Stirring title, no? Cut me some slack, it's one a.m. here. . . .
We have three lambs now, the first of 2009! Most likely this will be the last for a couple weeks if not longer. My calendar notes say that the weather was scorching the week after we ran the rams in (called "tupping").
Before the tupping season, we give supplemental feed to help the ewes "settle" better. If their body condition is increasing, it sends signals to their ovaries to drop multiple eggs rather than just one, as their bodies sense "good times on the way." The magic happens from increasing condition, not just good condition with no change, so they start slightly underweight, then we add gradually more feed until tupping begins.
We'll continue to feed so they don't have to spend as much time browsing (the rams particularly). This is particularly important here in the south where "fall" weather can be as brutal as summer with 90 to 100 degree F temps. If the sheep are fed concentrates during this time, then they don't have to go out grazing in the hot sun. This is one of the many reasons 100% grass-fed stock raising is so hard to accomplish here in the Southeast.
Anyway, when it's hot, there's no getting around it - the rams become pretty much inactive and temporarily sterile. So I often have to put up with mid-season breaks in my lambing season. Some day I'll learn not to try for early lambs. I'm an optimist. After eleven lambing seasons I'm still an optimist. Just call me Pollyanna.
I'll try to get pics of the latest arrivals tomorrow. It poured rain all day so not a great time for taking my rode hard and put up wet camera out. I have to dock tails and tag them, anyway.
Ted's back from Christine's and he's looking awesome! Me, not so much. Heigh-ho, it's back to having a terrific dog to live up to. But, there are certainly worse things.
Ted's so good about letting me catch up. We worked at a Jack Knox clinic a couple weekends ago and it was the best JK experience I've ever had. No crying, that's always a plus.
Ted makes me so relaxed. It was that way when we ran at the trial at Robin's last summer. I thought it was running on my "home field" entirely but now I see it's just the teamwork Ted and I are working out.
Anyway, Christine skillfully (and quickly, wow!) ironed out all the bits that were hampering my ability to move forward with Ted. She also increased his confidence working away and I've got a dog now that drives pretty much as far as I need. I need to continue working on his confidence holding pressure and balancing.
Ted's started working his first lambing and we're taking it nice and easy. I can see he's going to have a wonderful way with the ewes and lambs but like everything with him, it's best to largely let him work out in his own head first, how he's going to handle the pressure. Already he's reading the ewes very well and hasn't caused any trouble. He can drive a single ewe and lambs, or both ewes who have lambed, as far as I need (right now only about 25 yards). We just take it nice and slow.
All I'm doing is making sure the ewes don't take advantage of him and show him the point is to keep the ewes and lambs together by stopping him when the ewes get antsy about their lambs. I'm going to try to get some video tomorrow.
I've been communicating with a person near me who has 100 sheep and is willing to let Ted come up and work. Actually, he's eager to see it. I'd love it if it would work out for me to come help him regularly - he's lambing about 50 ewes and I'd like Ted to get as much experience as possible doing serious farm work. We'll see.
We are settling in. I saw the Big Giant Tree Cruncher in action the other day and I can't wait to get it here and open up that pasture! It was amazing - if the post driver was a testosterone raiser, well, I'd better get plenty of snacks together for the crowd of men that are sure to come "help" when we schedule this.
We have three lambs now, the first of 2009! Most likely this will be the last for a couple weeks if not longer. My calendar notes say that the weather was scorching the week after we ran the rams in (called "tupping").
Before the tupping season, we give supplemental feed to help the ewes "settle" better. If their body condition is increasing, it sends signals to their ovaries to drop multiple eggs rather than just one, as their bodies sense "good times on the way." The magic happens from increasing condition, not just good condition with no change, so they start slightly underweight, then we add gradually more feed until tupping begins.
We'll continue to feed so they don't have to spend as much time browsing (the rams particularly). This is particularly important here in the south where "fall" weather can be as brutal as summer with 90 to 100 degree F temps. If the sheep are fed concentrates during this time, then they don't have to go out grazing in the hot sun. This is one of the many reasons 100% grass-fed stock raising is so hard to accomplish here in the Southeast.
Anyway, when it's hot, there's no getting around it - the rams become pretty much inactive and temporarily sterile. So I often have to put up with mid-season breaks in my lambing season. Some day I'll learn not to try for early lambs. I'm an optimist. After eleven lambing seasons I'm still an optimist. Just call me Pollyanna.
I'll try to get pics of the latest arrivals tomorrow. It poured rain all day so not a great time for taking my rode hard and put up wet camera out. I have to dock tails and tag them, anyway.
Ted's back from Christine's and he's looking awesome! Me, not so much. Heigh-ho, it's back to having a terrific dog to live up to. But, there are certainly worse things.
Ted's so good about letting me catch up. We worked at a Jack Knox clinic a couple weekends ago and it was the best JK experience I've ever had. No crying, that's always a plus.
Ted makes me so relaxed. It was that way when we ran at the trial at Robin's last summer. I thought it was running on my "home field" entirely but now I see it's just the teamwork Ted and I are working out.
Anyway, Christine skillfully (and quickly, wow!) ironed out all the bits that were hampering my ability to move forward with Ted. She also increased his confidence working away and I've got a dog now that drives pretty much as far as I need. I need to continue working on his confidence holding pressure and balancing.
Ted's started working his first lambing and we're taking it nice and easy. I can see he's going to have a wonderful way with the ewes and lambs but like everything with him, it's best to largely let him work out in his own head first, how he's going to handle the pressure. Already he's reading the ewes very well and hasn't caused any trouble. He can drive a single ewe and lambs, or both ewes who have lambed, as far as I need (right now only about 25 yards). We just take it nice and slow.
All I'm doing is making sure the ewes don't take advantage of him and show him the point is to keep the ewes and lambs together by stopping him when the ewes get antsy about their lambs. I'm going to try to get some video tomorrow.
I've been communicating with a person near me who has 100 sheep and is willing to let Ted come up and work. Actually, he's eager to see it. I'd love it if it would work out for me to come help him regularly - he's lambing about 50 ewes and I'd like Ted to get as much experience as possible doing serious farm work. We'll see.
We are settling in. I saw the Big Giant Tree Cruncher in action the other day and I can't wait to get it here and open up that pasture! It was amazing - if the post driver was a testosterone raiser, well, I'd better get plenty of snacks together for the crowd of men that are sure to come "help" when we schedule this.
2 comments:
Shoot, I'd love to come see the tree cruncher! lol I need to come up and visit now that you guys are settled in. ;) Hey, I know someone who's good at loading the ear tatooing thingie.
Hee! Since I'm expecting all of maybe 20 lambs this year, I MAY be able to keep the tagger straight. But you can definitely come up anytime, no need to work! (Is that your favorite shirt?)
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