Sheep Gal Blog | Foxfire Fiber & Designs

Lamb Camp

July 29, 2010 | 15 Comments

I'm always amazed at how quickly the lamb flock adjusts to free ranging during the summer months. With Crackerjack their trusty guardian, they're camped in the back pasture. We "stockpiled" it for them, meaning we kept other sheep out of it so the lambs would have fresh forage. In some places the grass is taller than they are. So when I go counting heads at day's end, it's a lamb safari! It's so different from the barnyard life they lived just weeks ago. The whole flock is free ranging for the summer.

Although many lambs in this group are now nearly indifferent to our comings and goings, a handful still eagerly seek us whenever we show up with fresh water. Mistral and Georgia approach for hugs. Sometimes they're accompanied by one or two curious friends.

Crackerjack positions himself wherever he has the best view of the surrounding fields. While the lambs camp under the white pine at mid-day, he basks like a lizard in the sun. At dusk he patrols the perimeter.

Georgia

Mistral

Categories: animals/wildlife, fiber farm, Handspinning, knitting, and sheep.
Tags: cormo lambs, fiber farm, lambs, sheep farm, and summer.

Lambs – Out to Pasture

July 22, 2010 | 8 Comments

It takes a llama to get the lambs going in the right direction. Just a quick post – I thought you'd like to see how we get them out to pasture in the morning.

WE LOVE CRACKERJACK!!

Categories: animals/wildlife, Craft, fiber farm, Handspinning, knitting, and sheep.
Tags: fiber farm, lambs, llama, and sheep farm.

Weaning the Lambs

July 19, 2010 | 15 Comments

The lambs huddle around me in the barn. With the shift of independence from the ewes, they've become more interested in our comings and goings. When I arrive they press in like this. They butt me in the legs and nibble on my camera strap. It's a nice way to start the morning.

This group has made the transition of weaning quite smoothly. Just one very noisy night and then quiet. Except for when we arrive. They shadow Crackerjack, their new leader and we count on his help in getting them where we need them to go.

The mother's are drying off well. I checked udders while doing rounds yesterday. A couple of them are still a little bagged up, but each day I can see a slackening as their milk supply eases. I can tell they were so ready for a break. There's been no calling for the lambs at all.

I'm finding myself with energy for light farm tasks: patting down udders, checking fence lines, filling buckets, pulling an occasional weed. Early morning or evening are my best times, when the sun is low in the sky. I'm grateful for Mike and Holly's help; they're bearing the lion's share of the chores.

I've really appreciated your continued healing thoughts. My cardi-care is going well – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at Baystate Franklin in Greenfield. The gals who run the rehab program are awesome. Each week I step it up a notch. I can't tell you how good it feels to be moving after sitting still for a while. I don't do that very well! I still crash late afternoon, almost every day but allowing myself to take a break (while it feels horribly indulgent) is doing my body a world of good. Even if it's just to read or write or knit or contemplate my navel for 30 minutes.

happy monday!

Categories: animals/wildlife, Craft, fiber farm, Handspinning, knitting, and sheep.
Tags: fiber farm, lambs, sheep farm, summer, and weaning.

Of Rams and Men

July 15, 2010 | 20 Comments

In summer the rams live in our backyard. We like to visit with them after dinner, before dusk gets thick with mosquitoes and forces us to retreat indoors. It's one of my favorite times of day.

In general it's ill advised to treat rams like giant teddy bears. You certainly shouldn't get down at their level in the middle of the field without nearby cover, as Mike is the photo above. Mike has a special connection with the "big boys". It's a guy thing, I suppose. He's not intimidated by them the way I am.

They sense it and don't challenge him nearly as often as they badger me. Mike is an expert at reading the mood of this group, sensing their defiant moments and then keeping a safe distance. We certainly wouldn't be casually strolling the pasture with them in the time of fall rut.

Hard to believe this is the same group that came charging across the pasture at me, heads lowered two weeks ago. Last night they were completely mellow. No rammy angst. Not a single hostile vibe. Total marshmallows.

Cilantro (above) can be the most ornery of the group. He and Mike had a little talk about minding manners, not chasing mom in the pasture.

Cilantro seemed somber and penitent. But I know his wayward tendencies. We'll see how long the good behavior lasts!

Categories: animals/wildlife, Craft, fiber farm, Handspinning, knitting, and sheep.
Tags: fiber farm, rams, and sheep.

Big Moves

July 14, 2010 | 5 Comments

A few scenes from a busy day full of big changes.

Weaning, Day One – We separated the lambs from the mothers this afternoon. It was high time. While I'm sure the lambs would nurse until they were yearlings (if the mothers allowed it), they are getting everything they need from the pastures now. And those mommas need a break.

