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

Prepared for the Worst

we're under that 48 there in the middle

Winter Storm Jonas was dictating our actions long before it ever even had a name. http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-jonas-forecast-january-20

Any sort of winter weather requires some sort of advanced planning and when the phrase “historic proportion” starts occurring regularly in the weather forecast, the planning takes on a whole new sense of urgency.

the purple covers our county

...and yep! right in the middle of all that RED

In just one more example as to how farm life is WAY different than life in town…our preparedness planning did NOT include a special trip out for milk, bread and toilet paper.  No, our trip was for feed and 2x4s! But only after the Boss made a special trip to get a new tractor tire.

Since we do indeed raise food, that need requires no last-minute trips to the store. My children laugh at me, saying that we could survive a zombie apocalypse with all the food we have around here. (and they’re probably right) So, human needs are covered with very little additional effort.

As we watched the area farmers run up and down Mbrk road delivering hay to the cattle in hopes of getting enough to the fields before the roads are covered up, I gave thanks that our small operation is all in one location. I can think of nothing worse than knowing that it may be impossible to get to the livestock that depend on you for their survival.

As the predicted snowfall totals increased, so did our list of things to do.

First up, Angus needed to be near the other animals. The new shelter the Boss built for the back paddock is great, but if the snowfall total really does reach FEET, we will have a whole new set of issues. Namely, getting out to the ram paddock. During the blizzard of ’09, it took me nearly an hour to haul a bale of hay and some grain out to the ram. And, then he couldn’t even walk through the snow. For days he was stuck in the same spot under the trees. A looooong way from the house through the snow. Not something I care to repeat!

With a little re-furbishing, the tractor shed made a great temporary ram pen. And, while Angus doesn’t seem too impressed, I think he will appreciate being dry as the snow piles up.

If you were wondering about the 2x4s…

All that snow might just squash hoophouse #1 flat. Its rounded shape doesn’t allow the snow to slide freely like the gothic roofline of #2. In the past we have made the effort to beat the snow off at regular intervals. While this works to some degree, the ribs could still use some added support. This will also prevent any banging brooms from puncturing the plastic skin. (not that I had any personal experience with that sort of thing…)

There were a lot of little outside jobs to do.  All the electric net would have to be pulled up and put away. That stuff is far too valuable to let the snow mash it flat!

I pulled it down

He stored it away

The henhouse needed some protection from the swirling snow. By putting plywood skirting all around it, we cut down on the wind and the snowdrifts.

The sheep were going to be stuck in the barn. And, the hens would be captive in the henhouse. Feeders and waterers would have to be installed.

Shovels and brooms stacked in the utility room. Generator and snowblower gassed up and ready to go. The tractor parked in the shop where it would stay warm enough to start when time comes for the big dig-out.

Think there's enough wood in the woodbox?

The wood box is filled. There is even more in the shed. We’ve got batteries, flashlights and candles. Water jugs are full.

With the completion of every little task, two more appeared on the list. I really began to think we would never get finished.

But, we did.

finishing up the ram pen

The last job got completed as the first snowflakes fell.

We are prepared for the worst…

Now, let’s hope for the BEST!

It's SNOWING!

155 Days

The past 155 days have been a long and arduous struggle in my life as a shepherd.

I have worried (far more than I care to admit). I have prayed (almost constantly it seemed).

I tried not to think about it.

But, found myself worrying some more. I even wrote that shepherding is the HARDEST thing.

Now, if you’re anything like the Boss, you just can’t figure out why I can’t just LET IT GO...why I can’t just focus on something else.

Believe me, I’d like to. But, that’s just not the way I function. That’s just not how I am. While I don’t really enjoy the worrying, honestly, I find that it makes me far more appreciative of the successes. It makes me more aware of all the nuances of the situation and more open to creative solutions.

However, this particular struggle is history.

It was just 155 days ago that I first noticed that Waylon-the ram was limping. It wasn’t the ordinary stone in the hoof kind of limp. There was something particularly odd about that limp. It gave me a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. As the limp got worse, the strange feeling turned into a full-blown worry.

When he finally laid down in a rather dejected heap, completely uninterested in all the specimens of feminine ovine loveliness surrounding him, I lost it. For a ram to lose interest during breeding season is unheard of.  Whatever it was had to be serious.

