Evening chores in late November.   At dusk I fill the mangers with hay,   top off water buckets and call the sheep home for the night.

The maidens charge at the sound of the dinner bell, while my llama Caitlyn approaches more leisurely.

After bringing in the ewe-lings I make the rounds, checking water, filling feeders in each barn.  My last stop is at the top of the hill, a group of  leicester ewes who are grazing the last of the high pasture.

As I head back to the barn, darkness sets  in.   

Late fall marks  the end of grazing days.  Several hard frosts and one dusting of snow have halted the growth of grass.   I am taking down temporary fencing, bringing in water tanks, putting a winter’s worth of  straw bales in the barn to bed the sheep in the cold months soon to come. 

Although the year is winding down, this is a also a time of new beginnings.  Last weekend,  Cormo rams Teaberry and Parsley joined the ewes, which with any luck, will put the arrival of my first lambs in early April 2008.   

It’s always interesting to watch the initial interaction when first introducing the boys and girls.  Teaberry wasted no time in greeting the ladies.

And getting down to business . . .

While Parsley (at right below) was  apparently suffering from shyness on his "first date", although it didn’t help that Buttercup was giving him the cold shoulder . . .

Hopefully, his  technique will improve.  While Tea and Parsely are the same age, Tea has proven himself with offspring from  last year.  Parsley’s performance will tell in time.   He is courting a group of ewes who ordinarily would have been bred to Trumpet, my tried and proven Cormo ram who was killed in a predator attack in September.   

Looking back at the events from earlier this fall, I send a strong thank you to everyone for the expressions of  concern and also the suggestions following the attack on my flock.   There is a post script to that story – which I will share in the near future. 

Also, many thanks for the notes of congratulations on my ribbons from the Big E Fleece Show.   

***************************************************************************************

Copyright 2007, Barbara Parry, Foxfire Fiber & Designs.  All images and content property of Barbara Parry and may not be used in any way without written permission.

I  must admit, autumn is my favorite time of year.  By late August, summer’s familiar green backdrop becomes tiresome.   When September rolls around,   I love that each day adds a new splash color to the maples on the ridgeline or on the verge of the pasture.  As the month unfolds, the colors become more vibrant.   The sheep become giddy as the temperatures drop, springing across the pasture for no apparent reason.

Attending the Eastern States Exposition (a.k.a. the Big E) is a favorite fall ritual for me and for many living in the Northeast and especially western Massachusetts.  Vying for blue ribbons, farms from throughout the Northeast display the best of what they produce in competitions ranging from livestock shows(dairy cattle, beefers, sheep llamas, alpacas) to agricultural product showcases featuring anything  from  Christmas trees to wool . . .

This year, as in year’s past,  I gathered bags of the best of my fall harvest,  seven freshly shorn fleeces from my flock to  the fleece competion.    After the miserable events earlier this month, my enthusiasm for anything sheep related had ebbed to an all-time low.  I almost didn’t bother with the fleece show.   

Imagine my surprise when, late afternoon on the day of competition,  I checked the results via cell phone while driving down I91.   Cheryl, the show official, recited the show results for the various categories I had entered:   blue and red ribbons for the Purebred Longwool fleeces,  blue and red for Natural Colored Longwool Handspinning fleeces,  a couple of 3rds and a 4th in other classes.  Great news!  I began thanking her and saying  how pleased I was.  "Hold on, I’m not done," she said.  When she told me I had received Champion for the Purebred competition and Supreme Champion for the entire show,  I dropped my cell phone and nearly drove into the breakdown lane.  I didn’ think I had heard correctly.

But I had.  It was true.  For someone who lives for raising sheep and who loves watching wool grow, this was nirvana.  I couldn’t wait to get to the fair to see whose fleece had garnered the purple rosettes.

The top honors came courtesy of this little gal.

Allegrita – who, by the way,  is much prettier in full fleece.  "Grita" is a three-year-old Leicester ewe, daughter of Annie, one of my original Border Leicesters.  Sweet and unassuming, she had no idea what the fuss what all about when I came out to the pasture to scratch her behind the ears, to tell her I was so proud, and to keep up the good work.

*************************************************************************************

Copyright 2007, Barbara Parry, Foxfire Fiber & Designs.  All images and content property of Barbara Parry.  Please do not use my words or images without written permission.

September . . . .

