Sometimes breeders are unkind. I mean, who would breed a sheep to have lambs in the dead of the cold winter? Dorset sheep are good mothers with lots of milk, but when they have twins, cleaning up the wet lamb before it freezes when there is another wet lamb also to clean up, might not be possible. All would be well if they were in a lambing barn and they were watched, but the sheep at the Fat Ewe Farm live outside. Although they do have several shelters, they really sleep under the stars or somewhere out of the wind. Only when it snows or rains do they seek shelter. The ewe is well protected from the elements where she is, but she is outside and tonight it is minus 22 and windy. She has hollowed out a place to have her lambs and the lambs have dropped into the birthing position, demonstrated by her hollow sides that were very round yesterday. I sure hope she manages well without me. If I fall asleep soundly, I will wake in the morning and check her, but if she lambs at night, I won't be able to help her. Dorsets are a relatively hardy breed with decent wool and a meaty larger carcass. They are sought for breeding programs to provide the lambing out of season and propensity to have twins, but are most often cross bred to an even larger sheep for fast growing big lambs. Here at the farm, the sheep are bred once yearly, though about half of them could be bred three times in two years. Poor ewes! It is not so much about the money from the lambs, or even the wool, but to learn sheep husbandry and to love the sheep, that they exist here on the farm. I love the Dorset mamma and sure hope and pray she delivers sound healthy strong babies that won't freeze. Why does it have to be so ccccold?
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Primitive sheep, that is sheep breeds which have not been improved by man, are my favourites. They are not so easy to handle, not in the least docile, think and are very personable. Sheep are often thought of as dumb. I think alpacas take the cake on that one. Some sheep breeds I have kept have not been the brightest, like the East Friesians. They also needed the most intervention from the shepherd, being more susceptible to parasites than the primitives, such as the Jacobs, and needed help lambing, which the primitives definitely do not. The lambs for the old unimproved sheep breeds are smaller than commercial ones, because that is the way nature intended them to be. An average size Jacob twin would be maybe four or five pounds, while the average commercial lamb is double that, even in twins. Understandably, commercial sheep are all about the mighty dollar. Large lambs mean they can be slaughtered at a good weight or bred sooner than smaller lambs. Although primitive sheep are easier in some ways, they do not sell as well as meat sheep, unless it is to a buyer who also appreciates their hardiness. Many of the old breeds have excellent wool, like the Icelandics. Their wool has short and long fibers which can be separated and spun independently or spun together for lopi wool, a warm, weather resistant wool. When it comes to doing things with the primitives, though, they are not so easily managed. They can be wild and crazy and excellent jumpers. I have set a 5 foot gate up only to have a Barbados ewe clear it and take off when I cornered her for examination. I no longer have any Barbados. The Shetland sheep were very small, with wonderful fleece, but little market. The lambs grow quickly even though they are tiny at birth, but they cannot ever catch up to the commercial sheep. Sold by the pound on the hoof, they only would bring half of what a commercial lamb would. Also they are best bred after a year to give the lambs time to grow, so the extra time means less frequent lambing. Still, there are some who work within these boundaries and love the sheep. I no longer have an Shetlands. Ideally the best sheep would be a primitive breed that is large, produces large lambs that can be bred in year 1 and also has great fleece. Cotswolds almost fit that description, but like Angora goats, have been bred for fiber overly much, and are no longer the hardy animals they once were. The hunt is still on for that type of sheep. In the meantime, this little lamb, an Icelandic, Shetland, Karakul cross, is thinking out of the box. He is cute as a button, though tiny compared to the others without Shetland genes. And he is having some fun! I am often asked why I left the west coast, the temperate climate, the ocean and the very cosmopolitan city of Vancouver for nowhere in the middle of Alberta. There are several reasons. 1. It is safe here. There are no tsunamis, we are not on an earthquake fault, and the land is not dying from drought, fire or excessive rain. 2. Land was affordable. My first choice was Salt Spring Island, but I didn't have a few extra million dollars to spend, so this is where I could afford to make my dreams into my reality. 3. Although I am alone here, I do have some friends in Edmonton and relatives around, should I wish to find them and make myself their guest for a visit. One of my children has now made this his home too and a second is moving to Calgary next year. The other is applying for university in Calgary and if accepted will be there 4 years. I am hoping they all come to the land of milk and honey. 4. It is beautiful here. This land I am privileged to own is a valley carved by a large glacier centuries ago. It had not been farmed or used for almost 40 years, so no chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or defoliation chemicals have been applied to the land and it has not been sprayed with Round Up. It is as it was, and it has not been logged, so the trees are really big for Alberta. I love trees and am most at home in the middle of the forest. 