Ok, I truly never in my life thought I would be eager for January and February to come...and yet that is exactly what I find myself looking forward to these days :) As I watch the ewes in the pasture, I am beginning to see some of them already showing their "baby bellies" and that tell-tale rolling belly-sway when they walk. Of course they are only about halfway through their gestation, so I suspect these ewes will be the ones to surprise us with multiple lambs this season. I know as December closes in, I will see even more of them with round tummies as the yearling ewes get further along in their pregnancies.
I am particularly excited for this lamb crop for a host of reasons. The first being our ewes are bred to QR rams this year, so we will be anxious to see if any of them give birth to QR lambs. Our entire flock is QQ... yes we hit the trifecta of failure when it comes to Scrapie resistance! Scrapie is a bad-news disease in the sheep world, rating right up their with Mad Cow Disease and Johnnes. They have discovered that sheep that have an "RR" Codon 171 factor (Codon 171 is a particular location in each cell of the body) are resistant to Scrapie. That means if exposed to Scrapie, they will not contract it. Sheep that have a "QR" Codon 171 factor are slightly susceptible and sheep that are "QQ" are extremely susceptible, meaning if exposed they will likely contract it. Boo-hiss! So we are hoping that this next generation of lambs will improve our Scrapie resistance, in time replacing the "QQ" sheep in our flock.
The other reason I am anxious for the lambs to arrive is that there are very few Fullblood ewes in our flock, and those that are Fullblood are getting up in years. We can always "upgrade" to Purebred stock, but we cannot upgrade to Fullblood. Therefore we are anxious for some Fullblood replacement ewes.
I am hoping that when the ewes start to lamb, it will be during a mild spell in January. They are due sometime around Devan's birthday, and usually most of them will lamb within the course of 2wks (Happy Birthday, Devan....here are 20 lambs to take care of!! *smile*).
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
A visit to the country :))
If you have read my previous post then you will understand what I mean when I say this is the picture that we were originally shooting for-lol!
It's funny when you live in the country how much you take for granted. This was never clearer to me than when Dev was 4 yrs. old and had a friend come to visit. Her young playmate was wide-eyed when she saw our 4-legged barn residents and exclaimed, "You have cows?!" Dev puzzled over her question for a second before responding, "Yes...don't you??" That is one of those tales I will still be telling till the day I die (that and ..."SONIC!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!"....my kids will understand that one-lol!) It never occurred to me till that day that Dev just assumed everyone had cows because we had cows. They were such a foundational part of our lives back then.
Seeing our country life through fresh eyes, what a blessing that is to my heart. I was again treated to that joy when our friend came to visit to hold baby Jack. It reminds me anew of why I love this life. Farming, by definition, is an occupation. But ask any farmer and they will tell you it's so much more than that. It's a way of life. It's a part of you, and who you are.
Jack's first movie (very short, but sweet!)
Sometimes the unexpected happens...and the results can be very entertaining! Dee was trying to take a picture of our friend holding Jack, but didn't realize the camera was set for "video". Therefore, when she pressed the shutter, she started recording. She quickly shut it off, but not before Jack voiced his "two cents". The result is priceless. Dee's surprised exclamation can be heard at the very end when she realizes it's recording-lol!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
"Jack"
Our newest addition made his appearance on October 22, 2010. He tipped the scales at a healthy 8 lbs and is a delight :) He is appropriately named "Jack" (his name was inspired by the "Jack"-o-lantern since his birthday is so close to Halloween!)
It's funny how a new lamb will make your walk to the barn seem a little shorter and your step a little quicker. There is nothing like knowing there is a new, little fuzzy body to "ooh and ahh" over. If you're lucky, the very protective mama will even allow you a short cuddle with her little darling :)
As noted in a previous post, Jack was very unexpected. I certainly thought there would be no new babies till January. And while I'm delighted by his arrival, it also fills me with a little sadness. In counting back the months I realized Jack's sire had to be Stone Axe, our flock patriarch. Unfortunately Stone Axe had to be culled back in the summer due to his age and a host of other factors.