I took a break during afternoon chores to visit with Leucadia, my favorite ewe lamb (named for the southern California "surfdom" where my brother lives).  Time to catch my breath and reflect on recent events in this bizarre and busy month.

Labor Day Weekend – I celebrated by tending to a ram lamb who had cast himself and nearly died out in the field.  A sheep can become "cast" when resting on a hillside or in a dingle or on any uneven terrain.  While reclining, this little guy had turned too far onto his side and ended up flipping  completely onto  his back.  I found him late afternoon in that postition, weakly struggling to right himself with four legs flailing in the air.  Clearly he had been inverted for some time.  Even when I stood him up, his legs would instantly collapse and he would pitch himself onto the ground again.   I could see a bulge in his side – his rumen was distended.   In the process of flipping, his gut had twisted causing trapped gas to build and put severe pressure on his diaphragm.  His breathing was quite labored.    Had I not found him, he would have died a slow and painful death.

After ferrying him back to the barn and forcing some Gas X down his throat.  I brewed a special blend of peppermint, comfrey, chamomile tea to soothe his stomach.    Since he was too weak to drink, he "sipped" his tea via a 5 cc syringe.  I was able to get 4 – 6 oz into him each hour that way.

He spent the night propped up between two straw bales.  I checked hourly to be sure he hadn’t flipped himself again.   When he was still too weak to stand the second day, I had my doubts about his ability to recover.  A friend suggested injectable vitamin B, which I happened to have on hand.   Within two hours of an injection, he was on his feet and showing interest in the hay.  When I saw signs that things were moving through his system once again, I became cautiously optimistic.    Maybe he would be ok.

We continued the hourly tea ceremony, which he clearly began to enjoy.  After swallowing a mouthful of hay he would politely turn to me for "more tea".  On day three I released him into the pen with the Cormo girls and lambs to keep him mobileand see if he could maintain coordination.  He brightened right up to be outdoors with other sheep.  I began to think I had dodged a bullet, but continued to watch him closely. 

Day four:  When I caught him in the act of mounting a Cormo ewe that morning, I knew we were out of the woods.  Back to the pasture he went.

The following week was consumed with haying.  Making the most of  a window of clear-skied,  warm days, we put close to 1300 bales in the barn.

Mike and Holly riding the wagon back to the barn .  .   .   .

Welcome rain arrived near the end of the second week.  I say welcome for two reasons:  the grass in the pasture was turning a toasty brown, and we were sick of tossing hay bales and glad for a little break. 

I was feeling pretty good about September, having saved a ram lamb and putting up most of what I needed for winter feed  – until the morning of September 11. 

I was at the barn when Mike frantically called me back home.   We keep a group of  Cormo rams and wethers in a large pasture enlcosed with electronet behind our house at the top of the hill.  When I arrived, we could only find three of the seven boys and they were clearly stressed.  After shutting them  into their shed, we began searching the pasture for the missing boys.  Steady rain and a heavy mist prevented us from seeing very far.  At the pasture’s edge, we made the grim discovery that  two of our Cormos, Trumpet and Phaeton,  had been savagely attacked and killed during the night.   Not far away, we found Jack, another wether,  had also been killed.       There are no words to describe how  truly aweful we felt.  To make matters worse,  Cosmos, one of the wethers, was missing.   Armed with baseball bats and fire extinguishers, we searched the brushy thicket and woods surrounding  the pasture for hours, with no luck.  Either he was on the run or had been taken down elsewhere.

This was easily the saddest and most distressing incident we’ve ever had on the farm.   "The boys" were the sheep who lived closest to our house.  We watched them graze from nearly every window, said hello to them  whenever we stepped outdoors.  It was inconceivable that a predator could take them down within 50 yards of our back door without any sound of alarm.  Trumpet, the biggest, meanest ram we’ve ever had, weighed close to 250 pounds.   The wethers were solid, at least  225 pounds.   We were in a state of shock.

A biologist from Mass Fish and Wildlife arrived the next day and after doing some tracking, located our missing sheep.  He had been killed in a similar fashion in the woods downhill from the house.  Tracks found at both kill sites revealed that the damage was done by a very large,  single canine predator.     To this day we do not know if it was a domestic dog, a large coyote or a wolf hybrid.

