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Baby roundup. I've had 4 (?) lambs since my last update and have been remiss on posting them here. Anise had a single ewe lamb, very lovely but hates being in pictures.  Bramble had a teeny tiny 2.5 lb premature lamb. I was pretty sure she was going to kick the bucket but seems to be doing pretty good now. She's gained a whole pound and trucks around like any other lamb.  Barbie had a giant 8.5 lb ram lamb. He's a big strapping lad and she likes him but isn't great about letting him nurse. She doesn't run away but she slowly spins in a circle while he's trying to get in there. He seems to be sneaking enough though and I grab her and hold her still a couple times a day so he can get a big drink in. First timers just can be silly sometimes. Barbie is also the only sheep so far that has lambed outside of the 5am to 8 am lambing window. Clearly she didn't get the memo.  And finally Eleanor had a big cvm girl this morning.   The other lambs are all doing well too. Johnnie's boys are so sweet and friendly. It's hard to get pictures of them because they're usually clamoring all over my lap or begging for scritches.  Clem is still enjoying screaming at her babies, they don't seem to have inherited her loudness yet.  Aster's lambs are cool, sassy girls who run amok all over the barn.   No pictures of the big white romeldale girl because she never stops moving. She has decided Moose is her jungle gym and spends all night launching herself off Moose's back while her mom is off somewhere eating. The romeldales are such funny sheep.
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Apr 1, 2017 20:03
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 12:48 |
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Is there a shearing day planned for this year? Would love to come see these little guys and gals!
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Apr 1, 2017 22:34
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my cat is norris posted:Is there a shearing day planned for this year? Would love to come see these little guys and gals! Yes! May 13th is shearing day. We're also having a special fleece day for people interested in buying spinning fleeces (and who also want to hug babies) on April 22nd but people need to RSVP for that because there are gifts and we don't want to run out.
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Apr 1, 2017 22:45
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Can't make the 22nd but I think I can do May 13th!
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Apr 2, 2017 03:02
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bramble's lamb is so tiny i want to scoop her up gently in my hands and kiss her face
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Apr 2, 2017 11:45
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I wish I lived near your farm I want to hug the babies :3
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Apr 4, 2017 04:48
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So hypothetically if someone adores all of the livestock pics in PI but is still an enthusiastic meat eater does that make someone a sociopath? I'm asking for another goon btw.
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Apr 4, 2017 20:24
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Eifert Posting posted:So hypothetically if someone adores all of the livestock pics in PI but is still an enthusiastic meat eater does that make someone a sociopath? No more than my vegetarian rear end butchering the poo poo out of cute little fuzzy animals I raised and feeding the meat to other folks.
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Apr 4, 2017 21:13
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K I'll inform Avshalom who is the one who was concerned thanks.
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Apr 4, 2017 23:43
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Unless you think every farmer throughout all of time was a sociopath, no. No one farms because they just really hate animals and want them to die but we all have our jobs. Sometimes that job is to live a happy life, have one lovely day, and then be delicious.
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Apr 5, 2017 00:05
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what? i love meat. we're getting a whole processed lamb soon in return for agisting my neighbour's cows during the drought and i am stoked about it
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Apr 5, 2017 01:45
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I love animal pictures and especially bird pictures, chickens included, but I will still eat the poo poo outta chicken and dumplings. Post more baby sheeps 
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Apr 5, 2017 02:24
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the thing is also that when you farm, you get used to animal death very, very quickly. just about everyone starts out with small poultry, they're at the mercy of absolutely everything and no matter how much you try to secure them you will lose many to predators and will have to euth many more due to botched predator kills, which inflict horrific injuries - like i started out going "i'm going to nurse wounded animals back to health no matter what it takes!" but about three days after i started i found myself holding a japanese quail that had been attacked by a butcherbird and was half decapitated and had no eyes. in that situation there's only one thing you can do. if you farm you inevitably start breeding your own babies, because 99% of the time it's hilarious and rewarding and delightful, but i'd estimate about 1 out of 20 babies of any species is born with some deformity that makes happy longterm survival impossible and again, you have to make the choice. it's incredibly hard at first, but you learn the techniques and once you're good at it, it takes less than a second to kill an animal, they don't know it's coming, and they don't suffer. so i've kind of realised that being killed for meat is one of the better fates that can befall livestock, as long as they have a good life and a quick, humane death.
