Seth's retirement

I think Seth has semi-retired himself. He will be 13 yrs old in a few months. He was coming in with Meg and Crue every night and holding sheep for me so I could put down the feed and gather eggs etc. I noticed the other day when I came out of the chicken house that my wether goat, Walter had his head in the feed bucket. I looked around and saw Meg and Crue holding the sheep but Walter must have gotten by them. They mostly like working sheep, not goats, and nobody likes Walter anyway. Usually Seth would hold up the rear and not let any goats get through. Lately he's been wandering off and sniffing around ignoring the sheep and goats. Well Walter was eating all the feed and Seth was no more than 3 feet away from him......EATING THE CHICKEN FEED WITH THE CHICKENS!!  He doesn't hear very well anymore so I had to yell SETH real loud. He looked around and saw Walter, then looked at me like "oops". He did move Walter away, but not with much enthusiasm.  I think he is semi-retired. He deserves it, he's worked for me all his life. I really do miss working with him though. He's my only dog that will go round up chickens and or guineas, which are also "chickens" to him, if I say go get the chickens. He also knows goats by name and in his younger days would sort out the goats from my sheep and bring them to me. He doesn't really care much anymore. That'll Do Seth,  you've earned your retirement, enjoy!

The ongoing ram saga, or...

Don't talk on your cell phone while moving a sheep flock with a bad ram in it.

I was talking to my sister in CA and took the dogs in to move the sheep down into my field and while engrossed in the conversation I forgot to tell the dogs to hold, not fetch. All 3 went around and brought me the sheep (and goats). I realized what was happening and started to hightail it out of there and yelled at the dogs to LIE DOWN! I got completely around in a circle and still the flock was following me. That stupid ram saw his chance and left the flock to come after me. I moved away but realized I had nowhere to go fast enough so I stopped and braced myself for impact. Nothing happened and I'm not sure who saw what was going on and came to my rescue, but that ram left and I was able to get away and the flock went through the gate into the field. Whew! Thank you either Seth, Meg or Crue for pushing that ram back off me. After I started thinking again I realized I still had the phone on my ear. I apologized to my sister for all the vulgarities that must have come out of my mouth and through the phone to her ear. Damn that stupid ram! After breeding season I am again going to put him up for sale and if again nobody buys him I'm putting him in the freezer as dog food!

The Great Battle

or....I got rammed, again.

My ram has gotten quite mean in a past few months. He's over 1 year old now and has produced lambs. I've gotten hit by him a couple times now and I never go in without at least 2 dogs with me anymore. Yesterday  I had Meg and Crue and was having Crue work the sheep around a bit. I thought (key word here) that the ram was behind and to my side with the other sheep and I had a tree beside me so my vision was blocked by that. Next thing I knew I got hit on the side and almost went down. Before I fully recovered my balance and had called for Meg, he hit me again. I think I may have broken a finger and I have a very large bruise on the side of my leg. Tweaked my back too and it is already so tweaked I really didn't need that. My own fault though. Meg now hates that ram. She tried to work him around and he kept going after her. Twice he rolled her and another time he got her down and tried to smash her into the ground. She never gave ground and she never gave up till he finally gave in to her and wouldn't fight anymore. Crue wanted to help but his lack of experience kept him from getting too close and he let Meg take care of matters. Meg has never been my best dog as she really prefers to work on her own and her ideas of what needs to be done don't always coincide with what I think needs to be done. When she was two she had a ewe with her older lamb go after her and chase her all around the pen. She has never worked the same since. Till last night. Don't know if its her age, she will be 11 yrs old at the end of this month, or she'd just had enough, but something changed in her and she was going to fight to the death with that ram. She only gripped if he went after her. If he submitted and took a few backwards steps she let him be. But she never backed down even one inch. I was very proud of her. I wish I could sell this ram, I've put him up for sale but haven't found a buyer yet. He produced two very nice lambs for me but I just don't need the liability of his attitude. When I was separating him from the other sheep last weekend, he didn't like the pressure I was putting him under and he went after my youngest ewe lamb butting her hard into the fence. I don't like him anymore. And he may not look very big in these pictures but he probably weighs about 180 lbs at least. He's Dorper/Katahdin X and very stout. Let me tell you, he packs a wallop!

he finally conceded the point and we got him put away.

Heat

It's been hot.

7:30PM Sunday July 1, 2012

What we're doing about it?

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GUINEA GUARDS!

Your first line of defense against unwanted predators.

I was skeptical at first. What can a bird possibly do against a predator like this...

