Spring Snow

Well we had a beautiful few days last week and so we thought what nice weather to start shearing! great thought so we started, got 4 done and heard the weather forecast...8-16" of SNOW!!! OH GREAT!!!

So the shearing ended and the snow began to fall...and fall...and it snowed for 2 days here. The storm ended with about 18-24" to deal with. Heavy stick heavy snow...hear my excitement...? I told myself and everyone around me "well it will melt fast!" but NOT as fast as the wind blew. Yep the wind was cold and cutting! my poor naked ewes!!! they were pretty cold but showed there love towards me when I went out to check on them (okay, maybe it was the grain in hand) Anyway they are a forgiving flock. It hasn't warmed up much but the forecast for the next 24 hrs... Rain!

Looking forward to the melting snow...take note to watch the basement water level! and soon there WILL be green grass showing!!! Praise the Lord!

You'll see a lot of !'s because this entry is filled with loud,emotion and feeling!!! See.

Anyway the 3 ewes were showing cute prego bellies and the next 3 should reveal theirs as soon as the wool comes off!

The Weather Is Changing!

So nice to see blue skies today the sun is shining and the birds are singing a song of thanksgiving! We are checking the weather forecast to determine which day this next week will be shearing day. It will be interesting this year where I'm usually Gabe's helper and cleaner of the fleece area and with a 2 month old who's been quite fussy I'm hoping we are all up to the challenge. One way or another the fleeces have to come off! we have one ram that didn't get done last year and all of the lambs we still have from last year will be getting their first shearing!!! they will be so cute. Thankfully our oldest daughter Lily is right into helping with the sheep this time of year (lambs are a comin') and she'll try to fill in for me. 

Yesterday was also another beautiful day, with a bit more wind. The mud in the sheep yards are drying up as fast as the snow is melting under all the bedding. We are getting ready to move the rams all together and pitch out the shelters. We are also trying to decide which fleeces will be saved and processed and which ones will be used to start the fires in the pit! 

Yes soon it will be nice enough to have a fire and some tea outside! okay the girls will like marshmallows! Gabe and I will enjoy a nice warm cup of tea.

The mares are shedding their winter coats and look lighter with everyday. Beautiful they are!  We will begin working with them, putting on their harness and riding. I too hope to have a few days of riding this year! we'll see.

New life is beginning and that is always fun! 

Spring Excitement! (part 1)

This will be our second year of breeding sheep and I really believe the sheep breeders I have read about that this truly IS the best part! Just checked the calendar and we will be looking for lambs in about 6wks!!! That doesn't seem like enough time to "clean up" winters mess but we'll do our best. Last breeding season was an experience for the girls and I, we checked the ewes every day looking for signs of pregnancy. I remember when we were shearing Faleece milk came flying out and Lily our eldest daughter screamed "she's pregnant!!!" that sealed the deal that she was expecting! sure enough she was first to lamb. This year she's already make predictions of who is looking and acting pregnant. Homeschooling our children on a small farm has proved very educational. We are having fun as a family when we keep to the schedule of all the tasks before us and remember the order of importance...God,Family,Other

so far the blessings are still coming, and we are great full for that!

I have been getting the list made for lambing supplies and tomorrow we'll go get the organic oats, corn & soybean for the mix I make for our ewes. Since we grass feed our animals this grain mix gets the new momma-to-be's good and friendly for when their time comes around. We will also give the rams a few tastes as well just to keep them happy, and so that when they get loose we can get them back a lot faster, they will even come running for a rock in a bucket after a few tastes of grain!

Soon the Hens will be laying enough eggs that we can start to fill the egg orders we are already receiving. (anyone interested let me know!)

Seeds for the gardens will be ordered and last years stash will be pulled out and planted. This is making for an exciting spring!

Thoughts Of Spring (part 2)

It's a new month in this shepherd's year! Which means it's time to plan a shearing day! Thankfully we don't have to hire a shearer because Gabe has taken on that trade. A few years ago he took a course in sheep shearing and in time he hopes to advertise his services, along with hoof trimming. I figure he has plenty of sheep to practice on. This year the goal is to have the best fleeces off BEFORE the mud comes and the lambs are born! And get the second shearing done before fall arrives, yes we do have to plan that far ahead...

The farm where many of our first gen. sheep were from have already begun to lamb. It sure makes you get excited for new life and spring to arrive. But there are many tasks to complete in the meantime.

~The Joys Of Spring~ Fern

Thoughts of Spring (part 1)

Well,it's snowing once again! we are looking at another foot of snow which means we could get a dusting - a foot and a half!!! With all this snow on the ground It is hard to get ready for all the tasks spring brings to a farm. We must get ready. With the change of the winter season comes all the run off of melting snow and all the removal of "fertilizer" I'm thinking the gardens and berry bushes will like it, but moving it is not that fun. We are a big enough farm that there is a lot to move but not big enough as of yet to get a tractor to move it all, so Gabe will be getting his spring workout and tune up for the rest of the years projects. Enough with the poop talk!
I am in charge of managing the lambing season, which should begin in April. We should have all 6 ewes bred this year and that should bring anywhere from 9-15 lambs! Last year we had 6 with 4 being rams and 2 being ewes. SO maybe this year will be the year of the ewe! lets hope. But before the ewes can lamb we need some nice dry warm weather so that we can shear them! We lost a lot of wool last year due to wet weather and tons of mud! I am hoping we get their fleeces off before the "March Mud Madness" arrives! So we can have some nice clean fleeces to bring to the mill. This is just the beginning of the list! I'm praying it's a good year for all the farmers.  

~The New Guy~

It's hard to believe that with all this wind and cold blowing snow, the rams would have the energy to "take on" the new guy! After we put our new ram Gage in the rams yard with Abraham and Issac, they were quick to greet him with a nice hard headbutt!! With Issac's bloody bud on top of his head steaming in the cold air, we wondered how this would work out. But thankfully, he was soon found in the rams house, resting comfortably in the straw, chewing his cud along with his buddy Abraham and his new welcomed friend Gage. This looks to be a forever friendship, that is...until breeding time comes!!!