Shearing - Round One

After scrubbing our first scheduled shearing because of a winter storm (winter storm 'Stella' which I have pictures of....in the phone...) we did get the first group of forty-one shorn yesterday.  We went through the flock and used the oh-so-scientific method of choosing those who were oozing out from under their coats the most.

"What do you mean our butts are sticking out?  That's an awful thing to say."

We had penned those sheep the night before and gave them a very light feeding of hay so that full bellies wouldn't be more of an obstacle than necessary.  We moved ten or so at a time into the shearing area.  The sun came out periodically and it was much nicer than some shearing days have been.

Mickey, waiting his turn.

Snubby, looking a whole lot smaller with all that wool off.

The sheep waiting their turns watched with varying degrees of concern.  Most eyes and ears were on us.

The fleeces this year seem much bigger and even prettier than usual.  We did have early hot dry weather last June and managed to put up better hay than in the past few years.  Coupled with the lack of weeks of deep cold I think the sheep put a lot more energy into wool production over the winter.  The thirty gallon trash bags I put each fleece in were very inadequate in several instances.

Mickey's sister, Minnie.  That's a lot of sheep to reach around.

Salsa

One of the Cotswolds - maybe Oleander.  We invested in a lot more sheep coats and put jackets on everyone, including all the Cotswolds, when we started feeding hay last fall.  So far, so good.  The ones we've shorn so far had no cotting although the curls initially looked kind of flat.  I think they'll perk up after being flopped out onto the skirting table and moved around.  Regardless, the wool is spotless so that's a huge plus.

 Who's that faded moorit?

It's Carmel, whose fleece was dark last year like her face.

She's faded in the span of a year to a warm sand color.

Great crimp and very long for the grade - close to five inches.  I think I've found one of our entries for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival's fleece show and sale.

That's five weeks from now - yikes!

Fog Magic

Fog plus below freezing temperatures yield some very pretty effects.  I wish it had been sunny!  It would have been dazzling.

"Boy, it was cold last night!  My ears and nose are froze!"

The farm bell was easy to read, like a rubbing off a head stone.

"Downs & Co.    Seneca Falls, NY"

Instead of plates or flakes the frost grew in crunchy, crispy little chunks.

The euonymus really got coated.

Every twig, wire, edge and surface had a delicate fringe of frost.  It was curious how the frost grew - each little stray fiber of baler twine was coated, but the twine itself wasn't encased.

Sharp edges or bumps grew frost but flat surfaces didn't so much.

"What do you think she's doing?"       "Really, I have no idea."

Nugget and Pickles  - "Take our picture!  Here, we'll stand reeeeaally close - that's bound to help."

Mickey, former bottle lamb 

A warmer and much more pet-able "frosted" sheep nose!

Sub Zero

Minus eleven degrees F to be exact.

January has been a rollercoaster of above freezing temperatures which then drop to single digits within a day.  This morning was one of those deep cold ones.  The sky was pretty but you didn't want to stand still long to admire it.

The snow underfoot squeals and grunts with every step like angry geese.  You can gauge the temperature within 10 degrees by the tone of voice the snow uses.

We take hot water from the sink in the wool shop up to the ram barn and mix it with the cold well water to keep it liquid longer.  Some of the boys like it lukewarm but for those who don't it gets chilly pretty darn quick.  You know it's cold when the hot water bucket is empty and still steams like mad.

When it's very cold and windy we close the barn doors to keep the temperature tolerable - for us that is.  The sheep are fine with cold.

Bunny.   "Since you're here, are you going to feed us now?"

Foxy, Mickey and Fortune.  "Yes, please, yes, please, feed us now, we're starving!"

Coconut, still with the crazy eyes ;-)

It's a pretty comfortable place to spend the day if you're a sheep.  Sit around, eat, chat with friends....

Star in mid-chew and Flower

Then Flopsy charges over for petting and disturbs the peaceful mood.  She looks downright demented in this picture but it's just the way her bangs are hiding her eyes (and the crooked ear set doesn't help).  She's really very sweet and loves attention, even hugs, which some sheep find too touchy-feely for comfort.

The sunset was quite pink so hopefully we'll see an increase in the temperature tomorrow.  Banging ice out of water buckets multiple times a day is a chore we could happily skip for a few days.

Halfway through January...... at least three months to go.  

Take a Coat - Winter's Coming

A sheep coat, that is.  But they aren't for warmth - the sheep have that well in hand - they are for cleanliness of the wool.  Pastures have stopped growing and have been eaten down as short as we can allow - the plants need some reserve to survive the winter and start growing in spring.  Now that we have officially reached hay feeding season and pasturing is over the fleeces need protection from the dreaded VM (vegetable matter) that contaminates fleece and renders it undesireable to hand spinners.

Mickey

 

We went through the flock yesterday to weigh and deworm as necessary and put coats on everyone that's not a Cotswold.  With our good hay feeders the Cots seem to be able to shake enough chaff out of their fleeces that the benefit of coating would be minimal compared to the extra effort and risk of felting under the coat.  The sheep coat 'closet' consists of four large Rubbermaid totes holding clean, laundered coats in sizes from little lamb to gigantic ram.  Some have been patched rather a lot.

 

Ashes

The coats have a solid panel across the brisket and straps that go around the hind legs.  Slip it over a sheep's head and step their legs through the straps.  Voila - coated sheep.





 Salsa

The Cotswold lambs that were shorn early last month have already grown back a lot of wool and have no need of a coat for cleanliness or warmth.  (We did coat some shorn Cotswold yearlings last spring because they got chilly with NO wool).

 

Freckles:  "No fair!  Why can't we still run naked too?"

 

This was likely the last warmish sunny day we'll have for a long time.  The forecast now is for rain, dropping temperatures and then snow..... more snow.....cold.... etc.  The flock (except for breeding groups of course) spent the day eating and wandering from one area's hay feeders to another and just hanging out in the yard enjoying the sun and the view.

 



 

Peanut:  "Being outside is OK, but you get more scritches when you're inside."

 

Smart little sheep.