Sunday Walkabout 2-7

Now, this looks like trouble with a capital "T"!

Last week, I told you that things were about to change...

that the waiting mode had just about come to an end...

Well, boy, was I right!

After waiting for what seemed like forever, lambing time hit full-force this week. Just like we expected. Well, no, I can’t really say that. There was more than one unexpected turn of events.

I left out part of the story when I told you about the painting party over at the kids’ new house last week. There was more to my part in the job than just thinking existential thoughts while slopping on a coat of paint. Somehow, either because of my general klutziness or perhaps my complete lack of balance and poise, this painting grandma found herself doing a little free-falling. I don’t know if I fell off the bench I was standing on, or simply tripped...all I know is I was suddenly airborne! No real problem. I landed rather awkwardly in a box of toys. Nothing was broken, not even the toys! And while my hand and my pride were both fairly bruised, no real harm was done. The kids were startled and had something new to tease me about. Thankfully, no babies were playing in the toys and even though Mr. B’s lunch was disrupted, no real harm was done.

and, my hand turned such a pretty shade of purple

Or, that’s what I thought.

Sunday evening, my muscles decided to revolt and protest the rough handling. I spent most of Monday re-establishing my relationship with the heating pad. Recovery has been somewhat restricted by the required, repeated trips to the barn...but, that’s just how it goes sometimes.  The Boss has taken over feed and hay delivery, but ovine obstetrics are still my area of expertise.

Just as I was thinking that the week was going to be another one of endless waiting, the action began.

 A couple of uneventful births...

And, we moved the pullets. 

Once the Boss starts finding eggs in the brooder house, it's time for the pullets to move in with the hens. That's always "fun". This year's move went without a hitch.  And, just in time, too. The hatchery emailed that the first of the broiler chicks will arrive in 3 weeks!

with no nestboxes
eggs in the brooder are just a little gross
time to move

each flock gets a different color legband
this year it's PINK

after acclimating for a couple weeks
the pullets will be turned in with the hens

Then, the weather changed. They say that a weather change (or a full moon) will bring on those close up births.  ...and it looks like THEY are right.

When I did the last check of the evening, just before bed, something didn’t look quite right. “not quite right” is an understatement. Things were wrong…very wrong. One of the first-time ewes had a lamb coming head-first.  ...a serious mis-presentation. And, it looked it had been that way for a while. The lamb’s face was dry...and while it was hard to tell in the dim barn light, it looked a little swollen, too. That couldn’t be good. (actually, my first thought was that the lamb was dead) Back to the house to catch the Boss before he got tucked in for the night.

When we got to the barn, my assessment of the situation revealed that the lamb was NOT dead, (YAY) but, it was really, really stuck. The ewe was in pain, and didn’t seem to understand that we were trying to help. (that’s always a challenge) After some manipulating, swearing and praying (I know, my faith is an eclectic mix to say the least) I pulled the baby out. She gasped and flailed about. Hooray! I put my hand back in. Yep, another one. This one was backwards, meaning it was coming tail first. Mama sheep was really stressed, contracting heavily on my arm, so I didn’t try to re-position this baby, I just pulled it out as fast as I could. (when the lamb is backwards, the umbilical cord can break prior to delivery, or the lamb can attempt to breathe on its way through the birth canal...neither option being at all desirable) But, whoosh! Out she came. She gasped, she flailed. We rejoiced.

Mama sheep? Nothing.

Honestly, she looked like she was in some sort of shock. (rightly so, I guess) Her eyes were big and sort of glazed. She showed no interest in the lambs. When the Boss let go of her head, she bolted for the far side of the barn. *sigh*

I worked on drying off the lambs. They were big, beautiful ewe lambs, who despite their rather dramatic entrance into the world, were already trying to stand and looking for something to eat. We showed them to their mama. Nothing.

Somehow, we managed to get the whole family in a jug. But, mama-sheep was still completely uninterested. She stood in the corner of the pen, fairly unresponsive. The Boss and I exchanged worried glances as he headed off to the house for more towels. Since mama-sheep wasn’t interested, we had some lambs to clean. (we were both hoping we wouldn’t have lambs to FEED as well)

While he was gone, I tried a couple more times to get the ewe to respond. Still, nothing.

