Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Its a girl

Congrats HEchicken, that is a cute baby! Nothing like being born in the snow huh. Are you keeping this one?

Josie, thanks I think the little guy is pretty special myself. I wish I could have stayed longer to see him, but we had to get back so my DH could work the next day. Hopefully we'll get to see him again soon. They're hoping to get to go home tomorrow, mom had kind of a rough day the first day & with being a high risk pregnancy they have kept her longer than most. He had a little bout of fever while trying to regulate his temp yesterday but he's doing better today & they actually went home this evening to her mom's for a few days so mom can help her with the baby while she recovers. I didn't know they had gone him when I started typing till my son texted me some pics & told me.

 

[HEChicken]

I've always been partial to 'Lambchop'

No, that name is reserved for the first boy!

Congrats HEchicken, that is a cute baby! Nothing like being born in the snow huh. Are you keeping this one?

Josie, thanks I think the little guy is pretty special myself. I wish I could have stayed longer to see him, but we had to get back so my DH could work the next day. Hopefully we'll get to see him again soon. They're hoping to get to go home tomorrow, mom had kind of a rough day the first day & with being a high risk pregnancy they have kept her longer than most. He had a little bout of fever while trying to regulate his temp yesterday but he's doing better today & they actually went home this evening to her mom's for a few days so mom can help her with the baby while she recovers. I didn't know they had gone him when I started typing till my son texted me some pics & told me.

I'm glad Dana is doing well enough to leave already and that baby's fever has resolved.

Yes, we will keep all ewe lambs born this year as we want to grow our flock. Actually, we may keep them all next year too. We haven't decided exactly how big we want the flock to be, yet. I do hope we get at least one ram lamb this year, as we do enjoy eating lamb very much. So it won't break our hearts no matter what is born this year. I have one more ewe that went from looking "not very pregnant" this morning to "huge" this evening, so it may not be long until we have another new flock member as well.

 

[Ralph Moyer]

The Bald Eagles tend to follow the Snow Geese. I saw one feasting on one in a bean field about two miles west of my place last week. They prefer to attack where they have lots of room to maneuver. For some reason I haven't been bothered by hawks. It could be the two large white dogs that roam near the poultry yards. My dogs have accepted the Emu. They were barking at her when she came close to the poultry, but when they are in the pasture with the Emu and the goats, they don't bark at or chase the Emu. The Emu's wounds have healed, but she does have bare-spots where they were. She spends the night in an older calf shed by herself, but is out roaming all day. She makes some big "chicken tracks" in the snow!

 

[Trish44]

No, that name is reserved for the first boy!

I'm glad Dana is doing well enough to leave already and that baby's fever has resolved.

Yes, we will keep all ewe lambs born this year as we want to grow our flock. Actually, we may keep them all next year too. We haven't decided exactly how big we want the flock to be, yet. I do hope we get at least one ram lamb this year, as we do enjoy eating lamb very much. So it won't break our hearts no matter what is born this year. I have one more ewe that went from looking "not very pregnant" this morning to "huge" this evening, so it may not be long until we have another new flock member as well.

Well at least they waited till the warmup to be born. Imagine if they had been born in that arctic blast we had!

 

[tazcat70]

I bought a 50lb bag of wheat bran from my local feed store...I think it cost 12-17 bucks. (It was last year) Anyway it is a lot!!! I don't remember if they had to order it. So if anyone is interested it is The Feed Store in Whitewater.

 

[tazcat70]

Congrats Heather!!! She is a cutie!! St Croix?

 

[HEChicken]

No, she is a bitzer. When we got the ewe, she was only a lamb herself and the breeder said he had 3 rams running with a boatload of ewes. All of his rams and ewes were suffolk, dorset or a mix of the two and because they were all one big, happy, flock, he had no idea which ram had sired any particular lamb in any case. So our ewe could be full suffolk or dorset but is likely a mix of the two breeds.

And our ram is….a mystery. He originally hailed from hair sheep stock and I know the breeder his original owner got his parent stock from many years ago, and she raises Dorpers. But - I have no idea if the guy I got him from had mixed in others along the way. So the ram is an even bigger mystery than the ewe.

Suffice it to say, this little gal has a little bit of a lot of things mixed in with her; hence the expression "bitzer".

That's exciting to know a source on the wheat bran. Of course I'm no longer raising meal worms so don't need it any more but if that changes, I am glad to know where I can find some!

 

[KsKingBee]

No, that name is reserved for the first boy!

Dad must have at least five snow white spitz dogs, he named every one of them Snowball which would be very appropriate for your little ewe. If it were mine I would call it Blitzen the bitzer.

 

[Trish44]

No, she is a bitzer. When we got the ewe, she was only a lamb herself and the breeder said he had 3 rams running with a boatload of ewes. All of his rams and ewes were suffolk, dorset or a mix of the two and because they were all one big, happy, flock, he had no idea which ram had sired any particular lamb in any case. So our ewe could be full suffolk or dorset but is likely a mix of the two breeds.

And our ram is….a mystery. He originally hailed from hair sheep stock and I know the breeder his original owner got his parent stock from many years ago, and she raises Dorpers. But - I have no idea if the guy I got him from had mixed in others along the way. So the ram is an even bigger mystery than the ewe.

Suffice it to say, this little gal has a little bit of a lot of things mixed in with her; hence the expression "bitzer".

That's exciting to know a source on the wheat bran. Of course I'm no longer raising meal worms so don't need it any more but if that changes, I am glad to know where I can find some!

Well she's cute whatever breed she is! I guess lambing season has begun, I saw on the farm swap that another gal is getting lambs now.

 

[HEChicken]

Well she's cute whatever breed she is! I guess lambing season has begun, I saw on the farm swap that another gal is getting lambs now.

Really? I don't see that. Ohhhh wait a minute - the one from Pleasanton? Those are piglets! And I'm sorely tempted as I've wanted to raise pork for awhile now, but I don't really have a suitable place to keep them so I think I will once again pass. Maybe another year.