| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Jun 29 2009 : 2:17:42 PM
Something must be in the water here on this farm. I am eyeball deep in BABIES!!!! I thought we were DONE, but apparently the animals have other ideas.
I only bred 6 sheep last Fall. Five of the ewes had babies, but only 3 out of 7 lambs survived. I never even THOUGHT of breeding my goats, yet 12 does had 36 babies between them in just two months (13 of the babies died). Now it seems there is a SECOND WAVE coming! 
Last Monday my husbands big ewe (not sure what breed she is) had a BEAUTIFUL little ewe lamb. My husband was quite PISSED, to say the least, since it was MY JACOB RAM who had gotten to her instead of HIS big ram! Last year his pair had a HUGE buck lamb. This year "Wilma" had this teeny-tiny little black ewe lamb with white spots on her head and a white star on her forhead -- the PRETTIEST little lamb I've ever seen. (I named her "Pebbles," of course(LOL!). SHE was expected, but what I found behind the barn this morning was NOT!
Apparently my Jacob ram has been just as busy as my buck goats!  I went outside this morning to give everyone breakfast and something told me to take a look behind the barn. I peaked around the corner and.... (GASP!) there was Esther, one of my Jacob ewes, busily cleaning off a newborn lamb. (it was a boy) I couldn't help but laugh. I seriously thought I was dreaming. So, I went about my business, fed everyone and went back to check on the baby awhile later, and there was ANOTHER little buck lamb! While I was not expecting more lambs, and I was disappointed that they were BOTH boys, I am glad that they seem healthy and strong.
Now I wonder if my two other Jacob ewes are ALSO expecting. I'm also suspicious that one of my does is pregnant AGAIN! (she had Quads in Feb. but lost all 4) This time though, I not only have no idea WHO the father is (I have 3 bucks), but HOW she even got pregnant again in the FIRST PLACE!!!! As far as I know, none of the boys had a chance to get to her and the other two boys I kept as bucks were WAY to young to have been the culprits, judging from the size of her already big belly. The only time I can think of when one of the bucks did get out, the girls were safely and securly locked up inside the barn. I don't get it. What's HAPPENING HERE??!!
Boy, when God said he'd "Bless" me, I certainly never expected the blessings to have four legs and FUR! (or two legs and Feathers!)Everywhere you look on this farm there are BABIES! Babies, babies EVERYWHERE! Lambs, kids, calves, chicks, kittens... it never ENDS! Now there will be MORE! sigh.... I'm getting tired just thinking about them all. Boy do I need a NAP! A very looooooong nap!!! Wake me in the Fall when all this over.... or WILL it be over, or just starting again....???!!! YIKES!   
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Jul 05 2009 : 10:56:28 PM
Yes, I REALLY did put that statement in my ad Gena. I'm generally a pretty tolerant person, but I can't stand people wasting my time. I have better things to do than entertain their curiosity for an hour or two, or MORE! If I KNOW they are just curious, and I'm not trying to actually SELL anything, sure, I'll show them around the farm, otherwise, forget it. Business is business and I DO have a life! Though I don't rely on the animals for any kind of steady income. In fact, I haven't sold anything in 2yrs! For ME, it is just a hobby. (we grow our own hay, so feed is not really an issue) It's a "hobby" I enjoy immensely, but, like I said, I am getting a bit overwhelmed-- WAAAAAAAAAY too much POOP to deal with! and it's not so much fun any more. Time to do something about that.
And Teresa, of COURSE you can use that line in your ads! I don't own the "Copywrite," so be my guest! -- and HAVE FUN with it! (ha! ha! ha! ha!) ~~~ Hugs ~~~ Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Jul 04 2009 : 4:22:16 PM
Tracy, I don't think the dog statement is harsh at all, way too many times I've had people come to look at livestock for sale, and all they were , were looky loos. You go thru the whole program with them show them every single lamb, kid, calf pig, etc, etc, etc, and they turn around and "say, thanks for showing them to us, but we were just curious", I have actually threatened a couple, cause it was nothing but a big joke, me lossing hours of daylight, and them thinking, its just a hobby, not my carreer. So I think I might borrow your dog statement and use it if its OK with you, lol.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Jul 04 2009 : 1:25:05 PM
Tracy, did you really put that about the dog on there? That is tooo funny.
