Fresh out of the oven

This set of twins just born to Blaze's daughter this morning. After she dug up the barn. Some does paw the ground like there is gold under that straw that I put down to keep the pens clean. She kept it up for about an hour afterward, I bottle fed the babies some colostrum and put them on the other side of the pen while she continued to dig. She later decided there was nothing under the straw and nursed her babies. She had nice kids also. Both are dark red with white markings, just like Mom. Now I have a headache from not much sleep and way too much worry.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

While Blaze was being the drama queen of the day, Curlie was grazing in the pasture with a clear stream running out and just dropped her kid out while standing, cleaned him up and nursed him. Curlie is no drama queen when it comes to kidding, she doesn't get fat and moan and groan at night, drops a small kid out and looks great as ever, milks great too. This buck kid will be a keeper. Mom Curlie is the finest haired doe with good lock structure that I have.

Ground control to Blaze

Blaze was in a daze all day yesterday, walking the fence line, restless, around 3 in the afternoon she stopped. Nothing, no wet back end, nothing. Moved her to the drop pen in the barn. Pacing around the pen, finally washed her up and went in to check it out, she was dialated, wide open, could feel something in the cervix, she started contractions. An hour later she had a big head out and no feet, went in, got one foot and pulled the kid out. The kid just wasn't pushing its way out because it couldn't get those feet in position, and those legs are still bent but slowly straightening. Then another kid followed shortly. Blaze is retiring this year. She still has a beautiful dark brown fleece, it was first place in the adult mohair class at SAFF last fall. Bonnie Nauman, the fleece show judge from Texas, said she still kid tips on her fleece at nine years of age.

Help

Alex took the weekend off and I realize how much help she is. Little things mean a lot. A pleasant smile and sweet personality goes a long way too.How can you be in a bad mood with someone so nice? And I've become dependent on someone to hold this sheep or goat while I check their eyelids or give them a vaccine or wormer. And someone to block that goat while I sneak up and grab her by the horns, catching goats is not easy. Unless you don't want them, then they are all over you. Walking into a barn of hungry goats or sheep can be taking your life into your own hands. Once that head is in the bucket, you've lost the game. And, there's that annoying Alpine, Tanner, that can climb and knock the bucket of feed off the fence post, scattering it to the four winds. Alex has a quiet nature around animals and has made pets of many of them, but I think she has learned to not pet the billy goats and rams, the males will turn on you. Once you start petting them they want all your attention and become agreesive and some will butt you, best to keep your distance from the males. Another of life's lessons.

another winters day

Didn't get very many goats shorn yesterday, had a quick shower of rain then the sky got gray and cold and windy, same today, will wait for the sun to reappear. Did get a few dye pots brewing and more on the wood stove, along with vegetable soup and cornbread on the kitchen stove. Kids due to start dropping any day now. Had to make a big pen in the center of the lambing barn for the yearling does shorn yesterday, can't risk them getting pushed out in the cold.

Take a goat walk

So much to do on this perfect day. After feeding and checking all the sheep and goats, started skirting,washing, dyeing and picking some wool and mohair. Late afternoon I heard someone calling to me. I never listen to the radio, just listen to the earth, and there is always a goat calling or chicken cackling. It was Miracle. So I took some time off to enjoy the sunshine and a walk in the back pasture with the goats. Great medicine. Guaranteed to heal all that ails you. I rarely leave this place, instead, I prefer to spend my leisure time with nature, and I don't have to drive to get there.

Fence line

Good thing I took that goat walk, there was an old tree that fell on the fence. Just a constant thing to check all the pasture fencing to keep the grass,weeds and trees off so the electric fence has a chance to do its job, help keep unwanted varmints out.

Come along Miracle

Miracle never stays with the goat herd. Raised on a bottle and in the house, she never was convinced she was a goat. Seperated from her herd, she was at the back pasture calling for me, so I put her with the herd at the pond pasture. She butted heads with the sheep in that pasture all evening, after enjoying some herbage in the woods.

