Baymule’s Farm

[baymule]

I finished ALL the meat chickens on Tuesday. I sent a text to my buyer and we are meeting up on Friday evening for her to pick up chicken and hand over cash. Hay money! Yesterday evening my son and a neighbor loaded up 6 sheep I’m taking to auction this morning. More hay money. Going to closest auction, not one I particularly like, but these need to get off the feed bill and I need the room. 3 young rams, 5 months old, 2 ewes that don’t impress me and 1 ewe lamb I’m not impressed with.

I’ll transition the bottle lambs to full time outside. They spend their days outside now, they can go hang out with other sheep and I’ll take their bottles to them.

 

[baymule]

The last 3 ewes lambed. Twin rams, twin ewe and ram and lastly a single ewe. The ewe with twin ewe and ram, rejected the ram. Oh no you don’t! I penned her up, she beat the ram lamb up, butting him away. So I put a dog collar on her and tied her up. Now he can nurse. The witch kicks him off, but he persists and is able to eat. She had a partial prolapse, innards sticking out her “lady parts” when she laid down, but sucked back in when she stood up. Strike one. I don’t want to deal with a prolapse. Rejecting her lamb is Strike two. When these are weaned, she will go to auction. Not waiting on strike three.

I’m not bottle feeding him because he is an unregistered commercial ram and has little value at auction. I would spend more on milk to feed him than I’d ever get back out of him. As he gains strength, he’ll learn to run up to nurse when his sister does. I’m already seeing that.

Ewe is Rainbow, a sweet pet, loves attention but I won’t keep her. Disappointed. She is very unhappy being tied up. Too bad. I keep alfalfa hay in front of her, feed twice a day, I even pick grass for her. I can’t leave the water bucket where she can reach it, she kicks it over, so I offer water to her several times a day. At night I untie her and she immediately butts the ram lamb. Hungry lambs soon learn to steal milk off other ewes. When he’s 2 weeks old, even if she is still butting him away, I may let them out. Or I may just keep her in the pen, but not tied up, at 3 weeks old. I’d like to get at least a month of him being on his momma.

She is reaching for grass. I pick her a tub full 3 or 4 times a day in addition to her hay and feed. Neither one of us is real happy at this point.

 

[baymule]

Lambing has concluded. 32 lambs born, one dead, 31 live lambs. Sheba has been a Champion. Her laid back attitude has been reassurance to the ewes. I haven’t seen a ewe stomp her foot one time at Sheba for getting too close to their lambs. Ewes are completely at ease with her.

Ewes trust Sheba, even to the point of her slowly approaching to sniff newborns, then she turns away.

I’ve never seen lambs snuggle up to one of my dogs, unless it’s a bottle baby tormenting Carson. But they trust Sheba.

Sheba saw Tiny giving birth and guarded her.

Very slowly and respectfully, Sheba approached. Notice the lowered tail and head, a non threatening posture

Sheba checked out the baby.

She backed away and watched from a distance. Tiny delivered triplets.

Sheba misses her buddies so every day I take her across the driveway to the middle field for play time and to eat. She lets me know it’s time by laying down at the gate. I ask her, “Are you ready to play with the boys?” I get an intense stare and a Rooo. I take her to the middle field where the boys are waiting. I feed them, sit with them a while and Sheba and Buford run and play.

When play time is over, I tell Sheba it’s time to watch the babies, gotta take care of the babies and she’s ready. She takes her responsibility seriously.

What a good girl!

 

[ducks4you]

I finished ALL the meat chickens on Tuesday. I sent a text to my buyer and we are meeting up on Friday evening for her to pick up chicken and hand over cash. Hay money! Yesterday evening my son and a neighbor loaded up 6 sheep I’m taking to auction this morning. More hay money. Going to closest auction, not one I particularly like, but these need to get off the feed bill and I need the room. 3 young rams, 5 months old, 2 ewes that don’t impress me and 1 ewe lamb I’m not impressed with.

I’ll transition the bottle lambs to full time outside. They spend their days outside now, they can go hang out with other sheep and I’ll take their bottles to them.

 

[ducks4you]

What is the latest price on hay for you @baymule ?

 

[baymule]

What is the latest price on hay for you @baymule ?

You aren’t going to believe this!
Last year in hard drought, big round bales were $150. I found some of the small size, 4’x5’ for $65 and bought 31 bales. It looked like it came out of a “low bottom land” field. You know, land too low to cut for hay because it’s wet. But not in a drought! Lots of trash in it. Fortunately sheep eat most weeds. They ate a bale a week for 3 months because I had them on dry lot.

My neighbors that I bought this place from have a field on my north side. They sold their cows and quit. They are going to cut hay to keep the ag exemption. It’s got a lot of rye grass and clover, winter grass. They want it gone so the Bahia and Bermuda grass can come on and grow. So they found a guy to cut it in 4x5 rolls, net wrapped. At a cost of …..

THIRTY DOLLARS A ROLL!

I’m paying to have it cut and they are giving me the hay. I’m going to get 30-40 rolls, if there is more than that they will sell it.

I sold chicken, vacuum sealed and frozen. I sold 6 sheep, I have hay money! And probably some left over.

Hay season hasn’t got underway yet. But I’m sure prices will be high.

 

[baymule]

I’ve divided up ewes between 3 rams. Cooper has 6, Ringo 2.0 has 2, Rocky has 5. So that will be 13 ewes lambing in October.

Bottle babies are full time outside, in a small pen. I take them their bottles. I’m going to put them back in with the ewes and lambs. I’ll take their bottles and call them. We’ll see how this goes.

 

[Phaedra]

Thank you for sharing those beautiful moments and animals. Our worlds are so different but, it's such a blessing to participate yours from being a reader.

We are all on our journey to experience and live with nature. I can feel the joy and delight from yours.

 

[Carol Dee]

I agree 100% with @Phaedra

 

[baymule]

Thank you for sharing those beautiful moments and animals. Our worlds are so different but, it's such a blessing to participate yours from being a reader.

We are all on our journey to experience and live with nature. I can feel the joy and delight from yours.

What a lovely thing to say. Thank you! You are my bright spot. I love your cooking creations and gardening. The picture you post is good for my soul.