there is some beautiful lambs out there.
We have been discussing the number that we want to keep but there is some beautiful lambs out there.
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Mike CHS
Herd Master
I was out with the sheep and heard one of the yearlings bawling. She lay down and it was only a couple of minutes and out popped a lamb. She got up and started cleaning it off and after 3-4 minutes she lay back down and started labor again. As with the first, it was only a couple of minutes and out popped another. I have never seen a lambing go that fast. This ewe probably should be a cull if size were our only consideration but she has some genes that is worth more than size any day.
We only have two left to lamb and one of them is the ewe in the second picture. The last picture is a couple of ewes trying to get their nose in my pocket for an Animal Cracker.
We only have two left to lamb and one of them is the ewe in the second picture. The last picture is a couple of ewes trying to get their nose in my pocket for an Animal Cracker.
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Mike CHS
Herd Master
The last yearling that was due had a single not long after that last set of twins. The senior ewe above is the last one to lamb.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
That is why you need to take some to the show! Does the Katahdin show have an auction? Put a reserve on what you take, and sell some of those pretty lambs. With your track record and the parasite program you have been doing, I am sure you will get good bidding on them. Plus the show expenses are tax deductible to your farm.
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Mike CHS
Herd Master
They do have sales at the KHSI shows. I have made some good friends in our Tennessee Association but I find the KHSI sales to be in a world that I really don't want to play in. They are way over priced at the sale and you can get similar sheep two days later or half the cost. 
This is going to be a bunch of random thoughts of things going through my little brain today. Today seemed like the day only lasted a couple of hours. I spent way too much time among the sheep seeing how everyone is looking and probably went through a pound of Animal Crackers but was there for the lambs arrival. I have upped the feed in the morning since a couple are having a hard time regaining their condition after lambing. The ewe with Bottle Jaw has me surprised that she is still alive. We have thrown everything available into her and she is holding her own so hope for the best but not optimistic. Her lambs are stocky on her milk but we are keeping an eye on them. I thought about pulling them to help her out but then the stress of loosing her babies would be as bad as the parasite load. Historically, she has been one of our hardest keepers. She was already scheduled to go but I would prefer it not be this way.
I have already set up the stock trailer where the cows are and tomorrow morning, I'll do a trial run to see how much luck I'll have with them in the enclosure. I have to say that I'm a little concerned that they will cooperate but we will see how it goes. A neighbor told me I needed a chute not much bigger than their body width but that isn't going to happen between now and Tuesday when I'm scheduled to take them in for processing. Worst case I'll try and if what I have doesn't work, I'll postpone and rebuild.
I scanned the over the air channels this afternoon and found a new channel so we are sitting here watching Hee Haw.
Teresa and I were talking the other day when we had my buddy Mel filling up the back seat in my Tacoma. He is fine sitting there but if we were going any distance there is no way he could spread out. So now we will start looking out for a bigger truck as our main vehicle and keep my Tacoma as the work truck.
This is going to be a bunch of random thoughts of things going through my little brain today. Today seemed like the day only lasted a couple of hours. I spent way too much time among the sheep seeing how everyone is looking and probably went through a pound of Animal Crackers but was there for the lambs arrival. I have upped the feed in the morning since a couple are having a hard time regaining their condition after lambing. The ewe with Bottle Jaw has me surprised that she is still alive. We have thrown everything available into her and she is holding her own so hope for the best but not optimistic. Her lambs are stocky on her milk but we are keeping an eye on them. I thought about pulling them to help her out but then the stress of loosing her babies would be as bad as the parasite load. Historically, she has been one of our hardest keepers. She was already scheduled to go but I would prefer it not be this way.
I have already set up the stock trailer where the cows are and tomorrow morning, I'll do a trial run to see how much luck I'll have with them in the enclosure. I have to say that I'm a little concerned that they will cooperate but we will see how it goes. A neighbor told me I needed a chute not much bigger than their body width but that isn't going to happen between now and Tuesday when I'm scheduled to take them in for processing. Worst case I'll try and if what I have doesn't work, I'll postpone and rebuild.
I scanned the over the air channels this afternoon and found a new channel so we are sitting here watching Hee Haw.
Teresa and I were talking the other day when we had my buddy Mel filling up the back seat in my Tacoma. He is fine sitting there but if we were going any distance there is no way he could spread out. So now we will start looking out for a bigger truck as our main vehicle and keep my Tacoma as the work truck.
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Baymule
Herd Master
I guess you need to take Mel truck shopping with you. Tell the sales person to talk to the dog, if he likes it, we'll buy it. 
When we take animals to slaughter, we load them up the day before. Then if anything goes wrong, we have time to try again. I also don't feed them for a day, sometimes two if I think there will be a problem. Open the trailer and put their feed in there, if they go in, slam the door. If they are in there a few days, you can always offer water and feed.
When we take animals to slaughter, we load them up the day before. Then if anything goes wrong, we have time to try again. I also don't feed them for a day, sometimes two if I think there will be a problem. Open the trailer and put their feed in there, if they go in, slam the door. If they are in there a few days, you can always offer water and feed.
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Mike CHS
Herd Master
The first try at loading the cattle was a failure. I closed the cattle panel on the outside of the chute and thought if I didn't push them I could coax them into the trailer. That lasted about 5 minutes and first the smokey one jumped the fence and about 5 seconds later, the black one jumped it.