We had a family of foxes move into our neighborhood. Mom, Dad and 3 kids. Mom and Dad went out hunting while kids stayed at home playing in the yard. We watched as they romped and played no more than 100 feet away , completely unintimidated by my 5 dogs and me. Mom, or Dad had already made one of my 6 hens their meal for the day and I was forced to pen up my sheep etc unless I could be there watching them. My first glimpse that the family had moved in was the sight of one of them right on the heels (do guineas have heels?) of one of my guineas. Guineas aren't supposed to be able to fly and mine have a hard time making it over a 4 foot fence occasionally. But this one not only made it over the 4 foot fence but continued on for about 150 yards to land on my front porch. I'm sure this may be a feat unequaled in the Guinea's Book of Worlds Records. Since that incident all birds guineas and otherwise have voluntarily stayed behind their fence boundary. The other morning at 6:30 AM I heard the guineas set off their alarm system so I looked out my bedroom window to see them lined up in a row staring down into my field. There was some very overgrown plantlife which  blocked my view of the field on that side. The guineas stayed right on that fenceline continuing their urgent alarm while the chickens were in a huddle behind them and the sheep and goats behind them. All were looking down the field. After a while I saw a fox come out from behind the weeds and leave the field, foiled by the really great security system I had installed last year when I purchased 10 guinea keets. I have only 4 left but these 4 must be the best survivors of the bunch. All I can say is I am not going to complain about the noise these birds make anymore.

I don't have much work for my dogs, but I do have one very important job that I can't do without their help. That is feeding the sheep. I have a young ram who is getting rather cantankerous and has butted me a couple times. The others aren't ornery, but they do tend to crowd me trying to get at the feed bucket. It used to be Seth was the best, but he's kinda lazy about it now.

He would rather do the job lying down. He lets the younger dogs do most of the work and steps in if he feels his expertise is necessary. I guess he is the foreman.

Then we have the trainee, Crue. He loves the work but lacks the experience of the older dogs. But he is catching on quickly. If I take him by himself, he will step up to the plate, but if the older dogs are there I notice he will stay behind as backup.

The dog that is surprising me is Meg. She lives up to her sex in attitude and has always kinda tolerated my presence but not really worked for me. A few weeks ago I was working with Crue on the meaning of lie down and STAY down when I tell you to. He was doing quite well until Meg decided she wanted to move the sheep toward me instead of holding them away like I needed till I opened the field gate. Well Crue says " Ok Meg, I'll follow your lead." and flanked around on her heels. So then I had the whole flock charging toward me and the open gate. Fortunately Seth had stayed in place and I only said his name and he sized up the situation and ran over to me and held the sheep off me and pushed them back to Crue and Meg. After that Meg would not listen to me at all and instead kept trying to run around to get to the sheep. I finally picked her up and threw her over the fence. Then I put her up for a few days while I let Seth and Crue do the work. Well it must have fixed something in her because she has never worked so good in her life as she has lately. I have a 2 mos old doeling that thinks she doesn't have to listen to the dogs even if she has two of them nipping at her to get out of the feed bin. Mostly they have started ignoring her because they can't get her to listen to them and being a baby they won't get rough with her. Meg will let her get away with this, but not the ram or the ewe with her lamb. They will both go at her but she will hold her ground till they concede the issue. She reads her stock very well and can size up the situation so everyone stays where they are supposed to be. I feel kinda bad she has finally come into her own and is doing such good work, as she will be 11 yrs old in August. I can only hope she is imparting some of her wisdom on Crue who definitely respects her.

This is Buni the doeling that gives Meg and Seth such a hard time. It doesn't bother Crue though as he has no use for goats and will only work the sheep.

Crue does do a very good job with  the sheep however.

News

Just a little update on the happenings at my place.

The most important first. The newest addition. Born last night. A little ewe lamb. One brown leg and a spot on the back of her neck.

Next. Instead of a boy and his dog, we have a dog and his peahen. Actually Phoebe (the peahen) has decided that bread is her favorite food and she and the dogs were fighting over it.

This is what they were both looking at.

Then there is Buni, our doeling. She likes to sleep in odd places. 

The feed trough...

My planter...arrrggghh!!!

This is Buni's mother, Olivia. She is very proud of her offspring.

This is my clean up crew. They clean up everything from ticks, worms, other yucky bugs and also after birth from lambings and kiddings. They are in their 3rd year laying and still going strong. Anybody need eggs? 

