Last Call

We finally were able to match up schedules and weather to get the last of the flock shorn.  These were the geriatric ladies, the rams and the yearling replacement ewes.  Just in time for some actual Warm Weather - upper 70s predicted for the rest of the week and the big guys in long wool would have been particularly uncomfortable.

 

The yearling girls were the worst.  They were shorn as 6 month old lambs but acted as though they had just come in off the range and never been handled.  You can see one blurry hind foot flailing around.  Sigh.

 

The big rams were a lot more docile although it took two people to make them fold and sit on their butts. I don't know how a shorter person would manage with these big guys - it's all he can do to reach down around the rump on the largest rams.  In case you're worried, that's not blood on the shearing board.  Somebody got a tiny little cut during shearing and we spritzed it liberally with Red Kote and then the sheep wiggled around and smeared it all over the plywood.

 

 

Jared and Rocky both filled a 33 gallon plastic trash bag to overflowing with their fleeces.  Tons of spinning there!

 

Today Andy is spreading fertilizer on the hay fields.  They are predicting a week of warmth and showers so he needs to get it on the fields before the alfalfa is tall enough to be damaged by tractor tires.  The ground only just got dry enough to run on without cutting ruts.  Sometimes it's a pretty small window of opportunity to get stuff done.

 

Onward!