Holly led the troupe across the road: one llama, 20 mothers, 33 lambs. An orderly procession until we made it to the open barn where it was all craziness, noise and chaos. We sorted ewes from lambs and then led the ewes back across the road to the birthing barn paddock. That's where they'll "dry off" .

The lambs baaahed while watching the mothers depart. And once the moms got back to the other barn (led by Holly with a grain pan) they realized, "Hey, wait a minute. We forgot the kids!" And when they saw the lambs weren't following right behind, you should have heard them.

We're in for a noisy night. The lambs have plenty of hay and water but they're wailing up a storm. They'll camp inside their new barn until they settle and then tomorrow we'll turn them out on fresh pasture. Crackerjack remains with this group now. I swear, I could see him rolling his eyes, "here we go again . . ."

Fortunately, it's been a quiet week with no new predator strikes here or at the neighbors' farms. But I'm still fairly anxious about the prospect. For peace of mind, we'll be pasturing the lambs on one of the newly mown hay fields, inside hard fence. Once the dust settles.

There was another group of departures today. Five of our remaining ten Border Leicesters left for new homes in Vermont. We were really sad to see them go: Lovey, Woody, Topanga, Colrain and Flo. Andy, my shearer, took three of them to join a handsome black ram I sold him years ago (Groucho). And two girls have gone to another farm in Vermont. Although I'll miss them, I glad to see them going to flocks where they'll be put to work, lambing each year.

My decision to part with my Leicesters is one I made over time. Raising two breeds within one flock can be challenging from a management standpoint – as their needs are very different at certain times of the year.

So maybe now you're wondering, "what about the yarn?" Our migration toward raising Cormo, Cormo crosses and more recently moorit sheep means our yarns will be crafted from a blend of finer wools raised here at the farm – in a wider range of natural colors. Our "Upland" blends yarns will retain their rustic character but with more bounce and a softer hand. And our Cormo yarns will be as soft and squishy as ever. I'm really looking forward to being able to offer a broader range of fine wool, farm yarns over the course of the next year. Stay tuned.

Even so, it was a wistful goodbye. I'm looking forward to visiting the girls with lambs at their sides next spring.

Categories: animals/wildlife, Craft, fiber farm, Handspinning, knitting, and sheep.
Tags: border leicester sheep, cormo, fiber farm, lambs, and weaning.

Keeping Watch

July 7, 2010 | 9 Comments

Hay is happening. Last week's string of sunny, breezy days kicked off a chain reaction. Every farm in Franklin county is making hay. You need at least 4 days to get it crackling dry. Norm mowed every field on the farm in two days and he and his family then spent the rest of the week tedding, raking and baling.

Haymaking means juggling the pastures a bit, keeping the flock out of the way. Perfect timing, really, as Holly and I would like to wean the lambs next week. We plan to use one of the mown fields for lamb grazing (once the grass has come back a bit) – ideal for raising lamb. No sheep have been on that ground this year (so it is parasite free), it's the best darn grass on the farm, it's surrounded by woven wire fence with a hot line at the top, and it's not too far from the barn in case we need to run them in for cover. Crackerjack will remain with the lambs once we've separated them from the mothers.

Crackerjack's presence and the security of the fences is especially critical right now. Lambs separated from moms are vulnerable. They wail and protest and call lots of attention to themselves. In the past two weeks our neighbors have lost a total of 5 lambs and 7 fowl to predation – coyote they think. Nothing left but bones and little tufts of wool. Nothing left of the hens but a few feathers (beak, feet, all gone). Whatever is striking is consuming all that it kills, so this seems different from our wolf attack in 2007 when we lost four rams in one night. I have not heard much coyote activity this season. In fact the surge in bunny population suggests the coyotes may be down in numbers. So maybe something else has developed a taste for chicken and lamb. And so, we're on our toes, testing fences everyday.

Haymaking stirs up everything. Deer love to bed their newborn fauns in the tall grass in the middle of the hayfield. Norm is super careful about not catching them with the mower (a frightened faun will remain motionless, poor things). Holly freed one faun from the electric fence paddock a few weeks ago, so it could join its mom over by my garden.

And last week, as I was sitting at my computer, I heard the oddest blatting sound coming from the pasture directly behind the house. We had just moved the 12 adult rams to that field but the sound was high pitched – more lamb than ram. I called Mike and we both hustled into the field to find this little faun frantically dashing around the pasture.

We suspect the doe gave birth in the fenced pasture, (since a doe could easily scale the 4.5 foot perimeter fence). She must have left her baby hidden in the grass while she went off foraging. And I bet the rams nearly scared the poor thing to death. I've never heard a faun cry before.

