Just sheep. And a few alpacas.

Earlier this week, I thought about asking my friend Cara if she'd like to take Freya and Olga for awhile. So I could have a break. I called her to ask her to think about it. The next morning she called back and said she'd love to have them! So her husband came in a little truck to get one of the stanchions and the feed barrel. I loaded the goats in my Trooper and took them to their new farm, not too far from here. Cara has all four of the doe kids. Plus another doe and her buck kid. They have 35 acres, so there is plenty of room for them.

It's been about 3 days now. And I don't think I've really missed them. Or the milking twice a day. I think it was getting to me. Having to hurry in the mornings to get out there to milk them. Then I never could go anywhere at night, because I'd have to hurry back home to milk. And I want to go places. So now I can.

I cleaned out the barn real good after the girls left that afternoon. Put down some mulch inside the barn. Got all the feed bowls and hay racks. Then put the sheep and alpacas out back.

And I don't have to hurry with the sheep. I can just take my time. I feel so much better. I even found two pretty good sized trees about 10' apart out back and thought I'd get a hammock. I finally found one yesterday. I'll put it up tomorrow.

I have way too many sheep right now. 8 ewes and 14 lambs. The ewes were all sick awhile back and they are finally all better. Then a few days ago, I noticed Legolas, one of the ram lambs, had a huge jaw. So got all my worming stuff together and got him good. All the others looked fine. So I've been keeping an eye on them all. He's better now. We've had so much rain here and the worms are really bad. It didn't rain for about 5 days and now it's raining again for the next few days. I really need to try to sell some of the lambs.

This back pasture used to be a pine forest years ago. They got pine borers and had to be all cut down. There are still piles of dead wood back there. The baby goats love to play on the wood. And I just think it's kind of cool looking.

Friday again.

It's Friday again. Wow, this week has just flown by. I've been busy getting things ready for my grand daughter's graduation party Saturday. Chloe graduated high school and Kansas will be going to high school in the fall. Plus all the May and June birthdays. And just a celebration of friends and family. I have so much food, I'm so glad I have an extra fridge to put it all in. I am so excited for this party! I bought 100' of really cool lights at Costco that we'll string around the trees then we'll put the tables in between the trees for shade. My son=in=law Jason will be playing music and playing some of his own music too. Lots of food, fun, friends, family and good music!

I have been trying to find some way to get the goats to produce more milk. I had been getting about 3/4 of a gallon twice a day between the 2 girls. I have tried calf manna before with other goats and they'd just eat around it. Never have given any to Freya and Olga though. So Monday when I was at the feed store, I saw a small bag of calf manna on a shelf. It was $17.99! So I asked Colby about it. He said one guy gets it for his rabbits when they have babies. He gives them just 1 pellet at a time and they produce a lot of milk. Anyway, so I got a bag. Started Monday night. Just a handful in the bucket of feed for them both. And almost immediately I started getting a full bucket. This is a gallon bucket. And they have not been able to go outside their pasture to browse along the fence row because they mowed hay and still haven't came to get the bales yet. I am quite impressed with the girls! So now, instead of 1 1/2 gallons a day I get 2 full gallons! I have 3 milk customers getting 2 1/2 gallons a week, and still bottle feeding 5 lambs, and I still have lots of milk. Some friends are getting a couple pigs and I'm getting half of one, so they can have some milk too.

While I was at Costco shopping for the party, I saw this bottle of wine. I just had to get it. It's a white wine I think and I really don't like white. I usually get reds. But I love the bottle. It has my name on it!

This morning, after the sheep and lambs ate and my 2 bottle lambs had their bottles, they wanted to see what this hen was up to. I took a cute little video of her pecking Frodo when he got too close. The a few others came to see what was going on. That's Ella on the left and Frodo on the right. When she laid the egg, she started the egg laying song, then the roo came and joined her. Then Frodo laid down to take a little lamb nap. And I grabbed the egg before they all smashed it.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Random Friday post...

It's Friday! I really never cared what day of the week it was. I think if I had a favorite day, it would have to be Mondays.When my kids were young and in school, I always loved when Monday came. I could get them in school, clean the house, go shopping. Just have some time for myself.

