Monday, December 3, 2007

December snow



Boy, I'm not much of a blogger when the lambs are not growing anymore-- well, they are growing, but slowly now, and most of them went to live somewhere else. And I wonder. . . how they are doing. . . and how their new people are talking to them, enjoying them. . . as we are now in breeding season and there is a lot of activity out in the yard.
I have 5 different sheep "pens" set up-- meaning fields, usually, as small as 20x80', and as big as an acre and a half. Whatever I could do to provide shelter, separation from each other, and electricity for a heated water pail. Four breeding groups, meaning 4 rams got about 4 ewes apiece, and one pen of 3 little rams.
One is actually a wether-- does anyone need a fiber pet? He is coal black with a white star on his head, nice soft wool and very sweet. He's friendly, like a golden retriever, really! I don't know if I can justify keeping him forever, but he's made the cut so far.
Three of the breeding groups are getting along swimmingly, and one has in it Firth of Fifth Bourbon, who is BASHING woven wire fences and steel walls whenever the notion takes him! He is lucky he has this beautiful caramel colored fleece, or it would be off to Taylor Meats with him!
There are two weeks to go in breeding pens, and then I'll split them up. I won't use a cleanup ram this year, and if some ewes are open, c'est la vie! It hasn't happened to me yet.
Our household is the normal flurry of holiday preparations,and that reminds me, I should do some right now!
Ciao.