2020 National Llama Appreciation Day!

Today is National Llama Appreciation Day, so last night I went in search of Snow White to get some pictures to post ...

Nope, She's Not Resting in the Shade With Us ...

She wasn't in the Loafing Shed resting with some of the ewes and lambs, so I set off to hike around this paddock. We have a secure tightly fenced section around the Loafing Shed where we bring everyone in after the day of grazing.  The spring water development is in this section too.

Snow White At Sunset

Of course, she was all the way up at the highest point of the paddock near the gate along the road. From the piles of "llama beans" nearby, you can tell that she likes this spot. 

"I can see the whole place from here!"

Snow White Can Oversee Her Flock From Gate to Gate

As I was taking pictures, Snow White wandered down to graze closer to her flock. We have been very fortunate to have her as our guardian llama. Officially, she's Radar's Snow White #280010 and she came to us during lambing season in April 2014 from the Suttons at RA DAR LLAMAS. She had never seen sheep before, but she was immediately fascinated by the lambs.  

Snow White Sees First Lamb - April 2014 - Wow! 

 So back to last night, Snow White returns to grazing and watching her flock of ewes and lambs. We really appreciate our llama! 

Wild Rose Farm - Snow White at Work! 

 Here's another way that you can appreciate your llama during these trying times ...

Super Sheep?!?

Wild Rose Farm Ewe #141

We had just moved the sheep back over to the Loafing Shed after replacing a couple of ear tags, when this ewe caught my eye.  Hmmm, who is this somewhat short legged, chunky little ewe?  I had to creep up on her quietly to see that she was #141. She's a Dorset x Rambouillet cross and her records show that she's had 4 sets of twins. We'd already made the decision to retain her ewe lamb this year based on her growth - she's the only x-bred ewe lamb that we're keeping. It's tough since we're keeping 5 ewe lambs (3 Rambouillet, 1 Dorset) & we could only keep one more.
I'll try to get a picture of her one of these days ...
We have some really nice twin x-bred ewe lambs for sale that would really be nice to keep. We've sold a Dorset ram lamb & a horned Rambouillet ram lamb in the last couple of weeks and it would be great if some of the ewe lambs went to a new farm!

Time For Some Shade!

Wild Rose Farm - 25 Degrees in the Shade!

I looked out the window and noticed all of the sheep standing in the SHADE of the Loafing Shed.  I zoomed in on the ewes so that you can see them grouped in the shadow.  Folks, it's 25 degrees out there!  They can be lounging anywhere on the other side of the fence line and they choose to be in the shade where it's cooler.  With their wool fleeces, they are quite comfortable in the cold weather, just like the whitetail deer that you see bedded down in the woods. Just say'in for those that worry about the livestock … they could also be inside the Loafing Shed if they choose to be, but they aren't.

By the way, shearing is scheduled for April 13th this year!

Moving Pastures

Wild Rose Farm Horned Ewe #134 & Twins

We're in the process of moving the sheep from the pasture nearest the barn over to the pasture connected to the Loafing Shed. We lamb close to the barn, but we've now rotated through all of the grazing in sections. We'll probably wean about half of the lambs later this week after the temperatures drop a little. We're having 2 or 3 days in the 90's and there's no sense in causing additional stress in that kind of heat. You can see by the picture above that the lambs are getting pretty big now!

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! 

What's For Supper?

Wild Rose Farm  Ewes Around Loafing Shed Door

After working with the ewes at the barn on Sunday, they trailed back over to the Loafing Shed.  Of course they know that their grain ration comes out of the front door and they attempted to get inside ... "I knew you kept the goodies in there!", they seemed to say.  You'd think they hadn't eaten for days.

On The Way To The Feed Bunks ...

The fall color here has been fleeting & slightly drab. A lot of the maple leaves went from brown tipped and yellow to "gone". Some are still turning orange & red, but not nearly as colorful as usual due to the dry & hot weather that we've had. See how dry it is in the woods around the water tank?

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Enjoying Spring Water

BTW, now is the time to come out and look at ewe lambs if you'd like to start a flock! We also have several Rambouillet ram lambs left & they'd be great to breed a small flock this fall.

Just Routines!

Wild Rose Farm - Done Grazing Here!

