New Camera

I had been using a Nikon S9100 for the last two years but have had many glitchy problems with it.  It often froze up as I tried to use it but I tried to be patient.  Most lately I could not get it to focus - and it wasn't just me.  I did lots of reading & reviews only to find out that others had the same problem & that Nikon's "fix" was not very satisfactory.  After yet another day when I took over a hundred pictures & had less than a third even barely in focus it seemed time to trash the Nikon & find something new. So on Sunday I bought a new camera and played around a bit.  Here are some of my favorite pictures.

This is Nick, Noel's son.  We recently acquired the pair from a woman in North Carolina.  He is growing out to be a big fellow & his wool is so very soft.

Just some of the crew hanging out on the back porch of the stable.

Ravi, who couldn't care less that I have a new camera. But check out the fly on top of his head.

One of our pretty Shetland gals ready to be shorn.

The first of the day's three buckets of eggs.

A rooster in the breeze.  He was not watching me but another rooster across the pasture.

Every so often we get an egg that is just not quite right.

Oliver, our old Coopworth ram, guarding a round bale of hay.

A curious lamb.

A lamb who found a tastier blade of grass on the other side of the fence.

We have over 300 chickens free range throughout the farm.  And, in spite of their numbers, I see them each as individual and very attractive birds.

I am thinking I might get used to this camera as the one I use for a quick barnyard picture or two!

Knox

On Sunday, March 10th, June Bug birthed a ram lamb.  June Bug is the Cotswold ewe that was pregnant when we bought her and this was her first lambing.  To make a long story short, she was in labor for a very long time and we ended up assisting her with an enormous lamb.  By the time we finally were able to help her get him out his tongue was blue and swollen from seemingly being outside of his mouth as he was trapped in the birth canal.

We were really surprised that he was even alive considering all that he'd endured.  He has been a fighter but has continued to have some issues that we attribute to his difficult birth.  We feel that some of his difficulties may be due to the hypoxia/anoxia that he endured during the process.  So we've lovingly named him Knox as shorthand for anoxia.  We just sort of have a weird sense of humor like that.  And, to be honest, we really didn't even name him until he'd survived a few weeks.  We just kept referring to him as June Bug's lamb and doing all we could for him including treating him for aspiration pneumonia, a result of the difficult birth.  But he is almost a month old now so I will share some of his pictures.

June Bug moved around the barn yard as she labored.  Nacho, who we purchased along with her, was curious about the process.

Once we finally pulled her lamb, June Bug was almost too exhausted to pay him any attention but she was soon trying.  She did most of  his clean up as she lay next to him.  We shifted him around to make it easier for her to work.

We milked her out and tubed him for the first several feedings as he was not strong enough to stand let alone to get up under June Bug to nurse.  And, although there is still a slowness about him so that we think he will always be "special", he is trying.  

He does try to play with the other lambs.  His mother remains extremely attentive; she has been amazing.  He rests more than the other lambs but he seems happy.

Babies Part 2

After lambing kicked off Tuesday with a kitchen lamb, I was thrilled to look down through the woods on Friday and see a lovely Tunis cross ewe nursing a little red lamb.  The lamb was up, partially cleaned off and had a full belly. That made me happy!

I did want to move the two of them up to the stable as I like to keep a ewe and lamb locked up safely for a few days as they bond and mama gets her own food, water, peace and quiet.

Because of which pasture this sheep lives in, I had to move another pasture-full of sheep, move two dogs and open a fair number of gates before I could get her and her lamb into the stable.  The entire trip out of the woods was a long one as I did it holding the lamb at mama's nose level while slowly walking up the hill and hoping she would follow.  She would bawl, the lamb would answer and she would come a few more steps.  Then she would change her mind and trot back down the hill acting as if she was searching for her lamb.  I had to turn around, carry the lamb down the hill and start again.  I was quite relieved when I finally was able to shut them in a stall and go for fresh hay and water.

Saturday afternoon I noticed that Regina, our oldest Anatolian Shepherd, was half way down the pasture with a sheep.  I knew something was up.

It was a lovely day so we left the ewe to spend a little extra time with her ewe lamb.  One of the Dexters was quite interested in the process.

So by the end of Saturday we had a little ram lamb in the kitchen and two ewe lambs on mamas in the stable.  Little did we know that Sunday would get rather interesting.  And I will address that tomorrow.

Catching up on Babies, Part 1

What a crazy last few days.  On Tuesday, the 5th, I went outside to do the normal morning egg collecting.  I usually walk down to a small building in one of the sheep pastures by myself as the nesting box in it is low to the ground and if I let one of the dogs walk with me they race ahead and eat the eggs.  For some reason, I let Gwen, one of the Anatolians, walk with me.  She trotted off toward the building as I was distracted by the sheep gathering around me.  I saw her head to the box so yelled.  She did not stop but she did not stick her nose in a nest.  Instead, she began to snoop around the back of the box.  I caught up with her quickly as I was curious as to what had distracted her.  This is what I found.

