Temps Drop!

Mike Feeding The Sheep

And boy did the temperature drop at Wild Rose Farm last week.  We went from low 50's to the teens overnight.  Luckily, the rain tapered off as the high winds & cold front came through Western PA.  We had some snow, but it mostly got blown around.  Then on Friday is was really blowing & cold all day.  Our neighbor Mike is helping with the sheep right now.  This is his first experience working closely with sheep & we warned him that sheep were as bad as pigs rushing in for the feed trough!  He thought it was kind of neat (!), but you've got to hold the bucket up and make sure that they don't hit your knees & knock you off of your feet ...... at least he doesn't have to worry about the ram rushing him now that he's back in the ram pen.

Fluffing The Round Bale Hay ......

Step two was sliding in the sides of the round bale feeders.  As the sheep eat, the sides slide in and collapse the feeding area.  The little tunnel on the right of the picture shows how the sheep stick their heads in and eat the best parts of the hay.  The stems are forked out for bedding and the bale is "fluffed" to pull the fresh hay out within reach.  That's why all of the ewes are surrounding the feeders now !  They really put the munch on the hay when the temperature drops.