I hope you have better luck selling than I have. No one seems to have the money. I know the feeling too.
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Jul 04 2009 : 11:00:58 AM
Yeah, maybe I COULD bottle and sell that water.... hmmm......?
My babies are doing great. Growing like weeds and bouncing and climbing EVERYWHERE!!! I just put an add up on "Craigslist" today. I REALLY need to sell some of them. They are getting WAAAAY out of hand and it's getting to be more WORK than FUN to deal with them. Not a good thing. They won't stay where they are supposed to be, and when they get into the barn with the hay.... oh my... It sounds like a rainshower when they all come SWARMING off the haystacks and then it sounds like the thundering herd at a football game as they race out of the barn-- because they KNOW they are not supposed to be in there! Then there are the ones who think THEY aren't doing anything wrong so they don't budge. I usually have to chase those kids around the barn a bit before they'll rejoin the herd. I think they like the "Game" of it. Boy I sure don't. I just get madder and MADDER the more I have to chase them. No, it's not any fun anymore. Time to say good-bye to the worst of the lot. I don't know WHAT I'd do if I had "FULL SIZED" goats! What a NIGHTMARE that would be!
Oh, on my add that I posted I made a little note at the bottom that reads: "Seriously interested parties ONLY please. If you come here and waste my time I'll sick the DOG on you!" Do you think that sounds a little harsh? (he..he..he..he....!)
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| barnagainkristin |
Posted - Jul 02 2009 : 9:28:12 PM
Maybe you could sell your water to fertility clinics :) Hope all your babies are doing well.
barnagainkristin
"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." John Muir |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Jun 30 2009 : 1:59:29 PM
There are no other bucks around us Teresa. We are the only people for MILES who have goats... AND sheep! So there are no other possibilities other than one of the boys bred her through the fence.
Disease did not play a factor in any of the newborn deaths. My animals are all healthy, and there are no poisonous weeds on the property. I am VERY careful about that, and our hay is grown right here on the farm, so I know it was nothing in the feed.
There were so many goat kids lost because my does had LITTERS of kids! Of the kids lost, one doe had quads on a cement slab in 30* weather. Those died of exposure. Another doe had a set of Quints and had been bred by her own father-- something I would NEVER EVER have done! It was an accidental breeding that ended in disaster. Two more does each had triplets. One of them lost 2 of hers, the other doe lost 1 kid. That's 12 babies lost from only 4 does. The 13th kid was a 2wk old doe that died in a tragic accident.
As for the lambs, a set of twins were crushed by their own mother-- which was strange (and VERY disappointing) since she's normally such a good mother. Another lamb was lost because I ruined his shoulder trying to pull him out. He was HUGE and his mother had given up trying to get him out on her own. One of his legs was turned back and the other one was over his head. At first I thought I was dealing with twins trying to come out at the same time, but no, it was ALL him! He died the next morning before I could get him to the vets office to have him put to sleep. (there was nothing even he could do for the lamb)
The last lamb I lost (which was actually the FIRST to be born) was premature by a few weeks. This was not the first time I've had this happen, but now I know for CERTAIN which ewe has been aborting. She comes from a genetically bad line that I've been dealing with for nearly 11yrs. Her mother is the one who carries the bad gene. She was retired from breeding LOOONG ago, and her daughter is now officially retired as well. The other ewes are only half sisters (same dad, different mom) and they don't carry that defective gene.
It's been a frustrating year, indeed, but it's also been one filled with joy and blessings. Hugs~~~ Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Jun 29 2009 : 6:49:21 PM
Who around you also has bucks, that could have escaped, visited, and then went home, OR, someone is giving you free breedings on purpose? Another thought, with so many deaths of your lambs and kids, you may want to check fro brucelliosous (sp?) and there are certain weeds that will kill kids and lambs thru the milk.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| Bear5 |
Posted - Jun 29 2009 : 5:50:38 PM
Nice post! Y'all sure have a lot of new babies all around. I'd love to see all the babies!
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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