And Stay Out!

The pasture the sheep were rotated out of is starting to put on some new growth but the lack of rain is really holding it back.  They are still being turned into the farthest pasture at the bottom of the knoll and in this heat they troop up and down the hill a few times a day for a drink, walking past the short new growth that's just across the fence.  The pasture they are in isn't as poor as it looks right here but some of them have been giving the old fence a workout by pushing their noses as far as they can to reach a few tender blades of new growth. Some sections are now loose and floppy and bellied out. 

Fuzz is apparently one of the chief offenders because last evening we found she had "accidentally" fallen through under the fence (that's what she claimed - once the nose goes, the rest of the body follows, she says) and was stuck on the green side while everyone else watched with envy.  They must not have seen her actually go under of there would have been a mob scene and chaos.  As it was, we got her haltered and back where she belonged but nobody had fun doing it.

So today Andy Fuzz-proofed the fenceline.  It's not in sad enough shape to require a major overhaul but something needed to be done.

Behold our fast fence fixer!  Looks like some kind of wicked vampire killing device. It's a good sturdy foot long ash stake. Note the nail on the upper end pointing down.  Andy made two dozen of these and we worked our way down the line, catching the lowest wire under the nail and pounding them in tight anywhere the fence was floppy.

We used them all.  Some places needed two since the ground dipped and made the gap just too inviting.

Even out in the open the flock decided the pounding was something Not Good and they took themselves to the very farthest end of the lower pasture.

When they work their way back and come up the hill for a drink I'm sure they'll test the fence (at least Fuzz will - sheep learn really fast when food is concerned) and then we'll see if we found all the weak spots or not.  Fuzz will tattle if we missed some.

We Interrupt This Shearing......

Friday was Round Two of shearing and we managed thirty-four before the power went out.  Ugh. We've had a lot of rain and a tree probably tipped onto a line up the road somewhere.  Andy fired up the generator and we could have proceeded but Brian had to leave at a certain time anyway and honestly, the sheep were giving him a workout.  Whether it was the phase of the moon or what, the sheep were stiff and balky and resisted being manipulated during the process.  It seemed prudent to quit rather than risk fatigue-caused injuries to man or beast.

The girls are looking good this spring.  They might be carrying a few pounds more than they need to be but I'd rather have them fleshed out than too thin.

The broom is always a source of curiosity.

And of course watching the other sheep be shorn was alarming interesting.  Actually, Fuzz has a natural look of perpetual surprise.

"That just CAN'T be good!"

The sheep coats continued to prove themselves a good investment as all the Cotswold fleeces look great beneath them.

We took Peanut's coat off and she leaned against me in a sheep hug.  She is so sweet.  One can see the difference in cleanliness and condition between the coated fleece and that which was uncovered on her neck.

And with the coat taken off Fuzz you can picture what a mess her wool would have been without it.

Rupert, one of our young Cotswold wethers, was quite dejected after shearing.  I think he was not happy at all to find himself without clothes.  

 "At least they let me keep my hair."

 A few more days and another group will get nekkid!

How To Wash Wool

Lock the sheep outside in the rain.  Bwaa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

The last good rain we had when they were on pasture was in early September and before that it was in June! Crazy - they've only been rained on a few times this year.

Even though our barn is kept clean and bedded down well it's impossible to keep their wool as clean as it is when they are rained on, shake off, rained on more, shake off.......  And it's all about the fleece!

 "Fleece....but we also have personality!" sez Ophelia, with her dark hip spot.  

Macaroon gave me the stink eye for making them get soaked.

"We are very not amused!"

Andy brought some bedding down from the upper barns and we put down a generous layer in the feedbunk. Now that they're clean(er) we'd like to keep them that way as much as possible.  It will hopefully be another month before we have to feed hay and put coats on everyone.

The coats will keep the fleeces totally free of chaff but I see George's brother, Goober, managed to find a burdock somewhere, probably poking through the fence from the outside, and stuck it to his head.  Boys.

 "What?  It keeps the wool out of my eyes.  Sort of."

The sheep thought we were an interesting sideshow, talking and shaking up bedding, so they hung around the gates hoping we'd let them in sooner rather than later.

"Pleeeeeze, won't you let us in?" sez Fuzz.

Nibbles was in with the oldest girls (she's 10 this year) but had gained well enough that we turned her back in with the main flock when they returned to the south pasture and wouldn't be walking far up and down hills.