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Apr 5, 2017 02:35
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Might stop by this year and drag the bf and mom with. I'm currently in my large animal class for my tech program and we have a severe lack of sheep or goat hands on content unfortunately. Gonna drive out to the OSU dairy farm facility in Wooster tomorrow for lab and I'm reaaaaally hoping to see some adorable calves. It's an hour and a half drive, there better be babies to ogle over.
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Apr 5, 2017 05:39
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Instant Jellyfish, I'd love to buy some spinning wool, but I don't think I can make it out April 22nd! (My father lives in Grafton though, so not that far away) Could you please PM me details of how to do that? Or post in thread? Is it in the spinning thread that I'm not caught up on? 
WrenP-Complete fucked around with this message at 16:30 on Apr 5, 2017 |
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Apr 5, 2017 16:27
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Lava Lamp Goddess posted:Might stop by this year and drag the bf and mom with. I'm currently in my large animal class for my tech program and we have a severe lack of sheep or goat hands on content unfortunately. Gonna drive out to the OSU dairy farm facility in Wooster tomorrow for lab and I'm reaaaaally hoping to see some adorable calves. It's an hour and a half drive, there better be babies to ogle over. If you ever want some hands-on time with the small ruminants feel free to let me know. I'd love it if more vet techs knew anything about handling them! My livestock vet rarely brings a tech out so I end up doing all of it. WrenP-Complete posted:Instant Jellyfish, I'd love to buy some spinning wool, but I don't think I can make it out April 22nd! (My father lives in Grafton though, so not that far away) Could you please PM me details of how to do that? Or post in thread? Is it in the spinning thread that I'm not caught up on? There's some jacob roving on our etsy shop but if there is something else you want feel free to message my mom there or email her at info @ rovingacres.com with what you like spinning and she can probably hook you up. I get it off the animals and hand it right to her. More babies this morning but its storming like crazy so I'll get pictures later.
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Apr 6, 2017 14:55
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Ok, so this morning was like all of my lambing stress dreams come to life. Reba and Jewel decided that they were lambing at the same time, in the exact same spot about an hour before I went out for my morning barn check. Reba had twins, Jewel had triplets but in the confusion two of them didn't make it so when I showed up there were 3 live lamb and 2 dead lambs scattered all over the corner of the barn and I had no idea which ones belonged to who. I eventually got it sorted out but it was a real lovely way to start the day. Jewel and I are both bummed about the lambs but as Avshalom points out death is a big part of farming and you just need to move on to the ones still alive. Jewel's little girl. She's got a case of the blurs but is otherwise doing well. Jewel knows there should be more and it's pretty hard but she'll be ok.  Reba and her ram lamb  And her ewe lamb. She's very protective after this morning's confusion.  I think Juniper is the last left to go until Daisy and Eclair who are due at the end of the month. I'm trying to decide if I want to try for fall lambs since so many of my cormos and romeldales didn't take for various reasons.
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Apr 6, 2017 18:17
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Awww, poor Jewel, having to go through something so rough! Her poor lost babies. I'm glad she's still got a beautiful little girl out of the chaos.
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Apr 6, 2017 20:21
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 yeah it's good that she at least got one. and what a gorgeous little cherub i can't get over how sweet your lambs' faces are, they all have these funny half-smiles... and the spots, the spots
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Apr 7, 2017 00:26
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Just out of curiosity, how do/did you sort out whose was whose?
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Apr 7, 2017 02:39
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Thank you for Etsy link! Gonna borrow a wheel from someone at weavers guild and see if I like spinning! Also I love the new babies! Such blessings that those ones made it...
