A week in review…

Time flies when you’re having fun…or not?

SPRING is undoubtedly the busiest time of year on the farm…shearing, lambing, kidding, gardening, planting and so on! So much has happened since my last post and I do apologize for not ‘sharing’ sooner. That’s probably one of the benefits of facebook; little snippets of news communicated/shared relatively simply with a few key-strokes!

To all my faithful followers, a brief recap. We began the week with our monthly 4-H goat project meeting - in the barn – with my two dairy goats who were now overdue (beyond the norm average 150-days gestation).  We talked about the development of an udder, loosening of pelvic ligaments and BEHAVIORAL  signs of early stages of the birthing process such as act of withdrawal, seeking seclusion from the rest of the herd, uneasiness, kicking, pawing the ground, lying down and getting up frequently, frequent attempts at urination, refusal of grain, vocalizing, and so on.

Since my 4-H goat project kids are all new first-year goat owners, we also talked about visible signs of second stage labor including vaginal discharge, uterine contractions, appearance of the water sac and finally the evidence of a foot exiting the birth canal. All thought, oh, how exciting! But, in reality, the responsibility as goat caretaker and overseer to the blessed kidding (or lambing) event can be a bit daunting!

Finally, the long-awaited and imminent kidding arrived! Early Sunday evening (long after my 4-H families had departed), Coriander went into labor and delivered two bouncing baby bucklings (ie boys). Buckling No.1, for the most part, was delivered normally…albeit, a bit of straining by Corey to get the head/shoulders through the birth canal. Don’t get over-anxious to assist… proper dilation of the cervix needs to occur. otherwise tearing/damage may occur. The ability to recognize kidding difficulty is as important as proper technique in relieving dystocia (or, difficult birth). It is wise to prepare yourself with some kidding knowledge either through research/reading or by visiting a friend who may also be lambing/kidding, IF you find yourself in a position to lend a hand with the birth!  Occasionally, in some situations, a gentle downward ‘tug’ on the legs with the next strong contraction is helpful. Another valuable resource for newbies and kidding/lambing info can be found at: http://www.infovets.com//books/smrm/C/C460.htm

As for Buckling No.2, it soon became evident – it helps to know your goat anatomy -  that he was NOT in the proper presentation (but normal position and posture). Terms to know: presentation, position and posture.  He was coming backward (breech), back legs first, dewclaw visible and hock (recognize the difference between the bend of the knee or the bend of the hock).

Diagram courtesy kinne.net

To make a long story short, all ended well with our two dairy goats’ kidding season. Finally, Cassiopeia, a first freshener, gained confidence through Corey’s kidding ordeal and decided she was up to the challenge! She delivered a single large healthy buckling on Tuesday morning, day 154. Moms (does) and kids are all doing well and thriving! Phew! I’m glad all ended well and I’m back into the routine of milking my girls twice a day. Our bucklings (or wethers) will be looking for new homes once they’re weaned!

With the help of Katie, my nurse assistant, Big D ‘the holder’ or gorilla (he has yet to contruct a kidding box for me…hint hint) and myself ‘the meanie’ (the one holding the disbudding iron), we disbudded the bucklings on Saturday, an unpleasant but necessary task. FYI – All goats typically have horns (both male and female; some goats are naturally/genetically poled/hornless) and most dairymen disbud (or have their vets perform the disbudding for them) their goats within several days – weeks old. Find more how-to disbudding info here.

Besides animal husbandry, I’ve also been busy working in the vegetable garden. More cleaning & trimming woody plant and pruning shrubs & roses. I also planted more leaf  lettuce, radish, spinach, beets, carrots, swiss chard and parsley – all can withstand ‘cooler’ weather.

Weeding between pavers – ugh!

Temporarily cat-proofing the planting bed!

The sweet peas are several inches tall and the strawberries have blossoms!

Potatoes and kholrabi have yet to be planted. Tender annual herbs (such as basil and cilantro), zucchini & green beans will be planted from seed in a few weeks.

My French tarragon (not Russian tarragon which is an annual.

Cut cut cut… to maintain a fine tender & tasty chive!

Tomatoes and green peppers (tropicals) will be the last to go into the garden, typically after Memorial weekend for minimal chance of damage by late frost.

More cat-proofing planting bed until seeds germinate!

Sage, HEAVILY pruned a couple weeks ago shows re-growth.