5. Where I am is far enough from civilization to think it is way out in the country, though in reality, it is only minutes from three towns and just a little over two hours from the capitol city and 5 hours from Calgary. It feels as though it is isolated and sometimes I can go for days and not see another human if the bed and breakfast is not booked. So basically, Alberta, is home. It is where I was born and where I have returned. True, the winter is hard and the cost of living is double what it was in White Rock. It costs more to stay warm in winter and more to get anywhere because everywhere is a drive, not 5 minutes like living in the city. Now that the bed and breakfast is becoming established, the proximity of the oil and gas industry has brought clients from as far as the Yukon and tourists from overseas, France to be exact. What a delight it is for me to serve these guests. I try to treat each and every one as though s/he was royalty, waiting on them, speaking to them, being genuinely interested in their welfare and also sending them some love. Servitude is the greatest gift we can give to a stranger. One day, I am hoping that the permaculture orchard will produce in abundance and the fruits will be given to those who want them, for free. What the land gives, I want to share. That is the dream and that is why Alberta. It is really a lovely place to be! Yesterday would have been a good day, or the day before, but not tomorrow or the next day. We have had two glorious days with temperatures hovering around zero, not too cold to have a baby lamb or two. Tonight the thermometer is supposed to drop to minus 18 and the wind pick up too. The ewe is in a sheltered location and has a lambing box, but she won't go in it. I checked her before turning in for the night and she was resting peacefully. She is a wild sheep, a Dorset and she is in with a young Dorset ram who will be her sire for next year. This year's lamb is not related to him, so I am hoping it will be a girl. Dorsets have a good quality, tight wool that sheds vegetative matter, but they are kept for the meat. What a time to breed a sheep for winter lambing. The breeder did have a big barn, but it was not heated, just protected. The ravens have been hanging around the other sheep like crazy, and I sure hope they do not find the newborn. Last year four lambs were lost to them. They peck their eyes out and then carry them away if they are small enough, or just eat them on the spot if they are too large to carry. Bad birds. Anyhow, the pregnancy indicator is now swollen and facing up, which means she is due. Tomorrow goes back up to around zero, but the days that follow are very very cold. I may have to move her to the barn, if she does not deliver tomorrow, though she is wild and very hard to handle. My fingers are crossed for healthy babies tomorrow. Come on little sheep mamma, tomorrow please. Robbie saw it. He was cautious, but was also determined. The little varmint fought Robbie off. He ran at him and jumped into his face, biting across is nose. Robbie yelped and was even more determined. No mouse was going to get the best of Robbie, but this one was sure big. I called the sleeping livestock guardian dogs over. Inexperienced with prey, Joe treated it like he would a feather blowing in the wind and boldly went up to pounce on the 'mouse'. He let out a big yelp and blood was dripping from his face. The mouse had bitten a hole in the top of his nose. Noses bleed tremendously, but that was enough to send Joe home to his sheep, his comfort place. Ofcharka, Jade and Jenna were interested, but not enough to attempt anything silly, especially after seeing Joe. So, Robbie had to do the job himself. Understanding that this mouse could hurt him, he used the other dogs for advantage. The mouse was watching Ofcharka and Robbie went in for the kill. One bite, one shake and that was it. Robbie carried the muskrat around for an hour, then lost interest, but one or two of the dogs ate most of it later. Muskrats generally eat plant material and live in or nearby water. This muskrat was in the wood pile, a long way from home. Muskrats will eat meat when their natural food supply is scarce, but that is considered a desperation diet, not a choice diet and they do not fare well on meat. The muskrat is still the most trapped animal in North America for its fur and this one indeed, had a beautiful coat. Unfortunately, it got eaten, along with the carcass. That is what dogs do. I am sorry little Muskrat. Thank you for your life. Here at the Fat Ewe Farm, many breeds of chickens have been tested. Black Australorp, Columbian Wyandotte, Jersey Giant, Speckled Sussex, Silver Spangled Hamburg, Japanese Bantam, Blue Orpington, and now Ameraucana and both, white and Partridge Chanteclers. The reason most of them did not make the grade is because they were not winter hardy. For example, the combs on the Jersey Giants are large, especially the roosters and they froze in the winter. The Japanese Bantams were not hardy enough and their feet froze. The Silver Spangled Hamburg is doing fine, and she is a good layer, but the rooster version is not nearly as hardy. The Orpington still here was kept because the dogs got her and ripped the skin off her back when they were young, so when the others went to the processor, she got to stay. She is sort of a pet, if there is a pet