Lambs Ready To Go!

Wild Rose Farm - Sorting Ewe Lambs 

It's time & the lambs are ready to start leaving the farm now! Here we were above, sorting through some of the ewe lambs at the beginning of August. We have Dorset/Rambouillet crossbred ewe lambs and several Dorset ewe lambs sired by our performance tested Dorset ram available, as well as one registered Dorset ram lamb. We're planning to keep several of the registered Rambouillet ewe lambs for our own flock, but we do have a couple of registered Rambouillet ewe lambs and and ram lambs for sale.
We had good weather last week for the local Hookstown Fair and now it's back to focusing on the chores here … we have a routine farm visit from the veterinarian scheduled this week. Glenda & Snow White get their annual shots and a check-up, plus we review the lambs for sale in case health papers are needed to sell across the state line. Unfortunately, it looks like a hot week with temperatures in the 90's … yikes!

Besides The Sheep ...

Wild Rose Farm Glenda Wants To Come In!

Visitors ask what goes on at the farm "besides working with the sheep?". Well, the sheep are the centerpiece of the farm activity, but Glenda and Snow White have to manage and circulate around the ewes & lambs. Glenda is always nosey and shows up when there's activity in the pens or when people are visiting.
Snow White on the other hand, is more likely to hang back and avoid the fuss. She can be found in the lead of the flock, but if we WANT to move everyone, she has a way of trying to skip out on the round up!  She also has to be fed separately from the piggish ewes and can be seen fending them off if they get too close.  Unfortunately, sheep don't always understand llama-speak ...

Hey, You're Getting Too Close To My Dinner!

 Snow White gets her feed over the pen divider in the Loafing Shed, but the ewes sometimes crowd her, even thought they can't reach it ... and the ewe looks so innocent & friendly, right?

Now You're Really Annoying Me!  

That's Right, Go Eat Your Hay! 

Perfect Day For The Farm Tour!

"Hey Llama, Why Are You Looking At Me Like That?"

We had a perfect fall day for the 1st Beaver County Self-Guided Farm Tour. Temps ranged from the high 50's to the mid 60's with big, puffy white clouds and a nice breeze.  We were able to have Snow White & the ewe flock grazing right along the driveway in the small "Hospital Pen".
We were so busy talking with everyone and answering questions that I only got one or two pictures taken when the crowd thinned out near the end of the day - oh well!  Llama Snow White was pretty popular with the visitors. The young fellow above kept talking to her and asking why she was looking at him so funny ... we told him that she usually only sees sheep and they don't ask her questions!  One thing that I did notice - look closely at the grass in the pen. The flock spent most of their time grazing as far away from the people as they could get. The grass next to the front fence line is still tall after 5 hours!
Glenda did not disappoint either, with her random & raucous braying next to the folks looking at the lambs in the barn.  Thanks to everyone who came out and visited us at Wild Rose Farm!

Wild Rose Farm - Snow White & Her Flock Back at the Loafing Shed

Brown & White

Glenda Shows Off The New Fence & Gate

Brown & white ... that's the color scheme for the season. Dreary brown when it gets unseasonably warm, followed by blasts of snowy white as we go in and out of single digit temps!  Here's brown & white Glenda next to the new interior fence line. Notice the brown and white of the Loafing Shed in the background and our neighbor's white vinyl rail fence on the other side of the road.

Descending From the Goat Mahal!

We passed our neighborhood goats on the way back to look at the water tank. Always curious, they tromp down from the Goat Mahal to meet us at the fence line. They've been clearing the brush for the last year or two & not much has escaped them!

The Brown & White Goat Is The Smaller One ...

 The new replacement water tank is making water just fine ... note the deck hanger hardware holding the boards in place. The idea is that we can move the divider if we have to work on the tank and the electric high tensile wire can also be separated over the tank if need be ...

New H2O Tank

A few days later, we went back to several inches of snow and a mini whiteout while we were hauling hay over to the ewes behind the Loafing Shed. We're using the tractor now since the ground is too soft for our skid steer with the tire chains. Tire chains on the tractor are a different story though!

Back To White - It's Snowing Again!

It got back up to almost 60 degrees and here's a different look at brown & white ... snowdrops flowering on February 5th ... easily a month early around here.  I took this picture after we did some pruning on our apple & pear trees.  I discovered them blooming while patrolling the front yard with the loping pruners looking for winter damage ... oh my.

Snow Drops on February 5th

We'll see what happens next. Didn't the groundhog say we'll have 6 more weeks of winter?!?

Routine Activities ...

Wild Rose Farm - Snow White Looking On ...

It was sooooo boring today that even Snow White was looking for something to do. She left the sheep behind to graze and came up and stood around the barn. I had been in the barn skirting fleeces until I was forced to shut the barn doors in the 88 degree temps.  It keeps the sun off of me and also keeps it from heating the inside even more ... that's where the 3 ewes with their triplets are hanging out. Snow White had a few treats, then I went down the driveway to give Glenda her share.  Turning back to the barn, it looks like Snow White is waiting for more.  Empty pockets, oh well!

