Our First Month Home

 We brought the Shetlands home on June 18; one month ago.  

Just today we moved their fencing onto a small section of the "sheep pasture."  Until today, they have only been rotated through the yard; spaces we have mowed in the past.  It has been several years since we even mowed the pasture area.  The forage is tall and mature... lots of weeds.  Obviously the ewes would prefer the tender nibbles of baby forbs and clipped grasses.  But the pasture is decent forage, if not delectable.  As they are moved frequently, they will only be forced to eat the upper third of the plants.

Baby Heidii loves me just a little bit more than fresh grass...
for a couple of minutes anyway.

Cool Morning. Hot Day.

Last night was deliciously cool and we slept with the windows open.  There is only one drawback that accompanies that free luxury: we hear every growl, howl, and bark of our livestock guardian dog, Lleulu.  As well as the sassy nocturnal opinions of the cat.

At some point during the night, I remember hearing a terrible yip.  My sleeping brain registered the sound as "dog touched electric fence."  I should have woken up to investigate.  But I trust Llu to manage things during the night and experience has taught me that she makes a different kind of noise when there is trouble.  So I didn't surface from my sleep.

 My first view of the day.

This morning, much to my surprise, I found Llu sleeping inside the ewe pen.  As a free-roaming "farm guardian" I do not pen her with the sheep.  She can deal with predators a lot better if she can maneuver around all the pens.  I have no idea how she came to be in the pen, other than I believe I heard that yelp of hers the moment it happened last night.  There was no damage to the fence, and the ewes were sleeping peacefully on the other side of the pen, under the tree.

Llu inside the fence

I opened the gate and let Llu out.  She came quickly and seemed relieved.  If she came to be in the pen by way of her own naughty mischief, she may have learned her lesson.  For all I know she pursued a rodent through the electronet...or saved the flock from a coyote in a wrestling match.  Or maybe she just couldn't wait any longer to introduce herself to the flock.  Regardless, I'm grateful everyone was ok this morning.

It didn't take long for the refreshing morning to burn off in the oven-like heat of mid-day.  All of us, human, dog, cat, and sheep alike, are just trying to stay cool in the shade.

Holly, waiting out the heat.

Heidi, in the deep, dark shade.

 

Slightly Curious

I was empty handed tonight when I visited the ewe pen. 

Mirta came right up, sniffed me from arm's length, determined that I was not carrying treats, and dismissed me. I'm learning she is a no-nonsense, forward kind of ewe that is willing to take calculated risks.

Mirta and Amber, the moorit and black katmogets, are usually the first two sheep to approach.

However, it was Holly, that approached next.  She was shy but came in much closer than I had expected.  All on her own.  I think if I continued to bring treats I could make some progress with her.

 Holly

After Holly departed, Leda took her turn at coming in for a closer look.  Of all the ewes, I consider her the most "skittish."  This is the first time I've actually seen her show any interest or curiosity in me.  Until tonight, she has behaved as if I don't exist, unless there is a significant treat barrier between us.  I'm encouraged that she is looking toward me with expectation.

 Leda

I'm content with this evening's progress.

Heidi Snuggles

My random, quiet, calm visits to the ewe pen have paid off.  The ewes no longer jump up and run when they see me coming.  They are starting to associate me with "tasty snacks."

This evening I walked straight out to the girls as they grazed, sat on my stool, and shook a dish of oatmeal. (About a quarter cup in total)  Heidi came running with the rest close behind and all five girls tried to shove their noses in the dish.  While the chaos ensued I simply reached in and caught Heidi.  She made a few attempts at bolting but I was rubbing her chest and ears and she settled down.  The ewes wandered off and I gently restrained Heidi a bit longer.  As she relaxed I released my hold until she was standing freely while I was petting her.  Then she walked away and I left the pasture.

It may take a few more sessions.  But I've had success befriending lambs in the past with this method.  I'm hoping it works again.

Mirta & Heidi

Getting to Know My New Flock

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 
John 10:27

Even the sweetest, tamest sheep do not automatically transfer their affections and trust to a new shepherd.  Bringing a new flock to Boston Lake means I need to gradually build a relationship with my sheep until they know me. 

Yesterday I started by putting a little dish of oatmeal on the ground and then sitting on a stool about 10 feet away.  Eventually, Amber and Mirta were curious enough to investigate and get the treat.  I spoke quietly to them the entire time they ate so they would associate my voice with good food.  Later in the evening, I strategically sat under the tree where the shade was the deepest and the biting flies were few.  The ewes came in from the pasture and laid down in the dirt under the tree with me.  Enough progress for one day.