Finally, it was like a lightbulb went on. She sniffed the lamb. She started making those little sheep-y noises that the ewes make to their newborns. (this is some sort of imprinting so the lambs know their mother’s call later) She began licking...and licking. She was even licking me! The babies started nuzzling up under her, looking for a sip of the all-important colostrum.

The Boss was back by this point and we both heaved a huge sigh of relief. The best possible outcome for a potentially disastrous situation. That first lamb would not have been born without human intervention. If that one couldn’t have been born, the whole family might have died. Instead, there is a healthy sheep family wandering around the barn.

We headed off to bed.

this is what active labor looks like

A couple hours later, I went to check on the new family. They were fine, but, another ewe looked close. Really close.

Not much sleep happening on the hill tonight.

This birth was fairly non-eventful. The first lamb came without any problems, but the second one needed a little re-positioning. That was easily done. I didn’t even have to get the Boss.

But, it was obvious another ewe was ready. (see what I said about the change in weather?)

Twins were birthed out with little difficulty (meaning I basically sat there and watched). I helped clean the lambs, clipped and treated their umbilicals and put the whole family in a jug.

I helped the Boss with morning chores and we headed off to breakfast.

TRIPLETS

When I returned to the barn, I thought I was seeing things. There, milling about under the newest mama-sheep, looking for a meal, were THREE little lambs. THREE! There had been no sign of another lamb when I penned them, so I was totally surprised. They were all healthy and other than seeming a bit bewildered, the ewe was doing a fine job mothering on.

Great!

Because, another ewe was in active labor.

I hung around to see if anything would require my assistance. One baby…two babies…everything looked fine…

Suddenly there was a bunch of commotion behind the barn. I went out to check, only to find that two lambs had somehow squeezed through the fence and were in the winter paddock. One of the ewes was completely freaked out by this occurrence and was screaming relentlessly.

After chasing the lambs around and around (and around), I finally got them back with their mother and made sure the gate was latched tightly so we wouldn’t have a repeat performance.

Walking back to check on the new family, I noticed something strange…one baby…two babies…had suddenly become THREE babies!

look close
she's cleaning baby #3

everyone gets a good licking

Again.

Really.

This was wild. I don’t think we have ever had two sets of triplets within hours of each other.

Everyone seemed fine. Off to the next thing.

Later in the day another ewe went into labor. The Boss laughingly said, “wouldn’t it be funny if it was another set of triplets?”

Apparently, he’s a prophet…or maybe the son of a prophet…

Yep, you guessed it. ANOTHER set of triplets!

AGAIN with the TRIPLETS!

I couldn’t believe my eyes and phoned him from the barn. “…you won’t believe this…” Baffled silence on the other end.  “NO”…he said…”you’ve got to be joking me!”

Nope. Not a joke. And, we’re months from April Fool’s day.

THREE sets of triplets in 24 hours. I’m pretty sure that’s a farm record.

Again, everyone was fine.

Oddly enough, all three sets of triplets are made up of 2 girls and a boy. So far, only one set is needing any sort of supplementation. The whole triplet phenomenon should be a blog post…

Saturday night, as I did my last check of the evening, I found the last ewe had just given birth to a set of real nice twins.

…and so ends the lambing of 2016. 

(except for that one old girl who I’m not sure about…if she is bred, she won’t lamb until near the end of next month)

There are 26 healthy lambs down at the barn!

 All in all, an amazingly successful outcome to what I fully expected to be our worst year ever as shepherds. I guess we should reward Angus with some extra hay or something.

I’ll get you all the lambing stats later this week...with lots of baby pictures. Right now, I think I’m going to rest my back and try to catch up on my sleep. (and the laundry)

sorting seeds...
one of the seed orders included a special discount on wine
either gardening is very stressful
or quite celebratory

Tomorrow starts a new week that calls for LOTS and LOTS of seed starting. 

It’s time to gear up for Market season! Hooray!

                                     Here’s to a Happy Sunday! 

Thanks for stopping by.  Come “visit” again real soon.

This ewe and her lamb make me laugh.
He sleeps like this ALL the time.
Her poor back...he weighs 39#!

