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my cat is norris
Mar 11, 2010

#onecallcat

BIG EARS!

How are all the farms? :3:

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Instant Jellyfish
Jul 3, 2007

Actually not a fish.



We're chugging along getting ready for winter. Last weekend we put 600 bales of hay into the barn and this week I need to get the pens set up for breeding groups to be put together soon. I'm also having a Girl Scout troop out to the farm for a class project (for me, not them. but they will get a badge out of it) next month so I'm having to plan that out and get supplies together. The sheep and I are all very happy about the rapidly cooling weather, the goats will be sheared very soon and will probably be less happy.

Have some pictures.

Jazz, who is going on 12 but still trundles around like a blimp. If I let her breed she'd probably have another set of triplets. Such an overachiever.


Miss Maddie looking suspicious


Moose vacuuming up apples in the orchard


Dog


He's a farm animal too


Opal, looking like a mop. I really need to get on shearing them


Handsome Goliath


Spud bud


Jaffa is huge for a babby lamb

Semisponge
Mar 9, 2006

I FUCKING LOVE BUTTS
How long do sheep typically live?

Instant Jellyfish
Jul 3, 2007

Actually not a fish.



Rams tend to burn out early, generally by 10 or so. Really large and commercial breed ewes probably get to around 10-12 too. Jacobs just keep on going on their own terms. I think the oldest jacob on record was in her early 20s when she died and the lady I got Glen from has a 16 year old ram.

porkswordonboard
Aug 27, 2007
You should get that looked at

Just popping in to say I love this thread, it's really fascination to hear about the care and keeping of all these goobers as well as their personalities and breeding. I was wondering, does anyone have some good stories about particularly goony goats, sheep, or etc? Dumb things they've done, or ridiculous situations that came up. I love the 'human' side of raising animals, and while I understand it can be hard when those same animals may become someone's delicious dinner, it still tickles me to hear about the time a goat ate underpants or something.

Thin Privilege
Jul 8, 2009
IM A STUPID MORON WITH AN UGLY FACE AND A BIG BUTT AND MY BUTT SMELLS AND I LIKE TO KISS MY OWN BUTT
Gravy Boat 2k
Why do some of them wear coats? Like this guy:

my cat is norris
Mar 11, 2010

#onecallcat

http://www.nhswga.com/index.php/preparing-the-fleece/169-to-blanket-or-not-to-blanket-that-is-the-question

Sometimes it's to keep the fleece clean for shearing, sometimes it's to keep the sheep comfortable after shearing.

Instant Jellyfish
Jul 3, 2007

Actually not a fish.



My computer needed to be reset and I still have to get my photo editing programs back but I thought I'd do a quick update.

Everyone who is going to be bred has been bred. It's going to be a drawn out lambing season (yay.) but hopefully it will be uneventful. I tried a different marking method this year and it failed but I saw most of them and the others will just have to be surprises.


Also Twofer is famous again. If you get Shepherd Magazine, and who doesn't, you might have noticed him in the December issue.

my cat is norris
Mar 11, 2010

#onecallcat

Dang, Isadore sure is busy!

Writer Cath
Apr 1, 2007

Box. Flipped.
Plaster Town Cop
No action for Heath?

Instant Jellyfish
Jul 3, 2007

Actually not a fish.



my cat is norris posted:

Dang, Isadore sure is busy!

The ladies line up for Isadore, it's ridiculous. I know he's a handsome guy but I didn't think he was that much better looking than any of my other rams. He thinks he's a total rock star though.


Writer Cath posted:

No action for Heath?

Heath got in with his daughters again (because they're weird Freudian hussies) but I shut that down. I tried to breed him to Ginger but she really wasn't having it so I don't know what's going on with goats this year.


A few pictures finally! Lightroom is all borked but I made do with just Photoshop.

Minnie


Reba's sweet face :3: She's really come around recently after being pretty wild when I first got her and Glen.


Mlem. This is Willow, Jewel's daughter from this year.


