Our March Madness

FINISHED!

The last ewe delivered twins on Mar 26.
107 lambs from 60 ewes.

This morning we were looking at the ewes and lambs after we fed the ewes and a bald eagle flew low over the flock. It’s been cool seeing them around; but they also make us nervous. Hopefully, they are not picking out lambs for dinner (they do take lambs).

You might ask what does a flock of 60 ewes and 107 lambs look like:
Flock after feeding ewes
LGDs Sam and Wendy make cameos in this video.

I have a new phone which means more videos to come.

I love how Wendy is stationed at one side of the flock, and Sam is on the other!

Happy Easter!

I took a little time to watch the lambs while the ewes were eating their feed.
Enjoy

Easter Morning Lambs

Now that the grass is growing and the lambs are good at following their mothers we have started moving the flock to less secure fields with more grass during the day. This means that one of my chores after work is to move the flock back to the secured field with the LGDs. Moving ewes with young lambs is hard for one dog. One dog can push on one side of the flock while ewes on the other side can stop or move in the wrong direction. I’ve started using both Lee and Fern to move the flock; they are starting to get the idea to work together staying on their side of the flock. Since both dogs are trained to take the same commands, I need to be creative in communicating with each dog to minimize both dogs doing the same thing.

Lee & Fern Moving Ewes & Lambs

I LOVE watching your dogs work!!

Sam and Wendy are on high alert tonight.

We have been taking care of a friend’s dogs. We have them kennelled in what was the milk house which now has an attached dog yard. I went up tonight to turn our friend’s dogs out and give them some lovin. Normally Wendy and Sam come visit while these dogs are in their yard. Tonight Wendy and Sam did not cone visit. Also neighbors dogs about 2 fields over were barking on alert which is not normal. I decided to walk out to see where Wendy and Sam were. They were pacing our side of a fence following the scent and sounds of a coyote about 20 yards on the other side of our fence. I could see the coyote and was spot lighting it but due to the terrain Wendy and Sam couldn’t see it. Both of the were periodically giving out deep barks. Meanwhile the ewes and lambs were bedded down near the barn on the other side of the 15 acre field.

Good dogs.

We haven’t seen the bald eagles in a while; I’m not too disappointed about this.

An Idaho farmer’s sheep kept dying. The culprit? Bald eagles nesting near his pasture
Idaho Statesman

54 lambs kill this year.