Since then, we have beefed up security for the rest of the flock.  No one stays out in electronet at night, although we do need to rely on it for grazing during the day.    With our confidence badly jarred, we realize that there’s only so much we can do to keep the sheep safe.  Hopefully, our woven wire fence with hot wires at the top will keep whatever is lurking the woods away from our flock.

Our "big wooly boys"  – taken just a few days before the attack.  That’s Jack with his chin resting on the feeder. . .

*************************************************************************************

Copyright 2007, Barbara Parry, Foxfire Fiber & Designs.   All images and content property of Barbara Parry.  Please do not use my words or images without written permission.

This morning I solved a little mystery.  For the past few days I have been finding weaned lambs that have strayed under the electric fence  into  the adjacent ewe grazing pasture.   The two groups have been divided  for grazing purposes for quite a while.    While it’s not unusual for a lamb to occasionally end up somewhere it doesn’t belong,  I was surprised three times this week to find a youngster or two amidst the adult flock. 

Upon my arrival at the farm today,  I discoverd a pair of lambs happily cavorting through the hay field – definitely off limits in late summer.  Further investigation revealed the reason – no juice on the electric fence.  Evidently a lightning strike earlier in the week had cooked the fence energizer.    Rather than risk a lamb or ewe getting tangled in non-electrified net, I dismantled the fence separating the two groups.   

So the ewes and spring lambs are now enjoying a reunion of sorts.   I was amused to see how quickly the lambs sought out their own mothers.  No one attempted to nurse, though some of the more developed ram lambs attempted some very ram-like behaviour. . .

In the big barn across the road, there are two lambs who still very much belong with their moms.  Mystic and Cody were both born in June during my highly anticipated "late lambing" .   Back in January when I introduced Teaberry, our new young ram, to a group of late-blooming ewes,   I was hoping for  a handful of  June lambs.  The results, pictured below, were somewhat less than expected.   Only two ewes were bred, each delivering a single lamb. 

Here’s Mystic with her mom, Calypso, back in July.

And  Cody with his mother Cassandra, earlier this week:

While  perfectly dear, the sight of  young lambs nursing in mid-August is slightly  incongruous.  From a management standpoint,  it’s just plain nuts.    Since the needs of this group are quite different than the rest of the flock, they remain a flock apart.    They need their own barn space,  their own waterers,   minerals,  feeders with grain (since the ewes are lactating),  a creep  pen with grain (since the lambs are "creeping),  and a guardian llama to keep them safe.

That responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of Caitlyn.    A retiree from a friend’s breeding herd, Cait arrived last fall with no previous sheep experience.  While she can’t compare with Crackerjack’s loyalty and sense of duty, she has adapted rather well to life in the fold.

*************************************************************************************

http://www.foxfirefiber.com

Copyright 2007, Barbara Parry, Foxfire Fiber & Designs

All images and content property of Barbara Parry, Foxfire Fiber & Designs.

I was ambushed by a pair of   hijackers while delivering water to the flock in the high pasture yesterday afternoon.  Meet Butch and Sundance, our Angora goats.  They  currrently share pasture in the uppermost reach of the farm with our ewes who were recently parted from their lambs. 

Ordinarily, I do not like running the sheep with the goats.  The goats tend to bully the sheep, barring them access to the barn and the feeders.    I’ve spoken to many people who keep sheep and goats and almost everyone sees this goat-sheep aggression.  So I don’t think Butch and Sunny are mean.  They are just following goat protocol, when it comes to sheep.

The goats appear less interested in harassing sheep in the middle of summer when they share sizable tracts of pasture and are able stay out of each other’s hair – or wool and mohair, I should say.   I think it’s just too hot for them to bother.  The sheep spend their days nosing through the grassy field, taking their rest near a fallen tree in the center of the pasture.  The goats haunt the woody-brush along the perimeter.  I sometimes drive right by them without seeing them camouflaged in the thicket like a pair of highwaymen.

Once a day I arrive by 4×4 mule to fill water tanks in the outlying pastures.    In the hot summer months ,  the many springs throughout the meadow run dry.   The flock relies on these tanks as their sole source of water and it’s important to keep them clean and fresh.

Marauding goats emerge from the shadows . . .

(click for closer view)

While I swat deerfly and heave 30 pound jugs of water from the back of the Mule,  Butch and Sunny search for contraband.

Notice  the sheep in the background have zero interest in my arrival.  The two species clearly have different agendas.