I rescued the little lamb and set it out on the ground thinking its mother would reclaim it.  At that point no ewes were acting distressed as though they'd lost a lamb but I was hoping seeing it and hearing it cry would bring out a little maternal instinct.

There were no takers.
After examining a few of the ewes, I decided that Mo had delivered the lamb so I took Mo and the lamb into a stall in the stable in the hopes they would bond.  Mo wanted nothing to do with the little guy in spite of all the shepherd tricks we tried.  And, upon closer examination, it appeared that Mo did not have any milk.  The  little ram ended up in the kitchen and on the bottle.

He is thriving.  He takes a lot of extra work and he is driving our oldest dog crazy by sucking at her ears but he is a healthy lamb.  What a way to start our lambing season.

New Lamb

No, we haven't started lambing here yet.  We did go up the road to North Carolina and acquire a yearling ewe with her ram lamb.  The lamb was born on Christmas Eve so we named him Nicholas.  And his mother came with a name that was too similar to one that belongs to a sheep we already have so we changed her name to Noel.  The pair is warming up to us.  They have certainly figured out that we are the ones who bring the edible goodies so, even though they are not overly friendly yet, they do bawl and run up to us when we enter the barnyard.  That is progress.

I spent a little time on Monday when the day was sunny taking pictures around the farm.  Nacho, our yearling Cotswold ram, felt obliged to help.  He especially loved it when I squatted down to try to focus.

Al had replaced an end post to one of the fences.  Working outside is always a bit of a challenge as the goats feel like they should help or at least supervise the process.  This little gal was a lot of help.

I got a few pictures of the Shetlands enjoying the warmer day.  

And here is one of our oldest gals. She is so sweet.

As I meandered about the pasture talking with the sheep, Gwen, one of our Anatolian Shepherds, watched quietly.  She often runs up and down the fence line keeping watch but was content to let me be in charge for a bit.

A Great Week

Last Saturday we made a little jaunt up the road to North Carolina to retrieve these two Cotswold ewes as well as a Cotswold X Wensleydale yearling ram. One of the ewes, June Bug, is bred and due at the end of the month.  Miriam, the other ewe, is a yearling. Both were shorn this past November but are already growing out the most gorgeous fleece.

As the hours of daylight are growing longer, the chickens are coming out of their molting season and the egg laying has really picked up. Our 300+ birds are totally free range. Fortunately, they are good about coming to the laying boxes we have in buildings around the farm. And I love my numerous meanderings that I make around the farm each day to gather those eggs.  Our six Livestock Guardian Dogs also appreciate the fact that some chickens just randomly lay their eggs in the pastures.  Nothing like a tasty little snack for a hard working dog.

We have the most amazing arrangement with our local Hyatt. They buy our eggs and also save all of their kitchen prep scraps for us. They actually refrigerate the scraps and my husband picks them up to feed out to the creatures here. Even in the dead of winter everyone is sharing lots of fresh goodies.  Here is a peek at yesterday's goodies. I also know that our Livestock Guardian Dogs appreciate the eggs that aren't laid in a safe spot.

I stood at the fence for a bit feeding those apple scraps to the donkeys. I always laugh when there are melon rinds as the cows eat them in big mouthfuls but the chickens carefully peck away at them until there is nothing but a very thin skin of rind left. If that rind lays in the sun for a few days it turns very leatherlike. I know there should be something "crafty" that could be done with it but I don't imagine tackling that any time soon.

The oxen go crazy over the cabbage leaves. But not everyone is keen on the celery. Just a few weeks ago I came across this unwanted base of celery regrowing in the donkey yard. That is one persistent kitchen scrap!

A Rooster's Flock

Our chickens are completely free range so take up residency all around the farm.  There are many hens and a handful of roosters who like to hang around the buildings where we have nest boxes.  There is a rooster with a handful of hens who lives up in the oxen pasture.  There is another little rooster with his harem at the side pasture with the donkeys.  And there are a few little communities down in the woods and next door at our neighbor's back field.  Fortunately, the neighbor doesn't mind.

We have sheep in five different pastures.  We sort them into pastures for various reasons including personalities and breeding plans.  I have noticed one of our roosters spending a lot of time with half a dozen sheep down near the woods.  This morning while I was out gathering a few eggs I managed to get a few pictures of him overseeing "his flock".  He walked along with them, stopping regularly to puff up and crow.  They seemed to be very aware of his presence.  And he sure acts like he is proud of all of his pretty sheep.