As I moved through the pasture to open the uphill gate, the rams turned their attention to me. I'm not sure if was the excitement of "visitors", or a territorial response maybe triggered by the cool morning, but the boys came storming across the field at me, heads lowered.

Holy Moly.

My first instinct was to run for the fence line. And them I remembered my doc's orders : NO RUNNING! And then I thought I should curl up in a ball on the ground. I screamed for Mike who made a bee line to intersect the boys before they could barrel into me. Spooked them enough to stop them in their tracks for a moment. And then naturally they wanted to pick a fight with Mike. Sometime rams thugs. You just can't turn your back on them.

MIke distracted them long enough for me to open the upper gate and help the faun make its exit.

A few minutes later we spied the doe, who had been watching everything from the cover of woods. We've seen this pair several times since then. I think we should adopt them as they have clearly made our farm their summer home. Any name suggestions??

On a separate note, I want to thank everyone for the cards, emails and expressions of concern and support. I'm feeling stronger each week and am just starting cardi rehab today. I still get tired easily but am told that's to be expected. It feels really good to be moving again. Will keep you posted. Thanks for sending positive healing thoughts my way.

Hoping you all had a happy holiday weekend.

Categories: animals/wildlife, Craft, fiber farm, Handspinning, knitting, and sheep.
Tags: coyote, deer, faun, fiber farm, lambs, predators, and sheep farm.

Sheep Shares Lamb Visit

June 30, 2010 | 7 Comments

The lambs had company on Sunday. We got lucky with a picture-perfect day for our Sheep Shares Lamb Visit. The flock was on their best behavior. Mostly.

They lampeded for guests before fanning out to graze in the field. Holly and Mike gave a farm tour. The bottle lambs scampered right over and hung out with us for the afternoon. Helena stole someone's plate of grapes and carrots. Crackerjack eyed the refreshment table but minded his manners.

Mistral peed on the picnic blanket . . .

yet still managed to win everyone's heart . . .

while amusing us with her antics.

Georgia was a sponge, soaking up attention.

And Crackerjack shyly enjoyed his moment in the limelight.

We had loads of goodies – local strawberries, cookies (courtesy of Bonnie). Minh brought the best pastries. Mike and Holly had put up a tent for refreshments and set up plenty of chairs and straw bales in the shade of the maple.

And we had the most incredible show and tell . . . stunning finished projects knit from last spring and winter's Sheep Shares and some inspiring works in progress. It was truly rewarding to be surrounded by my flock and friends sharing their creations from the wool of my flock. Fiber come full circle.

I had way too many photos for one post (and Holly and visitors have been kind enough to share some pics for me to share with you). Read on to post #2 for more about the day.

copyright 2010. Barbara Parry. All rights reserved. With photos courtesy of Holly Sonntag. Feel free to share a link to this website. Please do not take content or images from this website without my explicit written permission. Thank you.

Categories: animals/wildlife, Craft, fiber farm, and sheep.
Tags: fiber farm, lambs, open farm, and Sheep Shares.

Sheep Shares Lamb Visit part two

June 29, 2010 | 4 Comments

More scenes from the day:

Georgia and Mistral remained center stage throughout the afternoon. Even when the rest of the flock drifted back toward the barn and we settled down to knitting in the shade, they wandered from guest to guest. Mistral inspected the contents of every knitter's bag (for contraband bottles?), - and almost frogged someone's w.i.p.! Georgia just wanted to be spoiled. She was not disappointed.

Like a pair of toddlers, into everything!!!

When it was time for a group shot Georgia took her second nap of the day in the arms of her new best friend (Sarah : ).

As the afternoon unwound, she was really ready to crash. And so was I. By the day's end we were all pretty tapped out. The lambs happily reclaimed their favorite napping spot beneath the tree once everyone headed home.

The visit was good medicine, so good for the heart. And soul.

I thank everyone who could join us for a special afternoon. I really thank Mike, for seeing to last minute details: slicing melons, all the heavy lifting and for really making sure I didn't overdo it. And my assistant-shepherd extraordinaire Holly for such an amazing job: making the farm look fantastic and making sure the lambs were on their very best behavior while somehow making it all look easy! I really couldn't have pulled it off without their help.

copyright 2010. Barbara Parry. Photos courtesy of Cynthia, Holly Sonntag and Peggy Dixon. Feel free to share a link to this website. Please do not take content or images from this website without my explicit written permission. Thank you.

Categories: animals/wildlife, fiber farm, Handspinning, knitting, and sheep.
Tags: fiber farm, lambs, open farm, and Sheep Shares.

Wake Up Call

June 24, 2010 | 71 Comments

Let me explain the pause in blogging – and please read this post carefully because it contains an important message for all my female readers.