Did I mention my Shetland sheep have been shorn and their wool skirted and already processed into roving and batts? Now we begin the waiting game, looking for clues and signs that parturition (birth/lambing) will occur soon. Unlike the goats that are hand-bred, we house the ram with the ewes for several months for breeding to occur. We don’t always ‘observe’ the actual breeding (but, there are breeding harnesses that the ram can wear that ‘marks’ the ewe when she’s been mounted). According to my calendar, my ewes could lamb any time now…!

Naked sheepies!

I ended the week with speaking to a group of gardeners about the wonderful benefits of herb gardening, then rushing home to help a friend with skirting her wool fleece and how to ‘process’ it at home.

…and finally, we mucked-out one of the lamb sheds, right down to the dirt floor, limed it heavily and prepared it with fresh clean straw!

That about covers the week’s highlights…and then we start all over again with the never-ending list of chores! There’s no excuse for boredom!!! Hope you have a great week!

Capac Historical Society Museum Special Events for 2012!

Reblogged from Capac Historical Society Museum:

Answering The Call to Duty by Rick Liblong

July 14 & 15:Living History Civil War Re-enactment The Blue, the Gray and the Green Company B Sharpshooters Learn what made the Sharpshooters one of the most elite units of the Civil War.

Get up, get growing...and get your Spring on! Please join us at the Capac Historical Society Museum on Saturday, April 21, 2012! Thinking about adding a few herbs to your garden? You'll learn simple how-to! Also, learn about hard-working HONEY bees!

Preparing for Shearing Day

Photo courtesy Australian Wool Innovation, Ltd

Shearing sheep is a job that’s normally done once (sometimes twice) a year. Preparing your facilities and flock will make the job easier on everyone involved! For the novice shepherd, a few helpful tips:

The Sheep

Sheep must be dry to be sheared! Sheep with wet wool – including dew and/or frost – should NOT be sheared.

Sheep should be held off feed and water at least eight hours before shearing. The flock should never come straight off pasture to be sheared. Grass and hay may build-up gas and possibly back-up into the lung area during shearing and cause what is called ‘a gasper’. If the animal is not put on its’ feet right away, it could die of suffocation.

If possible, stained wet wool and manure tags should be removed before sheep are penned. Avoid penning sheep in dirty pens or bare concrete floors.

White-faced, white wooled sheep should be sheared first; dark-faced/colored wool sheep (light to dark) last.

White wool and colored wool should not be packed in the same bag. Typically, for the small shepherd, bag each fleece individually, with a name tag for easy identification.

To properly ‘skirt’ a fleece before packing, the wool should be placed cut side down on a slotted surface (to remove second cuts). Any vegetable matter (VM), manure or urine stained wool should be removed. Leg and face clippings should also be removed. The shearer should have already removed the belly wool when shearing.

After skirted and cleaned, the fleece should be folded lengthwise, a third over a third, then the other third folded over the top and then rolled from the tail to the head before being packed. If possible, pack in burlap bags; plastic bags should be stored out of direct sunlight to avoid condensation.

BARN/Facilities

Plan to provide adequate adult helpers to keep the job moving. A clean, flat level surface (approx 8 X 8 feet) with lots of head room, good lighting and ventilation is best for the shearer to work on. A sheet of plywood or rubber mat makes a good working platform. If extension cords are necessary, heavy-duty cords to carry the load are recommended.

Keep the shearing area swept clean when necessary.

Keep a small pen filled and at the ready for catching sheep for the shearer. Sheep chased around a large pen/pasture before coming to the shearing floor will continue to fight while being sheared (and waste the shearer’s time).

No shearer deliberately cuts a sheep! If you wish to put disinfectant on any nicks or cuts have your spray bottle handy before shearing starts. The shearer is not going to hold a sheep for ten minutes while you try to find your spray bottle.

Have sufficient help to take the sheep from the shearer and do your foot trimming, vaccinations and worming after shearing (most shearers will assist the small shepherd, if requested). 

Happy fiber’n!

Happy Easter!

Wishing you a blessed Happy Easter!

What’s a staddle stone?

Staddle stones (also known as mushroom stones) were originally used as supporting bases to raise tithe barns, hayricks, game larders and granaries off the ground. The staddle stones lifted the granaries above the ground thereby protecting the stored grain from spoilage by dampness/water seepage and also from mice and other vermin as they couldn’t climb past the staddle stone caps. In Middle English staddle or stadle is stathel, from Old English stathol, a foundation, support or trunk of a tree.

