I like Nickel Creek and all but....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xnF7WglVHo&feature=related

Great band.  Great song.  I saw them perform once at Interlochen.  One of my favorite concerts ever.  I mean really, the power went out, they had sound problems, disaster.  Not for Nickel Creek.  They pulled up to the edge of the stage, played an acoustic set, like really acoustic, and despite being "powerless" for those moments they made the night with their improv.  Talk about lemonade.

I do like Nickel Creek.  But NOW everytime I think of this song, I think of that dog gone fox that wreaked havoc on the chickens. And by fox I mean foxes, they tagged team the coop. And by havoc I mean ambushing the chickens while they were out in pasture.  When the feathers stopped flying, and the coop dust had finally settled, despite having only one chicken carried off for the fox pups, three more chickens lay dead around the coop, and one more serioulsy injured.  So goes the circle of life right?  But its an interesting situation when the same fox that I would love to come across out hiking in the woods, where I would take pictures and enjoy its presence; that same fox is now my enemy costing me money and resouces and claiming my chickens (can't really say pets here).  So what do I do? Shoot him? Trap and move him; away from the nearby pups which will then die without food? Ugh. Ethics. 

What did I do?  Well...  the chickens have been restricted to their fences in pen, which has now been reinforced and dirt walled up the base in an effort to keep pesky foxes from digging under.  And they are locked in the coop until they can be "supervised."  Poor chickens.  At least till fox rearing season is over.  Or I shoot him.  One or the other.

There is a lot of good news on the farm too.  Lambs have been sold, fleeces are selling.  Its nice to have the reinforcement of a customer assuring you the product is good.  What can I say, Im a sucker for reinforcement.  But its nice to be rewarded with peoples pleasure in a product you put a lot of hard work and effort into.  Lets be honest, Ill always have to teach to support my farm habit.  Ill never be able to sustain the farm on a sheep income alone.  That would be a baahhh'duh idea. 

Pasture C is coming along.  Pasture C because thats how analytical my mind works sometimes.  Sorry I cant be more creative with the pasture names, but at the least you can find solace in predicitng that if the new pasture is C, then there must already exist an A and a B.  Its also just in time as the "little" lambs are now eating right through the pasture.   With weaning time now at hand, the lambs can be shuffled to new pasture, thus giving the ewes a break from any danglers still feeding off momma's milk.  With the last of the 60 day weights just coming in, our two heaviest lambs are rambs of course, Abe and Ulysses.  Would you beleive both are in the 75 pound range at just 60 days old!  Abe is big and strong, but you wouldnt be off in callying ulysses a chunk.  Thats the bond influence in the breeding, more squat solid shorter lambs.  Great for cuts of meat (remember these are dual purpose sheep) but also the bond brings in that longer staple length for wool.

Where ya been?

Wow, was it really early April that I last wrote a blog entry?   And here we are second week in May...  I can't seem to grasp time these days.  It just keeps flying by.  When I think about how much has gone on in the past few months, from lambing and early morning deliveries, to vaccinations, cleaning stalls, spring shearing and then moving everyone out to pasture; it baffles me to think of managing all that.  Then you throw in teaching and maintaining a schedule there, home remodel project that leaves your bed, your closet clothes and your dresser in the basement, living room and attic closet... I may have signed up for too much here.

But then you make it through, those with heartbeats take priority on the list of things to do.  The daylight sticks around later into the evening, and the temperatures start to reach 50s, 60s even a few 70s.  And voila.  You become summer minded.  Who cares if I had to call the drywall guy 7 times to complete the work right?  The sheep drive you nuts for a couple weeks, and the moment I'm on the porch, watching the new lambs play out in the pasture and the sun laying down on the horizon behind them; it all becomes worth it.  Every part of it. I have plenty of those moments, where I realize I am truly blessed.  I mean how lucky?  Its my dream.  I come home to it every day.  

I mentioned shearing earlier.  It was our spring shearing, and I had the professional come out and do it as to not sacrifice quality in the cut of these amazing fleeces.  A few are rams, as they are on the spring shearing, but we have one Ewe off schedule, and don't tell the other girls, but I think its my favorite.  She is my only gray fleece.  Its this soft, unreal light gray color, that will just be amazing to spin and create with.

