Showing posts with label spring development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring development. Show all posts

Sunday, July 7, 2019

Lambs & Ewes Out Grazing ...

Wild Rose Farm X-bred Lamb #152 Nibbling ...
One thing is for certain … this has been one of the wettest springs/early summers on record. The pastures are growing like crazy. We've seen some hay that's been rained on & still plenty of fields after the 4th of July not cut yet. Here's what it looked like in June at Wild Rose Farm!
Dorset Ewe #118 Surrounded by Lambs
Grazing in a Sea of Grass! 
Rambouillet Yearling Ewes Foreground 
The yearling ewe lambs are in excellent shape this year. The one in the left of the picture above has a small set of horns ...
Yes, The "Middle" Spring Development Water is Flowing! 

Monday, November 7, 2016

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!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Mild Weather Again ........

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Above Loafing Shed
The weather changed again by the end of the week ..... blue/grey skies and temperatures in the 50's.  We're having some rain now, but the local streams are full of ice.  So is the Ohio River just above the locks & dams - we had a chance to see several of them on the way back from Wheeling this weekend. 
Here's one of our conservaton spring water development tanks .......
Spring Development Water Tank Running Full
And here's the outfall ...... 
Spring Water Tank Outfall
This is the water tank that the flock is using this winter.  Nice to not have to carry water or worry about pipes freezing.  The pad surrounding the tank is deep gravel, so there's no standing in mud either.  The source of this particular spring fed an old barn that's long since been gone ......

Monday, February 13, 2012

Well Insulated For Snow .....

If you ever doubt the insulating power of wool, just look at the sheep after a snowstorm.  Our little Wild Rose Farm ewe lamb gazes up over the backs of 2 older ewes.  It hadn't snowed since morning & here we are at 4PM feeding time.  The snow is still just sitting on the tips of their wooly coats ...... not melting.  They are warm & comfortable under there!  Just a few minutes before the ewes were frisking around and running back from the water tank.  Typical sheep behavior ...... they get distracted eating or doing something & then they look up to realize that they are alone!  Accckkkk!  They take off at a run to be back with the rest of the flock.
Upper Spring Development Water Tank
As for the water tank, it was flowing freely with just a touch of ice along the edge.  The flow of the water from the spring development means that it is at deep ground temperature.  The spring development flows from the top water tank to the lower tank before exiting through the overflow pipe.  No moving parts, just gravity flow!
Barn Stones & Lower Spring Water Tank