Fine Fettle Farm

New Sheepskins for sale!

2011-11-11T15:45:00.000-08:00

All are from our Jacob sheep. Each varies in pattern and slightly in size but all are approximately 3' x 2'.

$110 includes shipping and handling within US for regular sheepskins. $125 for "washable" sheepskins. (Discount for local purchases.)

ID 541-1 SOLD

ID 541-2 SOLD

ID 541-3

ID 541-4

ID 541-5

ID 541-6

ID 541-7 SOLD

ID Jan 11-4

The washable sheepskins are shown below. I will send washing directions with each order.

ID W-1 SOLD

ID W-2

ID W-3 SOLD

Latest Sheepskins

2011-01-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

Here are our latest available sheepskins. They are for sale. If you are interested in owning one or more, please leave me a message here in the comments section, or contact me via email or Facebook if we are connected that way.

Sheepskin #1

Sheepskin #2 SOLD

Sheepskin #3 SOLD

Sheepskin #4

Sheepskin #5 SOLD

2010, where are you?

2010-09-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

Oh my. What a surprise to see that I've not posted to the farm blog this year at all! And with 23 lovely Jacob lambs born last spring -- how could I have failed to post pics?

I do know the answer to that... We are living at our new farm and still busy completing it when not working away from home. And the sheep are at our old farm, cared for by our wonderful tenants. So sometimes it's true: out of sight, out of mind.

We sold some lambs as pets this year, and have many promised for meat. We are keeping at least one ewe lamb -- a remarkable tri-color lamb! I was waiting to see if the third color was hair only and would grow out as the ewe matured. Some of her spots were hair only, but some are generated from different colored spots on her skin. I've run into very little information about tricolored Jacobs but will casually keep searching. Meanwhile, she's a keeper for her unusual coloring as well as her nice build and good genetics.

Some of her spots are visible in this baby picture - on her back, the tip of her ear:

We have never brought outside ewes into our flock. They all go back to the original small flock of Lasseau Jacobs. Every few years we're replace the ram.

We have one ram lamb we did not wether because he's a nicely marked son of our oldest ewe. We kept her last ewe lamb, now a 3 year old with lovely fleece like her momma, and of course the nostalgia factor impacts my decisions. Each year we wonder how long Fine Fettle Granny Z will last, and she's still with us.

Although it will present new management challenges, we are thinking about keeping the ram lamb until he sells to some breeders who want our bloodlines. His poppa, Unzicker Captain, brought fantastic fleece quality to our flock, passing along his fleece to every single lamb he sired.

We sold some yearling ewes this year to a breeding farm in PA. I'm very pleased to do this and probably could sell more breeding stock if I put my attention into taking pictures, posting them, and getting the word out to come look at our Jacob sheep for sale.

But, but, but... been busy doing other things...

Our new farm has more bear and moose than sheep, but probably next year that will change and the flock will come reside here with us. I love visiting them and they do have some plentiful fields of greenery there that they wouldn't have here yet.

We brought some chickens and geese here and left the peacocks and other chickens and geese and guineas at the old farm. I missed the guineas so much I've purchased some keets and we have them hear. Listening to their quiet vocalizations is a high point of my evening rounds to check all the animals.

The horses have been here with us since January. I moved a couple back to the old farm to help mow down the pastures and reduce the amount of hay I was feeding here. I miss them at the same time as I don't miss them. What I mean is I miss each of those horses but I don't miss the added work of keeping them fed here. The four still here are ones I ride.

And now for another picture... day old twins...

RIP Fine Fettle Sasha

2009-12-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

It was hard for our farm caretakers to break the news to me over the phone a few days ago. It was hard for me to hear. I had a couple of days to imagine which ewe had died after getting her horns tangled in a wire that the caretakers forgot to hook properly after feeding.

It never occurred to me that the ewe was Sasha. I thought about Marilyn. I thought about Magnolia. I thought about Gilda. It was shocking to discover Sasha's body waiting for us when we got home.

She had broken some horns and she had a primitive wooly mane. The rest of her fleece was lovely. She was a brave ewe but not pushy. She wasn't afraid to meet your gaze.

She was a good ewe and a great mother. Last spring she gave us two lovely four horned lambs: a ewe lamb and a ram lamb. Both found loving homes -- one as breeding stock and one as a wethered pet. I'm glad to know that some of her offspring live on.

My dear RNB harvested her skin at my request, and we will send it away for tanning. We will keep that one, not sell it as we often do.

Sasha, I'm so sorry your life was ended early by our human-made environment.

I will miss you, Sasha. I imagine you finding some young lambs on the other side who need your good mothering. Thank you, sweet girl.

Pics of Sasha's lambs

2009-12-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

Sasha's lambs are featured in previous entries. Her ewe lamb is Sandy, and her ram/wethered lamb is Scotty. You won't have to search far to find pictures of them.

Sheep pictures

2009-10-22T17:32:00.001-07:00

I'm so pleased that we've sold some more of our lovely Jacob ewe lambs, headed for breeding homes.

I must admit I have been naive about the quality of our sheep. The appreciation of some of my newfound sheep friends is helping grow my discerning eye and gratitude for the lovely ones we have. And with the current ram's super soft fleece added to the flock offspring -- well... amazing.

So, our spring lambs are looking more and more adult. Here are some pics of the gals who left this morning.

Fine Fettle Willa

Fine Fettle Tina

Fine Fettle Sandy

These lambs were all born in March, and are the last of our 4 horned ewe lambs from this year. We still have some 2 horned ewe lambs with nice markings and great fleece and hopefully will sell them, too.

Here is one of those:

Fine Fettle Lynda

One of my next endeavors is selling more of our sheepskins. Each is different of course, and here are pictures of a couple of them.

And who is this?

It's little Scotty who lives as a pet with some friends in Maine. This picture is from way back then when he was a little tyke. He ain't so little anymore!

Sheep, etc. for sale

2009-09-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

We have some lovely register eligible Jacob sheep for sale -- our lambs from last spring as well as we will sell a ewe, bred or not. Our ewes all descend from the Lasseau Jacobs.

We also have sheepskins for sale, and may or may not have some fleece leftover after the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival coming up soon in Tunbridge, VT this year.

