Compost Pallet Bays

We finally made our compost bays out of pallets!  Thank you Pinterest for ideas!  

We got the pallets for free and cut a few boards we had around for the bracers on the back and sides. We did buy a 1"x4 "x12' board to span the entire length on top. We wanted it extra durable because of our children. 

So excited, I can not wait to start using it!

Third Sheep Shed

No rest for the Shepards!  We got most of our third sheep shed done last night on Christmas Day. 

More Snow!

Okay, so for the third week in a row we are supposed to get rain today (Thursday) and have it turn to snow tonight and into Friday! 

Here are some pictures of the sheep in the snow last time!

I do not think the sheep mind but the goats could be happier!

New Home for Dragonwood!

Dragonwood Ranch has just moved to a permanent home in Wyoming!

This is one of the sheds as we reassemble on our new property and the next pictures are of the sheep out grazing!

Free Choice Mineral Feeders

We finally got up the mineral feeders in the Sheep Sheds!  We are using two steel bands this time instead of plastic zip ties.  Hopefully, this means the rams will not break the ties and drop the feeder. 

Surprise!!!

Imagine my shock when I receive a phone call letting me know that another lamb is on its way!!

Red Heart and Mother Aster

This little girl (yes, another one!) was born to Aster while on pasture this evening.  It was a mad dash to pack up the boys and hurry to the sheep.  We finally made it and were greeted by a beautiful dark brown little girl and very protective Mama.

Lamb Scare

Last night, while feeding the sheep, two of the lambs started eating the grain.  No biggie, we have seen them trying it before. . . last night was a different matter.  Two of them ate the grain so fast that they began to choke and froth, or foam, at the mouth!  I was shocked, they had been acting fine while we were watering and giving hay, what in the world was going on?  They gagged and moved around, then they just began eating hay like nothing ever happened!

After staying for a long time to make sure that they were okay and expanding their pens again we returned home.  An immediate Internet search brought forth several forums and websites that said sheep choking on grain produced large amounts of foam or froth at the mouth.  The other option seemed to be bloat and by all accounts they should already have been dead- I am guessing that was not the case as they did not have any other symptoms.  Happily, I can report that today they are just fine; playing like always and with a healthy appetite!

Munching on Hay

Little Moose, Petal, Clover, Sunshine

If you look closely at this picture can see the horns on Clovers head!  I find it remarkable how white the sheep can be after a snowfall.  You can see how the light reflects off Sunshine's fleece.  Petal's head is also hard to see because it blends in with the freshly fallen snow.

Lamb Update

As of today, the lambs are growing very well!  Sage is almost the size of Clover, she is starting to give him a run for his money.  Hehe!  He is no longer the one on top of the hay pile!  Nevertheless, Clover is getting bigger and that is proven by the fact that his horns are growing.

I know that I should be happy that we are getting snow, as we desperately need the precipitation.  Yet, I refused to shovel today because I suspected that the snow would melt off the sidewalk by this afternoon, and it did!  I believe that the lambs, boys, and I all will be glad when the weather is a little warmer.

Blizzard Preparations

Element Proofing

With winter weather coming back with a vengeance we had to make some quick preparations for the lambs. We were hoping that we could just leave all the lambs and ewes together in one shed and block the door; however, that did not work.  "Little Moose" was getting beat up by the other ewes and she is so tiny we did not think she would survive.  Therefore, we put one side of a lambing jug inside the pen at an angle so that they would have their own protected spot.  Lambing jugs, they are great!  Thanks Dad for helping me build them all those years ago, they have held up so well!

Last night when we checked on the lambs there was a small amount of snow getting in and one of the lambs was shivering!  We quickly decided to put in a heat lamp.

This morning we are at 23 inches and it is still snowing!!!  Everything is solid white!  I think that we will have to shovel out their outside enclosure or we will lose some lambs in the snow banks!

Little Moose

Welcome the newest member of the flock!  So far she has been dubbed "Little Moose!"  She is the color of a moose with long spindly legs.  Her mother is not the best Mama and is lacking maternal instinct.  We have been very worried.  I did not know what I would find this morning when I went to check on them.  Little Moose was doing just fine and she was bouncing up and down!

