Summer rolls along

Things are moving along here in the summer of 2010.  As we approach the halfway point of summer, I realize Im letting another summer slip by.  All the "fun" activities, and excurgeons somehow get replaced with duties and farm projects.  Dont get me wrong, its been a great summer, wonderful weather, the pastures are in great shape so far, but somehow the fall always comes too soon.  Above you see our new delaware chicks, growing up ever so quickly, yet still under the watchful eye of their surrogate mother.

New and exciting news brings our Windy Knob road sign!  Its great to have as a marker for family and friends to find out driveway, great when someone is coming out to look at a fleece or purchase a lamb and its nice for all the random visits we get now from strangers and vacationers.

Look for our next sign... by apt only. 

What happens at the farm this time of year?  Separation.  The ram lambs become fertile and acting all rammy by about 5 months old.  At the beginning of August, all the lambs are brought up to the barn, and we seperate the ewe lambs from the ram lambs.  The girls are quickly seperated and then run back out onto pasture to join the Ewes.

The boys remain in the barn, where in tight quarters, the adult rams are less likely to get enough running steam to inflict injury on the newbies.  After being eyed in the stall overnight, they are then giving the paddock area outside the barn, and within a week they too were out on pasture.  Here you see the ram lambs of 2010, werent exactly being social, when they huddled in the corner away from the big guys.

With fall shearing a few weeks away, fall butchering also coming up, its time to start selecting the keepers from the not so keepers.  We butcher and sell grass fed lamb in the fall, please contact us for more information and to be on our mailing list.  With just a few ram lambs (colored and a registered Corriedale) and one Moorit Ewe Lamb left, its been a great first year with the lambs.    

Heres to the last few weeks of summer...

 

I don't know what came over me.

It just happened, I don't know.  Sure looking back it wasn't a good decision, I can't even explain it.  Look, here's the story.

If you read the most recent post, you know I broke my left arm.  It's not in a sling anymore, but it isn't exactly useable yet either; just sort of dangles there.  Letting it is more for my left hand to feel more included, you know so the right hand doesn't develop "oldest child" syndrome and does everything for the left.  Anyway, picture this.  It's another beautiful day at Windy Knob Farms, and I'm out trying to feed the lambs by hand.  I take a little treat grain out there and wait patiently for the lambs to muster up enough courage to eat from my hand.  I am sitting on the edge of the water trough, which leaves me about an inch wide rim to balance and teeter on to begin with.  I have a lame arm on the left, grain in my right; the grain bucket is tucked away between my feet (preventing any cheaters who want to take out the middle guy and eat from the bucket).

Now before you start laughing and thinking I fell in the water trough, Ill save you the disappointment.  I didn't.  No, that would have been too simple.  A few choice words, scattered chubby lambs stealing grain and running, some splashing, a change of clothes and we'd be on with it.

No.  This is worse.

Martha was the first.  Martha is this beautiful black and gray Ewe lamb that mustered up the courage to get close enough and take some grain from my hand.  It's really something, watching her eyes like big marbles steadfast on my every move.  She extends that upper lamb lip in an effort to shuffle the grain to her mouth; using every ounce of hunger to outweigh the rationale that she shouldnt be eating from the big bad scary guy. 

Success. She ate! And ate... and ate some more.  Soon enough her brother Rutherford, then Chester...  Then it was absolute free for all.  All the lambs were crowding space, pushing, shoving, eating, engulfing my handfuls of food faster than I could restock the supply.   This was cute for me, but annoying to Drogo the llama. 

Chester and his gang.

Drogo knows the drill.  Farmer comes with a shiny pail... that means grain is coming.  And for the past two months it was the drogo show because the lambs didnt want the grain, and this left some one on one time for the llama.

