Bart and His Fleece

Bart is our crippled Tunis sheep who mostly lives at the front of the house. He was shorn earlier this year but because of the way he lays down and has difficulty getting up much of his fleece is not usable. I sorted out some of it and set it out on a rack just to let the rain rinse at it before I got around to really processing it. He found it, ran his head through it and carried some off.

A Quiet Afternoon

Before you wonder why we had an empty water trough or perhaps if someone was being deprived of water, let me explain that we have more than one trough in most pastures and that this one is only about fifty steps from the other trough that was full to the brim.
That said, I was passing the mothers and babies pasture and noticed this white doe snuggled up inside the trough. I didn't realize her kid was with her until I got close enough to peer down into the trough. They both looked so cozy that I did not disturb them. I refilled the trough on my next trip out for eggs.

Time to Wean?

It is funny to stand at the kitchen window and watch the mothers and babies. I will see a ewe or a doe just pop right up in the air and it is because their precious baby has run under them to nurse. The babies don't fit well under mother anymore so must force their way in which often lifts the mother right off her feet. We have some very patient mothers raising some gorgeous little (or not so little....) ones.

Chester having a day....

I always pay attention and look around as I walk anywhere on the farm. I'd just finished bottling the lambs when something "wrong" caught my eye in the garden. Chester, our very large Sulcata tortoise, had apparently tried to climb over a 4X4 at the edge of the garden. I have no idea how long he'd been caught dangling but I figured the extra minute to take a few pictures wouldn't hurt. When I set him back on the ground, he lumbered off as if nothing had happened so I didn't mention it to him any more.

Silly Goat

Al fed the morning's fifty pounds of feed to the mothers, lambs and kids. He apparently set the feed sack on the ground as he went on back to feed the chickens. Later in the afternoon I was walking in from gathering eggs when I heard a funny rustling sound. It was a goat who must have been trying to work a few last grains of feed out of the sack. It was stuck on her head. Ravi, our Anatolian Shepherd, got excited when the goat began to run and struggle. At one point it looked like he was trying to help but I intervened before things got totally out of hand.

Strawberries!

Our precious daughter-in-law's family farm is Hardy Berry Farm here in Anderson County. Kelli and Glen kindly brought along about fifteen pounds of cull strawberries when they visited over the weekend. I put them out for the goats. I'd actually intended to dump them on the ground but a few of the goats grabbed the bag and tore it open before I could so I just walked away. They made gluttons of themselves, thoroughly enjoying their treat. I had every intention of warning Al before he got home that the goats had devoured berries but I forgot. He was a little surprised when he got home.

A Bit of Shearing

Although Al does the bulk of our shearing, it is always a treat for Bill & Jan, our Australian shearer-friends, to visit. They were here last week. After a nice bit of a chat, Bill sheared several sheep for us and then they traveled on to their next job. We are hoping they'll spend a few more days with us this week as they pass back by to shear at some other farms.

Odds & Ends Again

This little goat decided to explore a bucket in the barn. She just had to stand up on the welder to get a good view.

Our most handsome Shetland ram managed to get himself caught in some fencing. Fortunately, the line of fencing that is hot runs about eight inches above where he was stuck. It took a little time but I managed to unwind him. It would have been easier had he tried to cooperate rather than to push against every move I made. Notice how dignified he looks while standing there like a fool.

Some things just catch my eye. This is an ant hill built around a thistle. We do not use herbicides on thistles, just take them out with a shovel. I've obviously not been as busy with the shovel as I could have been. Not only did this thistle grow to a nice ten or so inches high but ants managed to build their home around it. All in all, a bad place to step.

Rain

Goats despise the rain. Just as it started to really come down, I walked out back to open a gate so that the goats could get up under the porches of the stable for cover. Ordinarily it would have been open but just an hour before I'd moved the mothers and babies for feeding and realized when I got back into the house that the gate at the far end of their pasture was still closed. You can see that this mother and her twins decided to find their own shelter the minute the sprinkles began. Mother went under the hay trailer, or at least in part, while the kids jumped into a squashed trash can that I'd set aside to go to the dump. Once I opened the gate, mother made a run for it but the kids napped contentedly for another hour or so.