Predator Protection- learning lessons

Last week we lost a lamb but we also had our dog attacked and then 2 of our ducks were plucked right off our front step.

Our short term fix is moving everything inside but our long term solution include these two....

Meet Baxter

                           

And Bailey

Sorrows of the Shepherd- graphic.

Saturday morning I went out to say good morning to the girls. All were happily grazing. Sunday evening I went out to do chores and Alma was missing. I walked the perimeter- didn't find a hole or tacks. Walked the field- my neighbor, kids, and father in law all walked our fields looking for clues. We went to beds all a little sad we couldn't find our lamb.

Monday morning I walked my other fields and then thought I would walk her pen one more time. Sure enough, in the day light, I found her and some alarming tracks.

I grew up in the prairies and my husband in the mountains. We have our fair share of predator experiences. We had made sure we had secure fences but because of the safety we have enjoyed the last three years we were also lulled into false sense of safety.

Lessons- lambs are easy targets, fences only do so much to deter predators, and we need to step up protection.

I am glad we found the carcass. It gave us answers.

Summer Lamb

This Summer one of our new ewes Lily

had a lamb.

Her birth story is in the blog.

 But I thought it would be nice if I could show you some pictures.

She is a beautiful big and healthy ewe lamb.

We named her Cattail Amaryllis

Amaryllis means "to Sparkle" 

and we thought that was quite suiting.

Dusty was sure that it would be annoying to say so it was shortened to 

Alma.

She is fun and curious by nature.

She is by far the most friendly lamb we've ever had. She will leave her ewe and come right up to investigate you.

Alma a few hours old. She was so big we think a nerve may have been pinched.

She couldn't get up and laid in some of the most akward looking poses! 

 

 

 Finally up and standing on her own.

 Kicked out into the field with the other ewes.

Lily was happy to be back out in her pen!

(about 2 weeks old)

 Out and exploring!

Alma is about 1 month old.

 She is going to be a stunning ewe.

We are going to be thrilled to add her into our breeding ewes!

Committed- Learning Lessons in Lambing

A couple of our ewes were bred late

which means we were going to lamb in July.

One of them was open so we were waiting

(not so patiently)

for our Lily to lamb.

She seemed ready FOREVER

and she was large.

On Sunday I checked her in the morning

and

she seemed as ready as ever

but 

nothing major.

We came home from church and I thought I would just run out to see how she was.

I got in the barn and she was laying down

with a lamb behind her

still in the sack.

I got into the pen and peeled the bag back

the lamb was still hot

but

not moving- not breathing.

I wiped it the best I could with my bare hands and straw.

I put a piece of straw up it's nose and tried to clear out the airways.

At this point it started twitching.

Still not breaths.

So I tipped it up side down and with my other hand went down its nasal canals.

laided it back down and gave it mouth to mouth.

It was disgusting.

I wish I was a good enough person to look past that

I am not

It will go down as one of the most disgusting things I have done to date.

BUT

that little lamb took a breath

and started to kick

She was pretty rattly for a few days and it took her 8 hours to stand and eat on her own.

The ewe was confused about the "let down" reflux

and kept kicking at her bag like flies were on her.

But my midnight everything seemed to sort itself out.

I am glad it's our last of this year.

I am extreamly thankful it's alive and healthy

and

it's a ewe!

Our First Predator- graphic warning

We have ducks.

They are a new addition this year.

We bought them after we sold our geese.

They are MUCH milder and easy to deal with

Every morning we turn them loose and they waddle themselves down to the creek.

They swim, they clean, they fluff, and then they come home for dinner.

I went out in the afternoon and noticed a duck laying too still in an odd place in the field.

Sure enough. 

Dead.

Decapitated dead.

When I first went down I could only find the body.

The girls found the head a couple hundred feet away- half up a hill...

His name was mouldy

Now to try and figure this mystery out.....

Needless to say- the rest of the ducks are in lock down until this matter is sorted out.

Butternut's Debut

A couple weeks ago I picked up this lovely Nigerian Dwarf nanny and one of her doelings. She has been such fun! Our oldest daughter is smitten with them. They are fun and a little more personable than our sheep. We haven't tried milking yet but that's in our future. I can't wait to try soaps and lotions and maybe even a taste.

She is settling in well to her new surroundings. She enjoys the walks the kids take her on. She doesn't love Bellie {our dog} but she is learning to at least tolerate her!

Learning to Listen

Last night my girls went out to do their chores. As they were finishing up with the goats, one of them felt like they needed to go and check the sheep. They went. When they arrived at the shelter one of the ewes was stuck. 4 feet in the air on her back. One stayed with the ewe and one ran to the house to get me. When I got there the ewe was upright again. My daughter felt like she needed to roll her over. The ewe was stumbling and stiff. She had been there for sometime (I check them morning and night so it must if happened shortly after morning checks) but her back was saturated with urine and fecal matter.

So glad that these two listened to that inner voice and found her. And another great lesson learned on our little homestead!