June 8, 2015

A lot has changed since my last blog.  I am up to 130 breeding ewes.  I am finding it difficult to keep up so unfortunately  now that I have gotten my flock up to where I wanted it I am now down sizing.  Funny how things go.

I am going to be a Grandmother for the first time and wish to have more free time to play with the little one.  Very exciting time!   Difficult to find someone to keep care of so many sheep.

I have decided to specialize in the Fullbloods and disperse the Commercials.  They will be leaving my farm over the next couple months.  Looking forward to working with a nice small flock again where one knows each animal on a more personal level.  I have implemented flock testing and may even dabble in export.  I need to learn something new to sharpen my brain.  Feeling stagnant. Every day is the same.

This weekend will be the 1st Anniversary of my Mother's passing.  Life is to short and time is precious.

Has been a while since I blogged.

All has gone so well. I will start weaning lambs next week.  Look forward to picking some keepers and passing along the rest to excited buyers. I have had the best lamb crop ever so far.  They look healthy, fat and are growing beautifully! There has been lots of rain to keep the pastures green so there is no shortage of good feed. Seems after lambing there is a bit of a lul in barn yard excitement as they go out to pasture to grow. Call it a well earned break after the Kaos of lambing.

Since I have added Buck the Maremma/Pyrennese I have not had any predator troubles.  Although I seem to have a Badger moving into the field.  Wondering if he is cause for concern.  Buck sure is after him so my hope is that he will move along to a quieter field before digging up to many big holes. 

Let the Lambing Begin!

April 1st was the first of my 2012 lamb crop. My commercials will lamb first with my Fullbloods starting April 9th. I have approx 90 ewes to lamb out if all goes well.  I am over the moon with ability to use my NEW BARN :)

Barn Raising

Wow has life around here been a whirl wind.
My mother has recovered and is back home.  That was quite the sureal experience and completely time consuming family crisis.  From not being able to lift an arm to clear her own breathing passage to walking in 3 months....incredible! Almost makes one wonder if it was a dream!

Then to Hawaii for a family holiday and back home to a Barn Raising!

Yes a Barn Raising!  Didn't expect that for a couple more years! Got a smokin deal on a 42'x102' post and beam building at the Canadian Western Agribition in November 2011. Signed up in Dec and they were here building the first week in March 2012!  The crew had it up in 4 DAYS. Talk about dreaming!

                                       
The next couple weekends we worked feverishly to get the interior completed with 2x6 lined walls so the sheep don't damage the metal siding to a big order to Richard Zubot for more panels to compliment the handling system I purchased last year.  Incredibly I have a lambing facility for my 2012 lambing season.  Wow! Someone pinch me.

There is going to be a Barn Raisin'

Our hard work over the last 10 or so years is begining to pay off!!  I have built this little hobby farm into an actual Sheep Producers Dream.  Never thought I would live to see the day!
We signed the papers to have a Big Red Barn/Shop built by ....yes by someone else other than ourselves!!!.... for this upcoming year.  It was a shock to find they will have it up at the end of February!  If all goes well it will be ready for this spring lambing!!  I am soo  excited.  This will be our last big project and with a building like this the sky is the limit.  42x100 will house anything we do now or down the road. We may even host a couple events?????  This is the building site.

This will give me the opportunity to grow even bigger and I will be able to lamb earlier so the rams I produce will be ready for fall breeding. 
With the sheep market taking off as it has and things falling into place on our little farm yard we just might actually be able to retire my husband.  Running joke is he can come home and work for me. LOL.

Life changes in an instant.

Dec 22 my mother suffered a Stroke.  It has been quite an emotional roller coaster.  From saying goodbye to thinking things were going to be OK to saying goodbye yet agian.  Complications with phnemonia made things look bleak but it seemed that just over night things changed yet again.  She is on the road to recovery after being on 3 antibiotics.  I am fianlly able to leave her side and come home to check on my critters. 
Thank goodness my husband was off for this time and he was here to hold down the fort. It is difficlut to find someone to look after the place for 11 long days.  All is well here now.
I spent the day outside.  With tempuratures of plus 5 here in Saskatchewan (unheard of) I was able to put put enough hay to last my sheep for at least a month.  Then I swept all the water sitting on the deck off and then I blew all the snow out of the front yard.  Yes LOL Swishing water and blowing snow all in a day in fridged Saskatchewan in January!  With only 2 and a half months of winter left here I think we can handle anything Mother Nature has in store for us....After all when winter comes in like a Lamb it will undoubtedly go out like a LION.

Stock Dog Clinics

 In the winter of 2009 I was so generously given and Australian Kelpie that need a family home.  He was 1 year old at the time and quite a handfull. But well trained in all aspects just young and busy. I have NEVER worked with a stock dog of any size of form!  I decided we both needed some schooling and found some Stock Dog Clinics to attend.
The first year we went to one by Dave and Tudy Virkland from the US.  It opened up a whole new world! They helped me get on the right track and how to actually work the Kelpie breed. It was an amazing Clinic and I came home with lots of tools to help Bronc and I connect.
This last summer we went to another Clinic done by Kevin Howell from Australia! Incredible man! He raises Kelpies in Australia and has won countless Championships there.  Now that Bronc and I had practiced up the basics we were able to really hone our skills and got a wealth more information from Kevin. Truly a worth wihile experieince!  As Bronc is aging he has really settled down and I no long can imagine what I would do without him.  He loves to work the sheep and has become a real asset to me.