I put a little fence around the mockingbird nest. The sheep were out in the garden and they were getting close to the nest, trying to eat the leaves. So I got a little scared they might knock the nest out or put a hoof in the nest. I felt better anyway. I think the mom and dad did too. These babies are so big already! They'll be flying soon.

This morning, I went out to check for eggs and I saw these 2 up on the hay bale. I got a video of her laying an egg. It was amazing. I've seen it before, but it just amazes me. Can't get eggs any fresher than that. Don't know why the picture is so huge.

And this is 2 of the fig bushes. Or fig trees. I went out the other day and saw how huge they are and am wondering how the heck I'm going to get the figs now! And they are all 3 loaded with figs.

I am still having barber pole worms in a few of the ewes. STILL. I noticed Campbelle last night with a puffy jaw, so gave her some Safegaurd and Red Cell. This morning, she looked lots better. I was getting the Red Cell in a syringe and Annabelle was right next to me. She sniffed the syringe and I put it in her mouth. She started licking it, so I squirted it in her mouth and she took the whole thing. Then Amarillo did the same thing. Geeze, and here I've been catching them and straddling them and pushing it down their throats! Sheep! They will always amaze me.

So I went out back to mow so I could let the sheep out there tomorrow. The lawn mower just quit when I got off to open the gate and would not start back up. Made me SO mad, I hit it with my right hand and I do believe I broke my pinky. I broke it years ago and it's been crooked ever since. I have a knot on the middle top and it's pretty swollen. I have got to learn to control my temper! Especially when it comes to my hands. Now I'm hoping it doesn't kill me to milk the goats. UGH!

More babies!

The 3 Mockingbird eggs hatched last week! This is them not too long after hatching. All mouth!

                               This is them a week later. Getting some feathers, but not many yet.

Every time I say something to them, their mouths go wide open! SO cute. The parents are doing a good job. But, this nest is about 3 feet off the ground, in this maple tree in the garden. I have been hacking away at it over the years. It's got a wild rose in it too. So not many branches with leaves on them. And it's supposed to rain today. I want to go put my canopy over them. But my husband says to let nature do what it will do. Maybe the mother will cover them with her wings if it gets too bad.

I went in the milk room yesterday evening and looked up and there were all the barn swallows, hanging out at thei Then they all flew out and were flying all over with Sam and Rosie. I love them.

Beautiful day

I decided to take my fleeces to a mill. I called yesterday and talked to the man who owns Golden View Alpaca and Mini Mill in Kodak, Tn. Not too far from me, maybe a 2 hour drive. So I am outside today, skirting all these MANY bags of wool from my sheep. Listening to Celtic music and birds chirping and sheep chewing their cud. What an amazing way to spend a beautiful Friday!

P.S. Annabelle only has a little bit of puffiness under her jaws now! I've been giving her Red Cell, hoping to get her blood built back up to fight this. I believe she will pull through.

Annabelle

This is Annabelle last night. So puffy. But this morning, she's just a little and mostly like loose skin. But probably by tonight, it'll look like this again. She's up and eating and seems ok. I am giving her and all the others Red Cell every day til they are better. All the others look great. Just Annabelle is still hanging on to these horrible nasty worms.

Her mother, Lucinda, died from Barber Pole worms when Annabelle was about 4 months old. It was so horrible. I didn't know much about it then. But did all I could for her. She was my favorite ewe. Black and had the prettiest wool. So maybe Annabelle is just more susceptible to these worms.

And she had quads too. But is only raising one of them. The other 3 are with my friend's 3 kids, who love them to pieces! They are named Arwen, Galadriel and Gandalf. They all look just like the other lamb, Goldberry. And all very healthy and happy. And spoiled.

I hope I can pull Annabelle through this. I'll worm them all again about the 7th.

I think one thing that made this worse is the lambs would jump up in the trough when I fed them. And of course they had poop on their feet. So I don't feed them in the trough any more, only in pans and those feeders that hang. So the lambs have theirs and the ewes have theirs now.

And it is NOT fun having to drench 8 sheep every day! I can't even imagine having more than 8.

So please say a little prayer for my sheep, that they get over this. Thanks!