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Apr 7, 2017 03:51
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Instant Jellyfish posted:If you ever want some hands-on time with the small ruminants feel free to let me know. I'd love it if more vet techs knew anything about handling them! My livestock vet rarely brings a tech out so I end up doing all of it. Thanks, I'll keep it in mind. Currently my schedule is pretty dang full with class daily and running to campus on Saturday's to take care of our lab animals. We did just finish ruminant and food animal parasites in parasitology. What's your treatment protocol on your animals like?
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Apr 8, 2017 04:49
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take me to the beaver posted:Just out of curiosity, how do/did you sort out whose was whose? Their wool texture is really different between the lambs that are sired by Isadore and the ones sired by Glen. Reba is Glen's grandma so her lambs were very similar to his other lambs and Jewel's lamb looked very much like all of her previous lambs. Also I figured Jewel was more likely to have trips than Reba. Turns out I was more confused than I thought though because Jewel's remaining lamb is actually a boy. Oops! Don't know how I missed those. Lava Lamp Goddess posted:Thanks, I'll keep it in mind. Currently my schedule is pretty dang full with class daily and running to campus on Saturday's to take care of our lab animals. I know how that is, next year I'm syncing everyone to lamb during spring break. I'm going insane this year. I use the FAMACHA method to test for parasites and occasionally send fecals out to this place that does them cheap to double check that things are working. Juniper finally lambed this morning so I'm down to just Daisy who could lamb whenever and Eclair who is due the 24th. I need to take my camera out to get new pictures of Juni's boy and the rest of the indoor crew but here are some pictures of the older lambs. The wrinkly little cvm romeldale beeb. I mostly just call her Lil' Poopers. She's real cute.   The big giant romeldale who thinks she's a cormo. She very much does her own thing all the time.   My small friend who like to scritch me back when I give him scritches. He better turn out really nice because I luvs him.  His brother who is also pretty friendly but is not a scritch friend.  Anise and her girl  One of Aster's girls  Clem and her pair   
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Apr 10, 2017 01:56
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Instant Jellyfish posted:My small friend who like to scritch me back when I give him scritches. He better turn out really nice because I luvs him.
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Apr 10, 2017 02:11
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A cute little blep.
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Apr 10, 2017 02:17
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I can't see this as anything other than angry eyebrows 
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Apr 10, 2017 02:30
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Radio! posted:I can't see this as anything other than angry eyebrows Needs to be renamed Groucho asap imo...
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Apr 10, 2017 03:55
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CVM lambs look like they were born into skin a few sizes too big.
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Apr 10, 2017 19:33
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Easter lamb pictures! It was gorgeous today so all the lambs got to go out and run amok. Daisy had a single ram lamb while I was off shearing for someone on Tuesday so now we're just waiting for Eclair who is due on the 24th for sure this time. Daisy's boy. He has an overbite so he looks kind of dorky.   Juniper's boy. He's super cute!    Jewel's boy. Still needs to catch up a bit but he'll get there.  Bramble's little premie. She's normal lamb size now! Not as big as the lambs her age but a good size for a baby.  Reba's ewe. Her ram didn't cooperate but the ewe kept showing up.   Lil' Pooper's pajamas are starting to fit right.  Nap time 
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Apr 16, 2017 01:46
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baby blues 
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Apr 16, 2017 01:49
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I lost the link to your etsy page and I'm really glad it's been posted again. I'll have to wander over and check it out. I'm so jealous of your little lovey-lovelies! I would love to own sheep and/or goats someday. Perhaps perhaps.
