Mommas gone wild!

So that lasted til about 10 oclock last night.

My husband asked me if there were supposed to be any sheep next door in the yard. No, they were supposed to be out back with the goats. Well, there are sheep in the yard next door.

So I got dressed again, in my dirty ole farm clothes, ran outside, and sure enough, there'a all the crazy momma sheep, standing at the little gate that leads to the pasture where all the screaming lambs were.

So went ahead and put the darm mommas back over there with their poor little lambs. Who, by the way, were doing just FINE earlier!

Don't they all look so happy together?????

We went out back to see what happened. So this gate was just laying flat on the ground. They had picked it up and thrown it down on the ground...

and got to this cattle panel, that I had just like this. And proceeded to move it to the middle of the yard.

So now, they are all back together again, after a very loud stressful day (for me!). I am putting a sign out front in a few minutes. I have them on Craig's list in Chattanooga, Atlanta, Knoxville and Nashville. Plus on face book. I just might have to take them to a sale barn. And I really do not want to do that.

Just TOO many sheep!!

Time to wean.

So yesterday, I decided I would separate the lambs from the moms today. I called my friend Craig for some extra hands. He came. I got everyone in the stall with feed. Then I handed each lamb to Craig and he went to the other stall. My husband opened the door for him. And Kansas was supposed to be inside with the lambs to keep them from going out when the door opened. Well, it worked til the 3rd lamb came in. One lamb got out! So we left her til we got them all in. We had to take the wire off the top half of the door so he wouldn't have to open it, just put them in through the top. So when we got them all in and just the one lamb was still out, we started trying to round her up. Well, she went right through a hole in the side of the wall that I had there for the chickens to get in when I had the door shut. It was just big enough for her to get in with the other lambs!!!! So that went better than I anticipated. It's REALLY hard to catch just 1 lamb!

Got the mommas out and into the very back pasture, where the goats are. Kind of far enough away but they can still hear the lambs. I left the boys with the lambs to take care of.

Amarillo and Annabelle will not leave the fence here. They are just making it worse for their babies. I told them they'd thank me later. All the others are in the barn, where it's cool, just laying there taking it easy. Like moms without kids do!

I hope this won't take to awfully long for them to get used to the idea that this is a good thing! The poor mommas are so worn down right now. There are a few of them that keep getting sick with barber pole worms. So I hope this will help them to get better. The lambs are 3 months old now. I've never done this before, but I thought I better do it now, so they ewes will start looking better. 

Sheep and lamb sale!

 These lambs have got to go! They are 3 months old. I have no room to separate them for weaning. And the poor ewes are wearing down.

I have 14 lambs. 7 ewes and 7 castrated ram lambs. I might keep a few of the lambs, but really don't need to.

They are all so cute. And I named all the rams after hobbits and elves. How stupid of me! I really want to keep Bilbo. He's the biggest boy and so funny! He's Cameron's.

Then there's Darla's boys, Frodo and Sam. I might keep Sam too.

Then Amarillo's boys, Merry and Pippin. I love their faces. I might keep Merry.

Then Campbelle had twins, a boy and girl. His name is Tom Bombadill.

And Adalaide also had boy-girl twins. Named him Legolas.

Then all the girls. I want to keep Galadriel, Elanor, Elin and Ella.

But then, I really have too many sheep. I have 8 ewes. So if I kept 6 lambs, that's 14. Still too many. UGH!

They are all SO cute. And sweet.. But they do need to go.

This is Cameron. Last night, she busted through the fence to the garden, down below the big garden. There were about 6 sheep in there. And, my husband had taken the fence down by the road a few days ago. I just about had a fit when I saw them down there. I didn't care that they were in the garden. But there was no fence to keep them from the road! So I finally got them all back across the the driveway to the North pasture. Where they will stay for awhile.

I might end up selling her too. But she's Bilbo's mother.

So, if there are any readers close by me, or know anyone looking for nice wool and meat sheep, please let them know. I really have too many sheep! If I had known last year that I wasn't going to be able to use the pasture next door anymore, I would never have bred these ewes.

