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Surprises this morning

2/24/2015

There were a couple of surprises this morning - first the snow. The yearlings, including Onyx, were out playing in it. Was snow even in the forecast last night?

And then I walk in to feed the ewes and there's a lamb! Kiri had a little ewe lamb. (So much for going by the ram's marking harness) Kiri did get marked the very first day when I put the ram in but then (I think) got marked again in the second cycle. I thought last night her udder was looking pretty full but she wasn't due for 3 more weeks! Even after 10 + years of breeding these beautiful sheep, I can still be surprised.

And here's the picture of Abby I was trying to get last time. Like I said, thank goodness she's so cute.

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Waiting for lambs and the little Pyr is trouble!

2/22/2015

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Lambs start arriving in a week. Now is the time for getting ready: putting fresh bedding in the stalls, making sure I have all the lambing supplies, and frequently checking on the ewes. Its always a guessing game when looking at the increasing size of their bellies - will it be a single, twins or triplets? Jasmine is looking quite big; she's given me triplets twice before. We'll see next week!

Holden, our older rescue Pyr, is learning how to be a good guardian dog. Little Abby, on the other hand, is taking a bit longer. Carolina Great Pyrenees Rescue thought she was 1 1/2 years old but we're hoping she's still mostly puppy - in hopes that her puppy like behaviors improve with age. I've moved the Pyrs in with the yearlings as Abby occasionally chases the sheep which is dangerous and stressful for the pregnant ewes. She is also an escape artist, so I've spent a fair amount of time this past week blocking the areas where she's digging under or going over the fence. Lucky for her she's so cute and affectionate.

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Shearing, 2015

2/13/2015

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Early Wednesday morning.
The ewes, coats off, waited patiently for Kevin to arrive.

Kevin Ford, Master Blade Shearer, travels down to NC from Massachusetts and will shear his way back north. Kevin has been coming to the farm for 13 years to shear my sheep. He shears using the old time hand blades which means a quiet shearing, the only sounds those of us talking and the occasional low baa of a sheep.

The ewes in their brilliant, white newly shorn wool.

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Shearing Time Again!

2/10/2015

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Shearing time - it always feels like the start of the new year for me as a shepherd. Kevin comes tomorrow, his shearing platform is all set up in the barn and the sheep are in their stalls. The yearlings look curiously in, wondering what is going on.

Pepper, our Leicester/Tunis cross wether (and Chloe's pet) happily followed me down to the ram's pasture, where I opened the gate. Pepper then led Tony Romo back up to the barn as I called them. Who needs a sheep dog when I've got Pepper?
And the ewes patiently wait for the morning.

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Surprises this morning

Waiting for lambs and the little Pyr is trouble!

Shearing, 2015

Shearing Time Again!

Mary Longhill

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