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Apr 21, 2017 16:57
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Bonster posted:CVM lambs look like they were born into skin a few sizes too big. If you think the CVMs have enormous pajamas take a look at this cormo boy! His mom waited until our last visitor for Meet Your Fleece pulled out out of the driveway to get things started. It was the most ridiculous birth I've been around for in a while. Eclair's water broke and she decided TIME TO FITE!!! and went around butting people for a while until she got distracted and started grazing. She started having more contractions then and started following her yearling lamb around making baby noises clearly very confused about the whole experience. Eventually I got her into a pen expecting her to get to business once she was penned up and quiet but no such luck. I ended up having to give her a dose of oxytocin and going in. The lamb was trying to come out face first with his front legs braced against her pelvis so I rearranged things and ended up just pulling him as soon as she started contracting again. He then wasn't sure he actually wanted to be alive but some vigorous rubbing and suctioning all the goop out of his mouth and nose got him going. After all that he's totally fine now! Good thing no visitors were around to see me all up the back side of a sheep. He's pretty cute though.  I took some other baby pictures too! Lucky Charm   Lil' Poopers aka Hi-Jinx  Anise and her girl who barely fits under there anymore.  One of Aster's girls  Thistle's girlie  Daisy's boy who she spends all day and night yelling about. No one cares, Daisy!  I'm all done with lambs for the spring now! Of course I have lost my mind and am thinking of experimenting with fall lambs so there may be more in 5-6 months.
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Apr 23, 2017 23:09
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GIANT EARS Rest of the babies lookin' good too!
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Apr 24, 2017 00:19
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Can I get more details on Shearing Day, please? What time can I show up?
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Apr 27, 2017 00:54
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Instant Jellyfish posted:One of Aster's girls 
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Apr 27, 2017 03:50
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my cat is norris posted:Can I get more details on Shearing Day, please? What time can I show up? It's May 13th 11-4! I'll be shearing different animals throughout the day so there's no worry about missing that no matter what time you show up and of course the babbies aren't going anywhere. The FB event page is here and I think I have finally actually put our address on things but if you can't find it let me know! Here are some of the fine creatures you may experience: Jewel's boy.  Poopers, she really likes face rubs and is generally the sweetest baby ever.  Truffle being a big fatty fat.  Lucky Charm wouldn't let me into her secret clubhouse  Seriously, Poops is just the best and I should stop calling her Poopers.  Benny kept running into things so he was the first boy to get a haircut this year. He's amazed at how bright everything is now! 
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Apr 27, 2017 22:16
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Do sheep ever learn to like a shearing or do they think you're murdering them until it's over. If it's anything like dogs and nail trimming rip you.
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Apr 28, 2017 00:43
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Instant Jellyfish posted:Lucky Charm wouldn't let me into her secret clubhouse
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Apr 28, 2017 00:42
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Eifert Posting posted:Do sheep ever learn to like a shearing or do they think you're murdering them until it's over. So this is the traditional way to shear a sheep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2Y4uagy2Z0 It's fast, it's efficient, and I am real bad at it. You have to have long arms and legs, which I do not, and it takes a lot of skill, which I have not developed. What I do instead of wrestling sheep while holding rapidly moving blades near my face is shear them on a stand like you would groom a dog. I even use tiny little dog clippers. It takes way longer than the traditional method but it's much easier on my body and less stressful for the sheep than me fumbling around with them on their butts for 30 minutes. So the first time I sheer a sheep or goat they generally lose their poo poo. They buck and stomp and if they're a goat they scream and bite. But because they're in a stand and I'm going slowly I stop and give them treats the whole time. And because I'm using tiny dog clippers I don't cut them even when they're flailing around so they never learn that they can get hurt during shearing. Usually by the end of their first time they are happy to stand there and gobble up goodies. I usually have to push them off the stand and toss them outside or they'll just keep jumping up wanting more. I've even had some do the wiggly leg thing that dogs do when you scratch a good spot After the first time most of them get the picture and are happy to be sheared every year. The goats and the cormos still pitch a fit pretty regularly but in general they really like shearing and I like getting some one on one time to really get my hands on each animal and make sure they're doing well. At some point I'll make a video because no one believes me when I say I use dog clippers and when I show up to shear for other people they look at me like I'm a crazy person until I get going. Also my dog loves getting nail trims and is really sad if I use my dremel for anything else.
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Apr 28, 2017 02:28
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 12:48 |
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I noticed in that video that the sheep were basically just laying there - is that some advanced sheep control technique, or just sheep that are used to the whole process?
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Apr 28, 2017 07:00
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