244...

Is what I weighed last Monday. OMG! Well, actually, I was thinking I was more like 270 or something. So not quite as bad as I was thinking. But still, BAD!

I went down to S. Ga. week before last, to see my sister. The first motel I stayed in had big mirrors all over in the bathroom. I almost cried! It was awful.

So I decided when I got back home, that I was getting back on the no sugar, no flour wagon again. And I've done really good. I have lost 6 pounds already!!! Down to 238.

So, I will try to only  weigh on Monday mornings. And do a little post about the weight loss. This big ole tummy has got to go!

I already feel so much better, just not eating sweets. It was really getting bad, I'm telling you. Back to the old ways, so fast. And it's so easy!

So I am going to do this again. I have to.

It's just plumb HOT y'all!

Freya...

this is Freya when I brought her and Olga home last Monday morning. She could barely stand. She was so sick.

I am not blaming anyone for this at all. Freya is a very persnickety goat. She does not like most people. And when my friend would come to milk her if I went away a few days, she never could catch her. She's just that way.

I never thought this would happen though, when I took her and Olga to stay with her, so I could have a little break. And be able to go places. Like to see my sister down in South Ga. That's where I was when she called to say Freya was really sick. She was doing all she knew to do for her. I was giving her suggestions too. But didn't know she was this bad.

They'd only been there a few weeks. But my friend also had all 4 of their doe kids. She had put them all together when I first took them to her. And immediately Freya's triplets went right to her and started nursing. And they are almost as big as her. That was probably the first mistake.

Then the heat. And not the best shelter for goats. Then she moved the 3 milk goats to a pen alone. But the kids could still see their mommas. So stress was a big factor too.

She had gotten some Today for what looked like mastitis. And was rubbing her udder with peppermint oil. Had her in a small pen alone with hay and water.

This started Saturday, a week from yesterday. I came home when she called Sunday morning. I went to pick them up Monday morning. Freya looked SO bad. I almost cried. We got the goats in my Trooper and back home. I thought they would both perk up when they got back home. Into their barn. I put a fan out there for them. Got to work on Freya.

I started giving her antibiotics because she sounded horrible, like my sister when she has bronchitis. So I was thinking she probably had pneumonia too, on top of mastitis. And stress. Also gave her B shots, Red Cell, probios. Also mixed up some salt, baking soda, sugar and ACV to add to their water for electrolytes. Started feeding Freya kale, spinach, parsley, collard greens. I went out and cut anything green I could find. Anything green. She ate!

Gradually, every day, she started getting stronger and eating more. And getting farther outside the barn! Eating grass.

So now she looks like this. I'll spare more pictures. Like her udder. The whole right side was gone, like so dried up. The left side was hard. No fever. No pain. I kept giving her the Today and antibiotics and everything else. And I started rubbing comfrey salve on her udder. Gradually, her right side is coming back! And has milk in it! But the left side is still not too good yet. It is improving!

So, this morning, I go out and to milk Olga and feed Freya and give her all her stuff. And can't find Freya. Anywhere. Olga was there, ready to be milked. But no Freya.

After I milked Olga I went to look for Freya. And finally found her out in the jungle next door. See if you can find her.

 She is SO much better today from a week ago. I just never gave up and neither did she! She's a fighter for sure!

And I did call a vet, but really, he doesn't know any more than I do about goats or sheep. I started doing research. And called my 2 goat friends. Who are amazing! Could NOT have done this without them for sure! And sent them up dates every day. They are both amazed too.

So this is a true goat miracle. And I am getting a gallon a day of good milk from Olga alone.

Old barn

This is what's left of the old barn and shed next door, where my sheep used to go. A few months back, the guy that owns this, started tearing down all the bad parts of the barn and fixed what was left of it up. It looks good. Then he started tearing out all the fences. There was a long 3 sided shed where the brown ground is. He tore that down last week.

I took this photo last night. I love how peaceful it looks.