Photo: Antique English Staddle Stones at Detroit Garden Works

Virtually unchanged in design for many hundreds of years, staddle stones come in various types of stone (depending on what was available in the landscape) and wood with slight variations of form. They are extremely popular as garden ornaments especially in rural areas. The name has become integrated into the landscape with bridges, houses, farms and other structures incorporating the name ‘staddle’. The staddle stones usually had a separate head and base which gave the whole structure a mushroom-like appearance. The base varied from cylindrical to tapered rectangular to near triangular.

Photo credit: Sheldon Manor

The tops of the staddles were usually circular which made it almost impossible for a rodent to climb up and into the hay or grain stored above. The air could freely circulate beneath the stored crops and this helped to keep it dry. A wood framework was placed onto the tops of the stones, the staddles being arranged in two or three rows, giving sixteen or more stones. The barns, granaries, etc. were built on top of this frame.

Additional uses: Bee hives were often set on top of staddle stones to keep out predators and provide dry and airy conditions. Small roofed box-shaped larders supported by small staddle stones were used on large estates for storage of game, such as pheasant, brought back by shooting parties. Lastly, surveyors often used staddle stones inserted into the ground to identify property boundaries.

Today, staddles are often found in architectural salvage yards as attractive garden/landscape structures. Century old staddle stones have developed a lichen ‘patina’ with slow and fast growing species adhering to the surfaces adding to the biodiversity of a garden! Staddles are also sold new made from molded concrete or wood ‘cut’ with chainsaws to produce wooden ‘staddle stones’ for use as garden seats.

…a wonderful addition to any landscape!

Rams: A Lesson in Tough Love

Why do you suppose a ram, a male sheep, is called a ram?

ram  (rm) n.

1. A male sheep.

2. Any of several devices used to drive, batter, or crush by forceful impact, especially:

a. A battering ram.

b. The weight that drops in a pile driver or steam hammer.

c. The plunger or piston of a force pump or hydraulic press.

3. A hydraulic ram.

They say a picture paints a thousand words…

 

The good news…neither bad boy has ever ‘rammed’ me! The shed roof is almost  5-feet above the ground. I have springy sheep! Grrrrrrr….

This is my lovely ram’s shed, a snap-shot of recent rams’ destructive PLAY… a display perhaps of boredom?  What else do rams have to do??? In spite of the best of care, their antics never cease to aMu$e me (and my pocketbook). You see, I have two Shetland rams: senior 3-year-old and junior yearling). I love my small flock of Shetland sheep and my rams are no exception. I’m guilty of ALL the sheepy pleasures of ‘things’ that are TABOO and ought NOT be done with rams… even those sweet little ram lambs! I straddle and bounce the lambs across my lap, holding, petting, playing, laying down in the meadow - to encourage trust and ‘friendship’. I know, I’m nutz! (but, I NEVER EVER turn my back on ANY ram).

Handling rams is a potentially dangerous business and it’s best to be prepared and knowledgeable before you engage in such an endeavor. Experience is a great teacher (after you’ve been ‘rammed’ a few times…and live to talk about it), but it also helps to heed the wisdom of professionals and educate yourself beforehand!

An excellent article on the subject of managing rams by Brook & Lois Moore, Stonehaven Farm Shetlands, may be found in the NASSA News (a quarterly newsletter dated Fall, 2011) and provided a few simple RULES of engagement:

1. Rams, including lambs, must never butt or paw for attention or press their heads against you or push another sheep out of the way for your attention.
2. A ram must never approach you with his head down, or ‘bob’ his head or back-up to feint a charge.
3. Jumping up on people is forbidden, no matter how cute and little a ram lamb may be! YIKES!!!
4. A ram should always move away from you when asked to do so.
5. Ideally, a ram should not enter the shepherd’s comfort zone unless ‘invited’.
6. Never pet a ram on the top of his head.

Also, another EXPERT close to home (and my heart) here in Michigan is Letty Klein, owner of Pine Lane Farm Karakuls and co-author of The Shepherd’s Rug. I had the priveledge of meeting Letty (along with co-author, Ann Brown) during a fiber festival in Charlevoix, Michigan during 2006. Letty was kind enough to allow me to  re-print her thoughts about the safe handling of rams here:

Raising Respectful Rams

Originally published in The Shepherd, Vol. 46, No. 2, Feb. 2001, pp 14-15.

Tragically the headline in The Charlotte Observer on November 7, 2000 read, “2 dead after ram attack”. Carl Beaver, 84 years old, and his wife Mary, 80, of China Grove, North Carolina were found 100 feet from the gate inside the pasture. Mary was dead and Carl died the next morning.

