It is coming fast!

Shearing DAy, April 12, 2019. We need help, please. 

Jobs will include moving sheep into the catch pens and out after shearing, sweeping between shears, providing water for the shearers, skirting the fleece, labeling and tagging and bagging fleece, and the final clean up. 

We welcome all volunteers. Children around 12 can help under supervision please. There are accommodations for 6 in the house and 4 in the camper in their sleeping bags. Lunch of beans, homemade bread and salad is provided for all. Shearing will be in progress from 8 am to approximately  3 pm. If you can join us, please let us know. 

​Thank ewe!

I felt there was hope yesterday. She wolfed down her porridge and was accepting of the syringes of water, downing a good 16 ounces, warm and with a little honey. She did not greet me this morning and I felt immediately a heaviness in my heart, but she was not gone. I put a good layer of fresh straw for bedding and moved her onto it. She was a rag doll, lifeless and unresponsive. Her big head fell loose and her eyes were closed. 

She refused to eat anything at all. I got some water into her, but that was difficult and she was not interested. Pearl had given up the fight. 

I made her comfortable as I could, changing her position from as she had been overnight. She was well covered with two fleeces and even though the temperatures were close to minus 30 with the wind chill, there was warmth in her body. I feel she will not be there in the morning. 

I am so sad and heart broken. There was nothing more I could do. The rest is up to her. 

My dear sweet orphan lambs, except Gina, the Icelandic, are penned separately within the ewe pen so I could keep an eye on them and whilst doing so, tame them so they are comfortable and easy with me. Next will be to halter them. Three of the lambs are purebred Shetlands, one is Icelandic, one is Cotswold and one is Jacob. These lambs were selected to stay on the farm for their very fine fleece and their mother's natures and abilities as well as hardiness. Thus far, I am so very pleased with the little angels. 
At first I would catch a lamb and sit her on my knee, stroking her head and fleece, and speak softly to her. This went on for three weeks. She would slowly sink into my embrace, close their little eyes and sigh deeply. My heart would hold them dear for a few minutes and then they would be set down, but not freed. Standing close to me was a little difficult for them at first, though as time passed, they also relaxed enough that bolting was not the first choice. 
Then I brought some tasty treats, alfalfa, new grass, weeds and dandelions, and held it for them. The Shetlands were already comfortable enough that they came immediately. Gina, the Icelandic did not come at all. I caught her and held her again and it was as though she suddenly realized she was safe, and she gave in to her instincts and became my friend. The next day all of the lambs came to me running! 
They will still require more work, and haltering will be a process, but then the lambs will remain tame and calm for the rest of our lives. They will be easy to shear, easy to milk, yes milk, and their lambs should also have no fear of me because their mothers will be so calm. Although this process will take a couple of months and twice daily visits, the results will last a lifetime for me, or rather the rest of my shepherd career. 
Sitting peacefully among nature, holding a lamb, stroking its fleece and listening to its heart beating, has to be one of the most tranquil events one could behold, and I get to do this daily. I am so blessed here on the Fat Ewe Farm. I wish you were here to share this joy!

​Bob came to the farm late in the fall of 2016. Purebred Cotswold rams are hard to find in Canada. Once a prized breed for their wool and meat, the Cotswolds fell out of favour due to their slower growth. The rams average around 300 pounds or a little less and the ewes 250ish, but they require two full years to mature. Some animals do grow faster than others, but they are not a pounds on quickly meat breed. They do pay for their keep in their lustrous curly fleece though, with a great fleece averaging 7 to 9 pounds of soft, shiny wool. Hand spinners and crafters love the wool for its strength, sheen, and for the individual curls used for Santa beards, scarves and felting projects. The sheep are gentle natured, friendly, great mothers and thrive on grass and marginal forage. What is not to love? 

Bob was delivered by a transport who parked at the end of our rather lengthy driveway. He was haltered and walked down the driveway without any issue and stood waiting for his next move. Blind in one eye, he cocked his big head to 'listen' better when I spoke to him. I loved him instantly. Sometimes an animal comes into our lives that simply makes a connection and the mutual love is instant. It was that way with big, old Bob. 