Ahgosa's is the chocolate brown color, a real consistent tight crimp.  The kind of crimp so prominent that it can reflect the light and be noticed from a distance, its that good.  And the color is rich too.  It's a superior fleece.  Johnny gave us the big dependable creamy white Corriedale fleece, and Doherty finished off his lamb fleece with another 6 months of growth; leaving it a shorter staple, but brilliant white and fine crimp.  Please check our fleece page for pictures and pricing.  http://www.windyknobfarms.com/2010fleeces.htm

Ahgosa's Fleece

Here we go gang, summer is just around the corner.  Its time to finish up those spring projects, there is far too much greatness in Northern Michigan to be stuck in last season's "to do" list.  The sheep seem to get this better than I do.  To watch them, is to see peace and what its like to sit and relax enjoying nature.  That is until the Ewe gets bombarded by her now 60 pound, 2 month old lambs that are looking for a third playmate.  I can almost hear them begging... isn't it weaning time yet?  Almost girls, almost.   

George and Ulysses Enjoying Fresh Pasture

70s Green Breakout

The lambs are all doing well.  Have no fears.  I'll throw in some "cuteness" at the end, I'm certain that is what many of you tune in here for.  However, have I got a story for you!  The moment it happened, I instantly thought of the blog.  Is my life that boring, or that exciting, I'm still not sure.

The title says it all.    70s.  Green.  Breakout. 

70s: After the lambing season closed, and everyone seemed to be doing fine and dandy, I turned my attention back on the house.  Part of the draw for this property was the chance to restore a 1930's Bungalow.   I am able to do most of the work myself which helps the teacher budget in terms of remodeling.  This time I turned my attention to the dining room which was last done in the 70's.  And when I say 70s, think floor to ceiling paneling and heavy dark stained trim and ceiling beams. 

Green:

My appreciation for nature/stewardship of the earth, Biology Teacher meets construction worker- brings me to the "Green" part of the story.  Green remodeling.  You hear alot about green remodeling, and there are some who think shipping bamboo clear across the world equates to a 5 star environmental remodel.  For me, when you can take the old and find another use for it (and keep it out of a big hole in the ground) then you have found the epidimy of green remodel.  So, after removing the heavy dark trim, I then built a hay feeder for the rams who have now been moved out onto pasture (early due to the unseasonably warm temperature. 

Breakout:

Interesting, maybe creative and all but lets get some juice here, where's the good part of the story?  Here we go.  So after I so proudly built this hay feeder out of 100% post consumer goods, I then flipped it upside down and dragged it down the hill from the barn out to pasture.  Picture this, you are dragging this heavy feeder down the hill with your back to the pasture, and suddenly you hear these sounds, so sudden, so quickly you have no time to react.  Instead you just turn and are jawdropped.  The sounds... lets see how do I describe them?  They were like... hmmm... okay you remember playing with a slinky, and things are going smoothly down the stairs, one at a time and suddenly it all goes haywire and the slinky skips 6 steps and the metal spool of cheapness all come crashing together as it hits the ground and its just shear metal madness and noise.  Yeah, like that.  Only when I quickly turned, I saw Ahgosa halfway through the 6 wire fence heading south, big Johnny half way through heading due north, and little dougherty frantically running circles and indecisive of what or where to go for that matter.  I suppose this 70s retro green hay feeder somehow being dragged ominously towards them seemed like enough of a threat to throw themselves through the 6 line electric fence.  And now there is a happy ending here, but for a moment they were stuck and Im sure it didnt tickle.  The best part, was when Dougherty committed to going into the white termporary electric net, and when head over heels ( I mean hooves) and what a site!   Watching him flip over it, and 4 little hooves kicking in the air, he did manage to land on his feet after the summersault and was off and running; which I thought was an admirable athletic move.   Back to the story, so what happened???  Well Johnny broke through, but only into the next fenced in pasture.  Dougherty too, just ended up in a different pasture, however Ahgosa was the only one to break through the open side of the fencing out into freedom.   This is where I was shocked, I haven't had a loose sheep yet, let alone my squirreliest ram.  To make a long story longer, I grabbed some grain, opened the gate, and stared down Johnny, to keep him from running out the same gate opening that I was luring Ahgosa back into.  Lucky for me sheep just want food and to be together, and at that point I had both for Ahgosa. And within a few minutes he was back eating inside the fencing.

