Liquid Gold!

 

Sheep Milk Colostrum Going to the Freezer!

Here's an upside down selfie that I took to show everyone the precious colostrum that we milked from our ewes.  The first milk from the ewe after lambing is "anti-body rich" colostrum and it's critical for the newborns to get up and nurse.  It's thick and you can see the more golden color - which is one of the reasons we consider it liquid gold!  When a ewe has a single lamb, that's a perfect time to get some colostrum for the freezer. The frozen colostrum can be thawed later and fed to another newborn lamb that needs to be started or supplemented.  Both of the jugs above are colostrum, but from different ewes, so there's a difference in their color. 

Wild Rose Farm Rambouillet Ewe #568 & Ram Lamb

The ewe above delivered this large single ram lamb and is the donor for the jug on the left. The picture was taken after a 1AM pasture check when we brought them up to the barn.  The colostrum was milked from the side that the lamb wasn't nursing on yet at around 7AM.  It actually provides some relief to milk out the ewe and the single lamb will soon be nursing on both sides.  

The jug on the right came from a ewe that delivered twin lambs around 6AM the same morning. She just happens to have a very heavy milk flow, so we recruited her as a colostrum donor ... 

There was plenty of milk to go around!  :)

2020 Lambing Season Starts!

Wild Rose Farm - Dorset #118 & Twin Ewe Lamb

Once again, the sheep have not consulted the calendar before starting their lambing season!  My schedule said that lambing should start around April 20-21, but our #118 Dorset ewe kicked off the season on April 16th. Here she is nuzzling her ewe lamb after we brought them up to the barn.
As of today, we are waiting for more ewes to join the party. Several pens are ready and you can see that we are doing our nightly pasture checks …  

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!

Spring Grazing Pics!

Snow White & Ewes On Pasture

We think that the grass is about a week or so behind this year. We've heard other local folks saying that the trees are leafing out later too.  I don't know about that, but we're marching along in our intensive grazing program.

Wild Rose Farm - Setting Up For Grazing Tomorrow

In the picture above, you can see where the sheep had grazed behind the fresh section of pasture that the sheep are munching now.  The fence will extend up between the pine trees to give the ewes some shade if needed. It was overcast today, but the temperature is going up by mid-week.

Wild Rose Farm - Got Grass?

Oh yes ... we had one ewe lamb born today too ...

A Great Weekend!

Wild Rose Farm Naturally Dyed Yarn

We had a great weekend at the Old Economy Village "Christmas At The Village" event.  It was good to see old friends and customers and to meet some new folks!  Our new Rambouillet wool yarn spun at Mill At The Meadowlands was super soft and popular with the knitters who stopped & gave it a squeeze ...  Many of our collection of vintage woolen sweaters, scarves, hats, & blankets found new homes too. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the historical site and the wonderful food and entertainment.

Rambouillet Ram & Ewes

The rams have been in with the ewes for almost 2 weeks now. Most of the ewes have been marked since they have an approximately 17 day cycle. We'll have to get an updated picture of the ewes in the next few days to post on the blog. It goes without saying that the sheep love this colder weather!

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! 

New Career For Ewe Lambs!

Wild Rose Farm Rambouillet Ewe Lambs Leaving

Couldn't Get Anyone To Pose For The Picture!

With so much natural dyeing going on (I mean really?), we forgot to mention that 3 Rambouillet ewe lambs left this week! They are happily embarking on a new show & breeding career for a dedicated young lady. Her show experience includes sheep, market hogs, and various types of poultry ... and that's just what we gleaned in 2 visits with her. :)

Can't wait to see how they do for her next year!

2017 Beaver County Self-Guided Farm Tour

Here's another clipping from Lancaster Farming - stop by if you're in the area! 

Farm Activities ...

Sheep Watching The Cherry Picking!

We've been busy with all kinds of activities here (and not here) at Wild Rose Farm. On the home front, the sour cherry trees were loaded this year and we got a lot picked and "put up" as they say.

Cherry Picking 101!

 So far the count has been 2 cherry pies, 8 quarts of frozen cherries, and a dozen half-pints of cherry jam.  We've been sharing the tops of the trees with the birds and the season's not done yet ...

1st Fresh Baked Cherry Pie of the Season!

