Spring is suppose to be here on the prairies , still cool out....infact I usually have thin layer of ice in my water pails. Still wearing winter chore clothes for morning chores....needed a rain coat this am with some rain/wind. Singleton born yesterday and brought into the barn to dry off and get warm.
Cattle get processed this wkend and hauled to pasture.
Test drove the bathing/drying set up at the building to work out any kinks in the system, thanks to Deb, Derby and Baby Brooke ( yep...still doesnt have a name and how bad is THAT! :) are looking nice all trimmed up....ran out of time for pictures.
Have a few neat places cased out for Derby photo shoot pictures. He has matured into a very nice male with a gorgeous head that will never look overdone or coarse.
Have worked Quade on the flock a few minutes every chore time, will start working the girls in the next wk or so and go from there. Have to slowly leg up
the lambs for training the younger dogs.
3 day Viklund clinic in a few wks...I need to finish organising that and get meals shopped/cooked for over 20 people x 3 days. Also have to figure out which
dog ( dogs) I'm taking to clinic on...and pack the truck for any kind of weather.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Moved the new moms back to pasture....
A productive day with working a few of the dogs.
Since the flock was essentially 'sorted' with all the new moms and babes by the barn with the wethers and pregnant ewes in the sheep pasture, I decided to work Jinx and Sting on the ones in the pasture. The 2 pregnant ewes looking like they would lamb abit later but worked this group lightly anyways.
Sting didnt take much to polish to where we left last fall, covering her stock nicely. The pasture group definately lighter since a lower number of
sheep worked as well my 2 heavy leaders were amongst the ones in the barn. Nice to work the group without my old leaders who know the drill too well so
the dogs have to really cover heads and 'not follow' as the sheep themselves turn into me. Jinx came up short on catching the heads..partly as she needs
to either get out or speed up to get where she should...she was coming up short at the top with sheep getting away a few times...so we went back to some
corner work to end on a successful note.
Since there is so much muck in the barn yard I decided to move the moms and babes to the sheep pasture which had enough challenges moving a flock of
concerned moms and babes around 4 corners and keep them together enough to be bunched but not so babes got jostled or stepped on. Each Ewe was on the fight from the get go so the first gather took abit of time to get heads turned and moving....to be repeated with first few tight corners as a few babes got seperated within the group causing concerned moms looking for their babes. Things went smoother once we got out into the open to move the flock down to the pasture. Each family unit had hooked up by then and the pressure was off from working in the small space.
Since the flock was essentially 'sorted' with all the new moms and babes by the barn with the wethers and pregnant ewes in the sheep pasture, I decided to work Jinx and Sting on the ones in the pasture. The 2 pregnant ewes looking like they would lamb abit later but worked this group lightly anyways.
Sting didnt take much to polish to where we left last fall, covering her stock nicely. The pasture group definately lighter since a lower number of
sheep worked as well my 2 heavy leaders were amongst the ones in the barn. Nice to work the group without my old leaders who know the drill too well so
the dogs have to really cover heads and 'not follow' as the sheep themselves turn into me. Jinx came up short on catching the heads..partly as she needs
to either get out or speed up to get where she should...she was coming up short at the top with sheep getting away a few times...so we went back to some
corner work to end on a successful note.
Since there is so much muck in the barn yard I decided to move the moms and babes to the sheep pasture which had enough challenges moving a flock of
concerned moms and babes around 4 corners and keep them together enough to be bunched but not so babes got jostled or stepped on. Each Ewe was on the fight from the get go so the first gather took abit of time to get heads turned and moving....to be repeated with first few tight corners as a few babes got seperated within the group causing concerned moms looking for their babes. Things went smoother once we got out into the open to move the flock down to the pasture. Each family unit had hooked up by then and the pressure was off from working in the small space.
Found a few round hay bales to tie me over abit.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Rain,more rain and snow....
Over an 1 1/2 inches of rain noted in the rain gauge with at least 8 inches of wet slushy snow on the ground..makes for a quagmire in the corrals
to trudge through at chores the last few days. The sun is shining with hints of green showing through the bare spots as the snow melts.
Flooring for part of the basement at the building to be complete today...so will be able to call back the plumber to finish up his work.
Need to haul more agility equipment in and set up different course elements that will work in a small space.
Everyone having forward progress with their dogs in both Obedience and Agility with people signing up for the next set of classes.
As soon as the lambs get abit of age on them I can start working the dogs again. Will use Quade to dog the flock since the ewes will want to face off and challenge any dogs at this 'new mom' stage. He'll stand up to any ewe challenging him and gives her time to think and turn before he comes in for a face grip. Gentle with the lambs, who may get a nose nudge to bump them along.
Dogs are so good about reading / accomodating a puppy license on a pup...a good stockdog also 'reads' other species young offspring as babies and act appropriate with them. Interesting stuff to observe in animals....
to trudge through at chores the last few days. The sun is shining with hints of green showing through the bare spots as the snow melts.
Flooring for part of the basement at the building to be complete today...so will be able to call back the plumber to finish up his work.