I then soon remembered that I had forgotten to tighten up the fence wire lines from the winter.  You have to loosen them for the cold temps out in the pasture and then oh yeah, tighten them when you put the sheep back out in the spring. It's the details you know?

And without any further delay, here is your cuteness.   This is one of the true Corriedale lambs who will be registered with the American Corriedale Association.  Despite being the second youngest of the group, he is head and shoulders above the others.  It isn't that the others are small by any stretch.  This here is President Lincoln was the tallest president, and thereby this ram lamb has earned the name Abe.  He is available for breeding stock, along with several others, so please check the website for more information.  http://www.windyknobfarms.com/

Invasion of the little ones.

Indeed they have arrived; all within a two week window. Lisa had her twins and five days later Artemesia had hers; within a day Nez Perce, then Vera Lyn a couple hours after that. I'm sure at this point the ladies are all talking amongst themselves saying "whew - we made it through his rookie year- glad thats over with." And you know what I didn't do so bad.
There were the perfect births, where everything went to plan. Ewe shows signs of early labor and a few hours later she is licking and cleaning and feeding. There were a few that didn't go as smoothly, but that is to be expected. I learned from that and about assisting in deliveries on top of all the other learning experiences like 2am barn checks, getting home from work and heading right into the barn (shirt/tie and all) to look for surprises (aka new lambs). I learned how to tag and dock tails, then I learned how to do it efficiently. I also learned about how amazing a new life is, and to watch it all unfold right before your eyes is an experience I will never take for granted. As I look to finish my first full year as a new shepherd, I am amazed at everything that has come my way, and now lambing is another expreience I can say, yup, done that.

There is quite the variety of lambs running around the paddock now. Out of the 11 lambs, 7 of them are ram lambs. Not exactly your 50/50, but the quality is amazing. It's quite the melting pot of grays, moorits and whites; the color varies quite a bit, even for a smaller flock of 10 errrr I mean 21. The science teacher in me follows the genetics closely. Some matings were easy to predict, a recessive Moorit with a recessive Moorit is going to give me a (you guessed it) recessive Morrit. Other pairings were to maintain the registered Corriedale line where White is the color and larger, taller lambs will prevail. Still a few were going to leave a 25% of something, where going to the barn is like Christmas 'cause I wasn't sure what I was going to get (potentially gray, brown or white, male or female- all from one mating). Still even when I think I have it figured out, there was one real surprise. Alaina is our black ewe, and she was bred to Ahgosa our moorit. The black was something I knew was a possibility; on the other hand, white came out of no where and by white I mean black and white on the same lamb! This is a genetic variance a shepherd doesn't exactly wish for, and it is that of an unexpected "chance" mutation. However, what went from a puzzling disappointment, quickly become a crowd favorite. This black and white little guy has the personality of a charmer and no doubt will become the ambassador of someone's farm. His wool quality is still top notch, and will spin black and white together to create a natural colored tweed and suddenly this odd ball becomes quite unique and desireable. He surely is the first thing people notice when they visit. A farm jester is born.

Some of the other highlights include Rutherford, our new gray ram lamb and Rosalyn our beautiful Morrit ewe lamb seen playing in the hay feeder here, (her twin is Abagail). Then there is Abraham (tallest president) our Corriedale ram lamb who was born weighting 18.5 pounds! That's heavier than the lambs that were already a week old. Despite being the youngest he is already head and shoulders above his peers; he is one big boy. So the first lambing season, and we all lived to tell about it. The chickens had a few births of there own while all this was going on. Not to be out done, the chickens laid and raised their own 7 peepers. Windy Knob eggs continue to sell out every week, the wool was sold out in just a few weeks, and now begins the next stage of developing the Windy Knob Farm label for lambs and breeding stock. Please contact us with any questions, as these lambs will make a great addition of new genetics to your flock, perhaps giving you that natural color that you have been trying to incorporate into your flock, or even if you are looking to start a new flock of your own. Look for more information and details in mid April at http://www.windyknobfarms.com/.

