Spring clean up

With a family event on the farm at the end of May, spring clean up is well underway. Our usual pattern of starting a farm-improving project (translation=tearing up some part of the yard or farmyard) has been checked as we prepare for guests.With the flowerbeds edged and mulched,the chickens are back in the portable coops.  This triangle coop needed the rotted end and door repaired before the January chicks took up residence.We finally fashioned wheelbarrow handles so it is easy to move across the lawn.

I had expected that the chickens ,ducks and geese would eat all of the corn purchased from the neighbor last fall. They did not so we disassembled the makeshift corn crib ,bought an antique Black Hawk corn sheller (thank you Craigslist) and shelled and bagged the remaining ears.What an ingenious tool:shells the corn and spits out the cob.  We attached it to the side of the skidsteer bucket so we could adjust the hieght of our work space.

In addition to the spiffing up  I am gradually transitioning the ruminants to pasture. The veterans in the flock know that the sound of temporary fence post pounding means good grazing; the lambs need to learn to stay with the flock inside the electric twine.  Because some of our pastures will be hosting non-boot wearing guests, the cows will not graze those areas so the sheep have the Orchard and North pastures to manage.

Hero, a ewe lamb,arrives on 4/27

I believe that lambing is finally done. On Saturday morning I found 006 with her dry and full bellied ewe lamb in the goat paddock. Continuing with the Shakespearean theme, we named her Hero. Her left ear is brown. Since Hero was born outside she has a bit of dirt on her face, probably from the "nest" her mother scratched into the ground.Like this year's mothers, 006 is an attentive mother, protecting her lamb by tucking the lamb behind her when a stranger approaches, nickering to her lamb when the flock is near and keeping Hero's belly full.

Temporary bale feeder in barnyard

So the lactating ewes and their growing lambs can eat as much hay as they need, I cobbled together a round bale feeder for the sheep's barnyard. Tucked into the corner made by the baryard gate and the barn wall, and sided by a pallet and cattle panel, the sheep have access to the hay.

Ramling with the flock

On the weekend I moved the ramling and 005 back with the flock.  Like her flockmates, 005 keeps her lamb near her side by calling to him with those deep "new mama" grunts . When he wanders a bit too far she noses him into place by her side.

A ram lamb

005 sought the barnyard stall, pawed a nest in the straw and lambed this morning.She avidly licked her ram lamb dry and he was soon noisily nursing.

Layering farm jobs

As spring moves forward and the the gardens move into production, it was time to rein in the tidbit searching, dirt scratching hens. Twice a day we move this pen across the lawn. The hens do the spring fertilizing as they eat their way around the yard. The egg box at the wheel end and the feed hopper at the handle end  makes their upkeep very convenient. (In this picture the access door is open against the roof of the hen tractor). Although unwieldly, the long handle gives us greater mechanical advantage so one person can move the pen loaded with a hanging waterer and a full feed hopper.

About an inch of rain

Bottom Round Roast Beef

Last night, while we ate dinner, I roasted two bottom round roasts, the last two in the freezer.This lean, boneless roast, also know as a rump roast is cut from the upper part of the outer leg (round). Because it its not very tender, I put the salted roasts in a 275' oven until the meat thermometer read 125'. After I removed it from the oven, the meat thermometer continued to rise, into the low 130's, perfect medium rare. Before bed, the meat was cool enough for storing in the refrigerator.  The pan drippings were a treat for the barn cats.

This morning I trimmed the meat of fat, much to the delight of the dogs, and dusted off the slicer. My ebay purchased US Slicing Machine is the enamel and chrome monster that sits in the corner of my counter;it is perfect for across the grain, thin slices that we like for sandwiches. I placed individual portions of beef on waxed paper on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer  By lunchtime the portions will be ready to put in a container for storage. The thicker bits of meat, too small for the slicer but too thick for a sandwich will be be featured at dinner in a rice, greens and beef dish.