During some pruning work along our road frontage I discovered a previously unknown (to me) mulberry tree.  The branches were hard to reach, but a quart of mulberries managed to find their way into the freezer too!  A few of the ewes and lambs found their way over near the fence line while I was picking the mulberries and kept an eye on things ...

A Few Of The Ewes & Lambs Morning Grazing

 Do you ever wish you'd done something 20 years ago?  On one of our rainy days, we drove to D-S Livestock Equipment in Maryland & picked up this piece of equipment to add to the end of our processing & sorting chute. We've been an operation that makes the sheep pay for their equipment and this will make processing and hoof trimming a lot easier for us ...

D-S Livestock Equipment "Roll O'Matic"!

Finally, this week we took what I call our "non-committed" wool to the Washington County Wool Pool. I volunteered with check-in for both days. It's a great way to get to talk & meet with regional shepherds!  This year the high bidder for the pool required that the wool was NOT GRADED and had to be shipped in plastic wool sacks. They will re-weigh & grade the wool and then send checks directly to the producers.  This was a big change and some folks were not happy since they had already bagged their fleeces according to past practice.  We made sure to separate all of our fine Rambouillet wool in one bag.  We'll see how it goes.

Getting Ready For Lambing Season!

Backing Out of the Barn at Wild Rose Farm ...

Lambing season is due to start in the next week, so we took advantage of some sunny & dry weather to clean out our barn. The ewe lambs and Snow White spent the winter sheltered here munching on round bales of hay. That nice bedding pack gets to go out to be composted before we spread it on the fields in the fall.  This is the non-glamorous side of the sheep business! Now we're setting up the pens for the ewes & their lambs when we bring them in from pasture.
Later when we went to get feed at the Rogers Feed Mill, we found them starting on a months long renovation project.  The area that has been torn down contained the offices and apparently was once a church building ... concrete floors, a warehouse, & indoor plumbing are coming, hopefully by the end of summer!

Rogers, Ohio - Rogers Feed Mill -Demolition & Construction Underway!

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!

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!

Apples, Grapes, & Sheep!

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Coming For Apples!

We've been having really sunny & dry weather this week, but it looks like a T-storm is on it's way tonight. Excuse the glare, but you can see that it's perfect fall painting weather and that's where I was when the sheep came trailing along. I had picked up a bucket of fallen apples & pears to throw over the fence.

OK, So Dump The Bucket!  We're Waiting!

These pics were taken with my cell phone, but you get the idea.  Once again, the wise old ewes came right up and waited.  Later today after it got a bit overcast, we noticed an apple that I had missed and got a chuckle out of it lodged in the tree.  :~0

Apple Resting Comfortably In Tree ...

Mr. WRF was out spreading our composted sheep manure & signaled me to come look at something along the fence line. This has been a great year for blackberries, cherries, apples, and now the acorns & walnuts are falling.  Take a look at this huge crop of wild grapes that he spotted in a wild cherry tree!

Lots Of Grapes For The Winter Wildlife! 

Sheep Shearing Done ... Finally!

What Is Going On In Here?

Snow White can't believe what she's seeing!   Not only was she intently observing the sheep shearing, she had to sniff the sheep to figure out what happened.   We had to postpone the original shearing date a week ago.  Our shearer Don injured his knee and called at 7:30 AM Sunday morning to cancel the appointment.  We weren't sure when we could reschedule, so it was "pins & needles" for most of the week.  We ended up shearing the first 26 ewes on Sunday and finishing the last 20 ewes on Tuesday.   It's great to be finished for another year.

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Waiting In Full Fleece

Our shearer has around 200 sheep of his own, so he arrives mid-morning after completing chores on his own farm.  Right before we start shearing, the ewes are crowded close together to make it easier to catch them.

Wild Rose Farm Ewe #129 Being Sheared

As the ewes are sheared, we bag the fleeces individually and make notes on fleece quality for every ewe.  In the case of the yearling ewes being sheared for the first time, we also take a 2" square wool sample, label it, and pack it to be sent to a testing lab for micron testing.

Wild Rose Farm Ewe #129 - A Nice Fleece!

Last but not least, we even got Snow White a "barrel clip" ... meaning that she got the traditional llama clipping pattern.  Kudos again to RA-DAR Farm where Snow White was raised & shown.  She stood quietly in the paddock held by her halter & lead rope and was no trouble to clip.  Yea!  

Sheep Shearing Tomorrow!