The ewes & lambs have settled into a routine now that everyone has been processed with ear tags and they're out grazing. They spent the evening & overnight in the "hospital pen" near the barn to graze it down. When you do a graze with high stock density in a limited area, they say it's a third, a third, a third. One third eaten, one third trampled, one third remaining.  That looks about right, lol, and now we'll mow off the stems & seed heads.  The sheep were off to the pasture on the other side of the Loafing Shed ...
Leading up to the Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest, I noted that we were running low on our Rambouillet combed top and needed to have more made. We quickly skirted and took 20 pounds of raw fleece out to the Great Lakes Sheep & Fiber Show in Wooster, Ohio over the Memorial Day weekend. We dropped it off with Zeilinger Wool to be processed ... yay!  They make a lovely combed top for us and we'd sold a bunch at Waynesburg.  

Grazing & Waiting!

Putting Up Net Fencing Before Grazing

We're getting ready to start some light grazing at Wild Rose Farm. We usually wait until mid-April when the grass starts jumping to begin grazing. The electric net fence is up to guide the ewes up to the top pasture on the other side of the Loafing Shed. We'll graze this area first before bringing them to the pasture around the barn for lambing season ...
Meanwhile, here's a look at the 2-ply yarn that we were waiting for at The Mill At Meadowlands.

Rambouillet 2-Ply Bulky Yarn!

This batch is moving on to the skeining process ... Yay!

Snow Again?

Wild Rose Farm - Back To The Loafing Shed!

After it rained all night & into yesterday morning, it was time to run the sheep back over to the Loafing Shed. The sheep took off out of the barn immediately for the runway to the pasture ... guess who brought up the rear? Yes, Snow White stuck her head out of the barn, looked around, and realized that she was all alone. She ran, jumped, & joyfully kicked her way down the runway, but I was too slow to get the cell phone out to catch the action, lol.
The yellowish looking grass on the left is where the sheep were turned out one by one as they were being sheared. The paddock was grazed intensely, but it should green up again in a couple of weeks.
It was 65 degrees yesterday ... it's 32 degrees & snowing today ... BUT the temps are going back up tomorrow. What a spring so far!

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?!?

Projects & More Projects!

Wow ... so where have we been all summer & fall?  Here's a look back at what has been going on in between taking care of the ewes & lambs.

Old Spring Development H2O Tank

Our old "middle" spring development tank was due to be replaced. This one is seasonal, so while it was soooo dry in July, we replaced it.  We also had the nearby stumps pulled from the winter brush clearing project. All of this was in preparation for a pasture sub-division fence project.  See how these things go?

Pushing Stumps Onto The Brush Pile

Finally, by October, we had running water after getting a decent amount of rain. Of course, as of yesterday, the new tank is just holding even since it hasn't rained again for a couple of weeks. As you can see below, we were paint marking & staking out the spots for the fence posts.

New Tank & Crystal Clear Water!

Meanwhile, "back at the ranch" this August, Mr. WRF tackled the 12' barn doors that weren't meeting up flush together and latching correctly.  Turns out that the "boards behind the board" that formed the header where the doors were attached had some rot and had to be replaced. The doors had been built in place, so the trick here is to do the repair/replace while the doors are still hanging off to the side. I stayed away from this project ... :~0

Wild Rose Farm Barn Door Repair Project

The hot, dry weather also provided a window to "finish" the Loafing Shed.  It was coated with linseed oil and then the trim & louvers were painted white. What a difference!

Loafing Shed & Fall Color! 

 The doors are ash - complete with the Emerald Ash Borer grooves that killed the tree - and the siding is cherry. The ash borer marks in the wood of the doors are reminiscent of wormy chestnut ...
And the fence project?  And Snow White's trip to the vet? We'll save that for another day!

Chores Almost Finished ...

Beautiful Day At Wild Rose Farm!

We're wrapping up the pre-lambing festivities here at the farm.  We had temps in the low 80's this afternoon as we brought the ewes up for their vaccination boosters.  We ease them up in stages through the various fields so there is no rush or overexertion.

Snow White Gets Vaccinated Too ...

I was going to brush out Snow White & even up her clip job, but I ran out of time once we got started giving the ewes their shots.  We'll have plenty of time for that later, I guess.  It was just getting dark as we took the flock back to the Loafing Shed.  Now begins the early morning and late night checks for lambs!