When we first started putting 1/2 a cow in the freezer I was daunted by the unfamiliar cuts of meat. My early cooking years did not include many roasts so I had alot to learn, a whole freezer full of learning.  With plenty of research I learned that some cuts of meat have multiple names, all with their own best method of cooking. Armed with an accurate, digital meat thermometer, a sharp knife, and entries from Cook's Illustrated magazine and Pure Beef by Lynne Curry (BTW-my favorite resource, have loved 16 of the recipes, still working our way through the book and my freezer), I am learning to cook from most of the cow.

And still we wait for lambs

Four of our Katahdins have not lambed. These four sheep are "theaves"( Theave or theaf (plural of either: theaves) – a young female sheep, usually before her first lamb (used especially in lowlandEngland). Also gimmer.), first timers.These two girls, 005 and 006 are showing signs that they are nearing the end of their pregancies. In addition to physical changes, their behavior has changed and their usual reserve has been replaced with friendliness.Verbena and her sister Viola do not show the physical changes associated with late pregnancy. I pulled Burgess from the ewes in January so they could lambs as late as June, if they are bred.

So, my shepherd's mind is whirling. If they did breed, why so late?  If they are not bred, why not? They could have been a bit young when l put Burgess in with the ewes so perhaps, if bred, their lambing date is more in tune with their age.These girls are from Mab, one of my first and favorite ewes. She is not skittish, has a large, deep body, and has lambed every year without trouble; I want her genetics in my flock.

Do I give them another year or do I cull?

Katahdin Mauve beginning to shed

With her dark coat,it is easy to see that Mauve is starting to shed.

Sunbathing sheep 3/30/13

Vaccinating, banding and weighing the lambs

Today we vaccinated the lambs with their first Clostridium Perfringens Types C & D-Tetnus Toxoid shots.  We will revaccinated in three to four weeks. According to www.sheepandgoat.com:

Enterotoxemia is caused by the bacteria Clostridium perfringins, which is a normal inhabitant of the animal's gut, but can proliferate to toxic levels under certain circumstances. Type C, also called bloody scours or lamb dysentery, usually affects lambs and kids during the first few weeks of life. It is usually precipitated by an increase in feed, such as the start of creep feeding or increased milk availability due to loss of a littermate. Type D, more commonly called overeating disease (and also pulpy kidney disease), affects lambs and kids that are typically over one month of age. Overeating occurs with a sudden change in feed and is associated with high concentrate feeding.

Tetanus, also known as "lockjaw" occurs when the bacteria causing it, Clostridium tetani, gains entry through an open wound or contaminated skin break and proliferates to toxic levels. 

The unbanded ram lambs were banded as well.

The two to three week old lambs weighed in at  17 - 25 pounds.

Barn spring

Although the spring equinox occured on March 20 at 7:02 A.M. EDT, snow and cold remained on our bit of land. Lengthening days, nights in the high twenties and day temperatures above freezing have brought a softening to the barnyard this week. With the warmer temperatures the Belties take longer to eat a round bale of hay and the Katahdins can eat their day-ration of hay in the mostly sunny barnyard. Yesterday I rolled up the extension cord and packed away the trough heater when I scrubbed out the Beltie's trough. The heated bucket in the barn was cleaned and stored away until next winter's frigid temps. Dividing the barn pasture with a polytwine fence to limit the heavy hooved cows to a smaller sacrifice paddock will preserve the lower barn pasture.The electrified barrier will also retrain the beef to respect the pulsing fence, a key component of our rotational grazing routine in the growing seasons.The water fowl pens were remulched with the dry hay leavings from around the sheep feeder to keep mislaid eggs and feathers clean.I also reset the temorary posts supporting the fence that keep the four-leggeds separate from the two-leggeds in the barn pasture.  Spent corn cobs are effective fencepost wedges,handy after a winter of avian snacking. The miserable kinked hose was retired, hose menders and bronze ends salvaged and a newer hose placed on the rack. 

During all these tasks, traipsing back and forth across the yard and pasture I noticed more chores to be tackled. The multiflora rose is reddening and already pushing new growth; my mattock should be brought out of the toolshed for grubbing the tenacious roots. Checking and repairing portable chicken coops is the first step to getting the free ranging , landscape scratching hens out of the yard. Garden cart and wagon tires need to be be retubed and reinflated, orchard trimmings need to be cleared and late spring pruning needs to be completed. Before the sheep are turned out to pasture, I will teach the lambs to avoid the electric fence, trim hooves and worm when necessary. 

