Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Mike CHS]

Teresa read your post Dana.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but there is a pair of Bald Eagles that has been hanging out at the end of our road but we haven't been able to get any pictures. yet. We first saw them a couple of weeks ago but haven't seen them when we had a device to take pictures.

 

[farmerjan]

One word of warning, watch your ewes while lambing if the eagles are around. I realize you have the dogs, and that should be enough. But believe me, eagles have little or no respect for much of anything. The one that was threatening to me with my free range hens..... Eagles have been known here in Highland County, west of here, to attack ewes while lambing. Besides the coyote problems, the sheep industry out there has been totally diminished. The hilly, mountainous land was much better suited for sheep grazing than cattle in so many instances....... but they cannot raise sheep/lamb when the predators are so overwhelming. I know everyone talks about dogs, and there are several that have used them. But when there are hundreds of acres, mountainous terrain, you just cannot practically run dogs with these sheep. Unless it is like all the "old ways" with a shepard that would follow with the sheep, staying in the general area with the flock with the herding/guardian dogs that were used back "when".
The eagles are gorgeous, very majestic, fierce, "wild"; but they are not going to be easily thwarted if they decide they want a lamb for a meal. I have seen them come in after a newborn calf of my own.....the owner of the farm where I was calving my first calf heifers, saw the vultures down after the heifer and new calf, went down to see what was going on, stayed to chase the vultures off, called me, I went there on my way home from work, and made sure that the heifer got the calf up and nursed and taken into the woods. The young eagle that I was having trouble with was with that group.
I know you value your LGD's and I hope that they do the job that everyone says they do. I just would hate for anyone to lose babies, or have damage to one of their dogs because they weren't aware that the eagles WILL attack livestock.

 

[Mike CHS]

Thanks Jan. I haven't seen them around our place and I haven't had any of the Black Vultures come around since back in the spring. I have two of the vultures hanging on the outside of our fence that seems to act as the deterrent that they are meant to be. About everyone that I know gets a permit every year to take a couple to hang. The dogs aren't with the ewes when they are lambing so they aren't part of the picture.

 

[Pastor Dave]

We had a large, artificial tree when we were at the parsonage. I could carry a chair over to my office from the livingroom, but now we do not have a good place to store upholstered furniture, so we got a skinny tree this year. 6-1/2 ft tall and only 16" around, prelit and in just 3 sections.

 

[Mike CHS]

@Pastor Dave that is nicely filled out for being that narrow and it does fit your spot.

 

[Mike CHS]

I had the Grandsons down at the shop to introduce them to the dogs and some of the sheep. They were in awe of Mel's size and loved it that the sheep liked being petted as much as the dogs. Princess, one of our bottle lambs likes petting to the point of being a pain in the rear but she is sweet in spite of that. One of the boys asked, where is her mom? and I showed him where she was. He asked if she had any sisters or brothers and I told him yes. but he was eaten. He asked who ate him and when I told him I did, his eyes got bigger than I could have ever imagined. We talked a bunch but he has spent enough time here that it wasn't a total shock.

 

[Baymule]

That's too cute! Our two little grand daughters ask for mean rooster soup. LOL

 

[Mike CHS]

The youngest got up early enough to go out with me to help with chores after he got his share of dog loving. Maisy even let him pet her which is unusual for her. When we were headed out to the cows, I asked him if he could reach the pedals on the Ranger and got the biggest smile I have seen in a long time. It wasn't the smoothest ride but he kept us out of the fence.

This post was just hanging in limbo I guess since I wrote it earlier this morning. Since then though things animal related have changed a bit. The kids and their Dad love the pup and he has really taken to them so he heads home with them in a couple of days. Teresa took them over to the kennel she works at to show them all of the dogs there as well as a bunch of goats and horses they have. Come to find out, we acquired another pup to replace Solas with a litter mate that was destined for the pound. The gent that had her is unable to handle the female pup and told our friend what he was going to do with her so she went and got her. She thought we would probably want to take her or she would keep her otherwise. I'll get pictures once she gets settled in.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

I am so happy for you and Teresa and the lucky little girl....I am sure you will have any poor behavior corrected in no time flat, you have the magic touch when it comes to animals Mike, that's one lucky pup !

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Agree - this is that pup's lucky day!