Gathered & Waiting To Move

Change Of Shearing Plans!

What The Well Dressed Shearers Are Wearing!

We got 25 of 46 sheep sheared yesterday with temps in the mid-40's.  We mutually decided to reschedule the rest for next week after this cold front passes.  The shearing machine is still hanging from the nail in the rafters and the board + carpet are leaning against the wall.  Click to enlarge & notice the footwear repair with sheep duct tape! :)  Our shearer does not wear felt booties like some do when shearing.

Wild Rose Farm - Another Nice Fleece Comes Off!

Once again, all of the fleeces are recorded, evaluated, bagged, & tagged as they are being sheared. With just 2 of us to help catch, sweep, bag, and move fleeces, we don't have time or room to set up a skirting table. I usually have a couple of bags of belly wool, dirty top knots, tags, & hay filled neck wool that I've pulled off as we are shearing. One of the ewes was sick last year and so there was one fleece with "wool break" that will end up in the tag pile at the wool pool.

Wild Rose Farm Fleeces "Bagged & Tagged" ...

Rambouillet ewe #422 with a 19.9 micron test produced a nice spinning fleece that we will sample for the Virginia guild project.  Once again, Rambouillet ewe #410 has another great show fleece - look for this one again at the Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest Fleece Show in May!

A Glimpse Of Wild Rose Farm Rambouillet Ewe #410 Coming To A Show Near You! 

As they were sheared, the hungry ewes were released to pasture. They ran around munching until we finished, cleaned up, and then opened up the barn paddock gates to them again.  A sudden downpour sent them running back up to the barn where we closed them inside ... but not before some sheepy confusion about where they were supposed to go.  Typical sheep!

Bright White Sheep Flock Back To The Barn

  Yep, they ran past the open paddock gate and stood outside where they had been penned for shearing.  :)

A Bucket Of Grain Calls Them Back To The Gate Behind The Barn ... 

Snow White & the full fleeced ewes were sent back to the Loafing Shed to wait until next week.

Sunrise & Lambs At Wild Rose Farm!

Wild Rose Farm Sunrise & Lambs!

Last night we penned up #50 in the Loafing Shed ... she definitely was getting ready to go into labor.  Here she is this morning around 7 AM with her set of twins.  We walked her over to the driveway area where she is munching up a storm with the lambs at her side.  She probably hadn't really eaten anything since yesterday afternoon when she started to get that "distracted" look and began to pace around.

Wild Rose Farm #50 Grazing With Twins

We have been impressed with her.  She is an excellent mother & last year she raised a set of triplets with no bottle feeding.  She is a x-bred ewe with a high percentage of Rambouillet.

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.

Interesting Lambing Story!

Early Morning - Ewe #98 Pacing - Where Are My Lambs?

We started out with a check at the Loafing Shed this morning and found a set of twins and 2 singles ... or did we?   We brought the 2 well taken care of singles and moms over to the barn.  Then when I looked at happy ewe #98, I said "She's as big as a house!  Those aren't her lambs!".  Nope, ol' #98 had stolen 2 lambs from the other younger ewes!    Well, she followed us and the 2 lambs over to the barn and we sorted out who the 2 lambs belonged to ... basically it has to do with seeing which ewe accepts a lamb and/or butts it away. OK, we got that figured out after a little while & made sure that the lambs had full bellies.

Ewe #98 Pawing For Lambs

As the morning went on, #98 kept bleating and looking for lambs.  She was very close to lambing and finally her water broke.  Lambing was underway ...

Snow White Watches The Action!

 At 11:45 AM, we had one lamb born and by 1 PM we had a nice big set of twins out on the grass.  We try to watch from a distance and not crowd the ewe.  No sense creating a problem where there isn't one!  The lambs are usually born with enough time between them to have the 1st one cleaned off before the 2nd one is delivered.

Wild Rose Farm Ewe #98 Delivers Twins ...

What a nice sunny day with temps in the 50's for lambs to be born on pasture.  Once the lambs are cleaned and the afterbirth is passed, we'll move them into a lambing pen for a couple of days.
The disadvantage to lambing this time of year?  I usually miss the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival!

Ewe #98 Cleaning Off 2nd Lamb!