Wild Rose Farm Bred Ewes

Do we look like we're READY to be sheared?   Finally, the weather is cooperating and our shearer plans to be here tomorrow.   He called a couple of hours ago.  We moved the ewes off of their round bale hay feeders and they're on the way to the barn.  No sense trying to lead them through the new green grass, so we "pause" them on one of the paddocks for half a day.  Once they're satisfied, they'll follow up to the barn! Then it's no hay or water overnight.  That way, they are more comfortable being manipulated during shearing on an empty stomach.

Fleeces Look Pretty Clean ... Ewe Lamb In Front

We're thinking that the fleeces look pretty clean this spring ...yea!  Well, it's time to go out and get the barn set up for tomorrow.   Enjoy the sun!

Scampering Past Daffodils!

Shuffling Sheep

Oooooh - Tasty Grass!

Things have been a bit slow lately at Wild Rose Farm.  Cold.  Really Cold. Warm. Cold again.  Frost seeding weather.  Now rain.  Tomorrow cold again.  Saturday colder still.  More frost seeding weather.  You get the picture.   We decided to move the sheep out of the barn area and over to the feeding pad near the Loafing Shed.  We'll need to clean out the barn before the shearing coming up shortly.

Off They Go ... Can There Be More Tasty Grass Ahead?

My role in this activity?  Follow behind hazing any stragglers and closing gates as we go.  Hmmm.  Notice anyone missing from the picture?

Who Me?

I went back into the barn paddock ... Snow White demurred and skittered past me into the barn overhang.   Now folks, she's been shown and can be haltered & led along, but I said to heck with it!  We'll get her another time.  Dinner was waiting.   Fast forward to today ...

Snow White Watching Her Friends

Guess who is standing out in the rain gazing into the distance?  Yes, her sheepy friends are all OVER THERE!    Maybe if we walk down a little closer ...?

Looking At Sheep Is SO Interesting ....

Breaking Ice

Wild Rose Farm - Breaking Ice

I looked out the window in the morning and saw the pup running around in the field ... how did she get down there?   Hmmmm.  She was racing ahead of the Wild Rose Farm ice-breaking crew.  Temps of -6 will do that to you!

Heaving Ice With Pitchfork

The spring water development runs constantly, but it freezes around the edges & the sheep can't reach the open water.  You can see that some algae in the tank is stuck to the bottom of the ice.

Jazzy Playing & Chewing On Ice Chunks! 

Of course, Jazzy takes this as a great adventure, playing and racing around!  The crew looks back to see what the heck she is doing ...

Wild Rose Farm Jazzy On The Move!

It looks like Jazzy is showing her Iditarod racing form as the work continues.  Almost done clearing the water tank now ... and Jazzy banks into the turn on the home stretch!  :)

Clearing The Last Of The Ice

Anybody Out There?

Wild Rose Farm - Whiteout @ 1:39 PM Today!

For all we know, the sheep are trailing down to the water tank, but you couldn't prove it from this picture! The current temperature is 22 degrees F & dropping.  It's looked like this several times today and we've gotten a couple of inches of new snow.
In other news, the applications are flowing in from the vendors for the 2015 Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest.  As the Craft Show Chairman, it's great to see the long time vendors coming back and new vendors sending their pictures in with their application.  A new vendor application came in today - she wrote about her fiber and felted offerings and mentioned that her "fairies have a following"!   It puts a smile on your face on a cold winter day ...   Is the 3rd weekend in May far away now?  ;~)

Wild Rose Farm - Glad to Have Indoor Plumbing!

You can't even see the barn from the porch ...

Riding Shotgun

Hauling & Clean Up Of Spruce Tree Branches

Well, the blown down spruce tree is "mostly" cleaned up now.  The root mass and the main trunk are left, along with 2 branches spiked into the yard.  They are in so deep, that they will have to be pulled straight up & out with the tractor drawbar.   We're planning to add two big 8' logs to the pile of wood for the sawmill this winter.  It should make some nice wide spruce boards.   Just noticed 2 pumpkins left behind on the posts ... we'll have to take them to the sheep. 
Then I spotted a little head in the next picture.  It looks like the pup Jazzy is riding shotgun.  Click on the pic to enlarge.  She's the picture of seriousness looking straight ahead!  :)

Wild Rose's Jasmine - Call Name "Jazzy" - Riding Shotgun