I could find nothing wrong. None of our “go-to” treatments had any effect.

What WERE we going to do?

I think I have related just how very important a ram is to a shepherd. Right? We’re talking potentially half the flock. HALF.

With no ram, there would be no lambs. With no lambs, there would be no lambchops. With no lambchops, there would be no sales. With no sales, there would no income from the sheep part of the operation. And, without income… Do I really have to tell you how important THAT is?

Not to mention the fact that lamb makes up a good portion of our own menu throughout the year. Without plenty of meat in the freezer, we would be looking at more grocery shopping and a further outlay of cash.

To complicate things further, there is a set window for breeding. Sheep will only breed at certain times of the year. And, if you miss that window, you must wait until the following year. Not a few months…a whole year.

So…a lame/sick ram is a major deal. This could indeed be devastating.

You don’t just run out to Rent-a-Ram when you need a breeder. And, Amazon doesn’t stock rams. (now, that would be worth the price of Prime, I tell you what) The options are limited, to say the least.

Since it was indeed breeding season, the rams around the area were already occupied. Maybe we could wait until they were done, “borrow” one and get a late start?  (remember that breeding window…it’s pretty short) Then, there’s the whole issue of bio-security…

Maybe there was one in the paper…Craigslist…wouldn’t any old “guy sheep” do?

Well, here’s the thing…we have worked hard for years to get our sheep genetics consistent so that the lambs are all quite similar. Our lamb chops need to be the same quality all the time. If we just bought some bargain basement dude-sheep to make babies, we might get something good and we might…not. (believe me, we have certainly been there, done that one!)  So, I’m more than a little picky. (and rightfully so)

The Boss called around to our few shepherd-friends. Nothing.

But, they had a couple of suggestions.

What about the ram sale at VATech?

There were some great genetics available there and I have always wanted to get to that sale. But, the sale is at VATech, in Blacksburg, on Saturday. There was no way we could miss the Market. (no Market…truly NO income!) And, there was no way we could be at the Market and at a sale that was at least 2 hours away at the same time. Okay, so that option was out.

And, just how much was solving this problem going to cost us?

WHAT are we going to do? I had given up trying to think about anything else.

When the Boss called Suffangus Farm, I was trying to reconcile myself to the fact that we might not have any lambs for 2016.

Imagine my surprise when he got off the phone and said we were going THAT afternoon to take our choice of THREE different rams!

Long story, short…we got a new ram. He joined the flock as “Angus”.

But, the new ram was quite young, he was still small. Compared to some of our big girls, he looked like a baby. As a young ram, he had no experience. That might makes things a bit of a challenge. We could only hope that instinct would kick in quickly. Oh….

And, I was off and worrying again.

He was a quick study. He figured it out and completed the task at hand.

I felt better.

But, then, he “did his job” again.

So, what’s the problem? 

You see, a ram will only mate with a ewe when the ewe is in estrus and ready to be bred. (no recreational procreation in the ovine world) That should be the only day that the ram will be “with” that ewe. If that one time is successful, the ewe will not cycle again. And, the ram will show no interest in her. That’s part of the reason we change the ram marker color. More than one color and we know it isn’t working.

We know all too well about how very wrong this all-natural activity can go. Once, a long time ago, we had a ram that had an undetected breeding “issue”, he marked those girls every single time…and nothing happened. We had a Technicolor flock and no lambs. Not good, I assure you.

So, when a couple of girls got marked for the second time, even the Boss started to worry. The ram was young, the ewes were young, so it was certainly understandable. So, we waited...until the next possible time. No more marks. We let out a collective sigh of relief.

Days passed. I tried not to worry. I tried not to think. (for the record, that simply does NOT work).

It became apparent that despite the major upset in scheduling, despite my worries and despite the odds...that all the ewes were bred. (well, there’s one that remains questionable)  It would just be matter of time.

Good looking ram

And, that’s where 155 days come in. That’s the length of this saga.

We turned “Angus” in with the girls just 149 days ago.

Gestation for a sheep is somewhere between 145 and 153 days.

Final countdown had begun. We would finally see just how this one played out.

And, Tuesday night (on day 147), just before midnight...the first lamb arrived. He was a big, beautiful ram lamb. When I got there, he was nearly dry and trying to stand. Since he was a real big boy, I figured he would be the only one. As I tried to reconcile myself to yet another single birth, (twins are our preference) his sibling made her appearance.