Bob was shorn when he arrived from the British Columbia interior. There the weather is mild compared to this region, plus he had a lovely warm barn and lots of oats to munch. I was worried that he would not grow enough of a coat to stay warm in our climate. I did not realize he would come shorn. Sheep here are shorn in the spring only, never the fall, for they need their fleece to insulate them from the cold. Bob would amble over to me when I called him and would give that big head a pat. He was a beautiful coloured ram who had sired many lambs in his years. But he was getting on. I hoped for at least one more breeding season from him. 

Bob went to visit the ewes, 5 purebred Cotswolds, 1 E'st a Laine Merino, and 1 Gotland/BFL. I saw no evidence of breeding and began to get worried that it was not happening. 7 ewes is surely manageable for a big old guy like Bob! Then Bob and the border collie, Robbie, had a tiff and Bob got a few nips. He developed an infection and was treated, but that incident, plus extremely frigid weather, began his demise. I made Bob a coat from a thick wool carpet underlay to help keep him warm. He spent most of his time in the shelter though, so I began to feed him there too. Bob made it through the winter, but in the spring he faltered. He was down and could not get up. I got him up and he rallied, but I found him down again in a few days. Then he was down every day, and finally, he did not have the strength to stand. Of course there was a blizzard then, in April and he was outside. Despite losing a lot of weight, I still could not move poor ol' Bob. So, I covered him with his wool blanket, and then covered that with straw. I did not expect him to last more than that day. But the next morning he was still with me, so I put some snow in his mouth,just to wet his palate, since he had quit eating and drinking. I gave him some lovely alfalfa hay to rest his big head on. Bob passed away. I was so sad to see him go. 

There was no evidence that Bob bred any of his ewes. The first date they could have given birth was April 25th and there was no show of udder development or belly swelling. Thomas Tunis was in as a clean up ram after Bob, so the ewes were bred, but if it was by the Tunis, they would not lamb until July. 

Then in May, the ewes began to show signs of being in lamb - low large tummies, some udder development. Yay! Bob did leave his mark after all. The ewes all had ewe lambs too, except Tova, the Gotland/BFL, who had twins, one coloured ewe lamb and one white ram lamb. He will be pretty spectacular, I think, with excellent fleece. I will use him next year to breed these ewes, but of course not his mother or the ewe lambs. 7 ewe lambs and one ram lamb! 

Every once in a while it is humbling to be touched by such a gentle creature as Bob was. My eyes still well up when I think of him, I loved him so. His presence here was short really, but his legacy is present and in every one of these lambs, there will be a touch of that big, old, fabulous ram. Thanks Bob, for your gifts to the Fat Ewe Farm!

Wool sheep might be the answer to the North American food crisis and plastic pollution as well. 

Depending on the sheep breed, up to 7 sheep can be raised in the same space as one cow and they will still eat less than that cow. Sheep are ruminants and do not require grain. As a matter of fact, if they are not used to grain and eat a good quantity of it, they will bloat and die. Grass fed meat is far superior nutritionally to grain fed anyhow, with more of the good fats, vitamins and minerals too. 

People often raise sheep that shed their winter coats, called hair sheep, to avoid having to shear the sheep, but that is counterproductive. If the right breeds are raised, as in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, the wool also provides and income for the shepherd, not just the meat. Most sheep can be milked for a brief period of time. However; if the breeding schedule is such that the flock is bred at two different times a year, there would be sheep milk year round, fresh and healthy. Sheep milk is one of the best milks, far superior to cow's milk, and naturally rich in butterfat and naturally homogenized. A lamb needs to nurse for a minimum of 8 weeks and up to 12. The lambs can be taken from the moms at night and the ewes milked in the morning, then the lambs returned to the mothers for the day. I have not done this, but am thinking of it. I have a lovely new bunch of lambies being born and those I am keeping, I plan to halter train and try to milk next year. 

The best part of the sheep is the wool though. There is nothing better for retaining body heat naturally, wicking away moisture and getting a good night's sleep on or under or both. Wool can be dyed, woven, spun, felted and the pelts can be made into stunning sheep skin rugs, well known for their therapeutic properties, especially for the young, old and infirm. 

