Friday, August 27, 2010

Mystery sheep




Bryan and I drove 4 hours to Allentown to pick up 6 sheep. I got a great price on them, but of course had to buy a trailer to haul them in, build a box to put them in and a couple other considerations.
We took the scenic route and Bryan swore we just kept getting further and further away, but it was just the GPS telling us when we would get there, not how long it would take.
So as soon as we get to the guys farm, the sky opens up and it downpours, its fun to wrangle sheep, but even more so in the rain. Once the dears were loaded it stopped raining and the sun came out. I hope that isn't a sign.
Now these were supposed to Corriedale sheep. Now they might have some Corriedale in them, but they are full. I don't know what they are, but I do know they need a serious hair cut. I can't get in touch with the shearer so i might have to do this myself. Because winter is coming, i won't have to shear down to the skin. The ram and 2 ewe's are a hot mess. The 2 lambs and 1 yearling are ok and may not have to be done.
Of course last weekend before Bryan and I took off on our grand adventure, Bryan discovered that the fence was in need of repair. Because of that, everyone has been in lockdown in the barn. There are some very unhappy sheep and goats in that barn.
Of course as I write this, I am in Lancaster County, so I do not have to listen to them bellow for the time being.
I have emailed pictures of the sheep to one of my groups, and I am hoping for some help identifying them.

On other news, we lost another turkey so we are down to 7. We finally reduced our rooster numbers by 13, so we only have 5 left to go. The ducks are still going strong, though we must reduce there as well.
We have a new barn cat, though I don't know if she is happy with the situation. She does seem to like the huge piles of hay in the barn, hopefully she is catching mice while playing.
We did have another visitor to the farm. At first I thought it was lola the cat out wandering at night. 'she' drove the dogs nuts for 2 nights standing outside their yard. On the day that Bryan and I went to get the sheep, 'she' made a daylight showing. Oops, its a very happy and fat porcupine.
The goats are looking good with their haircuts. They have a months worth of growth and are at their cutest I think. I sheared Pine and Castor and on Pine we left his bangs, I think it cute, but I think he thinks otherwise.





Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Turkeys in shape





We like to keep all of our animals as healthy as we can. The Turkeys like to make the most trampoline as well as the soccer ball. After all, being healthy starts with healthy food! Speaking of healthy food, the garden is producing and we have. We have squash, cucumbers, peas, Swiss chard and so much more.