TWO beautiful babies! They’re long and tall and healthy.

...and there are more to come.

It’s obvious that “Angus” knows how to "do his job" and his genetics show in the lambs. And, it looks like the whole scheduling snafu is going to be a good thing (we’re facing a huge snow storm).Yet another case of  "all things work together for good..."

Guess I can stop worrying now. Nah, that will never happen. Even if I try.

Looking back, those 155 days of worry really don't seem that long after all!

#1 "Angus" lamb
amazing!
12 hours old
look at the length!

Sunday Walkabout 1-17

This crowd is hard to please

It’s Sunday again!  Let’s head to the barn.

In January/February our weekly farm tours center around the barn. Actually, in January and February EVERYTHING centers around the barn. Once lambing season begins, we make lots (and LOTS) of trips to the barn. You just never know when human intervention may be called for. And, even if we are not needed, it is pleasant to visit the barn when all the sheep are lying around, chewing their cuds and/or sleeping. It’s so peaceful. (most of the time)

just chillin' on a chilly day

It was a chilly day when we turned the lambs out with the rest of the flock. They didn't act quite right and they seemed particularly cold, so I put little sweaters on them, hoping to reserve some of their body heat. However, that didn’t seem to perk them up too much. After watching them a little more, it seemed more like they were hungry than cold. I checked on mama-sheep.

when lambs are all "hunched up" like this
they don't feel good

they were really sleepy, too

She didn’t have any milk, or not much. She had obviously had some colostrum for the lambs (or they would have been dead by now), but when it was time for her milk to come in, apparently it did not. I headed back to the house, rooted the milk replacer out of the freezer and found a brand-new bottle and nipple. I took it back to the barn and caught the lambs. When they latched right onto that bottle, I knew I had solved the problem. I also knew that I now had a couple of “pet lambs”. (you need to click and read)  I am now "co-parenting" with Trisha-the-sheep. Not exactly what I had planned…but, that’s just how it goes sometimes.

The Boss needed a couple of additional items for his plumbing project, so he stopped by the Farm Bureau and purchased a new bag of “liquid gold” (milk replacer for lambs) for me. With their survival assured, he could focus on his project.

The sink in the utility room is one of those choices from our days of home construction that we find ourselves giving thanks for repeatedly. We use it countless times every single day for all sorts of washing up projects. It has become the Boss’ default egg-washing station, as the water in the processing shed freezes in the wintertime. The near-constant use meant it really, really needed some TLC and it was time to replace the badly leaking faucet. He actually planned to do this project LAST winter (the supplies have been sitting behind the couch all this time) but, well, you know how that goes.

Another cold and windy day, another completed indoor project! (I could get used to this)

new faucet and backsplash

The newly renovated sink project had no effect on the wind. It simply got worse as the afternoon progressed. By afternoon chores, gates were banging, loose buckets were flying and we were beginning to fear for the roof shingles as we watched the trees along the property line bend and bow. Snow flurries added to the wintry scenario.

The animals all hunkered down as best they could after eating and we headed back to the house for some respite. However, when the wind wails during the winter, the house doesn’t offer complete calm, as the attached greenhouse flutters and creaks in the wind. I can sympathize with the dogs who headed for the deepest corner UNDERNEATH the shed when the winds started whipping gravel up out of the driveway into a small whirlwind. Then the temperatures began to plummet. So much for missing winter!

a wind casualty
the broiler pen is beyond repair
and the Boss will have to build a new one before Spring

The wind and the cold don’t provide an excuse from barn chores, and during lambing, barn chores are an endless routine. A couple hours later, with lamb bottles tucked into the front of my coveralls (trying to keep them warm), I headed out into the dark to do the last check of the evening before bedtime. The wind tore the breath right out of my lungs and the cold was “bracing” to say the least. Snow was blowing sideways through the night.

I assumed there would be some relative calm in the barn, but I was wrong. The metal roof heaved and clattered in the 40 mph winds, and it seemed the entire thing would come apart when the errant 50-60 mph gust would tear through, creating a biting duststorm of small bits of hay and dirt.

Out of the darkness came a horrible sound. The wind, the moaning barn and the swirling biting snow made it hard to identify. There it was again! Someone...something...was screaming. Screaming at regular intervals. Which could only mean one thing.

