Bee~ Journal of then...

[Beekissed]

Oh Bee,

Blossom looks great and those two little ones are just adorable. You sure do have your hands full right now. I think your decision not to milk is great. Whatever works best for you.

I am sorry to see you youngest leaving but he is a great young man, tell him thank you for me!!

Thank you all for not beating me up about this thing....believe me, I've been doing it plenty to myself. I'm not usually a quitter but wisdom overrules determination sometimes. I think it would be different if I didn't go out to work and could stay home for this.

I will tell him what you all said, when I can get his address. He was one nervous pup, I can tell you that! I would love to see him making his bed each morning and folding his clothing with military precision....I would pay money to see that!!

 

[big brown horse]

Educate me please, what is the difference between hair sheep and others. Is it that they shed their hair/wool?

 

[lorihadams]

Oh Bee, everyone looks wonderful! Blossom is like night and day!

You are making me want sheep....so adorable! Are you planning to raise them for meat or fiber or both?

I know it has to be hard for you to see your son go but I'm sure he is doing what is right for him and you can't be anything but proud for that. Tell him that we say thank you as well!

 

[justusnak]

Oh my goodness Bee, they are ADORABLE!! The Katahdin were my FIRST choice....but when I was offered these 3 for free...and they are registered..well...free over rules. You said he worms for 6 months straight!?? Wow, seems like alot. I was told by the woman I got mine from...worm 2x a year once every 6 months. Thats it! Maybe different for each breed? I dont know. Anyways....wow, they are beautifull. Are you haveing to bottle feed? If not...try to get some Lamb pellets.they are not too expencive, and trust me, they get fat fast on them. Just offer about a cup a piece...2x a day, and make sure you hold the pan you feed them from. This way they know YOU as a food source, and become friendly. This is what I did with Sonny boy, and now he follows me around, like a puppy...and wants to climb in my lap if I sit down. Enjoy your sheep....they are wonderfull little things.
ETA: BBH, yes, the Katahdin will shed thier wool...no shearing. That why I wanted them..and you can milk them as well! Oh no..more milking!!

 

[Beekissed]

Yes! They have wool, but not the high quality of most wool breeds and it is mixed with coarse hair. A true hair breed sheds this in the spring and then has a straight hair coat. The Dorper breed retains some of its wool but has the big, meaty build of the wool breeds, so they usually breed the Dorper breed with a St. Croix to "remove" the retentive wool trait.

There is a new breed being developed by using this cross, called the Royal White breed. It has the leggy, tall characteristics of the St. Croix breed, along with the wool shedding, and the meaty build of the Dorpers.

These sheep breeds originated in the hotter climates where the graze is sparse and conditions are rough. They have developed into breeds that fare well on rough pasture, extreme temps, are parasite and disease resistant, lamb independently and have calm dispositions.

They are growing in popularity, not only for these traits, but for their meat quality. Lacking in the usual amounts of lanolin found in the wool breeds, their meat is very mild and flavorful as a result. No strong odor or flavor makes them go, around here at least, for $.10 more on the pound. What they lack in bulk, they make up for in quality.

 

[2dream]

Oh Beeeeeeee. Blossom is such a beauty. I can not believe how wonderful she looks.

And for the milking thing. I don't blame you one bit. Sometimes you just have to stop and say wait a minute. This is to much.

Its so hard when our birds start leaving the nest. I remember so clearly when my son left for boot camp. Not only because he was gone and that hurt my heart but also because as a single mom I depended on him and my daughters help with all the animals. By the time he came home from boot camp I realized that my daughter and I could not keep up all the work. The first thing that went were the horses. Then the goat. By the time my daughter left home I was down to a few chickens and a couple of rabbits. That second winter I decided that with a full time job and the short days I just did not have the heart for it anymore. So ate the chickens and rabbits and started over 10 years later. LOL I still have a full time job but I seem to have the heart for it now.

I know those birds leaving the nest will just knock the wind right out of ya.

Edited to add - love those sheep.

 

[big brown horse]

This is so interesting to me. Three months ago I would not have cared one bit about hair vs wool or goat vs. sheep etc. I have learned soo much!

I still can't get over how much your mama cow has changed!! How long have you had her? OMG! Again, she looks awesome!! Kudos to your care giving abilities. I really thought it would take longer to see results like that. She looks like a beauty queen!!

 

[Blackbird]

Its probably six months straight for Coccidiosis prevention & treatment, I know a lot of people do that. Was he using something like Dcoxx-M or similar?

 

[Beekissed]

Oh my goodness Bee, they are ADORABLE!! The Katahdin were my FIRST choice....but when I was offered these 3 for free...and they are registered..well...free over rules. You said he worms for 6 months straight!?? Wow, seems like alot. I was told by the woman I got mine from...worm 2x a year once every 6 months. Thats it! Maybe different for each breed? I dont know. Anyways....wow, they are beautifull. Are you haveing to bottle feed? If not...try to get some Lamb pellets.they are not too expencive, and trust me, they get fat fast on them. Just offer about a cup a piece...2x a day, and make sure you hold the pan you feed them from. This way they know YOU as a food source, and become friendly. This is what I did with Sonny boy, and now he follows me around, like a puppy...and wants to climb in my lap if I sit down. Enjoy your sheep....they are wonderfull little things.
ETA: BBH, yes, the Katahdin will shed thier wool...no shearing. That why I wanted them..and you can milk them as well! Oh no..more milking!!

I thought that was a lot also and I have no intentions of worming that often. I'll probably keep more to the schedule you describe or even as necessary if the lambs seem to not be putting on weight appropriately.

No bottle feeding as they were about to be weaned. They have been in a barn all their lives, so I am trying to introduce grass slowly. I am giving them a general livestock feed, just a little twice a day, and some good hay. I'll put them in their own pasture for awhile and then allow the cow and calf to join them.

I removed their ear tags today, as I plan to keep them for some time. The tags were very heavy for their little ears and looked awful.

The bigger one is pretty sleek for her breed, but the younger one is rough coated~I think a difference in nutrition due to being a triplet. I'll do an after pic for them also, just to see if I can make a difference in their overall nutrition.

A little ACV, Basic H, good graze, veggies and fruit. I think it will work wonders!

 

[Blackbird]

Were the tags just for numbering..?

Some types of tags are illegal to remove, such as Scrappies tags I believe.
I would keep the parts you cut off just in case.

blossum is looking a lot better