My agenda last week included prepping to teach handspinning at WEBS, dyeing summer yarn share samples, helping Holly give lambs their CDT boosters, getting ready for the Open Farm on the 27th, collecting sheep and goat fecal samples for inspection, sowing another round of salad greens and staking the tomatoes, attending my nephew's high school graduation in New Hampshire, working on my book . . .

My "to do" list didn't include having a heart attack.

But that is exactly what happened to me in the biggest OMG moment of my life.

You should know right away that I'm fine. Shaken, but fine. I can't tell you how lucky I am – first of all to be here and secondly to have a very good prognosis, since my heart attack was somewhat atypical, not caused by coronary blockage.

I'm 47 years old, active, reasonably fit. I eat healthy. Mostly. I don't drink or smoke. I certainly didn't think I was a candidate for a heart attack which is why I dismissed the signs and symptoms and I waited WAY TOO LONG before acknowledging that something was seriously wrong and heading to the hospital last Wednesday.

Since then I've learned a number of interesting things about women and heart attacks. Women often experience heart attacks differently than men. Often there is no one moment of crushing chest pain.

Each year a frighteningly high number of women die either because they mistake the signs of heart attack (often for indigestion) or are misdiagnosed. For days prior, I'd been feeling like I was having the world's worst case of acid reflux.

And I've also learned that, as in my case, stress, not blocked arteries, is often the culprit.

It was a huge wake up call. An exclamation point at the tail end of one of the most chaotic spring seasons. So for the past few days I've been resting, reading, hanging out with Mike and my pupsters. As you may know, sitting still doesn't come naturally to me, but I'm seriously heeding my doctor's directives. Mike is taking good care of me. Holly is taking good care of the sheep. Yesterday I stepped into the pasture for just a minute for a few quick lamb-hugs with Mistral and Georgia.

I'm making a few changes for the next few weeks, to rest, recover, regroup, and work on my book. I don't want you all worrying about me or the sheep so I'll let you know how we're doing. Look for blog posts once a week – on Wednesdays – for the month of July.

Fortunately, I've had some unbelievably generous offers of back-up help for Holly and Mike with the sheep. I'll take them.

And I'll be getting help in the studio, so we can get the summer shares dyed and on their way over the next few weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing whoever can stop by on Sunday for the Sheep Shares Lamb Visit Day, though I'll probably let Mike and Holly give the grand tour. Bring your knitting, hang out with me and the lambs in the shade of the maple on the front lawn.

Categories: animals/wildlife, fiber farm, Handspinning, knitting, and sheep.
Tags: fiber farm, heart attacks, lambs, sheep, sheep farm, and women heart attacks.

Bottle Lamb Nostalgia

June 14, 2010 | 14 Comments

Georgia & Mistral

Garamond

My three little friends are now bottle lambs in name only – since we're entering week two of the weaning phase. That doesn't stop them from mobbing me the moment I set foot in the barn, nudging and nosing around my legs, insistently bah-ing, pleading eyes, jumping up in protest when all I have to offer is a handful of hay.

Garamond is taking it very well. He's caught on to the "no more milk" thing, and after quickly checking just to be sure there are no bottles up my sleeve, he ducks outside. Georgia is more persistent, though she now seems resigned to accepting hugs and a nurturing chin scratch in lieu of a bottle.

Mistral is breaking my heart. She doesn't let me out of her sight, following me up and down the aisle during chores, emphatically batting her head in frustration when I offer her hay. I confess, I'm maternally hard-wired and she's been my babe from the start. I struggle with the tough love bit, even when my head tells me it's the right thing to do.

In fact, I've delegated the weaning time line to Holly, who has a very firm yet gentle way of doing what's best for the lambs without being a total pushover like me. At least that's what I thought until last night – when she fessed up to sneaking a few ounces of milk to Mistral every other day when the other lambs aren't looking ("just until we use up the milk!"). AND allowing Mistral out of the pen to follow her about during morning chores. Ha! Now I don't feel like such a marshmallow. And I love that Holly is babying Mistral just a little bit. Just a little bit longer. . .

Over the weekend I've learned that the person who had originally wanted to adopt the three bottle lambs has had a change of plans, which means they'll be staying put for the time being. It's not a problem, especially since Holly and I have grown quite attached to them, though I am still open minded, if a really good match presents itself. Hey, it's just occurred to me, they're likely to be here for our re-scheduled Sheep Shares Open House on June 27!

Categories: animals/wildlife, Craft, fiber farm, Handspinning, knitting, and sheep.
Tags: bottle lambs, fiber farm, lambs, sheep farm, and weaning.

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