4 bucks, 4bucks, 4bucks, and 4 more bucks

What happened to the weather? It was around 70 degrees Saturday when we sheared 16 yearling bucks. Hung tarps and plastic around their barn giving them a wind break. All are in good condition and getting plenty of feed so they should be okay, but they are not liking this cold weather. I tried not to notice the white stuff that keeps falling from the sky, and no sun again. Really would like to plant my garden, but it is still too wet. Moved more blocks to make another raised bed to start some early plants. The hens believe spring is here, cranking out the eggs. I've learned to eat lots of eggs in the spring and do without in December and January. All the old timers ate in season, they would never consider eating a fake tomato from the grocery store in the middle of winter. They only ate home grown tomatoes, or some they had canned in a jar. They were way ahead of their time.

more shearing to do

It knew it would happen, finally warmed up and so much to do. Got to keep the shearing going until everyone is ready for the hot weather. We never know, it can get very hot in May, so I have to start early. If I start to early they will have to much wool in the heat of the summer, and sometimes they will get hot and have to be shorn again, losing a fleece. Sometimes the spring clip is matted from all the rain in winter, the cold then hot weather can make it stick and cause flakes in the fiber. Good grain and top quality hay, free choice minerals,  plenty of space in a good barn that is clean and bedded down well with clean straw, no sickness or stress, no sore feet from all the rain and mud, and an animal that has good fiber genetics to start with. Sounds like a lot to deal with. We're lucky if we get a good fleece in the southeast.

Getting ready

Cleaned out the kidding barn, getting ready, kids due to start dropping next week. Raked out many loads of straw and manure. I hope it will be warm and most of them will be born on pasture. Pasture is clean of germs from all the rain and sunshine, well, we haven't had much sun, but, more outside than inside the barn. If it's cold and rainy the does will stay in, so the barn needs to be cleaned. As I always say, no monetary gain from being a sheep and goatherder, but all that shoveling and raking has got to be good for the heart. Maybe I'll open the first health spa that makes all the guests shovel and rake goat poop.

BBC Day

Turned out to be a BBC (BigBarnCoat) day. You could have fooled these Jonquils, pronounced Jonniequills in the south. Well, at least it wasn't raining, Alex and I did some mudd scooping and barn cleaning, got a lot more to do, Alex wants some of the manure and straw mix  for her raised beds. This has become one of the richest farms in the area, not money wise, dirt wise. When we  moved here the land was clear cut and then the top soil was pushed up when we cleared for building the house and barns. All the years of horse, cow, sheep and goat poop, straw for bedding and wasted hay, have made the soil deep and rich. All sorts of bugs and worms working the manure to break it down into compost and fertilizer for the garden and pastures.  The water from my washer ,that soaks the wool and mohair, returns to the pasture, along with the lanolin and dirt it releases. You can tell exactly what area benefits from that rich sludge. We have a lot of washes, areas that have become deep ditches from heavy rain and erosion. I try to fill these gullies with belly wool and fleeces that aren't good for spinning, the wool will take years to break down and will help slow down the erosion. There are subdivisions all around us with farm names, all they grow is houses.They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. I hope I can leave this place in better condition than when I found it, and there will be one undeveloped farm.

New sign of spring

Everyday there is another sign of spring, you just have to look. Today was a typical March day, cloudy and cold five minutes, then sunny and warm the next five, with wind. Cross fenced the bottom sheep pasture to separate the shorn ewes from the goats, the sheep only need a little hay to go with the grass that is coming up. The goats need a little grain and hay. Grandson Evan turned thirteen yesterday, hard to believe how fast time goes by. I stay so busy, I have to stop and think what day it is. If I ever find a genie in a bottle and get my wish granted, it will be to spend one more day with Evan when he was 2 years old. He was living with me at that age and it was the best of times and the worst of times. It was hard working with him at my side all day and night, but we had that bond, I miss him now that he is older and to busy for me. I love you Evan.

Higher ground

We are on a hill, but with four inches of rain in twenty four hours we have been looking for higher ground to feed the hay. Didn't even get to put hay out on Wednesday, the rain never let up. Moved a few younger does up to the pond pasture and locked them in the barn. They will try to get back to their herd if I just turn them out, after a few days in their new barn they will accept the new herd and stay put.With all this rain comes more mud, I've had enough mud. It's hard to make sure every one gets fed in this weather, they will pack in the barns and not come out. It takes most of my day just to make sure they are all okay. Need to get started shearing the doe kids from last year, the fleeces are just right, got to get a break in the weather, I will have to pen the shorn ones so they don't get pushed out in the rain. Goats are just like people, just can't except the different ones, once they are shorn, the pecking order starts over.There is always one that is the weakest in the pecking order in every flock, if you bring in a new goat she becomes the new weakest link. New chicks are getting along fine, read in Acres magazine that eggs from game hens are more flavorsome than eggs from other breeds. They are also the best setters and mothers, don't mess with a game hen with chicks, she'll take your head off.

