Ewes Off To Blue Ribbon Farms!

Blue Ribbon Farms Trailer Loaded & Ready To Pull Out!

Today Wild Rose Farm sent 3 ewes off to retirement at an educational farm!   Dan at Blue Ribbon Farms in Aliquippa, PA checked with us about getting some older sheep.   They will spend the rest of their “career” teaching the BRF campers & students about wool.   The timing was perfect since we had just weaned the lambs & the ewes were available to go.   We were able to make a nice selection of different types of sheep and the young men from Blue Ribbon Farms headed over with a big horse trailer to pick them up.

Blue Ribbon Farms - Ride With Pride!

For a job like this, lambs need not apply!   Each ewe left with her “curriculum vitae” neatly tucked in a Wild Rose Farm sheep & wool reference manual that we put together.  We included DOB, breed, individual micron test reports, number of lambs raised, & profile pictures.  

Safely Locked In & Ready To Go!

 One of the happy campers easily recognizable is “U” in the back.   The others are #39 after raising 14 lambs (!) and #130 looking a bit chubby after not nursing her lamb & giving us our lone bottle lamb of the year.   #130 was quite feisty loading up and promptly flopped down and got herself all dirty … sheesh.   After getting her loaded up, I took the picture through the screen so she didn't run us down through an open door!

What an ideal situation for these ewes ... safe travels!    :)

U & 2 Others!

Wild Rose Farm "U" At The Barn Gate

As we suspected this morning, U was ready to lamb and had this single ewe lamb around 4 PM.  Then two more ewes had singles out in the pasture today.  When we brought the ewes in for the night, one of our Rambouillets had a single lamb and she stayed there with it.  Here are the sheep below coming in at dusk.. The ewe in the lead is #47 & she's due any moment now.  We also penned up another ewe in the Loafing Shed - she had separated off in there, so we set up a pen around her.  It helps to keep other expectant mothers from stealing a lamb!

Wild Rose Farm Flock Coming In At Dusk

After we got some pens cleaned out in the barn, Mr. WRF went back out at 9 PM & brought the Rambouillet ewe & her lamb to the barn.   She was a bit skittish and I watched the LED light moving slowly towards me at the barn while I got water & feed ready for her ... we came in from the barn at 9:45 PM.

One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other!

Wild Rose Farm Dorset #116 & Triplets!

We did have another set of twins late Thursday afternoon and we also noticed that Dorset Ewe #116 was separating herself from the other ewes.   At our 9 PM check, we penned her up alone.   This morning we saw one of the Rambouillet ewes, #406, with a single lamb in the pasture.   Then we saw #116 resting with a nice cleaned off set of triplets!  

We Wait With The Triplets While #116 Grazes ... 

She has 1 ram lamb & 2 ewe lambs - the black lamb is a ewe lamb - check out the eye spots!   I'm already thinking of naming her Patches if we keep her.  Most of our sheep don't get names as you can see from reading this blog.  :~0  

Guess who was hanging around near the pen with these lambs?  It was "U"!  On paper she is due any time now, but she is so slim that you can never tell if she has a single or twins in there.   Maybe she thought this was one of her lambs ...

Tasty Hay & Fresh Straw Bedding In The Barn

Fleeces (And More Lambs)!

After the post Monday morning, we ended up with 3 more ewes lambing between 5PM & 7PM on Monday.  Then this morning between 5AM & 7AM, another 3 ewes lambed.  Now we're down to 5 ewes left to lamb ... 
So ... here's a hazy sunrise picture this morning of one of the ewes in labor after we'd brought up #47 with one lamb and another on the way.  We had T-storms & 1.2" of rain overnight, so it was a little misty.  Good to soak your pant legs if they're not tucked in ...

Wild Rose Farm Sunrise

The background bottom ewe is in labor and the ewe on the right, #404, delivered one of a set of twins an hour after this picture was taken.  We kept going back & forth with the chores and picking up lambs!
Now on to the fleeces for the Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest this weekend. 

Rambouillet #406 Fleece

I did 3 fleeces this evening, but forgot to take a picture until I finished the 3rd one ... more tomorrow including another "pre-sold" fleece. 

Obligatory "U" and Lamb Pic!

View From Barn While Working On Fleeces - Llama & Sheep Grazing

Mid Winter Snow Continues!

Wild Rose Farm Barn Through Streambank River Birch

On our way over to the afternoon sheep feeding, I turned back & got this angle of the barn.  If you enlarge the picture, you can see Frank, one of the Redbone coonhounds, on the far left standing up and watching us!  I've said it before, but you can't sneak up on the farm with that watchful kennel of hounds.

WRF Ewes At Feeding Time

The sheep really aren't doing anything at this time of year, but they are frisky in the cold weather.  The crust on the snow keeps them on paths between their hay in the loafing shed, the feed bunks for corn, and the spring water tank. 

"U" Shows Us The PathTo The H2O Tank!

Once the snow softens, the sheep will wander around more in the paddock.  But for now .... we stay to the path!


Wild Rose Farm Ewes - Watching & Waiting - "Where's The Corn?"

Bright Morning Sun At Wild Rose Farm!

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Grazing In The Morning

We brought the ewes up to the barn this morning for a little while.  Seems one of the yearlings was limping, so we had to check it out.  She got her feet trimmed, but nothing was there, no footrot, so she likely stepped on something or had a thorn that worked its way out.  With a shot of antibiotic to prevent infection, back she went to pasture with the rest of the flock.  We'll keep an eye on her to make sure she is walking ok and recheck her if she isn't.

Opening The Gate ........

If you know what you're looking for, you can spot 2 notable sheep in this picture.  Just under the pine tree with a full side shot is "U" ..... you can see her slightly darker color and face markings.  Then the 3rd from last bright white sheep in the sun glare is #401 ..... you can see her ratty fleece with the wool break & I can just detect her small horns.   Like I said, "if you know what you're looking for!".  :)

And Back To Pasture ......