Need to haul more agility equipment in and set up different course elements that will work in a small space.
Everyone having forward progress with their dogs in both Obedience and Agility with people signing up for the next set of classes.
As soon as the lambs get abit of age on them I can start working the dogs again. Will use Quade to dog the flock since the ewes will want to face off and challenge any dogs at this 'new mom' stage. He'll stand up to any ewe challenging him and gives her time to think and turn before he comes in for a face grip. Gentle with the lambs, who may get a nose nudge to bump them along.
Dogs are so good about reading / accomodating a puppy license on a pup...a good stockdog also 'reads' other species young offspring as babies and act appropriate with them. Interesting stuff to observe in animals....
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
More rain/snow...
Another weather front here on the prairies..suppose to get another dump of snow...right now it's that dreary overcasted day with fine mist of rain.
The snow is suppose to arrive tonight. The day spent re-bedding the barn and topping up all the water and feed bunks for the sheep. Packed in more
square bales of straw so a person would have on hand more dry ones. Will put the moms and babes back in the barn after chore time.
New set of twins this afternoon with 4 ewes left to lamb. Looks like a pen of black and white holstein's when the groups are all together.
Will be hard to part with them but think I have part of the flock sold to a guy that rides community pasture that trains dogs on the side.
Decided if feed is going to be limited I'll need to reduce my numbers down to a few head, with hay over 100 / bale it's too expensive to keep extra's.
The snow is suppose to arrive tonight. The day spent re-bedding the barn and topping up all the water and feed bunks for the sheep. Packed in more
square bales of straw so a person would have on hand more dry ones. Will put the moms and babes back in the barn after chore time.
New set of twins this afternoon with 4 ewes left to lamb. Looks like a pen of black and white holstein's when the groups are all together.
Will be hard to part with them but think I have part of the flock sold to a guy that rides community pasture that trains dogs on the side.
Decided if feed is going to be limited I'll need to reduce my numbers down to a few head, with hay over 100 / bale it's too expensive to keep extra's.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Personal Happiness...
An excellent motivational site to book mark.
I came across the link on a dog trainers website since it was recommended ...well worth the time to sit down and read.
While reading ' How To Be Great' ...think in terms of training our sidekicks.
http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/
I came across the link on a dog trainers website since it was recommended ...well worth the time to sit down and read.
While reading ' How To Be Great' ...think in terms of training our sidekicks.
http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/
*photo by Erika M
Friday, April 9, 2010
We'll take it ANY way...
we can get it..moisture that is....a common saying in most rural areas. Only when it comes this time of year it is often in the form of one of our worst 'snow storms' with seemingly a winter's worth of wet snow dumped with high winds in a short time frame. This one crippled more than an entire province with many highways shut down. People having to turn back or unfortunately spending their nights pulled over on the side of the road or in the ditch ( perhaps a safer spot in areas of zero visibility ) Anything not nailed down has been blown away,
Anyone that lives near town ending up picking up extra shifts due to staff not able to get in, another night shift gets added to my calendar.
Calving season is in full swing with most cattle producers spending the last 24 hrs pulling buried calves out of snow banks... filling barns and stock trailers with pairs if they have enough room. If not enough room the calves get parked there with moms matched up to their calves later ( that creates 'more' work )
Glad we are done ! Our last calf didnt find the calf shelter so had to be dug out and pushed in to the shelter. DH found a new set of twin lambs and carried into the barn with concerned mom in tow during the middle of the storm. The rest of the new moms and their lambs moved into the barn to dry off with feed packed in for the day. Cattle did eat grain this am then were back to the wind breaks to weather the storm. Extra feed and bedding to be done hopefully by evening with a break in the weather.
Anyone that lives near town ending up picking up extra shifts due to staff not able to get in, another night shift gets added to my calendar.
Calving season is in full swing with most cattle producers spending the last 24 hrs pulling buried calves out of snow banks... filling barns and stock trailers with pairs if they have enough room. If not enough room the calves get parked there with moms matched up to their calves later ( that creates 'more' work )
Glad we are done ! Our last calf didnt find the calf shelter so had to be dug out and pushed in to the shelter. DH found a new set of twin lambs and carried into the barn with concerned mom in tow during the middle of the storm. The rest of the new moms and their lambs moved into the barn to dry off with feed packed in for the day. Cattle did eat grain this am then were back to the wind breaks to weather the storm. Extra feed and bedding to be done hopefully by evening with a break in the weather.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Tagging the first lambs...
One day off this wk to catch up a few things.
Finally got around to catching lambs and tagging them with their permanent ID numbers ( mandatory ) I tag the ewe lambs in the same ear with the males in the opposite ear so at a quick glance I can tell what is what...comes in handy when sorting in a crowded pen when selling later this year. ( I like to keep back a few ewe lambs for replacements )
I use the Ketchum metal tag, which I have the best luck with the sheep not losing them. I decided to leave tails on since mainly hair coats have been born.
