Apr
2009
Summer, winter, spring in just 3 days!
April 27th, 2009 at 07:22 pm by Shari Thomas in Around the Farm, Chickens, WeatherThat’s the way it’s been here for the past couple of weeks. We’ve seen highs in the low 80’s followed by snow/sleet and lows below freezing. We’ve even had over an inch of rain this past week.
Oh, and you can’t forget the winds. Generally the wind begins about noon, but lately it’s been blowing nearly 24/7 thanks to the way the storms are passing to the north of us.
We’ve had to nail plywood back onto the stable, and rebuild a corner on the sheep shelter, as well as come up with another tarp to cover the cow manger. Thankfully, we’ve removed the tarps from the alfalfa stacks as they were completely shredded.
On the summer day, we quickly built three new raised boxes, and then waited for another time with little to no wind to fill them with sand and compost. We’ll plant peas and various lettuces in those boxes.
We’ve also added extra compost to the corn patch, and laid out the new drip irrigation system for our big garden.
Our garlic is doing very well in two of the three locations, something we were told would be the case. The rhubarb is growing nicely, and even Cindy’s strawberries are showing life. We’ll leave the berries alone until mid June.
The very last thing we’ve done was to remove the bird netting from the top of the chicken coop. A late, heavy, wet snow took it down and really made a mess of it. We also raked all the old bones, corn cobs, and other garbage the chickens have scratched up in their pen. We have a few young hens who like to fly out of the pen, so every once in a while we’re surprised by a hen going on walkabout.
Hopefully, we’ll get the new addition to the coop roughed out this weekend. Remember, we took a barn down for the wood, and part of that will become the new coop addition.
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Mar
2009
We think that ram was a dud… and here’s why
March 30th, 2009 at 06:59 pm by Shari Thomas in Around the Farm, SheepAfter very careful thought, and looking back at a lot of clues… we think the ram was a dud. Not a dude… a dud. Further, if the guy who supposedly went to a breeder and bought that ram gets the same results we’re getting… he’s gonna be on unhappy sheep rancher.
read more clues
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Jan
2009
Snow: Five inches in three hours
January 25th, 2009 at 08:36 pm by Shari Thomas in About Beryl, Around the Farm, Chickens, Dogs, Family Cow, Horses, Sheep, WeatherShortly after dinner, Cindy suggested we feed, even though is was about an hour early. Good thing we went out when we did. The wind was already sustained from the south-southeast at better than 20 mph.
We got the chickens fed, and closed in again (with high winds we keep their door closed), and turned our attention to the rest of the animals. As I tossed a couple flakes of hay into the cow and calf, I couldn’t help but think of the Arnold Palmer Classic Golf Tournament, where they had sustained winds in excess of 30 mph. Talk about golf balls going where you didn’t want them… the hay didn’t exactly land where I wanted it, either.
On to the sheep… C’mon girls, go that way so I can throw the hay over here and miss your woolly coats. You’ve done well this year. Maybe your wool will be worth a little more with less alfalfa tangled in it.
Cindy fed and watered the horses and called our two dogs back to the house. By then, it we spitting rain and we still had to reposition a couple bales of hay at the cow stack. With that done quickly, we stopped by the hen house to gather the eggs and head inside.
Within about 45 minutes, it was snowing… hard! It’s been doing that now for the past three hours. Weatherbug tells me we’re supposed to have five to 10 inches by tomorrow night.
Hmmm, we already have five inches and there’s a lot more storm to come yet. Bev’s not gonna have much fun tomorrow, digging out to go to work, only to have to dig the Senior bus out, too.
We’re even expecting a thunderstorm or two this evening… better known as “Thunder-snow”. Right now it’s 29.5 degrees. The wind had shifted to the northwest about time the snow started. That’s our indication that the front has passed. Never mind the jet stream is going the opposite direction.
I know one thing, the “arctic dogs”… Sarah the Finnish Spitz, and Koda the part Siberian Husky, would rather remain indoors, while our two lab crosses just love the snow. The shepherd… she’s not sure but will go play as long as someone else goes first.
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Aug
2008
Buttercup says: “Hello World!”
August 26th, 2008 at 07:58 pm by Shari Thomas in Family CowThis afternoon about 2:25, Buttercup slipped into to the world. Yes, even as we were watching from a short distance, Sweetie Pie gave out a big, long Mooo-o-o-o-o-o and presented us with the cutest little heifer.