And 'locker lamb' for those of you who love the taste and texture of pasture-raised lamb.

If you are interested, leave me a comment and I'll let you know how to reach me directly.

Jacob lambs

2009-05-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

We have 18 Jacob lambs from this spring. What a hoot to watch them romp and frolic! Really nice fleece thanks to our new ram. Soft!!

First lamb of 2009

2009-03-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

Our first Jacob lamb arrived! We have a baker's dozen ewes and so are expecting more lambs, any day now.

Here is the lamb, Betty (named after my Jacob sheep mentor who shares a birthday with this lamb!) and her ewe mom, Mandy.

Here is the whole flock. If you look carefully, you can count heads. This is how I learned we have more than 12 ewes!

Winter farm activities

2009-01-01T03:40:00.000-08:00

Many of my winter farm activities are in my head.

Like renaming the farm. After struggling with an icy drive, acknowledging we are going through fire wood at a much greater rate than expected, and hauling hay from the new farm to the old farm where we all (humans and animals alike) are still living, I think the farm would be more aptly named: Fine Folly Farm.

RNB laughed but nixed my suggestion for change. Perhaps that idea will become a 2008 memory, and this new year will bring more moments of delight than discouragement.

Some of my winter activities are indoor activities. Painting the interior walls of the house we are finishing. I have become quite the skilled house painter! The main ingredients to success include: attention, breathing, focus, patience. Oh yeah, the right tools and color choices help! How quickly I became protective of my favorite tools -- especially the paint brush I use for doing the edges, and the little hammer I use for closing the paint can.

Other indoor activities include knitting and crocheting items with the Jacob yarn I mentioned before. I am having fun mixing the Jacob yarn with other yarns. A couple of scarves should adorn some family necks soon -- 1 strand of Jacob yarn with 1 strand of a commercial -- and very soft -- colored wool yarn. I am experimenting with colors as well as hook and needle sizes. I have a lap blanket partially finished as well -- 100% Jacob yarn.

A few outdoor winter activities... The less pleasant ones are the repetitive ones, like walking to the various spigots to make sure the water is running enough to keep from freezing. Especially important when it's below 10°F, or like last night, below 0°F. I had to use the heavy metal rod to open the surface of one water trough but the water was still flowing in all.

Keeping the new Red Star pullets watered is a challenge as they are not yet integrated with the other fowl whose watering needs are met by a pan heater and a 5 gallon waterer.

This morning I did another outdoor farm activity. I stood around near the sheep, watching them, seeing if I could recognize the growing-up ewe lambs we kept. When they are younger, it's easy to tell who is who because they stick close to their momma ewes. As they grow up, they mingle amongst the adults less discriminately. I did manage to figure them all out before my toes got cold.

I carry a long-term SHOULD on my shoulders. I SHOULD get proper photos of the ewes and lambs so I can register them. I got the farm name registered (Jacob Sheep Breeders Association) and gave each ewe and lamb a name last year, and named the spring lambs (last year, ehem!), even took a half a kazillion digital pictures. But never sorted through the pics nor enlisted someone's help to hold them still while I got the views needed for registering them...

Meanwhile, for the record. The lambs we have now are: Zinnia (out of Granny Z), Mimosa and Marigold (out of Mandy), Magnolia (out of Marilyn), and Begonia (out of Bettina). Can you guess what naming theme I chose last spring?

Now that I am enjoying using the yarn from their wool, I look forward to finding out who produces the softest fleece!

Ok, you sheep! Stand still while I take your pictures!

Jacob fleece put to use

2008-12-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

Finally! I've done something with the Jacob fleece, and I'm proud of it!

Thanks to Betty B who has encouraged me and facilitated some of our fleece becoming yarn.

Goats, the end.

2008-11-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

Recently we sold our Nigerian Dwarf goats -- four does and buck. The does have moved to their new home already, and the buck will leave soon. He was staying through November for the sake of three young does who are here for breeding. They leave this afternoon.

It's been fun having them all here. And in our current efforts to simplify at least a little while we work at finishing our new home while heating both homes and taking care of work and farm needs through this fall and into the winter season, something had to change.

RNB and I discussed which animals we were most attached to. RNB: the sheep and peafowl. Me: the horses, chickens, and guinea fowl. So, perhaps in our future we will have goats again. But for now, it's the end of our goat-owning story.

I have especially loved the kidding time. And as stressful as it is, there have been awesome rewards for helping a rejected kid survive a winter's birth.

Thank you, dear goats! I wish you all well in your new life.

Life lessons from the goats

2008-11-25T05:10:00.000-08:00

I received an email update this morning about the twin Nigerian Dwarf bucklings we sold to a friend earlier this fall. As I was writing back and filling her in with my current job search efforts, I realized the goats may offer me some good guidance.

This is what she wrote:

"Just wanted to give you an update on our boys. We finally got the sheep to accept them and we put them all in together. The first day went fine and they were all getting along fine. I brought them into the stall again for the night because the weather was not so great and I didn't want them out in the cold. The second day started well but my mom called me around noon and said that she didn't know how they did it but the goats were out and the sheep were not very happy about it. We went to see if there was a break in the fence somewhere but I didn't find anything.

I brought some grain, so I shook the can and they came back into the sheep pen and I went out and shut the door and started walking toward the house and they came running by me!! So, I watched this time and they were jumping up to the top of the sheep house and then just a short little hop from the top of the sheep house over the fence. TADA, freedom!! So, now they are free goats. They have the run of the farm all day and stay in the barn at night. Talk about happy goats. They think that our pool deck is a playground and they love to play king of the hill with the stairs. They hang out with the horses quite abit unless the horses go down into the big field and then the goats stay near my house and eat tall grass that never got weedwacked this summer.

I know that next summer when my mom is trying to grow a garden we will have to find a better solution to the jump the fence problem, but for now they are fine. We love them to death, they are getting so they come when I call them, but if I don't have grain they don't stick around. Thanks for them."

This is what I wrote:

"I'm looking for more work. Maybe I should start trimming horses again. No definitive action on the resumes I sent out for clinical social work jobs. As much as I like working for someone else (security type reasons) I might need to take the plunge and work for myself again. Trimming? Start a private practice? I'm so cautious right now about spending money and I think I would need to spend money to get something set up in order to start making money...