Walter

Walter is my wether goat. Walter is a pain. He can get out of my fences and even though he never goes anywhere, I have to go let him back in. Sometimes he takes a sheep or two out with him. He is the best, and only, goat/sheep I have that will eat the poison ivy and trim up all the trees. If I give grain in the feed trough, he will start butting out everyone else because he is a pig. He's pushy and the dogs hate him. He will stand just far in enough from the fence so they can't get to him, but he just stares at them. Even if they come in to move him, he knows all the tricks to get a dog to decide he's just not worth it and leave him be. Except Seth of course who was raised with goats and knows how they think. Seth is really the only dog that Walter has any respect for. This morning when I got up I saw that Walter had escaped yet again and took my ram and smaller ewe with him. I had tried to Walter proof one of my dog yard fences yesterday so I couldn't easily take the fence down to let them back in. So I had to get a grain bucket and go out onto the golf course to lure them back into the front yard and put them through the gate. Then I dumped the grain into the feed trough and of course Walter started butting everyone away. He was about 30 -40 feet away and I started throwing sticks at him. The first hit him in the butt and he looked around like "where did that come from"? Then he went back to knocking everyone else out of the trough again so I threw another. This time he turned around and saw it was me. He was nice for a little bit then went back to being a bully. One more stick and he looked at me then walked away from the food! He's very smart! But he is a pain and I'm wondering if he's worth it.

TMT had time to do it today!

1. Are you a morning person? A night owl? Do you pop up out of bed full of song and happiness? do you just hit your stride after dark?
    
    I don't think I am a morning or night person. I usually get up about 7:00 most mornings. Even on my days off I get up at that time. Usually because I can't lay prone any longer because I have bad neck problems from too many rear end accidents and being thrown from my horse many years ago and landing on my neck. Also I have goats, sheep, chickens, guinea hens and dogs that tell me it's time to get up. I usually go to bed around 10:30 and read for about an hour or so. I have never had a problem getting up in the morning and usually wake up long before the alarm goes off just so I can "sleep in".


2. What is your favorite candy?
     
     Well this is a no brainer. Anything chocolate. I am a chocoholic and I live for chocolate! I have very few vices but this is definitely my worst.


3. What is your biggest driving pet peeve?


     Hands down, its tailgating. I hate being tailgated and I will slow down to almost going backwards when someone invades MY SPACE! If anything can instill a road rage attitude in me it is being tailgated. If I am traveling at or above the speed limit there is no good reason to be riding my bumper! I think its become a habit with people and it's got to stop!!! Can you tell this bothers me greatly?


4.How do you prepare yourself and  your dogs for the summer?


     I never prepare for anything. Well hardly. I take it as it comes otherwise I have to think and thinking is not my strong suit. My dogs are kenneled as my house is way too small to have them in. Only the Poodle is in all the time. The kennels are covered and seem to stay warm enough in winter and cool enough in summer. If it gets real hot I put a tub of water for them to sit in if they want. I don't think any of  them have ever used it though. Last year I did shave Meg down for the summer. She is the only one of my dogs I have ever done that to. She has grass/plant allergies and itches like crazy. Seems to help her when I take the coat off. 


5. Lets talk about grass in your dog yard. Do you have any? how much maintenance do you do? 


     I have some grass and some weeds in the dog yard. As for maintenance I just let the sheep and goats in when it gets too tall. Other than that just the standard picking up. 

The ewe and the new

Saturday, my busiest work day. I go out to feed and find that one of my ewes has a vaginal prolapse. Great, I have to go open the shop, 20 miles away, then come back to "fix" the ewe. Nobody home that day of the very few people I know that could hold a ewe for me. I end up calling the woman that I bought my guineas and goats from. I know last year was her first year with goats but she has horses so I figure she should know how to hold a ewe. I call her and she said she'd be right out to help. I meet them at the Family Dollar near my house and they follow me home. As we go out to the sheep to access the situation she informs me she has fixed prolapse on dogs and horses. So what are the chances of me finding the one person out of the handful I know that could just maybe help me hold the ewe, that have actually handled this situation? Wow! She told me what to get, her husband held the ewe and I kinda stood around like and idiot while she pushed the mess all back inside. She said she isn't really familiar with the inner workings of a ewe having only done the procedure on canines and equines, but she did not feel any lambs inside and didn't think the ewe was pregnant. I said she did seem to have a bigger udder than she did, but she is an older ewe and has lambed a few times before. She felt everything went back in place easily and felt right and we decided not to try to do the twine harness thing as neither of us knew  how anyway. I was going to get an antibiotic but wanted to find out which is good for possibly pregnant ewes. Next morning the ewe had a slimy, slightly greenish discharge. I of course thought infection and panicked, as usual. Then I watched the ewe and thought she seemed restless like a ewe in labor. When I was in the shelter feeding my doe that had a 4 day old kid, the kid was left outside while the piggy Mom left to get her grain. When the kid started crying, the ewe went over and was doing those mama bleats to the kid. That's when my mind started calming down and seeing things in a different light. Aha...she's in labor. Well she was very restless, kept pawing and trying to lay down, then would stand back up. This went on for a while and I finally decided I'd better go check her out, so I got a bucket of warm soapy water, my shoulder length obstetric gloves, betadine and towels and a dog and started to go out to where the ewe is. I had just rounded the corner of the house when Jenna says, she's just had her lamb. Sheesh could she not have had it about 5 minutes earlier? Before my gathering up all that now useless stuff? She had one big ram lamb. Both mama and baby are doing just fine. I raised goats for over 15 years and have had to deliver largish stuck babies, dead babies etc. I've done all my own castrating, disbudding, shots etc. I've had ewes and lambs before but for some reason I felt like a complete newbie with this one. This ewe was one of the 3 I had that either been stolen or let out by someone and ran free for 3 weeks before it was caught. The other 2 were never caught. After the prolapse I figured I'd gone through enough bad with this ewe so I'm glad she had one nice lamb. He will be banded and she won't be bred again. Her teats were blocked and the lamb could not get anything try as he might and he was getting discouraged so I unblocked them and then he was fine. She is not the most friendly ewe and after her 3 weeks of freedom in the wild she gets in a panic if she thinks I'm trying to catch her so it was no easy feat. This was about 5 minutes after she gave birth.