When we got Sweetie Pie (previously named Cowgirl), we knew she was very pregnant, as in two weeks away the week before we got her home.
She joined us Sunday afternoon and we’ve given her quite a bit of space, letting her get acquainted with the sheep. Now, I didn’t really expect her to deliver today. I’d have bet on closer to the weekend.
She was a little “off feed” last night, and this morning. I was closely observing her and noticed her “pin bones” were really protruding. Later, a neighbor stopped by and we noticed “the shoestrings”, a light mucous discharge. At that point Bruno also saw a contraction.
I went on an immediate “calf watch”. Mom and I came out and she was laying against the fence towards our driveway. Soon she got up and moved into her little shelter and pawed the ground a few times. At that point, I thought I’d better check the internet for some specific instructions.
Would you believe I got the instructions printed off, gave them to Cindy to read and headed back out in a matter of minutes. Upon arriving at our “patio under the trees” I thought maybe she’d let me get a closer look. After all, she was laying down about half-way into her shelter.
Imagine my surprise when I saw “front feet”… She was in full labor. I quickly called Bev, Cindy and Mom. My the time they got out with the camera, the head was just ready to come out.
Bev got on the phone to the previous owners while the rest of us continued to observe. We all decided to back off again, retiring to our patio. Shortly, she let out one big, long mooo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o. That was about 2:24 and within less than five minutes I saw a head moving… The calf was on the ground!
Just like she knew what she was doing, Sweetie Pie began cleaning her up. We hadn’t added any straw as we figured the calf would come tomorrow. Besides, we weren’t sure we could get into her pen without creating a problem.
Once we were certain she was intent on cleaning little Buttercup, we threw a fair amount of straw into her shelter. Sweetie Pie has done absolutely everything by the book… You’d have thought she wrote the book!
Within an hour, Buttercup was on her feet looking for dinner and that ever-important colostrum. My how she suckled. You could hear her from about 15 feet away.
Already, we’ve had most of the neighbors over to see our little Buttercup. With her, we’ll now be able to raise her up, not re-breeding Sweetie Pie, who will become our dinner in about 9 months. This is exactly what was planned when we got her. She won’t make the best steaks and roasts in the world, but her burger will be outstanding.
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Aug
2008
This past month has been a blur…
August 25th, 2008 at 03:45 pm by Shari Thomas in Around the Farm, Chickens, Exploring Utah, Family Cow, SheepFor the first time in three years, we’ve successfully raised some veggies!
That had us “looking at our options”, since canning or freezing much isn’t really part of Mom’s plan. She is happy to put up a small amount (if she’s in the mood and feeling well enough) of things like jam, pickled beets, etc. Only one problem. We didn’t raise any fruit or beets.
We have successfully raised shallots; garlic; white, yellow and red onions; potatoes; a few tomatoes; broccoli, and soon we’ll have loads of squash.
Our neighbor, Jill, who’s a life-long resident here got us interested in the Cedar City Farmers’ Market. It’s an informal affair on Saturday mornings. Held in a local business’ parking lot, we all set up our tables and wait for the crowds… and they do arrive.
I’ve been selling our sheep fleeces as “garden mulch”. Ok, it’s not what you would normally think of… but think this way… awesome moisture retention, great insulation, and a long-term nitrogen source, as well as a good “soil conditioner”.
We’ve been taking several dozen eggs from “Mom’s Hen House” and never, ever come home with any. Of course, we keep her money separate and make sure she get’s it. Oh, also this past month, I had another article published in Small Town Living. This time, it was “Mom’s Hen House”!
With four lambs left, I’ve made up some flyers and hopefully will sell them privately (at the market) for custom butchering. If not, they go to auction the first Thursday in September. They’re about 80 lbs now, and that’s perfect for really tender, tasty lamb.
Besides that, I need their space.
Meet our new addition… who’s about to bring us another addition. We picked her up yesterday afternoon. We’ve been told she’s due anytime between now and the end of the first week of September.
Her original name is “Cowgirl”, but as soon as Mom settles on a new name, it will officially change. I’ve been calling her “Sweetie Pie”.
She’s a 2 1/2 year old Corriente/Texas Longhorn cross and is bred to a big ol’ Herford. “Curly”, the daddy weighs about 2000 lbs. Sure hope she doesn’t have any issues with calving… we’re really rookies on this one.