Busy days

Been a busy three days, knew it would be when it warmed up. Finished shearing all the sheep Sunday, had to fetch the sheep from the mother-in-law farm and that was no easy task. Dollie, the crazy Pyrenees has been chasing the sheep away from the barn, making the sheep crazy, normally, they follow me on the trailer, not anymore. Had three hens to hatch chicks, this poor hen and one of her sisters hatched within hours of each other, she only got 3 chicks, her sister stole some of hers and ended up with seven.Another sister hatched eight yesterday,she accidentally left one behind in the nest on the other side of the barn, nothing to do but tear a board off the barn so she could find that chick, I'm sure it will grow up to be a rooster. Look closely at the picture, there are 3 chicks hidden under her body. Reminds me of that magazine I got sometimes as a kid, Highlights,(had to ask Alex the name of that one), where you find the hidden items.

We're gettin there

Slow but sure spring is going to get here. Saw some tiny purple flowers popping up out of the ground, and I'll think of their name later today, UGH! The sheep are finding bits of green grass to munch on, haven't seen any buds on the trees yet.Ready to start planting some potatoes and onions in the garden, carrot seed hasn't germinated.Got to find a place for the spinach.Skirted more fiber yesterday and when the weather warms a bit will get the washer going again, the hoses freeze at night unless I drain them, bring them in the garage and keep a fire going in the stove.So, it's easier to wait on warmer days.This winter has been unusually cold and long lasting.We are used to working outside most of the year but have not been able to get much outside work done this winter.The cold and rain came early making it impossible to finish field work, had to wait until the ground was frozen hard before we could combine the last of the soybeans. And, not much of the wheat ground got planted, and what did ain't looking good.Just hope the ground dries so we can plant cotton,field corn and the garden and our favorite sweet corn.You're not  a real southern farmer if you didn't grow sweet corn and watermelon.

Mella fellas

The no longer ram lambs are soaking in the sun and enjoying being wethers, see how they get along so well now.I'm not getting along with my last dye pot, can't get the fiber to take on more dye, I want it darker blue. Finer and crimpy fibers, like Cormo and BFL,  just want take dye like Cotswold and mohair that dye really rich shades. I love the softness of the  fine wools, but the lustre of the longwools and mohair gets my eye and it feels so silky.The latest shorn sheep and 3 buck goats were cold yesterday, so I fed them extra grain last night and bedded down the barns with straw.Hope we get to those 60's soon.Moved the bred does to the front pasture so I can keep a closer eye on them, just 3 weeks away til kidding starts.We wormed and vaccinated them last week. They will have to be shorn as soon as it warms up so the kids can find the milk.I will gently shear them on the milking stand and try to leave a little fuz to keep them warm.

Price of mohair

Goats are curious creatures with magical fiber, that said, they can be a pain in the butt. I found these heat lamps chewed into bits, these are not the ordinary cheap lamps, they are very nice and safe lamps. They were hanging about 6-7 feet high, on a board in the barn, I could barely reach them. Try to picture how these 90-100 pound does could get to them, standing on the barn floor looking up wondering if that was something tasty to eat, maybe they did like they do in the woods, an older, bigger doe will gurdle a small tree and it's a free for all to get to those tender leaves.Just can't figure it out, but someone was on someone's  back to reach those lamps.Last year I bought a barn camera to keep an eye on my does and ewes at lambing, thought it would save a few trips to the barn in the wee hours of the night. Lasted a few nights before Tanner found it and ate the wires into, guess they wanted their privacy.I spent several hours moving the reciever in the house before I decided it could be trouble on the other end.Now you know why the price of mohair is more than the price of wool,

Shearing cancelled

Sunday's shearing was cancelled. We may be getting snow or rain, weatherman can't say which, anyway, it's going to be cold this week. Started washing some lambswool and got two dye pots going since the woodstove in the shop was burning. Carded several kid mohair fleeces, black and gray, finished the red fleece of Hannah.Unloaded the left over fiber from Peachtree handspinner's meeting on Saturday.It's good to tallk to someone other than sheep and goats, especially fiber folks.I love seeing what a fiber artist does with my wool and mohair, and I sold enough to pay for my hay for February. I appreciate all my supporters. Don't think that a flock of sheep and angora goats is going to support you, but if you work real hard, day and night, they will support themselves, and you get the pleasure of being a sheepherder.Not to mention queen of the manure pile. Really, all you can say is, herding a flock of sheep and goats will keep you in good shape, and that means alot.And all that manure makes good garden soil.