I was relieved to see her finally eating well from her mother.  The boys and I had spent the previous day trying to blizzard proof the shed for the lambs.  While we were working on this we would have to stop and show her how to suckle.  Little Moose did not have a good sucking action and Tulip (her mom) could have cared less about standing for her.

Sage

A new lamb joined us tonight!  She has been named "Sage" after the wild and prosperous Sagebrush found throughout Wyoming.  When we got to the sheep it was extremely windy; sustained winds of 28 miles per hour.  It was time to come up with a new plan and only two hours of daylight left.  We ran home, fed the kids, grabbed another lambing jug, and plywood to cover the sides so the girls would be protected from the wind.

Here we are in the process of adapting our lambing jugs to have solid sides; of course the three boys are in tow and helping!  They are learning construction skills at an early age.

Here is Sunshine with Petal, who is doing very well today!  They also got additions to their pen in order to make sure they were warm tonight and out of the wind.

Petal the Lamb

This morning we had another lamb!  Our first in WYOMING!!! This one is a little ewe with beautiful coloring. . . I thought that she was black and white until I got closer and she is actually brown and white!  She is beautiful and very spunky.  Her Mama is Sunshine and the boys would like to name her Petal.  In fact, they are already referring to her as Petal!

Getting Ready for the Move

Our sheep are going to be surprised when they see their new home!  We are moving the sheep to Wyoming!  All weekend has been spent building sheep sheds.  The sheds needed to be portable because we are housing the sheep on a friend's property.  When we finally find a piece of property we will need to move the sheds and fenced enclosures.

The sheds are 4' by 8' and should house about 3 of our little Shetlands.

Moving!

We have moved to Lander, WY with the hopes that we will be able to bring some of our flock out here.  If anyone is interested in any Shetlands in the New York State area let us know because we will not be bring all of them out and are trying to find homes for those we cannot bring. . . otherwise they are destined for the auction block!  We did not get into these lovely little sheep for that to be our only option!!!

Lambs

We have had two lambs enter our flock!!!! Snapdragon and Cattail! Yippie, the boys are very excited. The downside is that both are rams, oh well, better than nothing. Cattail has gorgeous shades of brown, while Snapdragon is black with white spots. I think that Cattail will provide a rich chocolate fiber and Snapdragon will create a dark silver/grey. Hopefully, I will be able to post pictures soon. I never seem to have my camera with me when I sit at the computer.

Fleece Preparation

I am slightly disturbed that I have been soaking a fleece for hours on end in a mesh bag to discover that the inside of the fleece just was not getting clean. Therefore, I am starting the process all over again. I feel like this is one gigantic experiment. I have read numerous sources to try to figure out how to do this correctly and have come to the conclusion that you just have to try it! It seems like everyone has different advice and it just depends on your sheep and lifestyle.

On a separate note: I would like to thank the people who have been reading my blog during my very long absence. I thought it was silly to spend time writing a blog when no one would read it. I was thrilled to find that people are actually reading it! I will promise to try to post more information in a timely manner! Thank you!

Fleece Show at Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival

I am so excited that one of my fleeces won a fourth place ribbon at the Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival in Hemlock, NY. I was not even sure if I should enter the competition but upon the encouragement of my friends and family I tried and was successful. Even better than the ribbon was the helpful advice that I received in order to improve our shearing and skirting.

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and especially to my husband and my boys who brought the fleeces up Friday, went back Saturday so I could see the show, and then went up again on Sunday so we could pick up the fleeces. A lot of time in the car for three little boys!

I would also like to put in a special note about my father who made me a portable skirting table and went with my husband to drop off the fleeces. Thanks!

Kittens!

So, the kittens popped out of the hay stack! We thought for sure that Sitsie had moved her babies one too many times. Boy, were we wrong! There are still four kittens and they seem to be healthy but skittish.

Anyone need a kitten?

From Rain, Rain Go Away to Where's the Rain?

This has been quite the year. We went from rain seemingly every day in April and May to July; a month with hardly any rain (.6"). We do not let our poor sheep out for fear of over exertion. Therefore, we are keeping them barn-bound. They might not like it but it is in their best interest. We do have some additions though. Our barn cat just had kittens! The boys think that this is great and cannot wait for her to bring them out from under a grape bin where she is keeping them cool.

Hope everyone is staying cool!