The plan is to raise her calf (assuming it’s a bull calf) for meat. We’ll re-breed her in a month, so we can get a “summer calf”. If we get a heifer, we’ll probably not re-breed her, rather take her to auction when we can. I’m not sure if we want to bottle-feed a baby as we head into winter, here.
Mom said today, our farm is now complete. She has no desire for pigs, ducks, turkeys, peacocks, guinea fowl, or cats. As for me, I still want a donkey to guard the sheep.
On a sad note, this past Thursday, we lost a ewe lamb to apparent bloat. She was fine in the evening, and I think I saw her early in the morning, but found her in the shelter, still warm, but very dead. That means we’ll go into breeding season with four full ewes being bred and possibly three ewe lambs. It’s always questionable whether or not a ewe lamb will breed before she turns one year old (next April).
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Jul
2008
Perfect Friday afternoon… let’s saddle Dakota
July 28th, 2008 at 06:08 pm by Shari Thomas in HorsesHere I was, working away on the computer when Cindy breezed by… “Let’s see how Dakota likes a saddle.”
Sure, we’ll just saunter out into the 100 degree heat, halter her, and put a saddle on her. Shouldn’t take more than few minutes, and I’ll escape from the heat again.
Would you believe that after haltering her, locking Dusty in his stall so we’d have less interference, we were out there for a good 45 minutes.
Here’s a photo journal of what transpired. Keep in mind, she’s just a little over 2 years old.
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Jul
2008
Erosion control: an experiment using sheep wool
July 26th, 2008 at 04:47 pm by Shari Thomas in Around the Farm, SheepOk, so I’ve got about 25 trash bags of fleece that is unacceptable to most hand spinners. It’s not enough to send to the “co-op” as you really need at least 100 times that amount.
The chickens are all comfy in their wool-lined nests and won’t need new wool for many months.
Experiment time!
I’ve heard about wool being used for erosion control when you need to soak up (or divert) moisture as there is a company in Oregon who is making such a product. They’re also making dog beds with 75% wool and 25% cedar chips (odor control).
Here on the desert, we rarely need “moisture control” aside from when the snow melts too fast, or we get a rare summer deluge. What we need more often is a way to keep our sand from going to the neighbor’s, and another neighbor’s sand from coming to visit our acreage.
Believe me, it’s not a pretty sight. You can’t breathe when sand is blowing all around, including into your house!
My thesis: Lay down raw wool on high erosion areas after clearing the area of any small vegetation. Weigh it down temporarily until adjacent blowing sand can impregnate the air around the fibers. In theory, the trapped sand will be unable to escape. That includes any sand trapped by the fibers as well as the sand underneath the wool.
I’ve read a number of studies out of eastern Canada and the United Kingdom regarding the use of “wool waste” for soil amendments, so perhaps we can get an additional benefit. With virtually no way to irrigate our acreage, whatever is eventually planted will need a relatively rich soil, with awesome moisture storage ability.
What I don’t really know is how long it will take for the wool to break down. I do know it’s pretty slow to decompose, however, I’m counting on UV degradation, as our sheep always have “sun-bleached tips”. I’m also thinking the abrasion from the sand will have some effect. If it takes a couple of years, and holds our sand in place, then that’s a good deal.
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Jul
2008
More major projects time… building round pens!
July 19th, 2008 at 04:09 pm by Shari Thomas in Around the Farm, HorsesThis past week has been a very busy one, for sure.
First, we teamed up with “neighbor Clyde” again to dig 23 post holes. His old tractor and 12 inch auger got a real workout. The first two posts were done up front where we’re replacing a fence with a gate. More about that later.
The next major project was 21 post holes for our “desert-style” round pen.
We’re making this one with cedar posts and some kind of fencing. It is a 50′ pen, just like the “real cowboy type” steel pen. The major differences… it’s a lot cheaper, you can’t climb on it, and it’s not portable. A mere 2 hours 45 minutes later, with lot’s of sweat equity (literally) the holes were all dug.
Oh, we also bought our new steel round pen, having returned the borrowed one several months ago. At nearly $1300, that was a major expense for this year. Now we have plenty of room to work the horses.
The garden is coming along nicely. In fact just today, we harvested our first broccoli.