And here we are.  I'm peculiarly balanced on this water trough, lame left arm, grain at my feet, right hand feeding grain.  Drogo over my left shoulder, lambs pushing and shoving, and into drogo.  At this moment is where time slows down and voices go into a deep bass sound that reverberates within your skin.  The lambs were pushing drogo out of the picture, so much in fact he started his warning signs.  First the ears were pinned back, then the clicking, followed by the the squealing and you know its coming, yes the spit.  Drogo hauled off and hocked a spit wad at the lambs collected around us. I didn't take a direct hit, but I did feel the after spray.  The lambs didn't seem that surprised, somehow I bet this wasn't there first spit attack. But I on the other hand was so taken a back that Drogo would disrupt our moment.

I was angry, and yes we are still in slow motion right now.  I couldn't push Drogo back with my left arm, I couldnt even abandon the grain in my right to turn and push him away (then I would have ended up in the water trough).  I can't say I even thought about what I was about to do next. It's not one of my prouder moments.  Pure chaos for those spilit seconds, and I felt robbed of the success that Marta and I had accomplished, and unfortunately my anger took over.  I didn't know what else I could do to express my frustration with Drogo.  Yes people.  I did.

I spit back dang it! I told you, I dont know what I was thinking, I was upset, the little kid in me reacted before I could think, and spitting back was was all I could do.  I hauled off and spit back at Drogo.

And I will never do it again. 

Drogo's reaction brought out the most sincere level of apology I could have had.  His ears kind of just fell flat against his skull.  His eyelids seemed to droop just a little.  His body language took on an appeareance of defeat, like it was the most humiliating thing that has ever happened to him.  The worst was his facial expression.  His top lip seemed to arch like Elvis and quiver all at the same time. If llama's cry, he surely was at this point.

He slowly walked away, leaving me feeling guilty. How could I?  Even the lambs were like Dude, that was just wrong.

I got up and grabbed the bucket behind my feet and lopsidedly shuffled towards him to offer my olive branch of undividied attention and grain.  But Drogo wasn't having it. He just trotted away to match my speed, keeping the "Im not forgiving you distance" between us.  His lips still arched in disgust he just looked at me from the back of the pasture; and from his facial expression all I could read from him was "I thought we were friends."

Ugh. I felt terrible.  I spit at my own llama.  And for llamas that must just be the end all be all. 

Lesson learned.  We have since made up.  Like 10 minutes after that.  Some special grain, a few I'm sorrys.  And time goes on.  But I wish I could just sort out the neurons that fired, making the decision to spit back at Drogo.  I just can't comprehend that.  Note to self:  Hey rookie farmer, spitting is a bad idea.

He just wanted his Independence too.

Happy Independence Day.  Well, a couple days late, but truly. And its July something or other... already?

One thing that is done on a regular basis is to "move" the sheep around.  Its called Intensive Rotational Grazing, and its proven to have some great impacts on pasture quality as well as reducing the need for chemical management of parasites.  Every 4 to 7 days, depending on size of pasture and number of sheep, the mini flocks (rams, ewes and lambs right now) get shifted to a new part of the pasture.  Think of it as mini neighborhoods you know, so the sheep get to know each other better and build solid relationships.  But seriously, it does help in that you basically knock down all vegetative species in a small area.  The sheep are hungry enough to eat the invasive species like Knapweed and such not just the good stuff.  Now, not only are you preventing the permanent removal of say some good clover but you also clip down all other vegetative species in a way that helps the native grasses compete against the crazy weeds.  You are now creating a more lush, pure and productive pasture.  In addition, since the sheep arent grazing so close to the soil and manure, they reduce their worm larvae intake.  This creates less of a dependency on chemical dewormers every three weeks, and instead it becomes seasonal treatments.  The sheep never revisit a 'hood till the worm larvas are dead and gone (a few eggs of course can survive, which is why its still good to deworm seasonally).   In that photo above, the girls are knee deep in clover, and within 4 or 5 days, it too will look like the right side which they just finished mowin' over.