I may go back and dock the wool coated ones in a few wks when I band some of the boys.
So far we dont have to record DOB's online for each lamb like we do with Cattle...but each farm or acreage with sheep ( no matter if just a hobby )
has to have a Premise ID registered. This is recorded on the new Livestock Manifest that *must go with each group of sheep leaving your farm be it
just going to pasture , the abbatoirs or auction market etc.
With the Age Verification program in Cattle...each calf born has to be recorded in an online data base along with it's permanent ID number and DOB
( another project to catch up on once we process the cattle this spring for each calf born )
There are penalites for non- compliance and shoddy paperwork. The red tape is growing AND ongoing for livestock producers and I'm not sure they
see the increased standards of this paper trail bringing in a better dollar for their product....it's alot of work for that once a year pay check.
Finally got around to catching lambs and tagging them with their permanent ID numbers ( mandatory ) I tag the ewe lambs in the same ear with the males in the opposite ear so at a quick glance I can tell what is what...comes in handy when sorting in a crowded pen when selling later this year. ( I like to keep back a few ewe lambs for replacements )
I use the Ketchum metal tag, which I have the best luck with the sheep not losing them. I decided to leave tails on since mainly hair coats have been born.
I may go back and dock the wool coated ones in a few wks when I band some of the boys.
So far we dont have to record DOB's online for each lamb like we do with Cattle...but each farm or acreage with sheep ( no matter if just a hobby )
has to have a Premise ID registered. This is recorded on the new Livestock Manifest that *must go with each group of sheep leaving your farm be it
just going to pasture , the abbatoirs or auction market etc.
With the Age Verification program in Cattle...each calf born has to be recorded in an online data base along with it's permanent ID number and DOB
( another project to catch up on once we process the cattle this spring for each calf born )
There are penalites for non- compliance and shoddy paperwork. The red tape is growing AND ongoing for livestock producers and I'm not sure they
see the increased standards of this paper trail bringing in a better dollar for their product....it's alot of work for that once a year pay check.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Still no moisture here on prairies...
Came off of nites to finding DH left a gate open again...only he was home and was using my dog to get the herd back to the part of the pasture they came from. Although he's a very knowledgable cattle man and knows his stuff we still butt heads when it involves working 'a dog' :)
First annoyance was not backing his dog with 1/2 the herd on the fight and the second was taking the dogs legs away (power) from him at critical times instead of letting him stand which he does well on cattle. There is a place and a time to 'down them' but not when the cow is 'still thinking' she wants to go over top of your dog. Without missing a beat Quade quietly bailed on him and became my dog when I arrived and carried on putting things to order...
Wire gate fixed and off to work.
Skid steer is here so corral cleaning starts. Will be a wkend coming up shortly that fencing will done in the summer pasture ...then a day to process cattle
( tattoo calves, tag ,vaccinate, 'band' and brand ) before being hauled to pasture. Which means the next spring item is getting the garden worked for planting.
Still no moisture here on the prairies. Hay loads a common sight on the roads as people are spending $$ on feed being brought in as unable to put cattle out
to pasture yet. Each day too early translates to something like losing 5 days of grazing in the fall if a person does haul them out to pasture before it's had a decent start in the spring.
First annoyance was not backing his dog with 1/2 the herd on the fight and the second was taking the dogs legs away (power) from him at critical times instead of letting him stand which he does well on cattle. There is a place and a time to 'down them' but not when the cow is 'still thinking' she wants to go over top of your dog. Without missing a beat Quade quietly bailed on him and became my dog when I arrived and carried on putting things to order...
Wire gate fixed and off to work.
Skid steer is here so corral cleaning starts. Will be a wkend coming up shortly that fencing will done in the summer pasture ...then a day to process cattle
( tattoo calves, tag ,vaccinate, 'band' and brand ) before being hauled to pasture. Which means the next spring item is getting the garden worked for planting.
Still no moisture here on the prairies. Hay loads a common sight on the roads as people are spending $$ on feed being brought in as unable to put cattle out
to pasture yet. Each day too early translates to something like losing 5 days of grazing in the fall if a person does haul them out to pasture before it's had a decent start in the spring.
Last calf born this afternoon ...officially ending calving season
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Basement is coming along....
Some progress in the basement of the training building ...last few days spent painting and ripping up flooring.
Electrician in to move a switch and put up better lights in one room. Plumber disconnected the old gas stove and capped the end ( not up to standard ) ....waiting on linoleum to be laid so the plumber can come back again....one job leading into a 'bigger job' than originally planned
and budgeted for...as it goes when renovating.
Girls move their equipment in sometime this wkend , I'm excited for them as it's a small business venture for them as well.
Electrician in to move a switch and put up better lights in one room. Plumber disconnected the old gas stove and capped the end ( not up to standard ) ....waiting on linoleum to be laid so the plumber can come back again....one job leading into a 'bigger job' than originally planned
and budgeted for...as it goes when renovating.
Girls move their equipment in sometime this wkend , I'm excited for them as it's a small business venture for them as well.
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