Fun With Girl Scouts!

Wild Rose Farm - Watching Ewes & Lambs Coming In!

We had fun this afternoon hosting a group of Girl Scouts, leaders & parents, and of course, little brothers who came along. The 3 sets of triplet lambs in the barn were a big hit ... a couple are being supplemented with a bottle, so they are easy to catch & everyone got to pet a lamb. After a discussion on lambing, wool, & yarn, we went outside and called up the ewes & lambs.  It's an impressive sight to see them all streaming up. Snow White was also front & center since she was trying to figure out who all of the people were and what was going on!

Glenda Has A Fan Club!

After the sheep wandered away, attention was turned to Glenda.  She stood just out of reach and wouldn't take a treat, but she seemed to be fascinated by all of the kids looking at her. I explained how donkeys have to think everything is their idea, so having her come up and enjoy the attention was fun. Alas, she also got bored, turned, walked away, and then rolled in the dust. No one had ever seen that before, so it was another teaching moment.  :)

Into The Sunset & Off To Get Ice Cream! 

The Storks Arrive At Wild Rose Farm!

A Pair Of Geese Arrive Early This Morning!

The storks geese arrived this morning just after the 6:30AM pasture check.  Huh? I know that storks bring babies, but I guess geese bring lambs! We had heard the honking and didn't see any geese in the sky. Then the dogs saw them & started to bark. We've had geese land in the pasture before, but this was a first.  :)

Dorset Ewe #1445 Separated From Flock At Dawn

 This is what a ewe close to lambing does ... she begins to separate herself from the rest of the flock.

Glenda On Patrol In The Next Pasture

Finally, this evening around 6:40PM, Dorset ewe #1445 went into labor. By 7:10 she had a single ram lamb, the first of our 2016 lambing season. This is her first lamb and she immediately started to take care of it and clean it off.

Wild Rose Farm Ewe & Newborn Lamb Nearing Dusk

Wild Rose Farm - Snow White Is Fascinated By The New Lamb!

Snow White couldn't take her eyes off of the new lamb. After several of the other ewes had sniffed the new lamb and moved on, Snow White approached and gently sniffed at her new charge.  Ewe and lamb are now in the barn resting ...

Other Activities Around The Barn

Glenda & Diamond Playing

It's funny what you see when you spend time around animals in their environment. This was the scene above the barn near me while I was skirting fleeces yesterday. Glenda had been hanging around outside watching me because skirting fleeces is just so interesting.  Since it was close to afternoon feeding time, Diamond appeared and went out through the wire panels to see Glenda.  I've seen them from a distance before, but this time I was close enough to get some pictures ...

"Take That!" Says Diamond

We've seen Diamond sitting on a fence rail next to Glenda & walking up to her in the pasture, but never this part of the relationship. The cat pictures make a kind of transition to another event. I came in for the evening to find an email relaying the news of the passing of my cousin, the "original" Dr. Phil. Dr Philip Edward Kaldon and his wife debbie, aka Mrs. Dr. Phil, were well known cat people.  Dr. Phil wrote Sci-fi and had more acclaimed works, but here is a link to a fun(?) little story, Brooding in the Dark
It's one of my favorites. If you've ever pondered the "internet of things" and AI (not the agricultural kind of AI!), you might enjoy the personality of 193.

Glenda & An Afternoon Snack

Wild Rose Farm Donkey Glenda Hears The Call!

Here's a little peek into the routine at Wild Rose Farm.  It starts with a call ...
GLEN - DAAAAAAA !!!!!   HERE GLEN - DAAA !!!!!  C'MON GLENDA !!!!!
You never know from which direction she'll come - that's her value as a guardian, I suppose.  Then after scanning the horizon for a few minutes, I detect motion.   There she is, coming up from the bottom of the field.  It takes a while for her to amble up & sometimes she'll stop to bray.
Meanwhile, the sweet corn is peeled & the husks become a delightful donkey treat. 


Glenda Paws At The Husks

So ... no sweet corn is microwaved or grilled in the husk here at this farm!  :)

Glenda - Those Ears Are Always Swiveling!

What Are They Looking At?

Wild Rose Farm Glenda Sneaking Up On The Water Bottle

It seems that everyone was looking at something this afternoon at Wild Rose Farm.  First I caught Glenda making a move toward the water bottle ... hmmm, what is that?
When I went into the barn, the lambs were staring & watching our 2 new kittens.

Kittens Scampering Near Lamb Pen

This ram lamb was just fascinated by the kittens scuffling in the hay.

Ram Lamb Watching Kittens Play

Finally, one of the kittens noticed the lamb overhead watching them.

Kitten Watching The Lamb!

So here they are, the two kittens, Smokey & Diamond.  This summer we lost Morris our adopted stray longhaired orange cat (sick?) and Stripe finally passed away quietly of old age.   Now Kitty & Mountain Lion - the orange & white siblings - have 2 new little friends.  Someday.  The little guys are still scared and hissing right now!  :~0

Wild Rose Farm Smokey

Wild Rose Farm Diamond