The lambs are doing well.  They are to the point where they are curious for themselves.  First it was whatever mom did, then only what the entire group deemed acceptable.  Now its to each his own, a matter of whose the bravest; one approaches, interested in what you have and as one gets near, the other lamb's competitive nature takes over enough that she wants in on the dare and tip toes closer.  Its just a matter of time before these guys will eat from your hand.  Not like the adult sheep that already will come bowl you over when you enter the pasture with grain! 

Dan feeding lambs, with Rutherford in the lead...

Hows the horse?  He is fine.  You know I have never broken a bone... had I meant, I had never broken a bone until Gunnar.  So here's the scoop.  He has been great, yeah yeah thats what they all say, but truly he has been great!  I tried rushing into changing bridals (thing on their head for controlling) AND a loser bit (less leverage in their mouth, ie head/neck) for him, when really neither of us (no bad horses, just bad riders) were ready for it.  I tried to get on him, and he absolutely freaked out. The first couple bucks I stayed on, despite smashing my thigh on the saddle horn, but the third (I think) I was a goner, up over his head and crashing onto the ground where I broke the radial head of my elbow. In the photo, its the part that looks lie a golf tee, center of the photo.  

Broken arm, Bruised Ego.

 Long story short.  Broken arm, cast for a week, aligned and healing, begin use as can be tolerated.  Within two weeks if I am still suffering on range of motion, then back in for a check up.  Six weeks - still pain?  Get a check up.  For now, buck up.  There are animals to feed, grass to cut, trim to put up and beautiful northern Michigan weather to enjoy.  And I STILL don't have to go to work tomorrow!





Quick note.  Some of you have asked why the "comments" section wasnt working for them. What is neat about this site, is you can login with a couple different email accounts you may already have (yahoo, google, etc).  They dont send you junk mail or anything, but it allows you to identify yourself and leave a comment (own up what you say to Windy Knob!) and it also allows you to click "follow."  Its amazing to me how many people read this from all over the country (shout out to Germany) so if you havent yet, sign in and click follow for us and show your Windy Knob support.  Thanks!

Of course now a horse.

Horse?  Yes, and I'll get to him in a minute.  But first a run through of the previous two weeks.
Rain.  Down pours.  Like take out the driveway kind of rain, throw a liferaft to the tomato plants rain, ring out the sheep kind of... you get the point.

Bats. I had to "hay" for the new addition, but the hay goes in my neighbors hay loft which is full of bats! I have never heard so many.  It during the day of course, which is why I couldn't see any of the nocturnals flying around; just the creepy feeling that you know you are being watched by a "few."  But not only in their loft, I found this bugger who had curled up in light outside of the chicken coop.  It must have been like ponderosa in the base of the bulb for him, and he gorged himself to the point he was too fat to get back out.  Ha! Can you imagine eating so much and thinking you are in heaven, and then you go to leave and you no longer fit out the doors?  That was him. 

The lambs were finally weaned from the ewes. I say finally, because it wasn’t that we were late in removing them, it was just relief to now have these 80-90 pound babies off them.  When nursing they were lifting the moms up off the ground while trying to suckle. The ewes now quietly enjoy eachothers company, and strike poses for the camera like this one.

Speaking of sheep, after last week’s Ahgosa introduction… guess whose fleece sold later that week? Yup. Ahgosa’s. Amazing what a little publicity can do right?

Have I told you about my lambs yet…?

As for the lambs.  They are getting use to life on their own.  They have matured a bit and aren't climbing all over eachother as much as they once were.  They like to lay in the pasture under the shade of the tall poplar trees, and every once in a while one or two of them give drogo a run for his money and harrass him. 
 

Chickens. I'll keep it short.  Doing well after the fox melay.  No signs of momma fox. Chickens are back out ranging.  Our road side stand is now set up on Friday and Saturday mornings, come buy some eggs!  And our two broody moms are still broody, although we had two delawares hatch the other day.  Those of you who know your chickens you're lookin at momma thinking... that isnt a delaware?  You are right, she is a surrogate.  Delawares (at least ours) arent good mom's, where as our Buff's are.  Hence the surrogate. 

