My BFL lambs

Here is a side profile of Tuppence's head. She was born from a yearling ewe who twinned and raised them herself, so they are a bit smaller. She's going to be a looker when she grows up!


A nice rear on this girl!



Here is a photo of me and Tuppence with the judge


Clover's side profile. Our judge said his only concern with her is that she didn't have enough blue pigment in the face.


A side photo of Clover and her fleece.


I had to race outside when I got home and took some photos of other sheep. Here is Burma, my natural colored ram lamb from Stephen Rouse. He's a handsome guy! (the ram LOL)

Jefferson BFL show

Yearling Ram Class

Yearling Ewes

Ewe lambs

Best small flock

Our esteemed judge talking to Mark and Brenda Lelli and Juliann Budde who was helping the Lelli's.

Things that don't happen to other people

Only happens to me!
On my way to Jefferson!




And much to my surprise (if you couldn't tell!) LOL

I'm back!

Phew!

What a whirlwind of a weekend!

I"ll be back later with photos and more blogging. I just wanted to tease.....:P

I've just come to a decision

After this breeding season I will NOT breed from a ram that is under 50% UK. I will never get to my 'finest' fleeced animals without going back heavily to UK stock.

I have Jazz who is 87% and 20 microns at last rib mid side. I have Barish who is 53% UK and 21.5 microns at last rib mid side. Mohican is 50% UK and will be microned this fall. My own ram lamb, Lyons is 62% UK and will also be microned this fall.

Now two of my rams i'm using this fall...>Arapaho and Barkley are 42 and 37% UK respectively...so I may change my mind on THEM (LOL) but I'm trying to only retain, keep, breed from, buy rams that are heavily UK influenced.

I've already done my calculations for the ewes being AI'ed this fall as to what percents the lambs will be. They'll range from 76.5%-56.5% so all within that limit of 50% or higher.

I still prefer my ewes to be intermediate but I think I can soften them up a lot with the right UK rams. Time will tell if what I decided to do, besides all the OTHER health factors, colors, pedigree, structure, fleece, etc etc that I have to take into contention.

Random thoughts from a random mind........

Packed but still not ready

OK so I found a topper finally! It was only three miles from my house...had been sitting by the road all year. How is it i never drove down that road to see it? Instead looking at all major cities and car dealerships. And for $50 who can complain!! Fiberglass to boot!

I've packed my truck up with all supplies I think I'll need, minus the sheep. I haven't decided if I drive half way tonight and stay with a friend, or get up early in the morning and go tomorrow? I don't know if I can fit all of my 7 sheep i was planning on taking (3 shetlands to show, 2 to sell, 2 BFL to show)

I can't let the BFL people down so they HAVE to come, and the three i'm showing HAVE to come, so maybe the two sale lambs might not fit. They wouldn't mind staying home I'm sure :)

Or they just have to realize they'll have more room on the way home because the hay and straw won't be taking up any room in the back of the truck!

such decisions.

and this is the first show i'm bringing sheep to show (i've had other shows where I've shown my sheep, they were just new purchases...not ones I raised) so its all very exciting and nerve wracking at the same time!

hope to see you all there!!

Packing for Jefferson, what do I need?

I'm trying to compile a list, can you help me?

1. water buckets
2. hay
3. straw
4. sheets/tarps to avoid nose to nose contact between farm flocks
5. chairs to sit on
6. business cards
7. flyers
8. pedigree book
9. pro-bios
10. grain
11-25. ???

I'm starting to panic!

They're bAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

First I must say I love my sister and her husband very much. they are very smart, willing to help anyone in need, and I respect them so much.

HOWEVER!!


I just don't learn.

I'm too nice. Forgiving. Idiot.

I must have the saying "walk all over me" on my face.

Remember my sister's dogs last year? (a black lab and a Siberian husky)

*They girdled trees while tied up with cables to the trees.

*They chased the cattle through the fence at least three times.

*They snapped a $300 Willow tree at the base of the tree with their cables

*They chased cats and tried killing them

*One had Oliver in his MOUTH and was growling...thank God I was there to stop it

*Worse, they killed a pygmy goat by shredding it like hamburger and he later died of shock, infection and who knows what else. Other goats had scratches and scars on them.

My dad said some pretty hurtful things to me about the dogs. His main gripe is that they were 'supposed' to be inside a corn crib (its the only thing they couldn't chew, push, jump out of or dig under) the night they got out and killed the goat. I had been diligently taking the ram and goats out of the pen back to the barn on weekends they came home. I just asked that they call a day or so ahead of time to let me know that I needed to get them out of the 'corn crib' so the dogs could get put in there. They showed up later in the weekend and hadn't bothered to call me to have me move the goats back. I was gone that day and when I got home I told them to just put them in an 8 x10 chain link kennel.

We got back and the dogs had pushed or chewed through the chain link fence and climbed or pushed under a six foot high fence that hap pend to have a hot wire close to the ground.

When the vet was out helping to try and sew up the worst goat to get it (Rufus) He said in a matter-of-fact way "well at least you put the dogs down".

I said "no, we haven't yet".

I gave my sister and her husband two options. 1. put the dog down or 2. never have them come back. That was Memorial weekend.

Three weekends between then and Labor Day they were brought back due to a: not being able to afford a boarding kennel, b: no kennels had openings for their dogs, or c: they didn't have time to call one or look into it.

They assumed I would be OK after 'cooling off' and i didn't say anything any of these times because we had a houseful of guests here and I wasn't about to get into it.

However they were tied out about 50 ft and in plain sight of the sheep and goats.

Let's jump ahead to September when they moved back in with my parents on the FARM. They assumed because they moved so quickly that the dogs would just be welcomed there to help facilitate their problems.