 "C'mon, let us in.  I'm wet and having a bad hair day."

"I'm so old and wet I'm growing Spanish moss on my ears."

Happily, it stopped raining while we were working and they had time to shake off pretty much before we let them in.

The rain really helps the Cotswold curls bloom.  They're wet and stretched out but showing lots of promise!

"I'm glad somebody's happy about it.....   Me?  Not so much."

Now if we can just get a sunny day.......

The "Un"-Breeding Season

For the first time since.... let's see.... about 1987 we aren't going to breed any ewes this year.  We certainly aren't giving up sheep (we have coughcoughmorethanevercough) but we decided to declare a moratorium on creating any more, at least for a year.  There are several reasons, none dire, but we both need a break to catch up on things.  I need to make a dent in this mountain of accumulated wool.  Andy needs to put a new roof on a chunk of the house, make repairs (or just finish started projects) in house and barn, we still have 2 standing silos that we'd like taken down (they have to be cleaned out first) and breeding season, lambing season and growing the youngsters eats up a lot of time and mental energy.  Further, I always seem to keep back several more lambs than I intend because they're friendly or just what I want fiber-wise or bottle babies or been nursed back to health or good quality for breeding stock or whatever. Add to that the fact that it's getting harder emotionally each year to send loads of lambs to slaughter.  Andy pointed out that if lambs from this spring stay in the flock and live their usual double-digit lifespans he'll be into his 70s by the time they go to greener pastures and I think he'd like to not be putting up hay and handling big animals by that time.  We aren't selling any of the rams so we can always rethink things by next year when we've hopefully gotten caught up on at least the big jobs.

The rams are acting rammy with each other but not making a big fuss.  There's a little more pushing and shoving and growling at each other but very little head butting.  They already have a pecking order and there are no ewes anywhere near them to get thoughts stirred up.  This morning they were all standing in the sun (sun! yay!) waiting for us to let them into the larger pasture.

Nigel is one of our home bred Cotswolds.  He carries color and can throw colored lambs when mated to colored ewes.

I still haven't replaced that dratted ear tag but he's not going anywhere.......

Neville is our other home bred Cotswold but he has all white genetics in his background.  His fleece also has smaller curls.  He's super sweet tempered, politely standing next to you until you rub his back and tell him he's a good sheep.

One of my half-British boys from our AI venture several years ago.  I like his square back and rump.  His fleece is very lustrous but lacking in curl, having loose waves instead.  I've been working to get both that shine plus improved curls.  That's one of the most intriguing things about having your own flock (or herd of anything) - trying each year to get the right blend of his traits plus her traits to produce offspring better than either parent.

Here is Titan, left, and BB (aka Mr. B) on the right.  Titan is a colored Cotswold from Break Loose Farm.  He's not as friendly as my homegrown boys but he's certainly not aggressive.  (Middle guy is another half-Brit of ours. Small locks and quite white but not so much luster.)

Wee Little Guy, who was a very sad orphaned lamb who is now a big love bug.

Castillo, also sweet and with really cool hair.  ;-)

The ewes seem rather put out that there are no manly men around.  Mickey, a wether about 3 years old, will talk dirty to them but there isn't much action involved.  The good part of our 'un'-breeding season is that the whole flock can still go out to pasture.  Granted, there isn't much grass left but at least they can get out of the barn and sit in the fields and get some fresh air.  We fill the hay feeders every night and by morning most of it is gone so they're getting plenty either way.

It was so warm (to them) that they all came in off pasture at midday to have a drink and stand in the shade. They saw me in the barn and came storming in, probably thinking I was going to open a side gate and let them into another pasture.  Three days in a tired pasture creates boredom apparently.

"Hey, what's everybody looking at??"

Soon we'll have to really bring them off pasture for good.  Coats will go on and hay will be the only item on the menu.  I love seeing them right now before they get hay trash on their faces and covered up by the coats.

Lots of Cotswold curls.

And not Cotswold.

And lots of sheep with character.

Bunny

Flopsy

Daisy (chewing)

Ashes and Tuxedo

 Angelica

Nugget

Bacardi

Tiffany

Minnie

Matilda

Salsa

Fortune

Lovey

Madeline

Fuzz

Kim

Yup, everyone has a name.  Maybe with more time next spring I'll be able to post everyone's baa-ography.