Archives for fiber farm

Wool Away!

April 7, 2013 | 3 Comments

"Wool Away!" is the command given by the shearer to the "fleece-o" to pick up the freshly shorn fleece after a shorn ewe exits the shearing board. In the lingo of a "down under" shearing shed, the "sheep-o" pulls sheep from the holding pen and walks her onto the shearing board; the shearer shears; the "broomie" sweeps away the fribs, dags and bellywool; and after the sheep is shorn, the fleece-o tosses the fleece pizza-dough style minus the spin – onto the skirting table. The skirters then get to work. Since we are a small operation, our "sheep-o" often doubles
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Ready, Set, Shear!

March 24, 2013 | 5 Comments

On Friday we rolled up our sleeves and got to work on one of my favorite days in annual cycle of yarn farming. Shearing day! This year we've divided the work of shearing our flock over three days, last Friday, next Friday and then Saturday April 6 – when our Sheep Shares yarn farm CSA members will join us and pitch in. Working at this pace gives me time to be hands on with both sheep and fleece and makes for a relaxed, more comfortable day for both humans and sheep. We started with a group of ewes, below. Followed
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Happy Spring!

March 20, 2013 | No Comments

Okay, so spring 2013 is off to a less-than-ideal start. This was the view from our front door this morning. Mike's been busy clearing 12 inches of heavy wet snow from the driveway so we can get to the barn. Here's to brighter, warmer days ahead.Wishing you all a happy spring.
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Taking Care of Old Sheep in Winter

March 18, 2013 | 6 Comments

This is Cocoa. She turns 16 this month which is ancient in sheep years. Cocoa has a special place in our hearts as she happens to be one of our first-ever sheep which makes her our flock matriarch. After a decade of lambing (including sets of triplets and quadruplets) she is still going strong, except for her teeth. Years of grass-grazing and ha -munching have worn her incisors (the front teeth) crookedlly, some of them right down to the nub givng her the gap-toothed smile of a jack-o-lantern.Last fall Andy performed some dentistry on her, to even out her bite.
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Top of the Hay Stack

January 26, 2013 | 6 Comments

When it comes to barn chores on winter mornings, Mike is a trooper. Since the start of the new year, I've been under the weather off and on. He's been a super good sport about tackling morning barn chores solo for the better part of last four weeks. In mid winter, morning chores on a New England sheep farm are like an endurance test. You work quickly and efficiently. Inside the carriage barn where the rams spend the winter, square bales of hay are neatly stacked from the floor to the rafters. The stack is beside the row of feeders
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The Barn After Dark

December 14, 2012 | 3 Comments

We've reached the time of year when there just aren't enough daylight minutes at day's end. I had a meeting in Greenfield this afternoon and got back to the farm just after dark. Here's a look at the night barn with sheep and donkeys. The farrier came to the farm this morning. Donkeys don't wear shoes but their hooves need maintenance on a regular basis. Cupcake and Prissy get gold stars for standing perfectly still while Randy, the farrier, pared their little hooves and cleaned out all the ick from the frog of the hoof (the frog is the soft
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Sunny Sunday Sheep & Donkeys

December 9, 2012 | 3 Comments

After two days of raw, dreary drizzle and fog, the sheep and donkeys were elated when I turned them out into the pasture this morning. The donkeys frolicked, bucked, tossed their heads and kicked up their heels in delight. I don't think they're use to having quite so much space for frisking and cavorting. The sixteen ewes who are their barn mates at the moment, were equally enthusiastic to have free run of the pasture. From the fence line they intently watched the donkey antics in the adjacent field. We are making strides with the donkey-sheep dynamic. Since the two
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Donkey Day Two

December 7, 2012 | 8 Comments

Yesterday the donks their first close encounter of the woolly kind. Since their arrival on Tuesday, they've had 16 Cormo ewes for neighbors in an adjacent paddock. The two groups have been studying each other through the woven wire fence separating them. This arrangement is fine except for one drawback – the donkeys have free run of a small paddock and access to the barn. The sheep have a large pasture with a stand of trees for shelter – but the only way to the barn is through the donkey paddock. The problem isn't the sheep camping out – well-insulated
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Donkey Day One

December 6, 2012 | 6 Comments

Anytime we have new arrivals at the farm, it's hard for us to resist shining the spotlight on them. I've been spreading the word and sharing pics of our new "donks" (or "donkles" as we've been calling them) to whomever I speak to, wherever I go. At the feed store. At the coffee shop. At the salon. At the restaurant where we had dinner last night. Here are some notes and observations from the mini donkey's first full day at Springdelle Farm: Donkey Day One: 1. Donkeys greet face first. 2. Donkeys don't miss a trick. 3. Donkeys like Mike.
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Mini Donkeys are Here!

December 4, 2012 | 8 Comments

Made it back to the farm just before dark with our three little jennets: Cupcake, Dulce and Prissy. Here they are scoping out their new barn. It was a long day for them. First visitors at their home at Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue in New Hampshire. Then walking into a horse trailer with strangers. Then a long, bumpy ride (although we were very slow on the back roads, there were lots of back roads on this trip. We were extra careful on corners). Then off loading – down the ramp of the trailer – in a new place.
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