Disappointed with their inspection of my cargo,  (no carrots,  no grain), Butch and Sunny attempt to smuggle the leather key fob from the ignition and the rubber cap to the power outlet when they think I’m not looking.   In the end,  they satisfy themselves by using the mule as a back-scratching device before returning to their lair.

************************************************************************************

Copyright 2007,  Barbara Parry,  Foxfire Fiber & Designs

All images and content property of Barbara Parry, Foxfire Fiber & Designs.

http://www.foxfirefiber.com

That’s right.  .  .

I really like keeping busy.  Fortunately, I am also a somewhat unrealistic planner, which is a sure-fire way to keep really busy.  My tendency to absolutely pack my calendar without considering the juxtaposition of events nearly backfired last weekend when it became clear that lambs were imminent and I was booked for the Fiber Frolic.  Hence, while I  took Foxfire Fiber on the road this weekend,  Gale and Dick were my understudies here at the farm. 

You may recall my vigils from earlier this spring and wonder why more lambs now?  This is summer,  lambs arrive in the spring, right?

Back in January I decided to introduce my new Cormo ram – Teaberry – to a small group of two-year-old ewes.  "Tea" joined my flock late last fall to bring new blood lines.   Also, I did not want to lose a breeding season with these lovely ewes just coming of age.  The question was Teaberry’s age;  a June ’06 lamb himself, he still looked more a bit more ram-lamb than ram. 

On January 9, Holly and I released him into the pen with the young ewes.  That was one frisky afternoon.  Although Tea had the right spirit, I wasn’t overly impressed with his form.  I gave him three weeks to see what he could accomplish. 

At about the same time I submitted my application for the Fiber Frolic.   I had vended there in ’05 but was unable to attend  last year.  It’s a fun little show hosted by the Maine Llama Association, held at the Windsor Fairgrounds, in a very pretty part of Maine.  When I posted that form, I’m not sure I really stopped to consider  that lambs might be pending the very same week.  I suppose I wasn’t completely convinced there would be any baby Teaberries . .  .  .

As  May progressed, it became rather obvious that Tea had done his job.  With the weekend of the Frolic looming I was faced with  a dilemma – how to be in two places at once.  Fortunately,  Gale and Dick had been present for birthing earlier this spring and were willing to keep vigil at the farm.   

At 2 a.m. the very first night I was away, Cassandra delivered a ram lamb.  I received an exciting phone call  from Gale as I set up my booth on Saturday morning.   After some initial concern about colostrum uptake,  it was deemed that this little guy was just fine.  Gale and Dick named him Cody.

Now I’m the one on watch – anticipating arrivals from Calypso, Thalia and Verbena.  We should  see action before the weekend. 

If you’re up for a drive this Saturday, please do stop by for our Tenth Anniversary Celebration Open Farm.  For details visit www.foxfirefiber.com.    You can meet our lambs from earlier this spring and also the baby Teaberries.  FYI:  I planned this event back in January too.  Here’s to good planning : ) 

Foxfire Fiber & Designs at the Maine Fiber Frolic

*****************************************************************************************

Copyright 2007, Barbara Parry, Foxfire Fiber &  Designs

All images and content property of  Barbara Parry, Foxfire Fiber & Designs.

Yesterday we moved the lambs and mothers from the paddock near the barn to the high ground up the lane.  The ground closest to the barn needs a recharge after a period of grazing; the fields above are a virtual sea of grass and clover.  Last night they camped out along the stone wall that runs beneath the row of sugar maples.  My tour of the pasture this afternoon revealed  the lambsters happily ensconced, not showing any signs of missing the shelter of the barn.

With the ewes grazing nearby, the lambs lounged in pools of shade.  It was cool, breezy and surprisingly black-fly-free for this time of season.  So I hung out with them for a while . . .

Tupelo and Savannah came by for conversation and finger nibbling.

The view looking downhill, toward the West Barn

(Click for a closer look)

Each of my  pasture inspections includes a check for Jackson, bottle lamb errant.  His tendency to stray from the flock  has become worrisome, especially now that the sheep are farther afield.  A lone lamb is an easy target for a predator.   

Finding him is usually not difficult.  If he doesn’t appear at my side when I call, I just look for his body guard . . .

Crackerjack has intuitively stepped in as Jackson’s personal guardian.    I am in awe of this llama.  I never would have imagined it possible for him to bond so strongly with his charges.

