Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Mike CHS]

We have only had to pull one lamb in 4 years but it was almost 15 pounds. We did lose one this year while she was lambing but all except 3 of our 30 ewes lambed during daylight hours when we were around.

A picture from yesterday after I asked Lance if he wanted to work.

 

[Mike CHS]

In our getting lambs and culls ready to haul off I ran into something I had not considered. This is the first time that we have sent ewes and lambs to market at the same time so it was the first time we had ewes and freshly weaned lambs in the same paddock. When the herd went out to graze this morning literally every lamb out there was attempting to nurse on one ewe. She head butted them hard enough that they eventually quit but she had a rough 1/2 hour.

 

[thistlebloom]

They all chose the one ewe? Poor thing!

 

[rachels.haven]

Sounds like she had the milkshake machine and all the other ewes were set on skim. Poor girl.

 

[Bruce]

A picture from yesterday after I asked Lance if he wanted to work.

Let's go Dad!!!

 

[Mike CHS]

Since there are no restaurants open yet (and I doubt I would go if there was), I had a taste for something different. I found a blog the other day that specializes in copy cat recipes. They have the entire menu for Panda Express so I copied the Panda Express Beijing Beef. It tastes just like the original with the exception that I couldn't get the beef crispy like they do.

 

[thistlebloom]

My husband and I took a drive around one of the lakes last Sunday. It's about a 3 hour trip through forests and farm fields. As is often the case dh's mind turned toward thoughts of dinner (doesn't matter what part of the day it is ). Food conversation turned to what we haven't had for a long time. We haven't had Panda Express for a long few years I bet. I looked them up on my phone, checked out the menu and ordered us some pick-up. I couldn't believe how easy that was. Mind you, we barely scratch the surface of technology, so this was downright near to revolutionary, haha.

Pick up was at the front door which was blocked by a long folding table extending out one half of the double door. The other half of the entry was closed. An employee came to the door and took my name, retrieved our meal and slid it down the table to me. It was of course already paid for online.
It was interesting...
Dh got the Beijing Beef, which has been a favorite of his. I think I won't tell him there is a copycat recipe.

 

[Mike CHS]

Dh got the Beijing Beef, which has been a favorite of his. I think I won't tell him there is a copycat recipe.

The nearest one to us is in Franklin (70 miles away) but we occasionally went there when we were making a Costco or Sam's run. I've got the rest of their items also but we won't tell your husband.

 

[Ridgetop]

What about the rest of us? How did you get the recipes?

I rarely pull lambs anymore. Most of our girls produce just fine. As you say, the exception is usually a ginormous lamb in a first freshener. I hate singles because that is usually when they have trouble. I am going to start holding back grain around the time they are due next kidding to see if it makes a difference in ease of lambing.

The huge amount of experience I got pulling kids and lambs was from the dairy goats. Those Nubians would produce quads regularly and often they would be tangled up and cause a blockage. Then since I was the 4-H livestock goat and sheep leader all the neighbors would call me - the caprine and ovine midwife! The hardest kids I ever pulled were 2 large kids from a tiny Pygmy!

The experience was good though since I can identify a ewe in trouble. The worst case this year was the ewe with the large rectal prolapse. She was so swollen in the rectum that her rump and vagina were distorted. The swelling and edema put pressure on the vaginal opening pushing it closed, preventing normal lambing. That is why I had to surgically make more openings in the vaginal wall to get h lamb out. I knew she was going to be euthanized so I tried to save the lamb. While that first large lamb was born alive it didn't make it. The surprise second lamb did though. I have kept that ewe lamb for breeding. If she has trouble prolapsing, or lambing, she will be culled.

 

[Bruce]

Oh go ahead and tell him Mike! He deserves it. She already snaked him out of his Anna Mae cookies.