Then, there is the meat. That is the part I have the hardest time with. I watch the lambs being born, cuddle them, participate in their growth and rearing and then send them to slaughter to eat. Yes, they are raised humanely. Yes, they have wonderful lives here at the Fat Ewe Farm. But, it is so barbaric to raise an animal to eat it. Still, when there are too many little boys born, their fate will be meat. That is the way of the farm. If I do not eat them, they are sold to a market who does. Even too many little female lambs of certain breeds are sent to the market. Sad. 

Still, sheep could easily be the answer to North American agriculture. Stop growing grain to feed to cows. Ridiculous! Turn the fields back to natural weedy pastures for sheep (and goats) and raise wool sheep for meat, milk and fleece. All that grain that is fed to cows is not necessary. Right?
​
The photos are the newborn ewe lamb this morning. She is purebred Cotswold, an old English breed of sheep with creamy white lustrous locks of wool that grow in ringlets. They are a medium sized sheep, but heavy. They lost popularity due to their slow growth rate, which means they take a full two years to mature. But they are gentle natured, even the rams and are perfect mothers, most often having twins and raising them with no problems. The fleece is sought after by hand spinners and specialty producers who love the long shiny locks. A beautiful large Cotswold fleece will bring 60 to 100 additional dollars in the shepherd's purse, well enough to justify the two year's growth rate. They are my favourite sheep breed! 

Bob, that sweet old Cotswold ram, is very, very thin and his health precarious at best. We have had a week of very warm weather for this time of year, with temperatures above zero, so it is not the cold that is bothering him if it ever was. I dewormed him again and gave him a shot of Newcells at the same time and moved him to the goat pen. There are two sheep there with him, and lots of goats. They tend to leave him alone and he seems to like it that way. So far, he has not paid any attention to the two ram lambs that are there, nor they to him. 

Bob waits for me. He watches for me. He is very smart. I fed him once in the corner and now he goes to that corner for his food. I am giving him second cut hay with alfalfa in it, premium stuff. He is not much interested in eating the good weedy hay the goats thrive on, but he enjoys the hay I give him. He is not eating nearly enough though. He picks through and eats a little of this and that. For his size, he should eat lots of hay in a day and he is not, yet he is eating. 

He is not stumbling around and seems more sure of his feet. He has a bit of trouble rising from lying down, but so do I. Maybe that comes with age. I am rooting for him, doing what I can and loving him. 

In the meantime, I let the Cotswolds in with the Tunis sheep yesterday and today, let the Babydolls in too, plus moved the Icelandic and Shetland girls in with them. The Tunis ram, Thomas, was very interested in the new girls and is making sure they do not need his services. They are running from him rather than standing, so I am quite sure that Gandalf and Gunnar did their jobs well. When I can get a few more bodies, I will move the ewes in with the others and put the rams back in with the rams. Then feeding and watering will be so much simpler. 7 pens was 5 times more work than rams in one and ewes in the other. 

​Keep cheering for Bob in the best way you know how. Thanks. He is a wonderful addition to the Fat Ewe Farm and I love him dearly. 

I love Bob. He is an old Cotswold ram that I just got at the end of fall. I have been looking for a new Cotswold ram for some time, since I lost Walter. What is it with these guys? Bob is gentle, inquisitive, halter trained and very easy to handle. I trimmed his feet when he arrived, but he had been recently shorn. That was not a good thing. 

Where he came from winter is much milder than here, plus he had a nice warm barn in which to curl up. This was a very hard lesson for me. Something I just had no occasion to consider before, is where the sheep come from. Bob was old, but he was healthy and heavy and doing just great, that is until it got cold and it really, really got cold. Then he wanted to stay in the mini barn, which is really a double tarped small hoop house, but when the Cotswolds are together in it, it is plenty warm enough. Only the girls were mostly born here and they did not feel much need to go inside. Poor Bob was on his own there. And he was cold. He should not have been shorn prior to winter's arrival. 

So, I have sadly watched his demise, helplessly and with great sadness. I tried alfalfa pellets, barley and oats and then some wheat. He took a few nibbles and was simply not interested. I started feeding him hay in the shelter so he would not have to face the winter, but he continued to go downhill fast. 