Sunday Walkabout 1-24

What a week!

But, we got through it and it’s time for our little Sunday “farm tour”. Wait, it is Sunday, right? I lost track somewhere this week.

Okay, I checked. It IS Sunday. and, off we go...

If you read the last two posts, then you know that our whole week focused on the sheep and the impending storm. If you didn’t read the last two posts, then shame on you. You should have read those first. Go...do that. Then, be sure to come back!

not a good sight
particularly when there's snow in the forecast!

Somewhere at the beginning of the week, the Boss discovered that the tractor had a flat. No big deal...put some air in, right? Wrong. He had solved the problem like that many times in the past. This time, he would need a new tire. A new tire meant a roadtrip of sorts. But, there were a number of other things to do... But, there was a big snowstorm threatening, he decided not to wait.

That was a good decision. The repair shop guys were full of stories about how crazy it would be the day before the storm as everyone decided to get “prepared” at the last minute. And, we had far more jobs that required the tractor than we originally thought.

Despite the bitter cold, the Farmers’ Market meeting went off without a hitch. It was encouraging to see that there are some new faces for this season. Now the countdown to Market has begun (if only in my mind). Opening Day April 2 is right around the corner!

After the meeting, I headed to the barn to check on the bottle babies (fine) and the ewe due to lamb. She was looking like delivery was imminent. By midnight, we had two nice lambs. These were the first of the “Angus” lambs, so it was rather exciting.

The next couple of days were filled with storm preparations as the predicted totals got higher and higher. Blizzard warnings went up and it looked like things were shaping up for an historic event.

Wednesday, we went ahead and cancelled sales for the week. At that point, we hadn’t seen a snowflake and I’m pretty sure that our decision looked rash. By cancelling sales, we effectively cancelled any earnings for the week. That’s a hard choice to make. What if the forecast was totally wrong? We would just have to live with our decision.

Storm preparations continued.

Blondie brought MrB to see the sheep
this is her final show lamb
meeting her new "lamb"

The snow began in earnest around 8am on Friday.

With the first snowflake came evidence that more lambs were arriving. They say “when the barometer drops, the babies pop.” (or something like that) By the time I got back from the house with my lambing supplies, another set of twins had been born. Mama was cleaning them up and they were looking for a meal. Yay! That’s the way to do it!  Thankfully, those were the only possible additions until after the impending storm.

Once they were situated in a jug, I headed back to the house for bottles for the other babies. The day was going to be spent going back and forth, through the snowflakes, checking on my small, woolly charges...

can you see the difference in size?

Of the new set of twins, one was enormous...possibly over 12 pounds and the other one was teeny, tiny...maybe 7 pounds (probably less). That occasionally happens with twins. While they’re inside, I guess one gets more of the mother’s nutrients. It is a situation to be aware of, as the bigger, stronger twin will dominate the food supply.

It was really hard to get the new twins dry and warm (the snow and wind were picking up in intensity and while we were in the barn...it’s not the tightest, warmest spot on the farm) I put little sweaters on the newborns and gave them a nutrient drench and a shot of selenium, hoping to give them a good start on life. I was certain they knew how to nurse their mother and saw that they had had at least a sip of her life-saving colostrum.

But, on my next trip to feed the bottle babies and I could hear lamb cries outside the barn. The tiny lamb was protesting loudly and wandering all around the jug. When I offered her a bottle, she drained it dry. Well, that was good...in a good news (she’s getting nourishment) bad news (another bottle baby?) Now, honestly, I didn’t want to co-parent the first lambs, I certainly don’t need another one. But, she was so tiny and big brother was doing his best to drain momma-sheep dry. So, I added bottle #3 to my coveralls. Momma-sheep didn’t seem to mind the help. She was still taking care of the baby, then she licked my hair and bit the bottle. (I think she even drank some of the milk...although I have no idea why)

The snow was coming down fast and furious. Each trip to the barn I swept the back porch clean...and on the return trip, I needed to do it again. I thought (erroneously) that I could keep a path clear to the barn by simply clearing it on each trip. This only worked for about two trips and then I had to admit defeat and just slog through the snow each trip. By afternoon chores, the snow was almost up to my knees.

blowin' snow

The Boss made a path with the snowblower before he headed out to push snow for the neighbor who has a VDOT contract to keep Augusta County roads clear. They spent all night going up and down Mbrk Road to the Rockbridge County line, working hard to keep that 25 miles of roadway passable.