The Beavers died after the ram apparently turned on them while they were checking the flock in the pasture. The new 250 pound Suffolk ram was tame enough not to be afraid of people, but became very protective of his dozen ewes during the breeding season. The Beavers were taken by surprise. A neighbor said, “It’s hard to imagine that you can’t defend yourself against a sheep.”

But we all know better, don’t we? After all how many times have we heard, “Never turn your back on a ram”? That big ram that we have shown all summer is now turned in with some ewes to work his magic on our breeding program. His attitude changes, he has a new sense of purpose, an incensed possessiveness. He is not the same animal and we are no longer the friendly pat or handful of feed, but we have become the adversary. You can see it in his eyes and mannerisms. Being tame means he has no fear at all. Whether he’s a massive 400 pound Columbia or a 100 pound tail-wagging Shetland we should be ready, and be on guard. Never, ever trust a ram.

Looking back over the last twenty years of raising a horned breed of sheep, I realize the many mistakes, as well as the successes, we have made in our dealings with rams. Presently we have 7 adult horned rams, all of different, some very rare, bloodlines. Since we sell many replacement breeding rams, we often get the comment “Your rams aren’t very friendly.” My reply is “Good! That’s the way they’re trained.” When I enter the pen with the rams, I want to see their rear-ends walking away from me, not their faces coming toward me. Let’s talk about how best to raise a respectful ram.

Rams need two basic requirements:

1. Lots of room
2. Companionship

A ram can do a lot of damage if confined all alone in a small pen. With our very first ram, ‘Red Ram Oliver’ we made that mistake. His home was a small pen with a small adjacent outside lot; he was in sort of a solitary confinement. Red smashed everything. We even gave him an ‘enrichment toy’, a rubber tire suspended from the limb of an overhanging tree. He would hit that tire so hard that it would fly in a big arc, coming around hitting him unceremoniously in the rump. This infuriated him to no end, you could almost see the steam coming from his ears and his eyes flash red. His carcass was finally donated to an ethnic group.

For ten years we had a very large wethered Alpine goat, I called him my ‘ram humblizer’. While being very tame and gentle with us, this old goat was definitely the boss as far as the rams were concerned. He finally met his demise when one of the horned rams got a horn caught in the goat’s collar, choking him to death… another lesson learned.

Raising rams from lambs

Overly assertive or bold ram lambs are identified early and a well placed surprise pail of water in the face will usually do the trick. A firm pinch of the nostrils while roughly lifting his front legs off the ground will thwart the boldness of the young ram who is feeling his oats. We must teach visitors not to touch the young ram’s head, or knock him in the head for “play”, explaining that this teasing can be a trigger for aggression.

Our rams are haltered and lead-broke shortly after weaning. To work rams we run them into a small pen where they can be caught, haltered and tied to a fence for vaccinations, treatments such as de-worming, and to have their feet trimmed. They are not petted or babied. Remember the head rubbing or nibbling at your pant leg are the first signs of burgeoning aggression in the developing ram lamb – not affection. What is cute in a 40 pound lamb is totally dangerous in a 150 pound ram. Those lambs remaining with unacceptable temperaments are sold for meat.

Breeding groups

When the rams are in their breeding groups, fence line feeders are used for feeding, so we never have to enter the pastures. At least one empty pasture separates breeding groups. Or if need be, the separating fence line is covered with a couple of layers of plastic snow fence to reduce visibility between rams. If we need to catch the ram or a member of the group, they are all run into a small pen so we can safely separate the individual.

Co-mingling rams

Come time to remove rams from breeding groups, they are first shorn, then we bring all the rams into a fresh small tight standing-room-only pen for at least 24 hours. Expect much growling, grunting, pushing and shoving. Rams are territorial so these mingling areas should be ones not recently used by any of the rams. Then they are released into a larger area with some nice hay or grass. They will fight until they have reestablished their hierarchy, nothing seems to stop this process. After the period of male bonding they become good buddies again. Our ram pasture has plenty of shade, grass, trees to rub heads on or polish horns and a lean-to shed. Their feeders are close to the fence-line so hay can be tossed easily into the bunk from the outside the fence. I don’t normally grain adult rams, it seems to make them very pushy, or as someone wisely suggested, “Grain feeds testosterone”. Sex and grain can be triggers for aggression. The rams may need some supplementation by the end of a rough winter, a fence-line trough fills the bill. They always have access to fresh loose salt and unfrozen water. Never pen a ram in solitary confinement for punishment – his bad behavior will only get worse.