Bob is a mere shadow of the former ram that arrived here in the fall. He is so weak, he is having trouble walking and it will only be a matter of days before he is not here, before I no longer see that curled up nose and those big, sweet and gentle eyes. I can only hope that he did breed at least some of the girls and will leave me his legacy that way. He, indeed, is the sweetest ram I have ever known. Walter was a close second right behind him and when he was dying, I held his big head in my lap and loved him. That is all I can do for Bob. 

Bob had a shot of antibiotics and was dewormed, in case. He has had several shots of Newcells, a vitamin complex that boosts energy and vitality and he also has had apple cider vinegar and fermented garlic honey. I was trying anything and everything I could think of, all to no avail. Bob cost me $!00 dollars. His value to me was immense, but in reality, taking him to the veterinarian was not a good economic decision. I spent $1200 on Walter, my first Cotswold ram, trying to get him to live, but he just did not make it. That was more money than I should have spent on one animal. I would love to ensure Bob's survival, however; given his age and circumstances, I cannot. I must learn to let go, to make a better decision as a farmer, not as a pet owner and allow him to let go too. I have loved Bob since he arrived and am so very sad to think he will not be here. My heart is breaking. My Bob....

Bob has improved over the past few days and though he is dangerously thin, he may make it. I moved him over to the goats since I moved the breeding groups today. There are two other young rams in with the goats, so he is not the only sheep. The goat barn is warmer than the other barns IF there are any animals in it besides one. I gave him some lovely green hay and he did nibble away at it. My fingers are crossed. 

I go through a whole lot of effort to provide safe, dry and clean places to birth the lambs. The sheep seem to have different ideas. Red had twins at the manure pile base. I brought some clean straw and put it down for her. The lambs do not really care, but Red should. The wet lambs get covered with the manure and she has to lick them clean, thereby ingest the feces of the sheep. This is not good for the worm situation either. Red has two beautiful ewe lambs, a dark dark brown almost black and dark red. The girls will stay here on the farm, but Red and Thor, the Icelandic ram will be off to a new home in 3 months when the girls are weaned. 

Enya had her little guy outside, as they all did except the man bred sheep, the Blue Faced Leicester, who had her lamb in the shelter. At least the shelter is quite clean with good straw down and it is out of the wind and dry. It was 5 degrees today, but the wind was very cold. I hate to see the little lambs shiver, so I towel them as dry as I can to give the moms some help, especially if there is more than one. Enya is a primitive sheep, a Jacob, and she has a crossbred lamb, Shetland sired through the fence of all things. The ram she was with missed the mark I guess. Gwen, the BFL is not a good mother and leaves her little girl alone. The baby cries and finally lays down, but Gwen does not come back for a long time and if I bring the lamb to her she ignores her and continues eating. If she does not smarten up, tomorrow I will lock her up in  a stall in the barn with the lamb. I love the wool of the BFL sheep, but they simply do not compare with the primitives and need lots of interventions to be healthy and thrive. They would do well in a warmer winter climate too. 

Lyssa Cotswold had her single lamb, a large boy, outside the shelter.She had a bit of a time with him, making all kinds of noise and demonstrating her discomfort. The lamb was presenting correctly with the head between two little hooves, so I left her and went to finish the chores. When I returned she was still moaning and groaning and the lamb's front hooves and nose were out, but the head was not wanting to cooperate. I gently grasped the feet and pulled very lightly down and the head passed and the lamb slipped out. I am pretty sure Lyssa could have done that on her own, though just a little assistance was welcome. She was licking the air like crazy, but not the lamb, so I toweled him off as much as I could. I watched to see if he could latch on to a teat and drink, but he was a little confused as to where it was, so I laid Lyssa down and clipped the fleece from around her butt and udder so he had a clear path and bingo! He was nursing on his own. 

Obe had her boys cleaned and they were dry by the time I was out of the house this morning, twin rams. She is an excellent mother, only her second time, but her instincts are spot on and she is attentive and is always mothering her babies. I made a final round outside at 9:30 and there were no sheep isolating themselves or showing any signs of labour, so all should be well until tomorrow. They tend not to have babies in the dark. Those farmers who have barns and leave the lights on, in my humble opinion, are encouraging night births out of synchronization with nature. I will be up early to check again in the morning. 

