Winter Is Back

It's the last hurrah. Winter is working hard at being back again. It has been snowing for two days... well yesterday the snow melted by three o'clock and everything was wet, wet, wet. But I got up this morning and the snow is back... it has been snow all night so of course the poops are once again covered in white.... this is good because on a farm in the spring there is plenty of poop. I knew going for a walk the other day would jinx me and bring the snow back.

Our lambs from last year have all been butchered now and we are back to a nice normal number of sheep. There are four males two rams, Oscar, pictured here... and Ipwitch, and two withers Greigg Pictured here with Ipwitch in the background..... and Palmer. Up in the upper paddock there are eight ewes. Fanny, pictured here.... who is a Shetland/merino x is pregnant.
Red, pictured here.... who is a purebred Shetland is pregnant... they both twinned last year. Kracker and Krunch who are Fanny's offspring (I don't have a picture of them) and are also Shetland x are both pregnant. Queen is a purebred merino and she looks pregnant. Nellie, pictured here..... who is a Cotswold/merino x is also looking pregnant but since this is her first lambing season I'm not really sure. Then there is Lulu also a Cotswold/merino x and although I saw the ram have his way with her she has not caught for two years so I doubt if she is pregnant.... and lastly is Sal and she is more like a pig than a sheep.... a pig in sheep's clothing..... ha! She has the shape of a barrel and she is first on the hay regardless every time Hubby forks it in to the paddock for them. She pushes all the others around except for Lulu who is slightly higher on her legs than Sal. I doubt very much if she is pregnant because she has never lambed.... besides she doesn't look pregnant and I never saw the ram on her.... I think he was afraid..... but oh what a fleece. I keep Lulu and Sal (Sal is on the left, Lulu is black and in the middle, and Queen is on the right and Nellie is in the background with Mishka the alpaca)..... because they have first place fleeces. Very nice! They both took first place for their category in the Olds fleece show last year and Lulu won Grand champion. So good fleece will always have a place in my flock.

Shearing season is here and Hubby and I will have to face that when we get back from our trip next week. It is difficult to shear when the weather is on again off again... I am hoping that it will clear up and we will be able to get those fleeces off the girls before they start lambing.... I am hoping to rig up a harness this year that the ewes can sit in so that Hubby's back won't be so affected by shearing.... shearing is not for the faint of heart.... I would much rather shear an alpaca.... they don't fight it near as much as the sheep.

But for now it is a snowy day and I am thinking about a trip..... away.... and ooh la la.... I have to find someone who will feed them....