chicken on the farm. Her comb is not red or pink now though, and I suspect she may have worms. That is another subject because chemical wormers are only used as a last resort to save an animal. The hardiest birds hands down are the white Chanteclers. They were bred in Canada by the monks, and his idea was to produce a very hardy, good sized dual purpose (meat and egg) bird. They are not pretty like some of the other breeds, just plain white with small combs and no wattles (hangy down thingys by their beaks). Those parts are what freeze on other breeds, so it is a good thing not to have them. But, they have not layed eggs this winter. The Partridge Chanteclers have layed a few and just in the last week, there have been two or three eggs a day. The eggs are small because the chickens are pullets, that is, they are young and just starting. Laying eggs takes a bit of practice and patience and hurts at first, like having a baby. So small eggs are better to start with than big ones. I am hoping the white Chanteclers will also start laying and the Ameraucanas, which lay blue/green eggs will too. Those white Chanteclers have been sleeping in the waterfowl house, which is an open three sided deep shelter. It is not warm in there, but it is protected from the wind and no snow gets in. The birds could go into either coop, but they do not seem to mind the cold. Bonus points to the white Chanteclers, pretty or not, for being winter hardy. Now let's see some eggs. There is a rooster for the Ameraucanas and one for the white Chanteclers. I am hoping both will breed the others and I will end up with a super hardy winter tough mixed flock laying some blue and some brownish eggs. The bantams are crosses and they are as hardy as the Partridge Chanteclers, plus they have been laying the odd egg as well. Even though I check the nesting boxes frequently, at these frigid temperatures, the eggs have been freezing before I can harvest them, but I have managed to collect most. If I see a hen in the box, I go back and check often. So far, it is working. Part of the sustainability of raising chickens is that no supplemental light or heat should be necessary for the right flock and they should still produce some eggs in winter. In the old days, the coops were hardly insulated, if at all, and the chickens survived just fine. Some were not watered, but left to eat the snow and they do do that, but I still give them water. The bantams do not drink it, preferring the snow. The only problem with the bantams is that they are so light, they do not produce a meat carcass. Otherwise, they are the best foragers and are very independent, all summer feeding themselves. Next winter, a huge manure/compost pile will be located in the chicken yard. The idea is that the heat from the pile will keep it thawed all winter and the chickens can forage and eat the worms and bugs and other tasty morsels from it, reducing their need for grain based food in winter. If it works, perhaps, grain can be eliminated completely. The white Chanteclers are the breed to choose for winter hardy birds. Hands down. Second are the Ameraucanas and the Partridge Chanteclers, tied. Thank you chickens for your eggs, your bodies and your foraging. The farm would not be the same without you. Last winter was a doozer! This winter already seems to be following suit. We had cold temperatures and lots of snow last year right through to April and it was May before we saw the ground again. Already we have a few feet of snow and the temperatures have dropped below thirty many nights. The last week saw day time temperatures hovering close to that too. It is hard on the animals, who basically just try to eat enough to stay warm. They huddle together to share body heat. The waterfowl and the sheep are the least affected and the goats the most. They only come out to eat and then run back to their shelter and stay there. When it snows, they hardly want to come out to eat, but of course they do. But winter brings a pristine clean landscape full of wonder. The little chickadees share the suet on the meat that the dogs leave behind. They are a delight to watch, flitting here and there and singing their songs. Magpies are bolder than the ravens and they will come right to the front doorstep and steal the meat too, but they are beautiful birds with their black and white distinct feathers. The ravens have been hanging around the sheep pen. In the spring when the ducks start to lay eggs, the ravens wait on the fence and dive in to steal every egg. This year, I will close the door to their shelter and the ravens will be thwarted then. I think they ate four lambs last year though. The livestock guardians do not see them as threats. I will have to work on that.The contrast of their gleaming black feathers against the snow brings a beauty of its own and they really are a majestic bird. The trees are heavily frosted with the snow covering. Over the last three days, it has snowed non stop and the branches are laden with the marshmallow dollops. Today, the sun came out for the first time, but soon it was gone, because it gets dark so early now. Briefly, the Alberta sky was blue and bright and the glistening snow had glittering diamonds sprinkled throughout. What a scene! What majesty! I am humbled by mother nature and this winter beauty. So amazing! What if I had to make a choice to keep only one dog? Hmm. Robbie is with me 24/7 and is my dog for sure. He is good natured, but has a bit of a nasty streak when it comes to the frenzy of catching and killing. Towards humans, he is great. But, if I had