More lambs.

The bottle babies would have to wait. Although, they wouldn’t. They kept tugging on the legs of my coveralls as I attempted to find the source of the screams. I pushed them away and flipped on the lights.

The wind blew harder, the snow swirled more thickly. Man, it is cold in here! The screaming was getting louder, even over the wind. Looking around, I didn’t see anything untoward at first.

...and there she was, behind a group of sheep.

The laboring ewe.

She was attempting to birth out an enormous lamb. And, the enormous lamb was stuck. Each contraction would cause mama-sheep to scream and writhe. Ugh. Good thing I came out when I did.

Pushing the bottle lambs away AGAIN, I stepped in.

A little re-positioning and a fairly good tug and the birthing issues were easily solved. The big baby was born! Assuring that mama-sheep was indeed going to do her job, I turned back to feeding the bottle babies who by now were biting my coveralls and bunting my legs.

With the lambs fed, it was time to turn my attention back to the newborn. While mama-sheep was doing a great job cleaning up the baby, that didn’t change the fact that there was snow blowing though the barn and the windchill had to be far below freezing. Enormous or not, the lamb wouldn’t stand up to that for long. The lamb needed to be out of the wind. And, one of the bottle babies realized that there was more milk for the drinking and she kept going after the new mom and the seeming endless milk supply. She was becoming a nuisance. Mama-sheep was getting distracted by the little interloper and couldn’t take care of her own offspring in peace. Some human intervention was necessary all around.

A quick trip to the house for supplies and a little re-arranging in the barn, and I got mama and baby tucked into a jug for the night. But, not before I weighed the newborn. 14.6#! Not the biggest lamb ever, but, not a small one, either. (she seemed to be nearly twice the size of the smaller twin) I admit, I was a little disappointed that it was just a single...but, then, I really had my doubts as to whether mama-sheep was even bred. So...with that unexpected adventure out of the way, I headed off to bed.

But, not before I set the alarm clock for 2 am. Since I am now “surrogate mom” to the twins, I will be feeding them around the clock for another couple of weeks. I can’t say that I enjoy getting up in the middle of the night, fixing baby bottles and traipsing to the barn in the cold and dark. But, I am a shepherd. And, that’s just the way lambing season goes. (are you sensing a recurring theme?)

ewes hanging out on a winter afternoon

Over the next couple of weeks, sleep deprivation is just a part of life. But, since I’m not going anywhere, except the barn or really quick trips to town, my somewhat sleepy, disheveled appearance and my growing incoherence isn’t all that much of an issue. You can  read this about lambing season.

as you can see, the babies have completely recovered and rejoined the flock
this is the smallest one

For anyone keeping track, we are now at four lambs. The twins, the enormous lamb and another big single. Then there is a break in the action until at least Monday. And, then, another break until the following week. At that point, things should start “popping”.  If you remember, we had the whole “Waylon” incident a little more than 150 days ago (length of sheep gestation), prompting our unexpected ram purchase. The big gap in lamb births indicates we indeed made the right decision. All the rest of the lambs will be Angus’ offspring. So, we are truly looking forward to seeing how this all plays out. If we can just hang on a little longer…

the twins enjoy the sunshine ahead of the bad weather

I thought lambing seemed like a long, drawn-out ordeal this year, so I checked the calendar. Yep! I was right.  Lambing took place in just 10 days last year, with one errant ewe that finished up a couple of weeks later. This year, we’ve got lamb dates spread out over 4 WEEKS with one old girl looking to lamb in March (maybe). Not the way I would have had things work out…but…

"Violet" is doing her best to help the hay situation.
She has eaten half a bale so far!

As I know I have said before…it all works out. 

The stalls we generally use for babies are full of hay. Because, this year, we did not need to feed hay until after Christmas! Last year, we were feeding hay before Thanksgiving. If all the babies were to come at once, I honestly don’t know where we would put everyone. So, it all works out. And, I can always sleep some other time.

The upcoming week should bring some new babies, some FRIGID temperatures and the annual Farmers’ Market meeting. I just hope they don’t all happen at the same time! 

But, you know how that goes…

Thanks for stopping by!

Here’s hoping you have a Happy Sunday! 

…and you come back for a “visit” real soon.

wonder what they are "talking" about?