Warm Weather and Wooly Friends

The weekend allowed us a brief break from the warm humid weather that brought many thunderstorms and lots of rain in the past few weeks. Unfortunately that hot humid weather is back and preventing many of the necessary projects from getting done. Three weeks ago a high-winds thunderstorm took down several large trees on the farm, including a great big cherry that landed right on the fence. A large tamarack was uprooted in the far corner of the field, but luckily it stayed within the field, sparing the fence. Yesterday we finally got the remaining debris off of the paddock fences in the main field and the sheep are back out grazing.

The girls don't seem to like this humid weather or the flies. Each seems to have a strategy for staying cool.

Some ewes seem to keep cool and protected by laying down as flat as possible in the tall grass. Madeleine demonstrates to the right.

Some ewes prefer to lay in the shade of a pine against a cool rock. Mocha demonstrates to the left.

And some ewes prefer to hide in the shade of the large burdock weeds. Maggie and her ewe lamb demonstrate below.

This weekend we also were able to sell seven ewes.

Crystal's ewe lamb was sold as a pet sheep and companion for another Shetland ewe. The girls will primarily be used as lawnmowers. 

Two yearlings and four ewe lambs were also sold, bringing our total ewe lambs down to four and our flock down to 35. After the ram lambs go we'll have 28 for the winter, which is probably right where we should be.

With the ewes gone the sheep sorting is almost done for the season. Aside from the three ram lambs that jumped the corral a few weeks ago to stay with their mothers, everyone is where they should be until breeding.

After all of the sorting and selling, Kira's three lambs remain on the farm. One of her ram lambs was weaned three weeks ago and made it to the back field, but the other decided it wasn't time to leave her side yet. Fortunately this has worked well, allowing both ram lambs and her ewe to catch up in size to the other lambs.

Kira is always the last to wean her lambs, often nursing well into the fall until she is separated for breeding. It always seems funny to watch her lambs, almost half her size, get on bended knees for a quick drink.

She is a great mother and the first ewe to raise triplets on our farm. Her girls are always friendly and her boys curious but non-aggressive. Her rams have consistently decent horns, and this year's rams have the best we've seen. If all of our sheep had her personality and mothering abilities we would have one easy flock to manage!

I'm not sure if it's the fact that she always throws Ag lambs or if her lambs are just exceptionally photogenic, but I find something irresistible about her girls.

From left to right: Ella (2012), Madeleine (2011), and...Oops! I guess the next step is naming the four little ewes that remain...(2013).

Speaking of naming, this little black ewe lamb out of Maggie is staying right here as our solid black ewe. She has a perfect Shetland tail, a little wooly poll, super crimpy fleece like her dad (Cedar), and has a curious personality.

 

In other news, I've finished my first sweater. Of course it is only size 6 months, but it's still exciting to have a finished product from our farm! The wool is from Otto (brown) and Mac (gray), two of our whethers.

The next post will have to be of the new chickens. The little layers are two months old now and getting used to being at the bottom of the pecking order. They've just gotten outside this week and are really enjoying the fresh grass freedom to roam with the ram lambs.