Stone Axe was a surly, old boy. My husband will be the first to tell you that you didn't want to turn your back on him, or you would get an unwelcome surprise. While I was afraid of him, I couldn't help but admire how he cared for "his flock". He was quick to end a dispute between his ladies. "Teenage" rams were quickly put in their place lest they forget that he was in charge. And yet it was amazing to see how gentle this giant could be with a tiny lamb, gently nudging them towards their mama when they strayed into his path.
Stone Axe had seen more of the United States in his 6 years of life than I have seen in my 44. He was born in San Angelo, TX. In June 2004, he was sold to a new owner in Niangua, MO. Another new owner in January 2007 brought another move to York Springs, PA. His final stop was our farm in April of 2010.
In 23 years of farming, I've never learned to like culling an animal. If an animal leaves our farm, it was always my preference that they would go to another farm to live a long and happy life. However, that is not a farmer's reality. Tough decisions must be made. You try to make them quickly and not to think about them too much. And then along comes a little guy like "Jack", that brings it all into sharp clarity...all those feelings that you try not to "feel" in the midst of making those decisions suddenly overwhelm you. And you grieve, and second-guess, and ultimately you re-affirm that you made the right decisions.
Farming is not an easy life. One day you may lose a cow that you've set up nights with trying to keep alive. Another day you're greeted with the unexpected joy of twin calves (or lambs! :) The emotional rollercoaster ride is unparalleled by anything else I've ever know, but the joys far out-weigh the sorrows. I guess that's why I couldn't imagine any other life :)
It's funny how a new lamb will make your walk to the barn seem a little shorter and your step a little quicker. There is nothing like knowing there is a new, little fuzzy body to "ooh and ahh" over. If you're lucky, the very protective mama will even allow you a short cuddle with her little darling :)
As noted in a previous post, Jack was very unexpected. I certainly thought there would be no new babies till January. And while I'm delighted by his arrival, it also fills me with a little sadness. In counting back the months I realized Jack's sire had to be Stone Axe, our flock patriarch. Unfortunately Stone Axe had to be culled back in the summer due to his age and a host of other factors.
Stone Axe was a surly, old boy. My husband will be the first to tell you that you didn't want to turn your back on him, or you would get an unwelcome surprise. While I was afraid of him, I couldn't help but admire how he cared for "his flock". He was quick to end a dispute between his ladies. "Teenage" rams were quickly put in their place lest they forget that he was in charge. And yet it was amazing to see how gentle this giant could be with a tiny lamb, gently nudging them towards their mama when they strayed into his path.
Stone Axe had seen more of the United States in his 6 years of life than I have seen in my 44. He was born in San Angelo, TX. In June 2004, he was sold to a new owner in Niangua, MO. Another new owner in January 2007 brought another move to York Springs, PA. His final stop was our farm in April of 2010.
In 23 years of farming, I've never learned to like culling an animal. If an animal leaves our farm, it was always my preference that they would go to another farm to live a long and happy life. However, that is not a farmer's reality. Tough decisions must be made. You try to make them quickly and not to think about them too much. And then along comes a little guy like "Jack", that brings it all into sharp clarity...all those feelings that you try not to "feel" in the midst of making those decisions suddenly overwhelm you. And you grieve, and second-guess, and ultimately you re-affirm that you made the right decisions.
Farming is not an easy life. One day you may lose a cow that you've set up nights with trying to keep alive. Another day you're greeted with the unexpected joy of twin calves (or lambs! :) The emotional rollercoaster ride is unparalleled by anything else I've ever know, but the joys far out-weigh the sorrows. I guess that's why I couldn't imagine any other life :)
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Fall lambs??
As I was tending the barns the other day...something caught me off guard. As one of the ewes turned to walk away I was greeted by the sight of a slightly swelled udder. Hmmm...I made a note to keep an eye on her udder in the days that followed. That was about 5 days ago, and sure enough, each day her udder appears to have enlarged ever-so-slightly. I have been eagerly anticipating the January-February lambs we've been breeding for but this is an unexpected, but equally exciting surprise. Who cannot help but love the sight of a soft, fuzzy lamb (or lambs!) following close at their mama's side? Certainly not I! :) Hopefully I will have pictures of a new addition (or additions!) to post within the coming weeks :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)