Surviving Minnesota!

[KlopKlop]

Why the sheep Klops? You probably posted it earlier but I am just catching up. So I am a bother.

Just something fun I'm interested in for my little farm

 

[I Love Layers]

Just something fun I'm interested in for my little farm

I personally don't recommend sheep unless you are prepared to Sheep proof your place. My friend has sheep. They have to be in a barn at night unless you have an LGD or donkey, also they enjoy weeds and anything else so die of things like that easily. And if you're going to have sheep and cows together, you need to have sheep fencing. They will get out of anything. Including electric fence, I had other friends who raised sheep, they had a 3 wire electric fence, sheep got out daily even though they had plenty of food, water and sheltet

 

[KlopKlop]

I personally don't recommend sheep unless you are prepared to Sheep proof your place. My friend has sheep. They have to be in a barn at night unless you have an LGD or donkey, also they enjoy weeds and anything else so die of things like that easily. And if you're going to have sheep and cows together, you need to have sheep fencing. They will get out of anything. Including electric fence, I had other friends who raised sheep, they had a 3 wire electric fence, sheep got out daily even though they had plenty of food, water and sheltet

yeah i figure i will need 5 or 6 strand wire or field fence. @duluthralphie were you asking about heaving earlier because it can sink away your field fence?

My mom grew up with sheep and my aunt has sheep and they have told me the same... Raising sheep is mostly keeping them from killing themselves haha. i know they are sensitive to nightshade plants and have been learning about weed control for sheep. hopefully it will work out and i can work on developing a flock that is tough and smart and resilient.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

You should follow me!

My user names chickens.galore76

Oh cool. I'm amys_chooks.

 

[Momof3plustwins]

Just some eggs for you all to envy. 2 days worth minus the 6 or so that had cracks. Sometimes the kids are not so careful when loading the basket and one old bitty lays a very thin brittle shelled egg that almost always has a crack in it. She is making her way on this Saturday no use in feeding her.

 

[Cluckies]

Well I get to pick up my Cochins in Brainerd Saturday! So excited! Be prepared for a Photobomb! I have to finish my cage for them when I finish homework! These poor guys will never get to see the great outdoors unless I am holding them. i am not losing them to an Eagle or another rooster! I love my Buckeyes but dont trust them with other roosters that havent grown up with them...

How fun!

Just some eggs for you all to envy. 2 days worth minus the 6 or so that had cracks. Sometimes the kids are not so careful when loading the basket and one old bitty lays a very thin brittle shelled egg that almost always has a crack in it. She is making her way on this Saturday no use in feeding her.

Curious, What kind of chicken is the old bitty?

 

[Momof3plustwins]

So are you going to mix cattle and sheep? If so I have the perfect link for you from a cow forum!! It might be a little different than what you are planning on doing but its still informational. There is a person up by MO3PT Who runs cattle and sheep together and then runs Chicken tractors in there too. Its pretty cool. And then they have monster LGD's that NEVER EVER stray far from those animals.

http://www.cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=106313&sid=9eba064ea163ae5a12b872de0d667149

I know who you are talking about. We also have the same breed of LGD but ours is more of a pet although he barks all night long out into the field so he is doing some work I guess and there is never a critter in the yard. We will keep him. Their dogs you don't pet because they are working dogs.

 

[Momof3plustwins]

How fun!

Curious, What kind of chicken is the old bitty?

Probably a barnyard mix but looks mostly golden like a buff Orpington. We got her from a co worker in which we just grabbed some birds not really payin attention to age.

 

[KlopKlop]

Just some eggs for you all to envy. 2 days worth minus the 6 or so that had cracks. Sometimes the kids are not so careful when loading the basket and one old bitty lays a very thin brittle shelled egg that almost always has a crack in it. She is making her way on this Saturday no use in feeding her.

We are finally back up to about 30 a day again. We were down to 12. Would like to be closer to 40 or so

 

[Momof3plustwins]

Eventually we will have 40 or so laying. Our August chicks are not quite ready yet and there are 10+ pullets in that mix I think. I have never really counted. Just looked at if I had a breeding pair for each breed. I suppose I could figure it out. Out of that mix of 26 in which one died we have:
Buff Orpington
2 pullets
1 cockerel

Dominique
2 pullets
2 cockerels

Black Australorp
1 pullet
2 cockerels

Rhode Island Red
1 pullet
2 cockerels

Cuckoo Maran
2 pullets
1 cockerel

Barred Rock
2 pullets
1cockerel

Silver laced Wyandotte
1 pullet
2 cockerels

Golden laced Wyandotte
2 pullets
1 cockerel

I guess 13 more to add to the laying flock. Yes it was my husband who thought so many different ones would be fun. All hatchery but it will still be fun to hatch out chicks. I just think that is exciting and fun for the kids! So I will do my best to choose who to breed but also know I will not be expecting standard based results. LOL

OH! And of course how ever many of our early October trail run hatch of mixes turn out to be pullets. On that update I thought I had 4/5 mix of males and females but it seems that feathering out was not a good tell of what we have. If I guessed now there would be 3 cockerels and 6 pullets. Which I would totally be fine with!