Fall Chores

The list of chores is pretty much the same every year.

But it does help to write it all down so I can feel like I accomplished something as I strike through each one.  So here goes:

1.  Change coats on the sheep.

Vianne is a yearling that needs to move up to a size E coat.

Leil is overdue for her size E.  She is also a yearling.

River Oaks Hannah needs to be introduced to a sheep coat.  I believe she will take a size E as well.  Lana, my other new ewe, needs a coat too.  I wanted to trim her up a bit more first, but she is still skittish with me.  For lack of patience, I will probably just coat her. 

Nhu also needs an E coat.  So that makes 4 more that I need to order in that size.  D's and E's seem to be the basic adult sizes for my Shetlands.  Size F will probably come into play a little later in the winter.

2.  Ear tag the two ewe lambs, Esyllt and Carys. 

3.  Give all the lambs a round of CD & T.  I usually would not do this...but I discovered earlier this summer that I had accidentally bought just the "CD" part of the vaccine, minus the tetanus.  So I want to get one tetanus shot into them.

4.  Trim all hooves.

5.  Check eyelids and condition on all sheep.  I only have one girl out there that seems a bit slim to me.  But she is normally built like a fawn and her twin ram lambs were only taken away a short time ago.  She might just need time to bounce back.

6.  Clean out the barn.  I've been avoiding this job all summer.

7.  Buy some good square alfalfa bales for lambing and stack them in the barn.

8.  Buy some round bales for winter and tarp them.

9.  Finally build hay feeders!

10.  Repair and clean the ram pens.

11.  Make some decisions about breeding groups.

12.  Market my 'for sale' sheep.  Speaking of which...here is a sweet little girl that is looking for a new home.  Her name is Carys and all of her info is on my sale page.

13.  And let's not forget the most important task of all...

just hanging out with the girls  ;-P