Even when I get overwhemed by the length of my ever expanding to do list,my routine is never boring.

Managing the early spring pasture

Our Belties spend the winter outside in my sacrifice pasture, with access to run in shelters and close enough to the barn to fill the heated trough. Through the winter I move the location of the round bale feeder to spread out the waste hay and manure. Later in the season this well fenced pasture will be where the lambs learn about electric pulses, where rambunctious animals are pastured when I am away from the farm and where the bull will visit Blair. In an effort to limit the damage casued by heavy hooves and insatiable mouths on spring pasture I set temporary posts in the ground last fall.  With warmer temperatures predicted I unrolled the electric twine today closing off the lower section of the barn pasture. Once hay feeding is done and the water fowl pens are moved I will spread out the remaining hay litter and see what comes up.

March 25, 2013

Undeterred by Puxsutawney Phil's predictions for an early spring, snow has been falling all morning. In spite of its inconvenience, I do perfer this light snow to last year's unseasonablely early spring.

With the wethers and ram out of the barn and across the road, I move the ewes and lambs into the barnyard daily. Within the confines of the barn, the lambs learn to move with the flock from the ewes' pen, through the temporary corridor, to the barnyard stall and then the barnyard. The first moves were  loud, with ewes calling to their lambs as they made the trip to the outside. After a few days of practice the flock moves as a whole, lambs jostling along as a group and rubbing against their mothers once they reach the barnyard. For our rotational grazing during the green seasons, a flock that moves well together is an asset. This mild, windless day seemd a perfect time to intorduce the lambs to snow.

Boys to the Bachelor Field

With a forkful of hay and a scoop of grain we we able to lead the boys to the field across the road.  Moving the boys to the secure field frees up the stall open to the barnyard.  Initially the boys had twice daily wheelbarrow hay deliveries.  Now they have the round bale feeder from the ewe's pen.They do love to nose around the farthest reaches of the pen.

Two new lambs

Yesterday Mab finally had her lamb.  In spite of her girth, a single ram, a 10#at that. She is such an excellant mother I was hoping for a ewe lamb but her ramling is strong and healthy. Mother sheep nuzzle lambs behinds to encourage new lambs to nurse.

This morning a ewe lamb from Owens 13.  Like her mother, Beatrice has long legs.On its first day, a new lamb shakily kneels, front feet first, then, tucks in each back leg, then a snooze,

Maude's twin lambs

This morning's peek over the ewe pen gate revealed Maude with pair of white, curly lambs. By the time they were discovered, they were almost dry  and full bellied.Portia and Paxton weighed in at 7.5 pounds each. I am especially relieved to see that Maude's lambs are strong and well formed;last year's twins were weak and died early.Mauve and dappled Hugh left the lambing jug to make room for the new family. Hugh's intoduction to the flock was accompanied by Mauve's nickers and protection.

5:30 barn check

No lambs in the barn when I pointed the dim flashlight into the ewes' pen. The short walk back from the barn was peaceful. The morning sky was lightening and the waning cresent moon showed its slightly reddish dark side, Earthshine.

I learned from www.science.nasa.gov:"Leonardo Da Vinci explained the phenomenon nearly 500 years ago. He realized that both Earth and the Moon reflect sunlight. But when the Sun sets anywhere on the Earth-facining side of the Moon (this happens every 29.5 Earth-days) the landscape remains lit -- illuminated by sunlight reflected from our own planet. Astronomers call it Earthshine. It's also known as the Moon's "ashen glow" or "the old Moon in the New Moon's arms."

Reasearchers also note that northern spring is the best time to see the Moon's ashen glow; perfect timing for lambing barn checks.

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Braised lamb shanks.

Yesterday I poked around the freezer and came up with a couple bags of frozen lamb shanks.  Following my Cook's Illustrated, January '95 recipe I browned then braised the shanks in the oven at 350' in a liquid comprised of 3 parts of broth and 2 parts of red wine. The slow cooking in the liquid resulted in tender, non-sinuous, flavorful meat.