That's MY update -- not much about goats although maybe I can learn a lesson from them. Hmmm... Don't like the current 'enclosure'? Jump the fence and go find fun and freedom. If someone shows up offering something enticing -- run to them, otherwise, keep finding the good stuff on your own."

Maybe I will compile these ideas into a little book called Goat Soup for the Soul? What do you think?

Tis the season

2008-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

For a reason I no longer recall, I never published this entry on May 15th when I wrote it. Perhaps I expected I would have more to say. Today, on yet another chilly November day, I think it's time I submitted this, as is, for the reminder of what is to come, as an investment in a future I can count on -- merely six months from now! Whooppeeeee!

Asparagus is coming! Asparagus is coming!

Rhubarb is up! Rhubarb is up!

The orchard is flowering! The orchard is flowering!

The iris are blooming! The iris are blooming!

Good news this morning!

2008-09-24T11:42:00.001-07:00

Despite my nightmares and worry last night, we found three adult guineas and a passel of keets this morning and successfully herded them into an empty stall in the barn.

So my latest question -- can anyone answer this? How do you count a moving mass of little bodies?? I have no idea whether we have 12 or 15 or 21 keets!

I ran into this same question with the recent hatch of chicks. I did take a photo and perhaps can count from looking at the picture. Yeah, I could do this with the keets as well. But we had a visitor here one year shortly after some keets hatched and she looked at the swarm and said, "Oh, look -- you have 27 keets."

How in the world could she look and count like that???

Blessed and helpless

2008-09-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

They probably go hand in hand.

This afternoon I noticed some of our guineas crossing the road. Not unusual, except there were a bunch of little things moving with them.

KEETS!

Headed for the tall grass across the road. Darn!

Blessed by the arrival of babies. We never know if a guinea has been lost to predators or is sitting on a clutch of eggs. I guess it was the eggs this time.

So I head out and around to herd them (flock them?) back toward the barn yard. I would feel most safe if I could get them all into a stall or bird pen for a few weeks.

I succeeded in getting them turned and headed for the house and barn. Then I heard the peeps. Some of the keets were not with the rest of them and the adult guineas. Darn!!

I went over to the edge of the road and listened. I heard a peep or two and starting a useless and frustrating search, kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack. The grass there has not been cut for years, is long and thick and of course, the keets went silent when I moved.

Time for plan B. Herd the larger group of guins and keets back to the tall grass for a reunion. I succeeded with that however they entered in a slightly different place and headed off up the hillside. I saw one keet enter the field separate from the rest, and heard another, but couldn't find them. This is the helpless part. I stood there for 15 minutes, waiting to hear a peep-peep-peep to help me locate them in the jungle of grass. Nothing. Meanwhile the troop had moved on up the hill and out of my sight and earshot.

I took a risk. I suppose either way the same results. Maybe I should have kept the bunch close to home and shrugged my shoulders about the stragglers who would not survive on their own. Ha! Me? Shrug my shoulders when I have a chance to save some baby animals? Not likely!

I have no idea how many will show up tomorrow. The adults do group together, not sure why, but maybe they will share the protective roles out in the wilds tonight. And maybe I can herd them into the barn tomorrow and help keep safe and alive whatever keets survive this first night.

Helpless with no control over Mother Nature. Now that's the truth, isn't it!

Our good mom

2008-09-10T16:50:00.001-07:00

The bantam hen who conscientiously hatched out a dozen eggs earlier this summer (sure doesn't feel like summer tonight!) is sitting again. I estimate any new hatching should occur in about a week. I wonder if she'll catalyze the miracle again?

We have to rearrange some of the bird housing if she does. We put our two new blue peahens in the pen where the hen is broody. Hen is in a little gambrel hutch, peahens are either pacing the fence line or roosting as high as they can get.

The last hatch have taken to roosting in the larger peafowl pen where in fact they grew to a feathered and flying age in safety. The main bird predators here are hawks. So one night I will move each of those youngsters to another roost, and then move the peahens to that larger pen.

Some day I have to let the white peahen and her chick out of the barn. They've been living in a stall with a window, again for safety reasons. How will I know when the chick can fend for her/himself? I wonder if the hen/chick pair would share the peafowl pen with the new blues.

I know, pictures are in order!

Bats!

2008-09-10T16:44:00.001-07:00

So much is going on this time of year, however I am excited to have met two bats this evening flying 'round and 'round in the barn. I did net one of them long enough to have a little look at it then it figured out how to get free of the netting which was clearly too open to hold that clever creature.

RNB says they are probably looking for a cave to winter in. The barn would not be enough temperature protection for them -- sure, for tonight but not for the winter months. I hope they find someplace suitable.

We are being visited by young skunks, probably also looking for a winter home. I can tell when a new one arrives because the dry cat food -- left out for our barn cat -- disappears much faster than her usual consumption rate. So I put out the have a heart trap and the next day ask RNB to please relocate the guest.

They are cute. Too bad they eat cat food, bird food, and raw eggs, not to mention their unwelcome odor should I surprise them!

Addendum

2008-07-30T05:08:00.000-07:00

More young life on the farm discovered this morning.

Imagine my surprise when I headed out toward the barn's side door to pick some grass for the caged birds, and suddenly smelled something -- well, yucky smelling! I had passed into this narrow walkway in the barn without having a look at the hav-a-heart cages lining the passage. They have been empty for weeks, maybe months.

But not this morning! A young skunk was startled by my approach and did what it knows best to do to discourage any animal who threatens -- accidentally or intentionally -- its well-being. Sprayed!

Yuck! Pee-eww!

It's more of a musky smell like the weasel family makes, and it got me on my left knee. Pants quickly into the wash with a good dollop of Nature's Miracle added to the detergent, knee scrubbed and clean pants donned.

What is amazing is that RNB can't smell this new perfume I'm sporting despite the change of clothes and washing. It is unusual for me to envy him his loss of olfactory senses, but today I do!

New life in July

2008-07-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Nothing like some new life to brighten my life.

This is not one of our farm animals, however it is young and has made a home here. We will be trying to relocate it to prevent garden devastation!

Our Nigerian Dwarf goats have been popping! So far, two sets of twins from earlier this month, and one single born yesterday.