You know what they say about March...

In like a lamb... out like a lion. But seriously, in like a lamb? Is that what that meant all along... lambing season, "that" time of year. How did I become it, before I ever knew it. Is that where the saying comes from?

Ladies and Gentlemen, Windy Knob Farms has reached a milestone - its first lambs. Lisa went into labor late Thursday night, and by 12am Friday the first lamb was born. She went right to work licking and cleaning and drying and checking and licking... I mean I wasn't about to get in her way, the lady knew what she was doing and I was better off just observing and learning myself. But a quick glance revealed that as she was cleaning she had another two little hooves waiting to come out! At that point I needed some sleep before I might as well just curled up next to her or something; so back to the house for an hour I went until my alarm went off (ever set an alarm for 2am? me neither) and with my boots untied, jacket unzipped and hat askew I stumbled back to the barn. Of course she was on her second lamb already and the cleaning was well underway. My first lambing experience - and I might as well stayed in bed. Okay not really, but could have been for all the matter. The ewe had it all under control, she knew what she had to do and delivered two healthy lambs. Women, you all know this already, you're thinking yeah... story of our lives, men only get in the way at this point in delivery. I did wipe off the lambs, weighed them, made sure they were getting milk when nursed, and I sterilized and trimmed their umbilical cords. But make no mistake, Lisa was the hero in this one.

Lisa was important, she was bred to another ram from another farm. I was really hoping for twins, it's like stock in a set of genetics that you won't have access to ever again. When I saw she had twins, it was perfect! Then as they came out I realized I had one ram and one ewe. Even better! Pictured below are the twins. The ewe lamb is in the foreground, while the ram lamb is in the back (also note the cool "racing stripes" on the sides of his face). It's early at this point, but it is looking like they are gray badger face; which means their pattern is variegated, or multi colored. The gray is really unique and a gene that is hard to find and control. And I got twins.

Names? Well lets see, 1001 and 1002. The "10" is for 2010. The 01 and 02, yeah first and second born. Once everyone is born, they will all receive their formal names. Windy Knob will always have a theme, a way to recognize the year that sheep was born (along with the tag number of course). This year's theme is Presidents and First Ladies. My favorite names will be given to the ram and ewes I plan on keeping. Yes some will be for sale for breeding stock, and I will choose according to colors, size and genetics. Some of these sheep are homozygous resistant for codon 271. That's a big deal, it means they are not succeptible to foot rot. Others are at least carriers for the gene. Then you include "moorits" "grays" and the "registered Corriedales" and there is a lot to be found here in adding to or starting one's own dual purpose flock of sheep.

Good ol Nez Perce. Nez quite possibly has the single best fleece in the bunch (she competes with Alaina and Ahgosa for top honors). The crimp, the quality, the luster and the staple length (she is part "bond" - not James, but a special type of Corriedale) all make her the stand out of an already impressive group.

She is also a rookie to lambing so wish her luck. She will be due later this week and she was bred to Dougherty - it's his first lambing too. We shall see how these lambs turn out, but of course I expect nothing short of some serious awesomeness. But really it's her demeanor. There's something about Nez, she is laid back but regal at the same time. She isn't the biggest, she isn't the bossiest and she isn't the loudest of the flock; but she has her way of standing out to me. You take that and the fact that when I looked at Lisa she bah'd at me around 4:30 on Thursday, which then led me to placing her in the stall to prep for lambing which came 8 hours later... I'm beginning to think I speak sheep or something (first sign I need to get away from the farm more). I'm not ready to be labeled as the sheep whisperer or anything but hanging around these guys, it's amazing. I never realized how much personality they have and how I have really picked up on their traits. When I walk my dogs the sheep follow along the fence line and they will call out (wanting food, it's not like they beckon me by name or anything) but really I could pick each noise out and tell you which sheep it was. Months ago, they all sounded the same.