Mimosa, Aster's daughter from this year. I was planning on selling her but that fleece! It's so gorgeous and long and soft.


Jewel looking a bit pudge already.


Twofer! I love this sheep.


What is your face even doing, Two?

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
reba really does have the sweetest little face :3:

McDragon
Sep 11, 2007

These sheep are very cool. Two is still my favourite though.

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax


disclaimer, these aren't actually my sheep, they just randomly wandered onto my property five minutes ago. one is very pregnant :ohdear:

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
the sheep are still here although i've been searching for their rightful owner on facebook

their new names are jubilee, jillyfish, jusara and jiminy cricket. jiminy cricket is the pregnant white one. look how pregnant she is



i'm going to have to deliver someone else's lambs :pram:

Lareine
Jul 22, 2007

KIIIRRRYYYUUUUU CHAAAANNNNNN
So, how do you determine who gets to breed with who? How does this all work out?

my cat is norris
Mar 11, 2010

#onecallcat

:staredog: Good luck, Avshalom!

Fluffy Bunnies
Jan 10, 2009

Avshalom posted:

the sheep are still here although i've been searching for their rightful owner on facebook

their new names are jubilee, jillyfish, jusara and jiminy cricket. jiminy cricket is the pregnant white one. look how pregnant she is



i'm going to have to deliver someone else's lambs :pram:

Mail them down here, thanks

Kwyndig
Sep 23, 2006

Heeeeeey


Avshalom posted:

the sheep are still here although i've been searching for their rightful owner on facebook

their new names are jubilee, jillyfish, jusara and jiminy cricket. jiminy cricket is the pregnant white one. look how pregnant she is



i'm going to have to deliver someone else's lambs :pram:

I don't know, I think that if you have to deliver them, that makes them your lambs :haw:

Asiina
Apr 26, 2011

No going back
Grimey Drawer

Avshalom posted:

the sheep are still here although i've been searching for their rightful owner on facebook

their new names are jubilee, jillyfish, jusara and jiminy cricket. jiminy cricket is the pregnant white one. look how pregnant she is



i'm going to have to deliver someone else's lambs :pram:

Congrats on your new sheep and incoming new lambs.

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
surprise sheep status:







full

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax


i've named this one jubilee, she's lovely and has the funniest gravelly bleat i've ever heard. BLUUHHH

Kwyndig
Sep 23, 2006

Heeeeeey


Still no word on who lost their sheep, huh. Do they have any tags or microchips or anything? Do people even chip sheep?

Radio!
Mar 15, 2008

Look at that post.

Aren't sheep like... expensive? They seem like a thing you'd want to keep track of.

Fluffy Bunnies
Jan 10, 2009

Radio! posted:

Aren't sheep like... expensive? They seem like a thing you'd want to keep track of.

Eh. If they're registered they can be high but I've seen anything from $50 to $250 unregistered. If they broke out and wandered who knows how far they got.


Kwyndig posted:

Still no word on who lost their sheep, huh. Do they have any tags or microchips or anything? Do people even chip sheep?

Registered ones, sometimes.

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
i'm sure chipping sheep does happen but i've never heard about it being done out here - i imagine it would only be for very valuable purebred animals. three of them are untagged and the fourth has a tag but it's been snapped off



very mysterious!

wheatpuppy
Apr 25, 2008

YOU HAVE MY POST!

Avshalom posted:

i'm sure chipping sheep does happen but i've never heard about it being done out here - i imagine it would only be for very valuable purebred animals. three of them are untagged and the fourth has a tag but it's been snapped off



very mysterious!

Somewhere out there is a really hardcore Little Bo Peep cosplayer.

GoingPostal
Jun 1, 2015


I love Derek Smart
U love Derek Smart
If we didn't love Derek Smart, we'd be lame

Instant Jellyfish posted:

Reba's sweet face :3: She's really come around recently after being pretty wild when I first got her and Glen.