Shortly we’ll have onions and shallots. The rhubarb was cut a couple weeks ago, and has been a nice addition to our table.
This year, maybe… just maybe, we’ll have fresh tomatoes. By putting them in the greenhouse, we’ve been able to keep them alive, and even have gotten them to polinate.
We all make the habit of giving the little blossoms a shake-shake each time we water. Yes, there are many green tomatoes right now… time for them to start ripening!
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Jul
2008
When you’re a ram, and you have an attitude…
July 11th, 2008 at 02:04 pm by Shari Thomas in Around the Farm, SheepYou go to auction!
Yeppers, after all my ruminations on what to do, I (all by myself) came to the conclusion that ram had to go.
And that was the least of my problems for a while…
Getting him to market was quite fortuitous, as our neighbor was sending his lambs to market and we could put both the mean ram and the ewe with the rupture on his trailer. That would save us having to borrow a trailer and drive nearly 100 miles round trip, spend many hours, and come home with less money than we spent.
So… How to break the news that I wanted to send the ram to market…
I got Cindy to agree with me, as she, too, had been butted around by him. She could see that he was dangerous and really didn’t want to have to put up with him.
However, Bev was the one who’d bought him to begin with. She’d made the deal, believing he was what we needed. After all, he came from a neighbor, was only two years old, looked awesome, and would be a good fit for our little flock. At that time, we had just two ewes (or so we thought).
I crossed an invisible barrier and simply announced to her that he was going to the auction based on his attitude, and his wool type. I didn’t seek her input… and that wasn’t good or right.
When Clyde arrived with the trailer, at first it was “No, he’s staying here!”.
On my way to the pen to get the ewe, I told Al (the ram), “He was one damned lucky boy”, believing he was staying.
By the time we’d loaded the ewe, Bev reluctantly changed her mind and agreed to send him.
So, Al… you’re off to a whole new world!
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Jul
2008
Uh-oh… fleece issues, with no expertise available
July 7th, 2008 at 02:49 pm by Shari Thomas in Around the Farm, SheepEver since we sheared the sheep, and I put up the “Our Fleeces” page, we’ve been struggling with negative feedback regarding the staple length. What’s a girl to do, ‘cept more research!
I called folks all over Utah, and finally found some nice “sheep people” in both Oregon and California who were able to provide detailed information on what kind of sheep we have, and what we’ll need to do to improve our little flock.
Now, I’m the one who is most adamant about our “hobbies” providing some kind of return whenever possible.
The chickens provide us eggs, which we sometimes sell. Of course, since that’s Mom’s hobby, she gets to keep any egg money for her own use.
The horses are strictly for our own enjoyment. Besides, I’ve met few horses that ever paid for their own keep, let alone their own feed.
The sheep, though… they’re a “cash crop” in my eyes. We breed them. They produce lambs to both increase our flock size and to sell for meat. I also expect them to provide some wool to sell… and that’s where we’re having an issue.
These sheep were represented as black “Merino” sheep by the person who sold them to us. I believe her as she was led to believe they were “Merino”. Only one small problem… their fleece isn’t as “fine feeling” as the Polypay, and that’s not right.
Shortly after I got here (Dec 2006) we bought a ram, who was represented as 3/4 Merino x 1/4 Suffolk. He’s a big boy and over the past winter, developed a rather nasty attitude.
After much searching around, I believe what we really have are a type (not sure of the breed) of sheep called “marker sheep”. They are the one’s large sheep stations use to help them count their sheep. By maintaining about 1 black sheep per 100 white ones, they can easily count the black one’s and know if they have the whole flock in sight.
What’s all this mean?
Well, it means the fleeces we have for sale, are no longer for sale to spinners, as there’s no way they can meet the quality standards. It also means the ram we have is not the right ram for us. He can’t improve the fleece, and with his attitude, he’s really too dangerous for we women.
Now, this has caused a bit of consternation around here, as I pretty much did the research, presented the “bad news”, and set forth to make corrections without much input from anyone else… not the best decision I’ve ever made.
I am making the fleece available for alternative uses.
For example, we use it to line our chicken nests. The girls love it! They snuggle down in it and when they lay eggs, they are so nice and clean. With the cost of straw, our fleece is very cost effective.
You can also use fleece (wool) as insulation, or even as a permanent mulch as it will “felt” in time.
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