Why make it mine again? I gave them two simple options (see above)

I told them if they were responsible dog owners they'd figure it out on their own and that its not my problem any longer. That's part of the reason I was trying to move OUT OF STATE last year.....My entire family siding with killer dogs that are LIABILITIES....they could kill again at any time...this time maybe a neighbors kid and then what?! What about their OWN child?!

Needless to say they were staying in town at my brother-in-law's shop and I thought the problem was solved.

Well its been a year, and they still haven't sold their house in Milaca and are still living with my parents.

My dad without consulting me assured them that when their baby was born they would be able to bring the dogs back to the farm. HELLO!?! I live here too, with all of my animals that cost a fortune and unfortunately my dad paid the vet bills and the price of the tree and goat, not my sister and her husband. They just don't get it.

So my dad and I are hardly speaking and then my sister says on Friday that she wants the dogs out here at the farm this weekend because our parents were gone on the motorcycles and that my dad, because he assured them they'd be out here on the farm, was having to go into town to let the dogs out. Again...not HIS dogs and he shouldn't have to do it.

I gave her a 30 minute lecture on why I hate giving an inch and her and Aaron taking a mile. I told them if they wanted to bring the dogs out on several conditions:
1. they be on leashes at all times attached to their hands. even from the car to the garage.
2. they would sleep in crates in their garage.
3. they be let out one at a time to go to the bathroom
4. if this worked they'd have to get muzzles to put on the dogs when they were out pottying in case they ripped the leash out of their arms while going to the bathroom and therefore couldn't kill anything with a muzzle on.
5. they can never be tied outside or let to roam..even from the car to the garage.

Well my parents came home a day earlier than I thought. Aaron took the dogs back to the shop and I thought everything was OK. While I was on my way to the barn to lock the girls in for the night (the sheep) I saw that Aaron had driven BACK into town to bring the dogs BACK!? WAIT!!!! What?? Excuse me? This is the give an inch, take a mile comes into play!

My parents are now home, the weekend is now over and they can go back to the shop indefinitely.

Am I wrong?

I've been more than gracious I think even giving them an option. It wasn't like it was their first 'offense'; it was the last straw!

All the dog owners (Sibe's breeders included) and all livestock owners and even city people have told me I'm right to feel and act the way I have and that I've been more than nice with them. The only ones that don't see this are my immediate family and my sister's best friend.

Am I being taken advantage AGAIN or am I being over reactive?

I just think that with all of my trees, my cardigans, my livestock that I have a lot to LOSE when those things get loose again and kill something.........................................

And its not my problem anymore, they are THEIR dogs and they should deal with it. If they can't afford to board them or care for them properly then they should not have them.

UUGGHHH!!

Ram Lambs

I had 14 ram lambs born here this year. Being optimistic, perhaps half of them at best would be registered and sold as breeding stock. After another evaluation I only sold four ram lambs and kept one for myself. Two others that were registered...well one is VERY SOFT, very crimpy, high% UK, spotted, poll carrier and ok I'll say it. Exquisite!

But he is very narrow when he walks away from you and that really bothers me. He stands square, but I cannot feel good about selling him to someone with that obvious fault.

The other, a solid black ram lamb with scurs, he is very square but his fleece is just not as soft like butter like the ram above. I'm going to hang onto them over the winter to see for sure, but at this point I'm just not happy selling them. I was to bring them to Jefferson to sell, but maybe I'll just bring them along and get others' opinions on them.

Anyone who raises ANY kind of animal knows that not all of their offspring are going to be breeding quality or show quality. Those that sell ALL of their lambs as such are fooling the buyers and themselves. Even from an amazing ram and ewe, not every lamb is going to be a knock out, it just doesn't and can't happen. Your chances are lower yes, but still its there.

I think in all mammals the ratio of good males to females is always in the favor of the female......or we are able to 'fix' things easier with females than males. In dogs, whole litters cannot be show quality. Its a reality. Most litters if you are lucky might have one, maybe two. And this is from breeders of my CWC breed for the past 30 years.

Its the same in sheep, or cattle, or goats. You only keep the very best males to improve your female base. A pen full of amazing bulls and three heifers isn't going to get you very far.....the females only produce once a year. In our dairy cattle operation we had we only kept the best heifers and sold the rest and sold ALL the bull calves; relying only on AI (artificial insemination) to improve our dairy cows year after year after year, using only the best the breed had to offer.

How was your breeding season? Did you get a knock out ram or stud dog? Maybe a great buck or bull? In all reality you cannot have a knock out lamb crop and sell them all as show quality or breeding quality, its just not realistic. Same with puppies. You can't show the whole litter, you are kidding yourself if you do.

I think more people need to pay attention to this when they are going through evaluations of their stock. Its only better for every breed and species when you are more diligent in what you sell as breeding quality and breed improvement happens a lot faster too.

Better

I'm feeling better today. Not only did I have to work all day, but I felt much better after all the private emails, phone calls and text messages from my cyber family. Thank you. You are all loved! Thanks for your friendship. It also helps that I have my sheep and dogs to help me through these times. If I didn't have them I don't know what I'd do!

I found out today that I'm babysitting for 2 Pembrokes and 2 Italian Greyhounds Sunday and Monday. The pems have been here before but not the IGs and they are 'iffy' dogs to me...don't know that pottying outside is better than in their crate or in the house. I'm not sure what my dogs will think of them....the IGs aren't terribly friendly to me even (but they live with the Pems).

I"ll keep you posted and pray to God that I can find the time to take photos of them!

Wish me luck!

Enjoy your long weekend!!!

Life is short! Break the rules!
Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly!
Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. .

And never regret anything that made you smile.