Here is a delightful story about the Integration of Rams as told by Margaret McEwen-King of Middletown Farm,Scotland, reproduced here with her kind permission.

Several years ago I put our rams back together on New Year’s Day in a small area and to my great distress our best white Shetland ram (lamb) had a coming together with a moorit one and the white one lost a horn. Chatting about this at crook-making class to a retired shepherd (Jim Ballantyne – now sadly deceased) who had spent all his herding days high in the Trossachs of Scotland near Callander, I was told “you didn’t pen them up tight enough”. “But I did. They were so tight they couldn’t take a run at each other – even just a few steps.” Again he responded ” You didn’t pen them tight enough”. A Scottish hill shepherd seldom minces or wastes words. “So how tight do they have to be?” I won’t print his reply verbatim, but it was to the effect that if they could stand up, then they could lie down, and the important thing was that they got each others urine, sweat and everything else intermingled so they all ended up smelling the same. This process was likely to take a couple of days. “Isn’t it a bit cruel?” I got a withering look. “They’ll all be alive and uninjured. It’s cruel if one or more get killed.”

Our pen is about 7 foot 6 inches square and accommodates fifteen to twenty rams, from the smallest Shetland to the big Texels and the giant shambling Polwarth. Two walls, a post and rail fence and lashed hurdles to make up the fourth side. Two buckets of water are placed kitty corner and replenished several times a day. Hay is put in several areas. The smell is awful after a day and a half. We let them out into a bigger enclosed area after about 48 hours to feed at the trough. If anyone starts backing up for a run, back they all go back in the pen. It doesn’t take that long and they’ve sorted themselves out.

Another important point is to integrate all the rams at once. We once made the mistake of bringing back a ram lamb which had been out on loan about a fortnight after the rest had been integrated. Said lamb was quite determined he was number 14 and not 15 in the pecking order and we had to more or less go through the whole thing again.

Seems that the vital thing is that they smell ‘communal’.

Once ‘communalized’, rams truly seem to enjoy being in the company of other rams. Seems like a period of male-bonding is necessary for mental contentment. But alas, this comradery is short-lived and the communalization step must be repeated every time a member is removed and returned.

A ram’s instincts run strong, respect him for that; but never, ever trust a ram.

I’m experiencing withdrawal…

The past week or so of unseasonably warm weather beckons me outdoors… to a multitude of gardening tasks. Primarily: clean-up, raking, weeding, turning compost, transplanting/pruning, and on and on! I’m exhausted just thinking about it – and the old bones are feeling it!

That leaves little time for creating (and I desperately need to create!). Well, besides creating gardening plans, that is! I try to keep a level head, focused, prioritizing a To-Do list and most importantly, taking little bites! After all, it’s the tortoise that won the race! For me, it’s a matter of perspective… knowing that there will ALWAYS be something to-do on a list somewhere!!

In the meantime, I managed to make a little Frenchy dairy goat – in all fairness – long overdue, considering all the sheepies that are foremost on my mind!

She stands proudly looking about curiously, as most goats do!

You could make your very own dairy goat ‘topiary’ too!

How-To: First, draw a dairy goat (had to be recently freshened, that is, have an udder – heehee) on a piece of muslin – remember, front & back! If you’re not great at ‘drawing’, there’s many goat diagrams available in goat books, etc that you could use for a pattern/trace. Next, I sewed the two pieces together and stuffed it (leave an inch or so opening to ‘stuff’) with fiberfil (and some dried fragrant herbs?). I then painted my goat with acrylic paint – here’s where you can get creative… because there are many colors/patterns of dairy goats… or, paint it to resemble your own goat!

I applied a fine coat of mod podge & tinted wax, and used a wooden dowel for a base (but you could use a natural tree branch too). I wrapped my dowel in a spring green butcher’s twine, but you could paint it, leave it natural, or wrap in ribbon, yarn, etc.

For the base, I recycled a vintage child’s alphabet block by drilling a hole in the top to accept the dowel. Any ‘base’ would do – be creative! I stamped the letter ‘C’ for chevre (goat in French) and a paper image of a goat onto the block. Last, I added a fabric scrap ‘banner’ with ‘chevre’ stamped onto it.

Similarly,

I also made a spring-tyme bunny. I added a wooly tail, seed beads for eyes, embroidery floss nose/mouth and needle-felted the topiary wooly green ball around the dowel. (The dowel is wrapped with ribbon.) I stitched on a few randomly placed vintage mother-of-pearl buttons and glued a pink ribbon rose atop each button.

Well… got to go… daylight’s burning… and the great outdoors is calling!