That made for a very odd night. I was all alone here on the hill, trudging back and forth to the barn in the dark and swirling snow. He was out on the road, driving through the dark and swirling snow. Honestly, I was quite relieved when I heard the dogs barking at some “stranger” slogging through the waist-deep snow in the driveway. The Boss was back!

While he tried to get some sleep, I headed out to do morning chores. The snowfall had lessened, but the wind had kicked up. Any and all paths had been obliterated by the swirling, blowing snow. Even the dogs seemed a little overwhelmed.

Chores seemed to take forever. Between the extra encumbrance of coveralls, boots and coat and the deep snow, I certainly got a work-out before breakfast.

There was snow INSIDE the brooder house (it blew in the crack around the door). There were starlings INSIDE the henhouse (I guess they were looking for food and shelter). But, the wind had scoured the area around the henhouse clean, so the hens could come outside (once it stopped snowing)  Angus was looking quite comfortable, tucked in his little ram shed eating all the straw we put in for bedding. The ewes seemed quite disgusted that they were confined to the barn and limited to hay. But, a quick glance out the back of the barn revealed drifts over two feet high in places and no way to get to the feed corral. Their breakfast would have to wait. But, all the babies were looking good!

starlings in the henhouse

drift around henhouse

Since the Boss found it impossible to sleep, he used the snowblower to make paths to all the necessary spots. This was going to make feeding the animals MUCH easier.

MORE snow blowin'

I cleared the sheep feeders and finally let the sheep out of the barn. They all galloped headlong into the deep snow and one lamb was completely covered. Once the excitement died down, they went back to eating hay in the barn. 

Although, I did manage to leave the gate opened and the Boss had to herd sheep back in the barn later in the day.

despite her feigned innocence,
"Gladys' " green head gives her away
She helped herself to alfalfa hay!

The snow ended before suppertime and some forecasters lamented the fact that the totals weren’t all they had predicted. There were complaints about a “busted” forecast. Seriously?

digging out the feeders

We ended up with somewhere over 16 inches. There are drifts in excess of 36 inches.  I think the official tally for Staunton was 20 inches. Nothing like the 3 feet or more that had made the news earlier in the week! Personally, I’m glad. There will be enough clean-up involved in this. More would have been completely catastrophic.  The folks further North got a lot more and had the wind to contend with as well. There was serious flooding and reports of all sorts of hardships, even deaths.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/01/24/blizzard-2106-everything-you-need-know/79259422/

deep snow in driveway

snowy Sugarloaf Mountain

the garden is under there somewhere

With Winter Storm Jonas behind us... it’s now a matter of the clean-up. There are trucks and plows and tractors working non-stop in the area to get the roads clear once more. I’m glad we made an extra trip for feed, because I don’t know when we will get back to town. (the Boss says we can go any time...I’m not so sure...) Today the Boss is using the tractor to clear paths for the vehicles. I will be spending some quality time with a snow shovel, working my way to the greenhouses.

The upcoming week will be all about clean-up. I think the Boss is going to join the road-cleaning crew again...#1daughter/SiL and the Kman are moving to a new house...and there are more lambs coming... It should be anything but DULL around here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a  Happy Sunday!

update on lil bitty lamb...
she has recovered and is using her big brother
for a trampoline!
(and she doesn't need a bottle...YAY)

Do come “visit” again real soon!

Sunday morning snow

Sunday Walkabout 1-3-16

So, here we are…time for the first little farm tour of 2016.

This was not a scintillating week here on the hill. Actually, I don’t know if we have ever had a scintillating week here on the hill.

New Year's eve...another day...another rain shower

It rained again.   A lot. It’s been a soggy, sodden mess.

That didn’t seem to slow the hens down in their clean-up assignment. It is amazing how very little is left in the garden as they venture further and further afield.