Maybe I am the sheep whisperer.

February... Not Baaa'd

So far the winter hasnt been bad. Or baaaa'd I should say. The weather has been so mild the driveway only needed to be plowed once in the last 8 weeks or so. The sheep, the chickens, the dogs, even the farmer... all get outside from time to time. Although it is strange being in that it is not warm enough for some activities, but also missing the snow for a lot of typical winter activities. Speaking of getting outside, Mary Jo seen to the left, with an amazing sunrise behind her. There have been a lot of amazing skies this winter, be it a sunrise, a sunset, or a full moon. The beauty has been there consistently this winter.

The set up has changed a little bit as I approach lambing season. Of the three stalls, one was left open for the sheep to come and go as they pleased, a place for shelter and a chance for them to get out of the wind. With February and the grain feeding requirements, the Rams had to be separated. They are now isolated to their own 14'x14' stall for a month or so, and now the ewes and drogo are free to come and go from the middle shelter.
This leaves the last and final stall for lambing season. This will be where ewes drop their lambs and then are kept in lambing "jugs" to establish that connection between lamb and ewe. The first ewe due is Lisa and that is coming up in early March.

This is another shot of the amazing sunrises here at Windy Knob Farms. The cooler winter air allows for a wider variety of light colors. The spacing of the molecules, the temperature impact, the angle of the winter sunlight, all plays a part. Its not like there are bad sunrises around here, but lately these winter ones sure seem to take the cake.

Finally, with so much attention on the girls, and lambing season, I didn't want the boys to feel left out. This is Ahgosa (Moorit on the left) and Johnny. They are two of the three rams here at Windy Knob. They are about 3/4 of the way through their year's wool growth. These are the same two rams you can find on our website at www.windyknobfarms.com and you can compare them now to when they were shorn back in May. Soon we will have lambs, but also we will have more of the amazing wool we sell here at Windy Knob Farms. The same wool we sold out of in just three weeks back in the fall. If you are interested in purchasing a raw fleece or other wool products, contact us and we can keep you updated on our mailing list of what is available.

The Final Countdown....cue the music.

The final countdown begins with Monday, February 1st. Its time to once again separate the rams from the ewes, in an effort to get the ladies their added nutrition. Grain is gradually introduced up to a pound a day for each ewe, giving them the protein and nutrients they need to sustain growth for themselves and however many critters they have growing inside of them. They have been on a richer 2nd cutting hay for sometime now, but in this final trimester, the fetus grows 70% more than the other two tri's combined! This makes for a lot of cramped belly space, and the stomach simply cant hold the amount of calories it needs to. The rams are in a stall for the time being, to give the ladies a break from competing with stupid boys for the grain and added food. March 1st will be here before you know it, and Lisa, our veteran, will be delivery Windy Knob's first lamb! Will I name them? Of course. Every year there will be a theme, this years is fitting of course with it being "Presidents and First Ladies."

I have been making an added effort to enjoy the days, and sometimes I forget how beautiful a winter walk can be. One morning I hiked along the bay's shoreline, and was able to watch the sunrise over the ice shelves that continue gain in size with every frigid moment. It was spectacular, and an amazing display of beauty. I won't take it for granted, and I won't forget to take time for myself; to have such appreciation for nature and to take in God's beauty all around me. It's nothing short of a miracle, every sunrise... again, and again and again.

While on that hike, I was able to take a photo that has since caught me to be one of my favorite photos Ive ever taken. Not necessairly cause I think it looks cool (totally subjective) but because of the moment it captured. It was early in the morning, about 7am, and I found these prints in the fresh dusting of snow left from the night before. Now it's pretty windy along the shoreline, however even in this powdery fine snow the prints from a coyote were so perfectly imprinted, I swear if you looked closely you could see the steam from the warmness of his paw pads- the prints were that fresh! To me, its just amazing to be walking these places that you soon begin to feel are more intended for the animals then the humans that "own" it. A rocky shoreline, towering pines, a fresh snowfall, and a coyote out taking a stroll. And I was lucky enough to get a shot of it.