Doeling twins and mom. (I had a naming game last winter for our unnamed goats however this gal never got a name. Suggestions are welcome!)

Joanie and her buckling twins.

Bliz's buckling, who looks identical to Bliz's last buckling.

It's fun when Bliz has kids because she was a bottle baby and is tame. So it's pretty easy to get close to her babies.

The hen who hatched a dozen eggs -- they are all thriving. They love it when I bring them a fresh handful of grass and weeds.

This picture of them makes me feel dizzy! Soon we will let them out of confinement as the chicks are feathered and starting to fly.

I've been watching our white peahen sitting on three eggs in the raspberry patch. I should call it a raspberry tangle due to our lack of pruning for a few years. Great spot to hide a nest! Yesterday I noticed the nest was empty and some shell pieces strewn here and there. A fox disaster? This morning I saw the pea hen resting in one of our outside pens. Thinking she might be injured as well as exhausted from her broody time, I brought her some food. She got up to come eat and oh-my-oh-my-oh-my, she was sitting over one live peachick! Very exciting indeed and let's all put out good thoughts for this little one's ongoing survival! Thanks!

Peacocks

2008-07-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

"Twinville" asked for pictures of the peacocks. I am happy to share!

Knock, knock. Who's there?

2008-06-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon. A knock at the door. I look out the window as I approach the door. State Trooper? Hmm, I wonder if someone else has complained about our birds in the road. Free range birds -- just can't control them!

Trooper: "I was driving by and heard a loud screaming and thought I would make sure everything is alright."

Me: "Oh, I bet you heard one of our peacocks. They sound just like a person in distress."

Trooper looks around, unsure, eyes bugging a little as if it's his first day on the job, maybe his first cold call after suspecting domestic violence.

Trooper: "Sorry to bother you, M'am."

Me: "Oh, I'm glad you stopped and checked this out, glad you were concerned when you heard that noise."

I wonder how he'll write this up in his report today!

The latest surprise

2008-06-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

Another spotted fuzzy thing in the field. Smaller than the others. Huh?

I'll get a picture. Lovely coloring from what I could tell. Our surprise summer baby created a surprise summer baby. Seasonal genetics? Not likely. Probably just a chance winter breeding, obviously just before we sold our ram!

A four horned lamb out of a four horned ewe (Fine Fettle Sueprize), out of a four horned ewe (Fine Fettle Gilda) who also gave us a four horned lamb (won't be registered but named George) earlier this year. I'm curious about the genetic strength of four horns in some ewes versus the others.

The bad news: this new lamb appears (from a distance) to be a ram lamb. The good news: one less lovely ewe we'd be tempted to keep! The bad news: we were likely to cull the ewe as her upright horns are much too forward. The good news: she produced a very nice colored lamb and having given us one of the few superb-for-spinning fleeces this year, she may have procured a slot in our flock.

On another note regarding the Jacobs, we have decided to buy Betty Berlenbach's nice two horned ram, Unzicker Captain. His breeder, Royal Unzicker, bought one of our older ewes last fall, and now we'll have some of his bloodlines in our flock. Captain has coloring we like and very nice fleece.

I guess it's time RNB and I sat down and figured out how many ewes we want in our flock, and consider selling some if we are not going to keep them all. I do wish it were easier to photo these sheep -- that's my current excuse for not getting them registered yet! I have named them all, secured our farm prefix with the JSBA, and tracked all the bloodline info I can regarding the rams we've had here over the years. It's those photos that are holding me up, I must admit!

This is from earlier in the year. It's not raining right now so maybe I'll go take some pictures of the new arrival.

New life

2008-06-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

One bantam mix hen went broody, and because she created her clutch someplace other than where I collect eggs each day, we decided to let nature run her course and see what happened.

A few days ago I noticed the hen had a different look about her, no longer that spaced out broody look. She was alert. So I was alert, too. The next morning I could see a few downy little heads peeking out from under the hen's puffed up presence. The following morning we figured she'd had 24 hours to hatch all the best eggs, and we moved her and her brood to a safer place. Twelve chicks, cute as can be of course!

Here she is just before we moved them. It amazes me that she can warm, hide, and protect a dozen chicks under her small body!!

Recent sightings

2008-06-12T14:00:00.001-07:00

I love the signs of wildlife around here, and I love when I meet some of the locals in person.

Skunk with really wide white markings, freshly caught in the barn.

Local skunk removal service.

Moose print next to the pond, compared to my "women's size 9" muck boot.

A woodcock sitting in the road.

The turtle I moved to the pond, before she wandered off.

Spring is sprung

2008-04-16T18:44:00.001-07:00

Spring is sprung and the grass is greening. The sheep are finding the new growth irresistible and hopefully, nutritious as well. Another week of warmth and sun and I'll probably stop feeding out hay to them for the season. Hurrah!

I was very excited to find moose tracks right into the pond! The water was clear, the ice is gone, and in my walk around the perimeter, I noted two places where a moose had walked into the pond and out again, leaving some prints in the mud/silt bottom, and some prints along the bank.

Some day I will see one a local moose not just the hoof prints.

Lambing season

2008-03-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

We have lambs. Jacob lambs. I love their spotted little bodies and the amazing life energy that flows through their little growing bodies.

This season has brought sorrow though. I do not know how the ewes feel, only how I feel. We have had stillborn lambs and just today I found the small runt (survivor of twins or triplets, I may never know) dead at three days old. Between times of flowing tears, I question what could I have done differently to prevent each of these deaths.

Mostly I hope my excitement about the thriving lambs will replace the sorrow I feel this morning.

From the apparent width of some ewes, there are more lambs coming. Spring is a time of inherent hopefulness as Mother Nature brings new life in a myriad of ways.

Here are some pictures of the newcomers to our Jacob flock:

Marilyn and her ewe lamb, Magnolia

Bettina and her ewe lamb, Begonia (also pictured are side of Sasha and head of Mandy)

Izzy (Isabella) and her now deceased ewe lamb, Ivy

Welcome, Snowcap!

