Simply Sheep

[Beekissed]

Rose is taming down a little...could be due to the peanut butter dog biscuits I've found she goes crazy for.

She's getting so tame now that she practically mugs me for any feed in my hands, even if it's not HER feed. Haven't been giving them any supplemental feed lately...they had enough for training purposes and to get some meat on their bones~Rose, in particular, was not looking too fluffy after weaning her lambs.

So, now the poops are back to sprinkles most of the time~quite a relief!~and I'm not stepping in cow like piles of poop. The girls are rounding out and gaining some conditioning.

Made a nipple drinker for them from an insulated drink cooler...not sure if they are using it consistently yet, but put a bit of peanut butter on the nipple to give them the idea and the PB disappeared, so someone has triggered that nipple and knows water comes out.

I'm hoping to use an aquarium heater in that cooler this winter and hope the nipple doesn't freeze up.

Should cut down on water waste and keep their water much fresher. I can also put a chunk of ice in there when it's really hot and it should keep it pretty cool.

Rose let me brush her a lot today...she's shedding and wanting to scratch on the fencing, so I started out scratching her with my hand and then went and got a rubber curry brush to do it better. Couldn't believe she just stood there and let me do all of that. Shine, of course, would never do that and stood off a little ways, stamping her foot in protest.

Still working on the winter pen...need to build three more gates and possibly another. Also need to revamp a wall of one part of their shelter, secure the hoop shelter side, finish stanchions and several other tweakages.

They seem to like their sulfur block and also the sea kelp and salt mix, some sampling going on at both sites.

They are staying in the meadow, close to structures and the dog, as much as possible. No fencing up yet, so this is great...but I hope to start building that fence soon so I can direct their grazing, get them to graze the outer perimeter grasses and browse, and rotate their grazing.

 

[baymule]

What kind of fencing will you use?

 

[Beekissed]

What kind of fencing will you use?

Part of the fencing will be from those huge pallets...those will be set back into the woods so they can get plenty of browse. The front of the fencing will be woven wire, and wood posts we will cut here on the land.

 

[baymule]

Here if you cut pine in the fall, it is full of sap that is going to the roots for the winter. The sap crystalizes and preserves the wood. We call it lighter pine because it is a good fire starter. It also makes good fence posts and will last for years.

 

[Mini Horses]

I can also put a chunk of ice in there when it's really hot and it should keep it pretty cool.

Frozen water bottle -- reuse.

 

[Beekissed]

Frozen water bottle -- reuse.

Yep! Keep some handy and rotate them out...used to do that for my meat rabbits.

 

[Beekissed]

Here if you cut pine in the fall, it is full of sap that is going to the roots for the winter. The sap crystalizes and preserves the wood. We call it lighter pine because it is a good fire starter. It also makes good fence posts and will last for years.

Pine is what we will be using, so you are right on the money. We have a ton of pine that needs cut...it's what we have that most frequently uproots here and causes problems. HUGE and tall, but with shallow root systems, so any stent of a lot of rain followed by heavy snows or any wind and we have uprooted trees to clear out of roads, the meadow, paths, etc.

It will most likely be fall by the time we get them cut, so that's some handy info to know...thank you, Bay!

 

[baymule]

Natures wood preservative! My grandfather had lighter pine posts on his land that had been put up when he was a boy. The outer layers rot away, but the inner core remains and lasts for years.

 

[Beekissed]

The sheep meet the new pup...he's scrawny looking and came from a bad place with very poor care, so he's being nursed back to health.

 

[baymule]

Awww.....that is so cute!