to only keep one dog on the farm, it would be Jenna. She is shy, sweet, so pretty, small, protective and very loving. She would not make a town dog, because she is a barker, but that is her breed. Maremma dogs do bark to warn predators to keep away. Jenna is the low dog in the pack. Even the puppies are taking precedence over her now. They are bigger for sure. She does not try to challenge them anymore. Her early start in life was bad. The owner fed the puppies, but never watched to see what happened. The sheep ate the dog food and the puppies were starving. They ate grain and wool to stay alive. Jenna was obviously hurt too, likely kicked, certainly yelled at, and most probably hit. So was her sister Jade, and they are wary of people. Yet, Jenna will come to me and seek attention. She has the greatest big smile and she talks. I love that little girl. Shhh, don't tell Robbie. I like horned sheep. They not only are more interesting in appearance, but the horns make them easier to manage. Young lambs have tender horns though, and they must be treated with care, or they can break. A broken horn will regrow, or continue to grow, from the base of the skull. Whatever the break damage, then, will remain, sometimes resulting in one long and one short horn, or a horn that is misshapen, compared to the other one(s). This little girl may have gotten her horn caught in the fence feeder if she stuck her head through the wire. There are few other places she could have possibly damaged it. Horns are full of blood vessels and capillaries, and bleed quite profusely when cracked or broken. The twin Jacob ewe lamb looked terrible with blood running down her face. It got on a few of the other lambs and one would think that there was a massacre taking place, with all the bright red blood, but it was just the rubbing of the face on the other's fleece, that transferred, really, a small amount of blood that then froze in place due to the frigid weather we have been having. The lamb's horn is cracked at the base and that will change its appearance as it grows out, but fortunately, her horns were very tiny. Poor little girl...she looks much worse than she is. What a sweetheart! This is what the dogs eat, and the cats, this, plus the same ground coarsely. The trouble in winter, is that it is frozen solid when I pick it up from the butcher's and then is stored outside, where it remains frozen solid. Thawing meat that is as cold as minus thirty degrees is not an easy feat. The porch, the brand new porch, is so cold that the meat stays frozen. Heck, Robbie's water freezes on the floor, but that is another sad tale. In the meantime, the dogs need one of these boxes of meat daily. There are 7 dogs, 5 of them very large and the other two medium sized. They eat a lot and since they are only fed these meat scraps and occasional, but infrequent household scraps, that means a constant supply of meat. Giving them a thirty below frozen box of meat is hopeless. They cannot get it apart, try as they might, so it needs to be thawed in the house. I have brought some in and left it on the floor near the fire, waking to a huge bloody mess the next morning. I did get a Rubbermaid tote to do this in now, but it is in the bed and breakfast house and the dogs need this meat today. So, I set the largest pot I have on the wood stove and managed to balance it there caught on its legs, while sitting the block of frozen meat scraps more or less in it. Filled with water, the pot is steaming the meat apart, but not without making a mess. Gross! The tin foil is catching some of the drips. I do have a larger copper kettle pot, but the wood stove top is small and the copper kettle does not balance there easily either. I will try it tomorrow, hoping it does not leak. The pot at the back of the stove has water in it too, to help steam the meat apart so the dogs can eat it. This take a long time, most of the evening actually. Why do the dogs get fed this food? Dogs are carnivores. They are not meant to eat grain, which is what dog food is made from, except the very high end (read that ridiculously priced) food. For seven large dogs, I would be spending about 500 dollars a month to feed them a high end no grain food. As it is, I feed them these meat scraps and the cost is about 200 dollars a month. If they were fed a good quality commercial dog food, the price would be about the same at $48 per bag. Another bonus with feeding meat to dogs, is there is less going out. Grain is not utilized and most of it comes back out the other end. Meat is used as food and digested, leaving only small stools. With seven dogs, that too, is a consideration, though the livestock guardian dogs will go a long distance so as not to soil their own territory. I like that. Just the border collie needs to be cleaned up after, and that is not so bad. As the puppies get older, they too are leaving the farm yard to do their business. That is how those dogs do it. That also marks their territory, giving animals a whiff of the dog's scent warning them to stay away. So, the meat is on the wood stove, sort of and the dogs are waiting for supper. I will bring the Rubbermaid over and leave a box of food in it overnight. That should lessen this thawing task considerably. Ah, but I do love those dogs, those dogs who fight with their lives to protect that which is theirs. |
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AuthorFluffy writes daily about the experiences on the farm and with the bed and breakfast patrons. Archives
October 2020
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