2008-02-07T10:10:00.001-08:00

That's his name. A mostly white buckling was born last night in one of our latest frequent snow falls. I heard his mother (who really needs a proper name!) crying out when I was doing late evening chores, and checking on her, I was fortunate to witness this little fellow's arrival. This morning when I checked his gender, I noticed what looks like a round tan circle on his head! Hence his name. First and only buckling of this go round of kids.

Meanwhile the barn bunch of kids are doing well. I weaned off the heat lamp a few nights ago, and they are starting to nibble on the pellets I put out for the doe/mom of triplets who is in the barn with her three and one of Brownie's twins. I think this doe will be named Joanie -- Roanie Joanie. I did pretty well naming the ewes, slowly getting names for the does. "Bottle Baby" and "Baby's Baby" are a little feeble, ya think?

Here is the crew in the barn, taken a couple of days ago. From left to right: Joanie, Daisy, Spike, Dancer, and Teacup.

Side-tracked by pictures

2008-02-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

After responding at the Sugar Mountain Farm blog (http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog) about my camera, I am uploading one of the first digital photos I took. I was living in Maine at the time -- July 2003 -- on my little acreage which I privately called Cherimoya Farm, and yes, there is a story there.

I had a landscaped pool in my back yard, adjacent to the deck off the master bedroom. I loved the chorus of frogs on that piece of earth, and had the opportunity to create this pond in hopes it would attract more music makers. Which it did.

Here is one who took up residence and soothed my soul. A frog in fine fettle!

Growing kids

2008-01-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

We have the unusual situation of bottle feeding three kids at the same time. Which on the bright side means I get to witness their growth and changes up close and personal! Born January 1, 4, and 7, they are now 2-3 weeks old. All have budding horns and I have to wonder if they have that itch and nag feeling similar to when teeth come in. Anyone remember that lovely experience from childhood?

We also have sold three of the kids: two of these bottle babies and one mother-nursed sibling. They will stay here until weaning time of the nursing kid. This is another unusual situation as we've kept in the barn the mother of triplets (one she is nursing and two we are feeding) and the rejected twin of another doe. So this mother nursed kid has become brave and cavalier around me when I'm in there feeding and is accepting my touch, as long as I don't come directly toward her head with my hand. Best deal is when she is scrunching under my knees and I can give her back a good scratching. I'm trying to think ahead to their future life as milk goats. That steers me to be touching them a lot so they are used to being handled.

I am getting better at preparing them for adulthood in another way. Deterring them from jumping into my lap. This is hard to do because they are still in the totally cute baby animal stage! But I know it's not fair to allow some behaviors now then scold them later for the same thing. Their new owner would suffer if she got her kids and they were convinced of their rights to jump up on anybody!

So, today would be a good day to take more pictures of these little darlings. And email an ad to the It's Classifieds for the unsold bottle baby who really could go anytime to an owner who wants to bottle feed the new kid.

Jan 4th -- more new life!

2008-01-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

Our agouti doe finally did it. She has looked pregnant for months! I found her with twins around 1:30 just before I headed out for a dentist appointment. All looked well, still wet but in the sun with momma licking them both.

What a surprise when I checked them later and found yet another one! Two white with black and one white with rusty red. At the later evening check I decided the youngest one was too weak and chilled to stay out in the goat house with momma and her sisters. So she is in for the night, for warmth and supplemental feed. We'll see tomorrow if her mother will take her back. We had a doe take back a kid last winter and were extremely grateful for that. But that was a single and this is the smallest of triplets. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

New life in the New Year

2008-01-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

We've been waiting a long time for new kids. If you'd asked me, I would have said for sure two would birth in August. Wrong. But today I heard a new sound from the goats -- that little voice of a youngster!

Our youngest Nigerian Dwarf doe had a little lookalike doeling.

I checked in throughout the day and evening to see that her momma was tending to her properly. I'm less than fully confident with this doe as her mother was a bottle baby, and did not pass along the diligent mothering qualities usually evident in this breed. So far so good.

This is her, on the left, with her mother, in the summer months.

Now we're on watch for the other does to kid. Two of them look mighty ready!

So long, Port-a-potty!

2007-12-29T13:49:00.000-08:00

We have a functioning indoor toilet now. No interior walls, no wash basin, no bathroom door, but a nice beige toilet that flushes. Something to celebrate!

Updated: Jacob Sheep for sale - four horned ewes

2007-12-27T21:53:00.000-08:00

We are selling many of our Jacob sheep. I've roughly aged them in categories: oldest, older, middle, younger, 2006, and 2007 lambs. Three of our four starting Jacobs were from the Lasseau flock, and it is likely that our "oldest" ewes are daughters of the original ewes. In 2006, every ewe lambed with singles, twins, or triplets.

Here are our four horned Jacob sheep that are for sale, listed from older to younger:

Twisty Left/"Gilda" - Middle - Possibly daughter of Spot Face based on how they hang out in family groups. She surprised us with a ewe lamb early Sept 2007 (picture below).

"Sueprize", September 2007 4 horned ewe lamb of Gilda:

Bent Right/"Marilyn" - Middle

Updated: Jacob Sheep for sale - two horned ewes

2007-12-27T21:50:00.000-08:00

We are selling many of our Jacob sheep. I've roughly aged them in categories: oldest, older, middle, younger, 2006, and 2007 lambs. Three of our four starting Jacobs were from the Lasseau flock, and it is likely that our "oldest" ewes are daughters of the original ewes. In 2006, every ewe lambed with singles, twins, or triplets.

Here are our two horned Jacob sheep that are for sale, listed from older to younger:

Spot Smile - Older

Pippi, 2007 ewe lamb (on the right) - daughter of Mandy, granddaughter of an Oldest two horn.

Sadie, 2007 ewe lamb - daughter of Granny4horn, an Oldest.

Jacob Sheep for sale - Ridgecroft Connor

2007-12-27T21:46:00.000-08:00

Connor - 2006 ram we bought from Peggy Van Beek. We like what he's passing along to the lambs but we replace our ram every two years or so.

Ridgecroft Connor, Reg. No.: C075-07
Bred by Marguerite E. van Beek. Twin, 2/14/2006.
Sire: bideawee Noel CO77-02
Dam: Brink May Lady Heather B192-98.

Some of Connor's offspring from 2007:

2007 4 horn ewe lamb:

2007 2 horn ewe lamb:

2007 ram lamb - 4 horn:

4 horn lamb and his sire, our ram Connor.

