RAMSAY FARMS: One week later......

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

One week later......

I've had 33 ewes lamb now. I think. Delirious. Exhausted. Also very excited and happy!

I'm loving the Shetland Mules. I have 14 of them so far (only 6 ewes dang it!) Most of the 21 Shetland lambs are as expected. fine crimpy fleeces. lots of spots. still katmogets but lots of solids and modified lambs too. My BFL twins are growing and leaping (literally) by huge strides. IF only April was always this nice for lambing (last year we had blizzards and lots of snow and below zero temps.)

photos will come soon. Most of the photos are on facebook farm page (which is public) Just search Ramsay Farms and you'll find them. Not all the lambs are photographed. Too many to take!

Musical lambing jugs, musical nursery pens and moving lambed ewes to the jugs, jugged ewes to the nursery pens, nursery pens to the lamb/momma pen and then moving close up ewes to the 'expecting pen' versus the holding pen for those still a ways a away. Chaos in the best sense :)

I love it.

But 25+ ewes have all lambed in the past 3 days. Pandemonium out in the barn with ewes trying to steal lambs because they are in labor, or lambs getting lost in the crowd if don't witness the birth. Even with so many jugs this year I'm still finding need for more. Better to get them all done with at once than waiting for months like I did last year!

2 comments:

Tombstone Livestock said...: I had 20 lambs in March, one set of tripets and a set of twins same day ........... Marking paint comes in handy to tell who's who. I need to by more colors, some were getting red or green spots, then stripes, neck, left side, right side, on their butts, marked the ewes first .... easier to make corresponding marks on the lambs they are smaller and co-operate better, lol.; April 3, 2012 at 5:54 PM
Cynthia said...: Congrats Garrett. Since I am not on Facebook, I will have to wait patiently for those photos! Wishing you soft crimpy fleeces and big fat meat lambs.; April 4, 2012 at 4:16 AM

Who we are

Ramsay Farms is situated in the northeastern part of Ottertail County, near Perham, Minnesota. This family farm of 320 acres has been in the Ramsay family for five generations, dating back to 1892. Today our farm prides itself on our Simmental cattle, Shetland Sheep and BlueFaced Leicester sheep. We strive to breed animals that closest match the breed standards given to them, and mindful of production, health and longevity in our animals as well.

In spring of 2016, there was a purchase of 32 acres in Green County, Wisconsin to accommodate Garrett for his work in that region. The animals have for the most part been moved to that location. Both locations will work in tandem to continue educating and promoting these animals and this way of life.

From the Shetland Sheep Society

"Shetland sheep have for generations been noted for their very soft and well crimped fleece. The wool is the finest of all native breeds and shows an amazing variety of colours and patterns. There are 11 main whole colours and 30 recognised markings.

By selecting from coloured fleeces a range of naturally coloured yarn can be produced. This eliminates the need for dyeing and therefore retains the soft feel of the natural fibre and is favoured by those who prefer a totally natural approach.

Shetland wool fibres are of a simple construction witha central cortex covered by a thin scaly cuticle, and have an average diameter of about 23 microns. However there is a range from 10-20 microns for neck and shoulder wool to 25to 35 microns for britch wool. the average staple length is 3.5 inches. The amount of crimp varies, and is most important in providing the 'bounce' required for knitwear. There is a positive correlation between fineness and crimp, with wool of the finest quality being crimped at between 8 and 12 to the inch. Wool from shetland sheep is used to produce gossamer lace, the famous 'Fair Isle' knitwear, and fine tweeds. Pure bred Shetland sheep tend to shed their fleece in sprin. The growth of new fleece can cause a rise or weak point and where this is present the fleece can sometimes be plucked or 'rooed' by hand. The timing of this can be different in each sheep, however, it is worth taking the care to get it right as rooed fleece can be amongst the softest because the fibres have no harsh cut ends as occurs with a sheared fleece.

Shetland fleece can be handspun straight from the fleece or made into rolags and then woollen spun. It can also be sorsted spun by hand, used on a peg loom or handwoven. It also felts well using either dry or wet methods. When processed commercially the wool can be made into the finest lightweight worsted cloth or heavier weight, harder wearing fabrics and tweeds."

RAMSAY FARMS

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

One week later......

2 comments:

A long time coming!

Fine Fleece Shetland Sheep Association

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