Can I add another vote to 'Holy crap, Reba's adorable'? That face is just too cute, and begs for a round of scritches. She almost looks like a stuffed animal, with how cute she is.

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
guess what!







to the great relief of everyone, especially herself, jiminy cricket the turgid ewe dropped beautiful twin ram lambs on the 1st of february.





i've named them jasper and jabberwocky. don't ask me which is which because at the moment i can't tell them apart! they're doing great, bouncing and playing and nibbling on things, and she's a very attentive and protective mother. what i'm going to do with them i have no idea, i'm still trying to find the flocks' owners but it's looking less and less likely that anyone will claim them. they look like dorper crosses so hopefully they'll be full shedders and i won't have to learn to shear.

randomly getting four sheep that turn into six sheep would have been the equivalent of a lottery win in ancient times so that's how i choose to look at it

FluxFaun
Apr 7, 2010


:3: SMOL SHEEPS

Here's hoping that you can find their home, and if not, congrats on your new buddies!

Instant Jellyfish
Jul 3, 2007

Actually not a fish.



Avshalom posted:

guess what!







to the great relief of everyone, especially herself, jiminy cricket the turgid ewe dropped beautiful twin ram lambs on the 1st of february.





i've named them jasper and jabberwocky. don't ask me which is which because at the moment i can't tell them apart! they're doing great, bouncing and playing and nibbling on things, and she's a very attentive and protective mother. what i'm going to do with them i have no idea, i'm still trying to find the flocks' owners but it's looking less and less likely that anyone will claim them. they look like dorper crosses so hopefully they'll be full shedders and i won't have to learn to shear.

randomly getting four sheep that turn into six sheep would have been the equivalent of a lottery win in ancient times so that's how i choose to look at it

Aaaaa so cute :3: Jiminy Cricket has almost certainly been sheared but the rest might shed out. Dorper crosses are notoriously lovely about retaining their shedding qualities. You've got some time before you have to figure it out though. Congrats on your unexpected sheep bounty!

School has started again so I'm crazy busy but I'll try to answer questions and post pictures soon.

my cat is norris
Mar 11, 2010

#onecallcat

Adorable babies you've got there! :neckbeard:

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
the children are growing so fast :unsmith: i can even tell them apart now!



jasper



jabberwocky



brunch

Kwyndig
Sep 23, 2006

Heeeeeey


Avshalom posted:

the children are growing so fast :unsmith: i can even tell them apart now!



jasper



jabberwocky



brunch

Lambs are adorable! Still no word on the original owners?

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
no, lol. it's one month today since they arrived here, i've asked everyone i know irl and every community facebook group tangentially related to farming in the area and nobody anywhere near me has reported missing any sheep, so i guess they either literally fell off a truck or trekked hundreds of miles to get to my promised land

Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
i found the sheeps' original owner last night and they have finally returned home :unsmith:

FluxFaun
Apr 7, 2010


:unsmith: I'm glad they're home, but a little sad.

Asiina
Apr 26, 2011

No going back
Grimey Drawer

Avshalom posted:

i found the sheeps' original owner last night and they have finally returned home :unsmith:

Aww. What ended up being the deal? Did they just escape and wander very far?

Anne Whateley
Feb 11, 2007
:unsmith: i like nice words
I'm impressed! Did the farmer want to be found? Winter, pregnant, tag broken off -- I assumed they were dumped.

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Avshalom
Feb 14, 2012

by Lowtax
it's summer here! which made me think they'd wandered further than they actually had because they were so exhausted when they arrived, but actually they were from just over the hill. they'd only been recently purchased so their ear tags had been removed at their old place and their new owner hadn't got around to putting new ones on yet - apparently they're escape artists, they've got away a few times now, so i'm sure it'll be a priority for him to get some identification on them. he has a few hundred sheep so he didn't even notice they were missing until someone tagged him in one of my facebook posts. it's a bit sad but in the end i don't deal in stolen goods even when the goods steal themselves and it was very fun having bouncy little lambs on my property :3:

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