2007 ram lamb - 2 horn:

Updated: Jacob Sheep NOT FOR SALE

2007-12-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

We are selling most of our Jacob Sheep, not because we do not love having them, but because we are moving and it will be a year or two or three before we have decent pasture there. We will keep a small flock and build from there, maybe buying some ewes in a couple of years to augment what we have.

These are the Jacob Sheep we are keeping, and why...

Gimpy Granny/"Granny Z" -- Two horned Oldest. Formally known as Granny but she was injured last winter and is now Gimpy. Vet said this will heal 100% but she still limps at times and heck, I got attached to her while we had her semi-confined. One of the 2006 ewes for sale is from her or Spot Face, another Oldest.

Small2GoodUp/"Bettina" - Younger, 2005 or earlier. She is Robert's choice of who to keep.

SNDau/"Mandy" - 2006 two horned, daughter of my favorite ewe, Spot Nose, an Oldest, who died last winter.

LongLeftUp/"Sasha" - 2006 - daughter of either GimpyGranny or Spot Face, both Oldest two horn ewes. Her sweet personality has grown on me during these past few months since we started advertising our sheep for sale.

We will keep four of the six 2007 lambs for meat. We think someone will want SNDau's 2 horned ewe lamb and the 4 horned Dot Nose ewe lamb, in which case we'll keep the three ram lambs and the injured ewe lamb. But we're not attached to which four lambs we keep so take your pick!

SOLD sheep 2007

2007-12-27T18:37:00.001-08:00

Granny4horn - Oldest - SOLD

Dot Nose/Dot - 2007 - SOLD

Spot Face - Oldest - SOLD

Older 4 horned and 2006 4 horned - SOLD (no pics at this time)

More pictures of Ridgecroft Connor

2007-10-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

Fleece information

2007-10-01T14:40:00.001-07:00

Royal and Sue Unzicker of Ivy Brook Meadows (www.ivybrookmeadow.com) were here today and I got the beginnings of my fleece education. Here are the notes I took while he was here handling the ewes and checking teeth and fleece (and body condition, too, I think).

Granny 4 Horn: Open type fleece, nice crimp.

Dot Nose: Long, open fleece with some crimp but not a lot.

Small 2 Good UP: solid, dense fleece.

SNDau: has a mane.

SNDau's dau: open fleece, long, some crimp.

Oh dear, I realize he had more comments about fleece than I noted. Sorry! Royal, if you read this and recall something I've forgotten, do let me know and I'll add it to this entry on fleece!

The Original Four Jacobs

2007-09-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Although we have no photos of these sheep, I want to share the registration information we do have.

Sheepside Paul, male, bred by J. Lasseau. Reg. No.: JA 0513
Born 4/85 single.
Sire: Sheepside Samuel, Reg. No.: JA0023
Dam: Sheepside Pearl Grey, Reg. No.:JA3082
Description: 2 horns, 50% black.
Black: eyes, ears, nose, horns, scrotum.
White: feet, knees, tail, hooves.
Jacobs Ladder Renee, bred

Sheepside Julie, female, bred by Jacques and Benjie Lasseau. Reg. No.: JA 4117
Born 4/19/86 twin.
Sire: Sheepside Samuel, Reg. No.: JA0023
Dam: Rudell's Artemise, Reg. No.: JA3073
Description: 4 horn, 90% black.
Black: eyes, ears, feet, nose, tail, hooves, and udder.

Sheepside Jennie, female, bred by Jacques and Benjie Lasseau. Reg. No.: JA4118
Born 4/28/86 twin.
Sire: Reynolds Nestor, Reg. No.: JA0022
Dam: Rudell's Julie, Reg. No.: JA3069
Description: 4 horn, 10% black.
Black: eyes, ears, nose.
White: feet, tail, udder.

Jacobs Ladder Renee, female, bred by M. Hescock. Reg. No.: JA 4158
Born 4/4/86 single.
Sire: Jacobs Ladder 86735, Reg. No.:JA 0027
Dam: Jacobs Ladder Rosemary F84204F, Reg. No.: JA3110
Description: 4 horn, 60% black.
Black: eyes, nose, horns.
White: left ear, tail, feet, knees, udder.
B/W: hooves.

Sheep surprise

2007-09-10T11:04:00.001-07:00

What a surprise to see a pint size spotted wooly thing out in the field next to a big sized spotted wooly thing! A 'summer' lamb!

One of our middle aged 4 horned ewes has a ewe lamb. I suspect this is largely due to the lack of surviving lambs during the horrid weather we had last winter. Breast feeding reduces the likelihood of breeding, or of settling, not sure which. *g*

So, this changes our numbers for now. Back to 17 Jacob sheep. Most are still for sale. In face, I need to work on the sales flyer for the folks interested in the old and quite rare bloodlines we apparently have in our little flock.

The new ewe lamb is colored quite like her mom -- mostly white with darker areas at shoulders and face, but light muzzle. No pictures yet. But here is the ewe mom:

Heron

2007-07-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

We are growing a pond. Some excavator involvement plus lots of Mother Nature with seep water, perhaps springs, and gravity. (How does one tell if water coming out of a sandy hillside is seep water or spring water?)

There were frogs' eggs there before we were finished shaping the pond. Yesterday RNB reported on a green frog who came intentionally close to him and croaked away. RNB moved him away from where he was digging and the frog came back to him. We figure the frog wanted RNB to know without a doubt how grateful he was for this new environment we created.

RNB also reported seeing footprints of a heron. This morning I saw the heron. Without camera I have only my memory for pictures of this lovely bird. Perhaps another time I will capture her/his image to share here.

I can imagine RNB's deep excitement about drawing pond-loving life forms here where they can thrive and we can enjoy their proximity. I do love the chorus that emanates from a pond!

Babies

2007-07-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

I got home from errands and discovered four goslings out and about with goose and gander! Good job, Momma, with your setting and hatching!

Shortly after I got home, a knock on the door. Someone stopping to tell me there is a big black bull, ya know, with big horns, running down the dirt road. Oh, thanks!

Hmm, I wonder how he got out. Well, first I'll wonder if indeed it is the bull because all of our black bovines have big horns!