I am grateful for these little babies born today. Lambs are sweet natured, innocent and full of life. They bring joy to my life just being around them and that is why I am a farmer!  The video is Lyssa complaining about being in labour. 

Given that the sires were young Shetland ram lambs, between 4 and 5 months of age and small, as Shetlands are, it is a wonder they bred those big girls at all. The ewes must have laid down for the rams or they snuck up on them when they were lying down. Otherwise they could not have mounted those girls who were twice or more their size. And given that it was completely unplanned and unwanted breeding, I was feeling very unhappy. 

But, as usual, I chose to look for the silver lining in the storm cloud. The lambs have all been strong and healthy, though singles instead of twins. The ewes were those who had previous twins regularly, so the only assumption to be made, is that the numbers of sperm being produced by the young rams was not much yet. It was obviously enough to do the job. A ewe will release one to four eggs and then they will be fertilized by the same number of sperm. The ewes were coming in off pasture then and were in prime shape, fat and healthy. They would have released the greater number of eggs as usual. The only other explanation is that one or more of the fertilized eggs did not continue to become a lamb, though who would know why. All the lambs born have been singles. 

The lambs have been born without assistance. They are robust and alert and know their mothers. They were born outside in the open air and the weather has cooperated by being unseasonably warm. Today it reached 9 degrees, almost unheard of for February in the frozen north. Call it global warming or whatever, it was perfect for babies being born in the open.

The mothers all are fleece animals and with the infusion of the crimpy fine Shetland fleece, their offspring should have pretty exquisite and unusual wool. I am tempted to keep these babies and see how they turn out. 

I think that Tova, the Gotland ewe will be next. She is laying down and getting up a lot, but she is a hogget, or a ewe who has not lambed before, so she does not know what to expect. Gotlands are primitive sheep though, so her instincts should be strong and her mothering ability excellent. It looks like Rosy, my favourite Babydoll next to my Anna, who now lives in a new home, is also bred. Shetland/Babydoll crosses are fairly common and apparently they are sweet natured and have great fleece. 

So, really, there is nothing to be upset about other than yes, this is not what I had in mind, but given all the positives, there is definitely a silver lining. Today, Sharon, the lovely Karakul/Cotswold ewe, gave birth to a beautiful black baby girl with tightly curled fleece. Karakuls are born black and as they age, they become silvery, but Shetlands born black stay black ,so it is a wait and see with her. I am grateful for these babies, strong and healthy, and for their mammas, protective and nurturing and even those rascals who sired the lambs. Boys will be boys, I guess. 

​

A new baby was born earlier this evening. She is a strong, but small, robust little girl, a ewe lamb, born to Mary, a Cotswold/E'st a Laine Merino, and my largest sheep. Mary should have had twins that were twice this size, but like the baby born to Lena last week, I believe the sire of this lamb was a 4 month old Shetland ram lamb and the mating took place in September prior to separating the lambs from the mothers. I am pleased that both lambs are well and strong, but my ineptness in this situation, the lack of prompt removal of the male lambs from the ewe flock, has led to two breedings so far. I am hoping there are not many more if any. 

One good thing is that the fleece of this little angel should be exquisite. The Cotswold is soft, lustrous and curly, while the E'st a Laine Merino is crimpy and fine and thick. Add the soft Shetland curls to the mix and she should have fleece to die for. 

I separated the mother and baby,taking them to the barn where there was no wind so the baby could dry off. The mother was still cleaning her at that point, but at 9 pm, Mamma Mary had already led the lamb back to the flock, despite the snow falling down outside. The lamb appears not to be cold (it is only minus 4 currently) and knows where to nurse. She is not hungry but wags her tail when she is near her mother, so she is recognizing her in the flock. Mary is an excellent mother with superior instincts and will be a wonderful mom again. 

Welcome baby ewe, welcome to the Fat Ewe Farm! I guess Mamma sheep is not as fat as she was this morning.