The Belated Easter Buni

Easter came just a bit late for us this year. But the Buni showed up yesterday while we were at work.

does Buni not resemble an Angora rabbit? The new Mom, Olivia is very proud of her new offspring.

After the newborn was cleaned up Olivia allowed visitors. They were very curious to see the new one.

That is Olivia looking at the camera, very proud to show off her beautiful baby. Olivia is La Mancha/Saanen X and the Father is Nubian. Buni got the Nubian roman nose and a bit more ear than her Mother. A very thick wooly coat too. 

anybody want an accident prone ram lamb?

My ram lamb is not quite 1 yr old but he has been in more sticky situations than any other animal I've ever owned. He got his head stuck in a feed bag and ran around bumping into things. He got through my fence, following Walter the wether goat who always figures a way out, and got a strand of old barbwire wrapped around his neck and between his legs. Seth had to hold him still in a corner so I could cut that off without getting ripped up if he moved on me. This latest though takes the cake. I am going to sell him as soon as I figure out if he can produce. I don't think my ewes are pregnant. I'm giving them 1 more month and if nothing, he goes. He's getting mean too and has butted me a few times. I always take in a dog or two now when dealing with him. Maybe I'll put this pic on Craigslist when I try to sell him. That way people will know what they are getting into.

Note who is keeping him still this time while I figure out how to de-chair him.

That would be my Crue. He's really getting good at holding the sheep off me while I'm feeding. He stayed right there while I wrestled that ram out of the chair. 

Hail, Hail The Gangs All Here

Well, not actually. The gang was not here, but the hail was!

Some got left out in the rain  hail.

After it started melting we measured the larger pieces. They were larger than a quarter. No damage luckily.

One day at a time

It's almost spring! Had a storm blow through yesterday but this morning was all sunshiney and bright!

The sky was blue, the grass is coming back green..

The Daffodils are in bloom...

You can see actual shadows on the ground!

Everybody was out this morning enjoying the mild temps and the feel of sunshine.

Oh what a baaaahhhhhewetiful day!!

Tomorrows forcast?  Storms  :(

pictures

I just thought I would post some of my favorite pictures I've taken in the last year.

This first one is Meg in the mist. I may have posted it before, but I really like it.

This one is of Phoebe, the peahen. I think it must be mating season for Peahens because yesterday she was showing off all her feathers.

This is the road coming to my house. I love that curving drive through the wooded area which then opens up at my field. Plus it has Seth lying in his very favorite place.

I like how it looks like Crue lined up all the sheep.

This last one was taken night before last. There was no artificial light and I'm far away enough from any city to not have any light from that. I don't have a good camera but I was very happy with how this turned out regardless.

Phoebe

Phoebe is the peahen that showed up in my yard one morning and never left. She comes running when I call her name and hangs out with me while I'm working. Yesterday I was cleaning off the front porch, which has become her hang out. I was organizing the hardware that has been sitting there since we finished the house. I was putting the little plastic bags of various screws, nails etc into a bin and Phoebe kept reaching in and taking them out and flinging them. She stood in my way as I was trying to sweep off all the leaves that had accumulated. She made my job very hard. She trumpets like an elephant if she thinks she's in danger and runs from the guineas who try to take her food. She sleeps on top of the house every night except for the one night she slept on the rafters of the front porch, but next morning she couldn't figure out how to get down as she is not very maneuverable in flight and is a fairly large bird so she needs space. The porch is too confined and her wing span is larger than the space she could fly through to get down. I had to leave her that morning and she was safely on the ground that evening when I got home from work, so I guess she figured it out, but she has not perched there since. She is a strange but very entertaining bird.

Into the Mist

Haven't seen the sun in days. Doesn't look like she will show soon either.

Anyone remember the Van Morrison song "Into the Mystic?"