I was about to have lunch but decided gathering the loose animal takes precedence. I scoop some sweet feed into a small red bucket and head out. I first scan the pasture where the cows belong and see the bull, and the cows, and the two young heifers. That means the coming two year old steer is out.

The good news? He sees me and comes a-runnin'!

The bad news? He has no experience of the delightful taste of what is in my bucket (compared to the older cows and bull who come running to anyone with a small red bucket) and so his running in my direction only brings him closer to home but doesn't help him come follow me through a gate or two.

In fact he thinks it is best to run off down the paved road.

So I think it's best to re-think my plan.

Which I do. Fortunately he returned most of the way on his own and decided the grass just outside the upper pasture gate was worth consuming. That little window of time allowed me to open some gates between where he was munching and where he would be inside our fencing, and walk a large circuitous route around him so I could come in behind and ask him to walk forward.

All went quietly and well and bingo -- steer behind fencing again.

I walked him around a few fences until he was in the pasture adjacent to where the other cows were. I opened that gate and stood aside while he hesitated before barreling through the opening heading off toward the bellows of his family.

Meanwhile the sheep came to see if I had some sweet feed for them, and I stood around trying my best to take a count. I counted 14, then 16, then 17, then 15 sheep, so I'll assume there are 17, which is the number I got last time I counted, a couple of weeks ago. They look fat and well, content I suppose would describe them. Unless I stepped a bit too close and their contentedness turned instantly to worry and off they went. I was looking for the older ewe who injured her leg last winter. She is either no longer lame, or no longer among the living. Some day when I can get closer (such as when I do have some sweet feed and they mob me) I will have a better look for her.

Visitor in the night

2007-07-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

We have an unknown number of visitors in the night. Certainly lots of rats, some we see and some we don't. Some visiting cats come to eat the food left out for our barn cats. I'm certain the local fox venture near as well.

The other night I startled a new kitty eating the barn cats' food. As it scurried off I noticed the white stripe down it's thick dark tail. Hey! That's NOT a kitty!

Then the missing chicks as well as the missing cat food. Argh. Then last night the telltale fragrance, in the barn. Double argh. RNB could smell it on me when I came in from the late night hay feeding to the horses. I could smell it on me!

And who do you think was in the rat trap this morning?

Amazing claws.

He/she was relocated. We may meet again because RNB decided to release him/her on our new property. Huh? We do not think alike about some things.

Wolf teeth

2007-07-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

Sofia had her wolf teeth removed by the same vet who took the x-rays. She did well. Actually, both of them did well -- Sofia and the vet. Quite a strenuous job for the vet, and Sofia my dear horse was more cooperative than I ever could have imagined. Drugs probably helped -- a lot!

Fuzzy picture that shows size:

Clearer picture:

Sofia's x-rays

2007-07-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a picture of them. Perhaps when I go meet the vet and look at them I can capture them digitally to share here. I do love x-rays of a horse's feet. Am I weird?

Anyway, the results are: no bone involvement with the puncture wound of this spring. I had the vet/chiro here to assess her readiness to resume some 'work'. HA! Work? This gal doesn't know the meaning of the word. She lives the life of leisure with the occasional request to carry me around for 1/2 hour. I do want more with her and she has the mind to take us exploring. Meanwhile, that vet said get x-rays. Not the first time I've heard that suggestion.

But I was ready to find out what they show and did get the x-ray vet out here. I am glad to now know there is no bone involvement. But Sofia is still off. I hate to call it 'lame' but I suppose it is in fact lameness we're talking about. Vet/chiro and X-ray vet both tell me to put her back to work. Oh, I hadn't the boldness to tell them it won't be "back" to work, simply "to work". And give her some low dose of aspirin to reduce the little bit of swelling in her foot and relieve some pain that may get worse once I ride her more. The idea is -- and won't be confirmed without an MRI which means it won't be confirmed at this point -- that scar tissue within her hoof capsule is limiting her movement and indeed a bit painful. But work will help her break the adhesions and leave her more flexible and mobile as originally designed.

So, good news. Nothing can be defined as limiting to her future! I have ridden her a few times since those vet visits. We're working on the basics of go, turn, and stop. Once she is more responsive to my steering requests, I'd like to take her out on a trail ride!

Chicks!

2007-06-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

The unmistakable sound of a chick peeping. Where is it coming from??? I finally tracked it down -- under the stairs in the barn. From what I can tell, there are two hens nesting under there, and I placed the newly pipped chick under the wing of the closest hen where I saw two other chicks. I have exactly NO idea how we will extract them from where they are, or where we will house them once we've done that. I would leave them there except we have one really, really good barn cat, who is equally handy and interested in rodents and birds. Not much chance for these chicks without more protection!

Various species

2007-05-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from the farm...

One of two Baltimore orioles that RNB spotted this morning. Picture is lousy, taken through the old farmhouse windows.

Some horses on the hillside and closer is one of the twin bucklings enjoying time on our local "mountains".

Our fantail doves nest under the eaves of the milkhouse.

A very protective gander leads the way for the gosling and his goose mate.

Front view of peacock in full display.

Side view of peacock in full display. Notice the penned peafowl paying close attention!

New kids

2007-05-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

The doeling who is most friendly (likely because she was bottle fed!) gave birth to twins on Thursday evening. These kids will be friendly because they take cues from their mother. One mostly black buckling and one honey colored doeling. The doeling is already spoken for and what a cutey she is. I'll get a picture posted when the rain subsides.

Ok, rain subsided enough! Here they are:

Waiting

2007-05-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

One white doe is ready to kid. I see her lanquishing in the shade, panting more than the heat demands. Her udder looks full. Her eyes sleepy. Her sides bulging. Twins? The buck rubs on her. I wonder if that is some natural wonder that we humans have lost.

One time I was home during a kid birth and the only way I knew something had happened was the cessation of sound and activity in the farm yard. Silence. A few moments later when I checked on the doe and she had her newborn there, I remembered the stillness. And knew they all knew. Attunement. I beg to be attuned as the animals are.

A taste of spring

2007-05-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

The hay field at the VT farm is greening up, Brownie had her kids which I mentioned before, and at least one gosling has hatched as of this morning! The weather is perfect for outside projects -- 50s-60s during the day with a breeze. Not too hot, hot too cold.

