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Dispatcher
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Joined: 10 Jul 2006
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 Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:06 pm Post subject: Life of a Sheep Farmer |
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Got the following from my step-daughter, who has a sheep farm over the mt. She is also a reg. nurse at UVA,
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| Quote: | In my pajamas, chasing sheep. But let me set this up for your veiwing pleasure, you may want to pour bleach in your eyes if you think about it too much. My PJs are bright coral with large white flowers on them, hard to miss, especially the kiddies on the school bus. It had to rumble by as I was in my PJs dipping the navel of a lamb. As I stumbled into the house this morning LJ had to ask me if I thought that March 29th was gonna be d-day.
Oh well, he had to get up to help me catch a crazy ass ewe that wasn't making progress with her venture into motherhood. So at 2230, I wander out to the barn to put Lucy, my young Livestock guardian dog in her kennel, nuthin going on. I think I will have the nite off. Then at 0100, stumble out in my PJs and there is a ewe off to herself with a pained look on her face and a bit of goo hanging from her tail, ok no nite off will check her in an hour.
0200 no lamb but water bag has broke, ok check you in an hour. 0300 still no lambs, can't catch the troll as she is heads up crazy. Go get LJ we have to get the dogs out and get up the entire flock, since I cannot get close enough to this ewe to see her eartag I have no Idea who she is, but after looking at a few sheep coochies I find the offender. So off to "L&D" she goes, LJ inserts his big ole hand and roots around, it's a big lamb, wiggle the cork outta the bottle, alive and hope that she has # 2 on her own ( she did )
0400 get back to the house and try to catch a nap on the couch, but "Earl" the resisdent bad boy house cat decides that it is time to lay on his person and make "Kitty biscuits". 0500 go out and the trouble maker has had her 2nd lamb, both are up and nursing and look good.
0700 look out and 9015 has had 2 lambs, one looks dead, go and check, no its alive, just full of milk and asleep! How the heck did she have 2 lambs between 0530 and 0700, clean them up and nurse them with out me seeing that sumthin was going on?
Well, I did get to sleep from 11pm to 0100, thats pretty good, isn't it?
13 lambs since wed AM not to shabby.
kinzie
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Russellmania
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| Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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Spring Lambs are the best...excellent survival rate to adulthood...God how glad I am that winter is officially over tomorrow!
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Dispatcher
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Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 543
Location: Somewhere between here and eternity
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| Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 11:58 am Post subject: |
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More on the life of a sheep farmer.
| Quote: | And last nite it did......11pm all quiet, however the moon was gorgeous. 2am, LJ comes downstairs " When did you check last, the ewes are out there raising hell". We both run to the barn. Find a set of triplets on Miss North Dakota, she is thinking "Hey its 34 degress out here, I was born at 34 below zero, no big deal" LJ grabs the lamb bags and I grab a wet lamb and off to the barn we go. Then I scout the lot and find a teen momma with a lamb and then over by the fence, far away from momma is a tiny lamb. I scoop her up and place her with teen mom and sibling. Lamb is cold and not able to stand, so I scoop her up into the warmth of my jacket, which was unpleasant, for me, not so much for the lamb.
It takes FOREVER to manuver teen momma into the barn, she is as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full if rocking chairs. But finally get her in, go to the house, to get the lamb dry and warm and to get me dry and warm. Mix up some colostrum for the lamb, she is able to suck and get some colostrum down. Get her semi dry by giving her to one of the dogs that thinks licking off a wet, gooey lamb is the bomb. Hey, I ain't gonna do it!
The Kelpies think that the lamb is a great toy, and my crazy ass border collie has been staring at this lamb for hours. Get more colostrum in the lamb, go check one more time, good nuthin going on. Flop down on the couch with the lamb, one of us stinks. Nap from 4ish to 6ish, go to the barn and check on the newborns, all is well, go to the house and take a shower. I don't know why I am taking a shower, except the dogs are starting to lick my clothing with a bit more interest than I am comfortable with. Scarf down some breakfast, go tag and weigh lambs. We move the ewes and lambs down the hill, from newborn nursery to the peds ward, feed the lactating mothers ( they are ravenous !), feed the pregnant ewes (they are also ravenous ) go to the house feed the cats and make milk for the house lamb. Get milk and more colostrum in the lamb, this time she really sucks down some milk. Gotta work some time in my scedule to go to Food Lion and get some diapers for the house lamb and a liter bottle of soda. I poor the soda down the sink and make lamb milk in the bottle. Gotta clean the house there is hay and crap all over the place and my farrier is coming today to trim "Abners" feet. I am whupped........
kinzie |
And to think, I married this woman's mother.  |
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Dispatcher
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Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 543
Location: Somewhere between here and eternity
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| Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:11 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Many years ago, my brother, in his wild and much enjoyed youth, told me this story. He and a buddy had "Been to town", seeing as they were cowboying on a remote ranch in Wyoming ( I think that was the state ) going to town has a different meaning than one of us "Going to Town ". So after their quality time spent in the local bar, they decided to head back to the ranch. On the way home, they see an Indian woman walking down the road. They, being chivalrous young men, stop and offer the woman a ride. It was winter in Wyoming after all. The woman hops in the pick-up and off they go down the road. After a bit the woman pulls out a bottle of booze and hands the bottle to the buddy and says "Make bubbles Cowboy ", my brother of course nearly wrecked the truck from laughing so hard.
How does all of this play into the "diary of a mad sheep farmer " ? Well, ever since LJ and I heard that story every time we have a bottle lamb, the going phrase for success in getting the lamb to nurse is "Make bubbles cowboy ". If they are nursing the bottle well, they will make bubbles.
I am happy to report that the house lamb is "Making bubbles", I was kinda concerned since she is so tiny, but she is a fiesty one, and since she is so small she needs to be fed about every 2 hours. I did take some pics and will post them soon.
But gotta go and get a new set of twins in, just born this afternoon, and I am sure that something needs to be fed.
kinzie |
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