Note here how Jackson has wandered away from the flock and Crackerjack has stationed himself at his side.  Amazing, really.

While manning my booth at the Mass. Sheep & Wool Fair last weekend, I stepped up my efforts to find a new home for Jackson, telling his story to nearly everyone who stopped by.  He truly is a lost soul in a large flock and would be much happier (and safer) on a smaller farm.  Today I received word via email that Christine, shepherdess of a smaller flock, would be glad to have him.  I will truly miss this little guy (still on the bottle at 10 weeks!) but am so relieved to know he will go to a good home.

Today Holly and I played wardrobe mistresses to a group of young ladies due to lamb in a couple of weeks.   Due to increased girth at late gestation, the gals were beginning  to look like sausages waddling around the pasture.   Even though they will instantly shed pounds with lambing within a few weeks, we went ahead and up-sized.

I’m often asked about the jackets.  Our sheep wear them to keep their wool clean.  The Cormo sheep (above center) have fine, dense fleeces.  Any contaminants such as seeds, hay,  grain pellets, barn-yard grit become deeply embedded in an uncoated fleece and processing does NOT remove it all.    The coats keep the fleeces snowy white and also provide protection from weather. 

Sheep coats require changes at least three times in the course of a year to accomodate wool growth and weight gain due to pregnancy.  Being as fastidious about sheep comfort as I am about wool cleanliness,  I drive myself a bit nutty making sure everyone is in proper coat size.  Since the sheep care not about the  condition of their  fleece, it’s really all up to me.

Holly with a flock in new frocks.

Note the white bumps on their backs.

For some of the gals, the next size up was just a little too blousy.  Rather than risk wardrobe malfunctions, we made some quick alterations using . . .

plastic Easter eggs and zip ties!

Sliding an egg under the coat on the sheep’s back just above the pelvis, we gathered the excess fabric around the egg.  A zip tie holds the fabric firmly around the egg, keeping the coat from drooping over the tail.  The plastic egg is light enough to sit on the sheep’s back fairly well centered without shifting.  After few minutes, a ewe seems to forget she has a plastic Easter egg tucked under her coat.  She goes about her business, however, she is very interested in the curious object on the back of her friend . . . .   

I learned this clever sizing trick from friend and fellow shepherd, Alice.

While on the subject of adjustments, elsewhere on the farm today –

Galveston supervised as Mike increased the spacing on the creep panel.   Our largest lambs were barely able to wriggle into the creep pen.   The rain has brought  them delicious, green pasture at last, so they won’t be needing the creep pen for much longer. 

The lambs couldn’t be happier.

With each day the lambs grow more vigorous and more confident.  The milder weather means they are spending more time out of doors than inside the barn.    Before venturing outside in the morning, they  now dive into the hay served to the ewes for breakfast.  Although the lambs have their own separate feeding area in the creep pen,  eating from the adult manger appears to be the cool thing to do.

Favorite after -breakfast activities :

Rock Climbing

Rock Nibbling

Lamb races . . .

Since we use portable electrified net fencing quite a bit,  one important early lesson the lambs learn is  to STAY AWAY FROM THE ELECTRIC FENCE.    The lesson comes through a combination of their natural curiousity and trial and error.  A lamb must investigate any new object or situation with its nose and mouth.  A close inspection of the rather flimsy looking white barrier at the pasture’s edge ends abruptly with a sharp ZAP.  With frantic bahs, the lamb springs away to its mum like a rocket.  From a safe distance it  looks back in wonder – what on earth was that?   Occasionally,  a lamb will walk right up to the electro net and bite right down on the hot wire.  Trust me, it’s a mistake he’ll never repeat.

Generally, one negative encounter is enough.  They associate the fence with a scary SOMETHING and tend to avoid the  edge of the pasture.   It’s really  much safer for them to learn to stay closer to the flock.

We’re just back from Jackson’s ten ‘o clock feeding.   He has clearly outgrown his sweater which, with the sudden shift toward mild temperatures, he no longer needs.  We could hear the peepers in the dell behind the barn – a good sign that spring is here to stay.

Tomorrow’s promising forecast  means the lambs can venture outdoors at last.   Stay tuned.

In the meantime, the names of our last three lambs:  Aberdeen, Corona and Zuni.  Thanks everyone for the suggestions.