 Whew...  you still with me?  Okay horse.  Gunnar.  Gunnar rocks by the way just in case you were wondering.    He arrived Sunday and met his new pasture mate named Danny.  Danny use to seem like a decent size horse to me, and truly he is.  However, I soon realized just how big Gunnar really is.  No, its not father and son in the pasture, or a young colt next to a full grown draft.  That's Danny who is almost 15 hands himself, and is 26 years old!  Yeah.  That's my Gunnar.  A three year old Clydesdale.  Beautiful blaze (thats the stripe down his face) and four white sox with feathering; the term to describe the hair around his feet.                                                                                                   Being three, he tests me a bit, but we have found some understandings already.  On the second day, I went out to say goodnight to him (yes I did, you got a problem with that???) and I practiced a little calling and coming with him.  And by gosh, he did, he would come to me and follow me around the pasture already, and I didn't even have treats!  I just praised him and petted him everytime.  He will be my biggest dog yet, watch and see. 

Ahgosa won't do facebook, so...

Ahgosa is one of our founding rams here at Windy Knob Farms.  I thought I could do a blog summer series about the various sheep and their personalities, and  include some stories about them.  A chance for people to get to know each of these unquie and curious animals and to gain a little insight about life on the farm with them.  It was either I take the time to tell you a bit about them here, or have each of them start a facebook page.  The sheep and I talked it over, and decided that I would just do it here.

Ahgosa (Ah  GO  sah): Named to reflect the land of the farm, once known as Ahgosatown.  You see, back in the mid 1850's a tribe of Ottawa Indians settled here on this land under the leadership of Chief Ahgosa.  Chief Ahgosa worked very closely with Rev. Peter Doherty, helping to establish this area (now known as Omena).  Chief Ahgosa was quite the character known for wearing a Top Hat, something he once saw the president wearing in a photo and decided the look would be grand for him too. 

Ahgosa the ram is a beautiful Moorit Ram who is now two years old.  He has an amazing crimp that sets him fleece apart due to the consistency of the tight waves found throughout the staple.  He has a unique rich and dark brown color that stays true due to the jacket he wears year round that protects against the bleaching UV rays.  Because of his Bond breeding background, he has a wider snout, squat in body build but most importantly a longer staple length reaching 5 to 6 inches in places.  Its really quite the fleece.  His Spring shearing is available, please check our fleece page for more information.  http://www.windyknobfarms.com/2010fleeces.htm

His personality... I'll say spitfire.  He is the only one that has actually flipped me over out in pasture! And being the size that I am, imagine my surprise when I had him by the head and thought I had control yet soon found myself upside down and on my back in just the flick of his strong head and neck.   I remember laying there on the ground laughing watching him trot off with the others. 

He is curious and cautious, not the biggest in the bunch but its tough to compete with the size of Johnny our True Corriedale Ram.  Ahgosa was used in breeding two ewes this year, those being Alaina and Ella.  One of his offspring in Chester, pictured below.  Chester is available as breeding stock and being Homozygous for the Moorit gene and an excellent fleece, he would be a wonderful addition to any flock.

One of the much appreciated comments we received was from our friend Lindy in Arizona (congrats on the retirement by the way Lindy).  Her question was about any whethers (a castrated ram) that are available.  And while any ram can become a whether, its best when done during the first few days of the ram lambs life.  One of our ram lambs this year came out looking like a cow with a piebald black and white wool mixed throughout his body.  This is Ike, and he is for sale and would make a wonderful farm pet (still producing a fine fleece every year) or a great companion buddy for a pasture pet such as a horse.  Whethers are great because they are easy keepers.  You can use them as lawn mowers, pasture pets, companions, ewe teasers, etc.  And with a whether like this one, he is sure to be a conversation starter for all your farm visitors.  

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