However, the ewes don’t benefit from all the muck and mess as the thick mud gets stuck between their toes. (sheeps’ hooves have two separate parts) This causes them to limp most pathetically.

ewe hooves in the mud
and there's not a thing we can do about it

 And, limping sheep require that the shepherd (that would be me) catch said animal, pry the muck out of their foot and check for any injury. This is not a real fun job as the pregnant ewes are quite large…and fairly grumpy. If left unchecked, this can turn into inflammation and possible infection, rendering the sheep lame. So, a watchful eye and prompt attention is necessary. My other concern is that the pregnant ewes are already somewhat ungainly. Without four sound feet, they can trip and fall, injuring themselves and any unborn lambs.

 Fortunately, there is only one limping ewe at present!

another foggy day

…and the weather is finally drying out!

The Boss’ priority job was to rebuild the propagation table in one of the greenhouses. It had been in constant use for well over 15 years and was beginning to show serious signs of age. (read…it was falling apart) He pulled it all out, built a new and improved version…and we’re ready to go for 2016!

Since, I know someone is wondering… What IS a propagation table?

Here’s a quick explanation.

The propagation tables are simply large trays filled with sand (to act as a conductor) and heating cables and a thermostat. The cables provide bottom heat for the seeds and seedlings, promoting good root development. This in turn allows the plants to grow far more sturdy than those seedlings started in the kitchen window or under grow lights. The table is built to exact measurements to accommodate the seeding trays. 

leveling out the sand base

placing the heat cables.

This method has allowed us to grow superior starts for years, cutting down on our investment in plants and giving us a good start in the garden. And, it also allows us to start seeds year-round.

However…as with all good things, there is a down-side. Which, unfortunately, made itself known in the other greenhouse (again).

just the shells are left behind

The warm sand, combined with moist soil and abundant seeds provide the perfect environment for mice. No matter how hard we try…they appear from nowhere…and EAT the seeds.

And, they always eat the more expensive seeds…or the seeds that I REALLY need to grow. Which is what happened this week.  After I spent some time cleaning up the greenhouse, I seeded some kale and spinach. We really need more kale and spinach! (there is NO end to the demand for spinach and kale)

I didn’t give a thought to mice. (mistake #1) I usually cover the flats with screen to protect the germinating seeds. But, we have these little things that supposedly “repel” mice…and I figured they were working since I hadn’t seen a mouse in quite some time. (mistake #2)

When I went back the following morning to open the greenhouse…there was a trail of destruction. The potting soil showed evidence of digging and there was a trail of empty spinach seed shells. The rotten little bugger had quite the feast!

Before breakfast, I set mousetraps while muttering under my breath…”I hates meeses to pieces..." This is not the first time this has happened…and I’m fairly certain it won’t be the last. But, I must say…that is not my favorite way to start a morning!

And, then I needed to re-seed everything. So, it’s costly as well as annoying. But, what else can you do? Living in the country and growing food…you are going to battle with mice and other rodents…it’s just a fact of life. There’s always something out there that wants to eat our food products just as much as we do. …and all those wild critters have absolutely NO intention of sharing...or becoming paying customers!

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the following morning I got even more frustrated as the intruder managed to eat the peanut butter I used for bait withOUT getting trapped. Oh, mouse…this is WAR!

I will prevail in this one…you can count on it.

With the propagation table re-built and the mousetraps set (again), the greenhouses are just about ready for the growing season. I need to do a little more organization, buy a few bales of potting soil and get all the seeding dates finalized…oh, and place the seed order. I reckon I should get that done this afternoon. Hopefully, I will catch the mouse BEFORE the seed order arrives.

weeding in the hoophouse
it's even muddy in there!

There are a lot of other things that need to be done and calendar is already filling up for the week ahead.

…and there’s talk of a big change in the weather…and even the possibility of that “s” word that I don’t like. I will try to ignore that for a while longer. But, it IS January…

There seem to be an awful lot of things on that calendar that I know was completely blank just a couple of days ago. So much for the “off-season”. 

...time is flying once more.

sunrise

sunset

We may even see the first lamb this week! 

…on that note, I better head out to the barn. (when I get back, I'll get some photos together and get this piece posted)

Thanks for stopping by. 

I hope you’re having a Happy Sunday! 

first sunset of 2016

Come back and “visit” again real soon.