Weaning time has arrive, actually I am a week late in weaning the lambs. Sheep for the most part are quiet animals, until weaning time. I will have two to three days and nights of constant baaing. I schedule weaning when the lambs are eight weeks old. This year due to a serious cold front…… Continue reading It’s Noisy
Category: Sheep Farming
Mud and Foot Rot
Winter comes and sometimes brings us snow, ice, and cold. But the sun always comes out, the temperatures get warmer, and the mud arrives. I do not like mud. Mud can cause a health problem for the sheep called foot scald and foot rot. Both are the results of bacterial infections in the hoof of…… Continue reading Mud and Foot Rot
Rain, Sleet, Snow
Icicles on the gate Yesterday at noon the storm arrived with rain. A slow steady drizzle continued through the day and into the night. About 11 pm the rain turned to sleet coating everything with ice. Ice on the tree and bush next to the house. Sometime in the early morning hours the sleet turned…… Continue reading Rain, Sleet, Snow
Weather Curve Balls
I watch the weather. Sometimes the weather determines what jobs I will be doing that day. Today, the weather was great, warm and sunny. T-shirt weather I call it. But I spent all day prepping for the freezing rain and snowfall coming in tonight. Yeah, we went from T-shirts to Winter thermal garments in 12…… Continue reading Weather Curve Balls
Pasture Musical Chairs
Sheep grazing on my pasture The photo of my sheep flock two years ago, taken in June. I use pasture rotation to keep my flock fed. This week, I had to take all livestock off the pasture. Reason, the temperatures are lower than what the pasture grass requires to grow. I will be feeding my…… Continue reading Pasture Musical Chairs
Reading, Talking, Seeing
Photo by Matthis on Pexels.com In the beginning I knew very little about sheep. Today, I know some about sheep, with a lot more I need to learn. I am currently re-reading “Dorpers in the New Century” by Rolf Lategan. Although this book talks about the Dorper breed and what the breed standards are, there…… Continue reading Reading, Talking, Seeing
Have You Seen My Brain?
My husband often hears this question as I am walking from room to room searching. His response is “between your ears” and laughs. To me it is not very funny as my “brain” is very important. What I am searching for is my calendar planner. Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com This calendar planner is…… Continue reading Have You Seen My Brain?
Walking With a Business Plan
The main reason I raise sheep is to have an income or make money. Raising sheep is a business. Every business needs a business plan. A business plan can be complex with numbers and projected figures or simple plan to follow when making decisions. Businesses write out a business plan each year. I complete my…… Continue reading Walking With a Business Plan
Plan, Growth, Expansion
When I began as a sheep farmer, I checked with the area officials on how many animals my property would support. Answer is 25 ewes. I made plans on where to put the shelters, size of pens and where I wanted the alleys to go. Eight years later, I have learned and implemented rotational grazing…… Continue reading Plan, Growth, Expansion
The Little Lamb that Could
In October of 2020 a day I had been waiting for finally came, Big Bertha gave birth. Big Bertha is a ewe I purchased, fulling one of my goals for the year 2020, to purchase a really nice full blood Dorper ewe with Australian bloodlines. The day was a double blessing as the twins Big…… Continue reading The Little Lamb that Could
Granny's Homestead 