Brownie and her kids at a few hours old:

We had to clear fifty trees from the access road and driveway after the recent wind storm. Here's a view of the road near where our drive joins it:

This week's house progress was special -- some window holes were cut and some windows installed!

Although I have not yet had the privilege of seeing any of the local moose population in person, someone left their calling card close to the back porch. You may want to click on the picture for the larger version.

Farm news

2007-04-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Our new farm is progressing! The old barn we're dismantling and moving is starting to look like a frame. All of the siding is removed from the long addition, and the stalls and feeders are gone from the main floor. The milking parlor is currently being dismantled. RNB bought some special tool to remove the standing seam roofing. We had hoped to sell the metal roofing material but maybe it won't be so useful because we have to cut it to remove it.

Despite the humungous wind storm in this area recently, we had no damage to buildings! Phew! Yes, road clearning activity was required (50+ trees down across the class 6 road and the driveway) and who knows what the woods look like now. Plenty of firewood, that's for sure.

Locally, where we still live, Brownie had kids yesterday morning. Triplets! They were doing well but one got fatally clobbered by a goose. Wrong place at the wrong time, poor little thing. I cried. And moved the doe and her surviving bucklings to a stall for a few days. The geese are sitting on eggs and have proven they are to be avoided. Unfortunately, one nest is in a goat house, so future conflict is a really possibility. I'll wait till these cute little ones are larger and stronger before they are put back in the goat pen.

Cows are well. Sheep are well. Horses are well. The drizzley rainy weather of late is helping the fields green up nicely! Waiting for the asparagus to come -- that's always the first harvest, and usually abundant beyond what we can use. Family, neighbors, and the freezer will receive some of our asparagus. Chickens are laying, guineas are out in the fields, maybe eating the earliest ticks? We have been adopted by a third barn cat who is quite keen on the local rodent population so he is welcome here.

Sofia continues to improve though still limping. She limps going uphill more than downhill, and there is a little heat just at the back of her pastern on that one foot. No raised temperature anymore. I wish I understood biomechanics enough to determine just what was injured based on how she moves. It's enough for me to study her limp to develop confidence about recognizing hind foot lameness. Front lameness has been easy, using the phrase: head down, foot sound. Not quite so clear with the hind sound or lame foot, from my attempts to see this and recognize a pattern. I suppose I could google it and learn from someone else's discoveries!

Tuesday update Sofia

2007-04-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday her temp was down to 99.5 which helped me realize she had been running a low grade temp since I started taking her temp. Swelling seemed a little worse at her heel bulbs, but she was moving a bit more easily and when standing still to eat for example, she was shifting her weight a little onto her tipped toe and back again, back and forth.

I contacted my vet and we agreed that another round of antibiotics would be a good idea. She finished up yesterday morning and starts again this morning. I applied Traumeel topically last night after soaking her hoof. Traumeel is a homeopathic remedy to be used after traumatic injury. (That might be a redundancy, to use traumatic and injury together! Aren't all injuried traumatizing to body tissue?!!) Anyway, I massaged her heel bulb area which seemed tender to her, and gave my intuitive version of a lymphatic massage up the leg.

This morning, even better news. When walking she is weighting her foot right through the stride. Brings foot forward, puts it down -- this is all in very-lame-slow-motion -- and limps forward leaving that foot on the ground through the stride. I'm very excited about this!

I'm still undecided about my upcoming travel plans. Today I am attempting to precisely quantify and write down instructions for RNB as he has continued to offer to do Sofia's care if I decide to go away as planned months ago. I had to come to terms with the likelihood that he can indeed do what I'm doing, that I'm not absolutely required to be here as if I'm the only one who can provide her care. Especially with her looking better today, I'm feeling more confident about leaving for 4 days. Not fully confident, but more confident!

Saturday pictures with Sunday update

2007-04-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sofia continues to improve though very slowly... Good that her temp remains at 101 and she's eating well (including her antibiotics which somehow are adequately disguised by cinnamon, devils claw, and alfalfa pellets!), and getting cranky with her companion, Bo. All good signs. She still is extremely lame though. I would like to see her improve a lot with the lameness but assuming some damage to ligaments, that will take weeks to heal... (crossing my fingers for a full recovery)

Pictures taken in the daylight...

Solar view

Front view showing some swelling

Left hind for comparison

All four legs

Saturday Sofia update

2007-04-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

She definitely likes being outside all the time so I'm grateful for the stiff frozen snow. If we had normal April weather right now, I'm not sure what I would do with her as there is major mud in the paddocks this time of year. But minimal right now with this late winter revival.

Sofia's temperature remains at 101 and she is putting more weight on her injured foot. She still cocks it forward to rest and to walk, but puts more weight at rest and when walking. I've gotten her meds into her via food, she still thinks the oral syringe is NOT a good thing, and I'm giving her 100 ml twice a day of Devils Claw for pain relief and anti-inflammatory. I'll back that off some in another day. Healing or pain relief or both? Is that why she's moving more?

Sofia's April 07 injury

2007-04-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

Sofia is in not such a Fine Fettle right now. She stepped on an old fashioned rectangular barn nail on April 3rd. Here are some pictures taken April 7th late in the evening. Click on any picture for larger view.

The nail, against a cloth measuring tape.

Her four feet, showing how she stands, which is also the general position she keeps her foot (right hind) when she walks -- she will draw it more forward than this actually, weight it slightly as she moves forward Major head bobbing but putting some weight on it compared to the Wednesday and Thursday.

Solar view of her injured right hind. It was late, it was dark, I was alone -- not the best prep for photos.

Solar view with me holding the nail for size comparison. The entry point was closer to the heel bulbs than where I'm holding it, about under where my first knuckle of index finger is, with about as much showing (and as much embedded) as shows in the picture.

Nigerian Dwarfs for sale March 2007

2007-03-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

[Click on any picture to see larger size picture.]

Sire to both these kids is our white with rust buck, registered with American Goat Society, "Roundabout Stirling", born May 18, 2003.

Buckling, born January 27, 2007.

Buckling and his momma

Doeling, born November 6, 2007

Doeling's face

Doeling's momma