Amber & Mirta

First thing this morning I put a tablespoon of oatmeal in 5 bowls and visited the ewes again.  They came forward but hung back with hesitation.  So I pulled down a basswood branch full of tender leaves they had not been able to reach.  Little Heidi galloped over to the leaves and started munching the treat.  Within a few minutes all the girls were crowded around me eating leaves and discovering the dishes of oatmeal.  Over lunch I pulled down a branch and the girls came running.  This evening, I even scratched Mirta, Amber, and Heidi on their throats for just a few seconds while they were busy vying for the best leaves. (Petting sheep from the underside is less threatening to them than petting from above like a predator.)  It will take a bit more time for these girls to trust me as they did their original shepherd, Kelly.  But I'm delighted that all the girls are willing to mill about my legs to get a treat.  Little Heidi even used me as a brace to stand on her hind legs to reach higher.

Amber, Holly, Mirta

Mirta & Leda

Heidi

Yet there is no vacuum in nature.  Last night a wolf was howling quite near, which set off a whole pack of high-pitched coyotes...also very near.  Wild animals are so intimately aware of their surroundings, irregardless of how oblivious humans are to their environment.  It is probably not a coincidence that both species of canine predator announced themselves 24 hours after the sheep arrived.  I'm relying on Lleulu and the Electronet to keep us all safe.

Difficult Decisions

About a month ago a local shepherd contacted me to ask if I was willing to sell 5-10 breeding ewes.  The conversation came out of the blue but I couldn't deny that I had been thinking of selling my flock for a while.  After several discussions I agreed to sell my flock as a whole. 

 

This past Sunday my entire flock of 11 Shetland ewes left to live on a farm in Solway, MN.  I am grateful for the opportunity to have my flock sell as a unit.  I know it will be less stressful on them to have their flock-mates by their side as they get used to new surroundings.  And beyond making the decision to part with them, selling to a single person was so much easier than advertising and dealing with multiple buyers over the course of many months.

 

I retained my entire wool clip and will be sending it off for processing soon.  That should give me a great deal of wool to needle felt and spin.  And I always know some excellent farms to buy extra Shetland colors from if I need them.

 

I also am keeping all of my electronet, energizers, and sheep coats.  Clancy and I both agree that our farm is very well situated to sheep farming.  I know my Shetlands were happy here.  And we plan to reinvest in another flock someday.

 

But in the meantime, I am grateful to have this extra space in my life to adjust to my family's busy schedule.  I will be able to focus on finishing our house and investing in our grounds.  I can do more artwork.  And I can travel with Clancy and the boys.

 

I never did fence in the girls this spring.  I would lock them into electronet at 9pm every evening...letting them out at 6am every morning.  But they were free ranging up until the new owner took them away.  I managed to snap these photos on their last morning here.

 

I admit my eye is constantly looking for them out the window.  Since they were never locked up I had to keep tabs on them to make sure they didn't wander too far from home.  I still listen for them.  I still expect to see them across the pasture or in the murky depths of the forest surrounding our home. 

I do miss them.

 

But I am also deeply content and I know I made the right decision for my family by giving up shepherding for a while.

 

Another family member that left Boston Lake this past Sunday was Megan. 

Because of work and travel, she had to spend most of her days in her kennel and crate.  For the past several months I just felt so guilty about her reduced lifestyle and I sought a new home for her.

 

After many interviews with nice folks, we met a lovely couple with a large farm that asked to be her new family.  Meg fell in love with them and their pastured pigs, flock of free-ranging chickens, spacious barn complete with resident cats, and several grandchildren of all ages.

 

During our second visit to this lovely farm, Meg would not leave the side of the little grandkids that were petting her when she saw me climb into my van to leave.  It was like she said, "You go.  I have work to do here."  She was giving her full attention to her new family as I drove out of their yard.

 

I do miss Meg, too.

But I couldn't be more happy for her and her new family.

And so I feel grateful to have such a deep contentment about Megan, too.

 

Through all of these huge changes, I prayed.  As my aunt reminded me the other day, God promises to care about everything that concerns us.  Finding happy, safe homes for my sheep and Megan was something I was so worried about.  God answered my prayers in ways even more wonderful than I could have hoped.

 

I wish my dear sheep and my precious Meg long happy lives with their new families.

And I wish for myself the stamina and self-confidence to make wise use of the open space in this new chapter of my life. 

 



Shearing 2013

The ice just left Boston Lake last evening.

It was freezing cold. 

New snow on the ground this morning.

But shearing is Finished. 

And I am so grateful!

All the ewes looked good...even the timid young girls and my 'narrow Nhu.'

 

The girls have had their CD & T shots, their hooves trimmed, and been sheared now.

Whew!

 

Here are a few 'after' photos...











Late Spring Pasture

There is not much green about yet...

but the ewes love nothing better than roaming far and wide in search of nibbles.

Finally got the girls out on pasture Monday (5/6/13).  That is really LATE!  But we had snow covering everything right up till then.  We still have ice on the lake and Opener is tomorrow.  Good luck to the fisherman trying to find open water.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of the sheep enjoying their freedom...

 

 

 



 







So, So Busy

I can't even begin to relay all that has transpired since last fall.  Suffice to say, I have been BUSY.  The kind of busy where I'm working on big projects....like planning a grad party for my sons, helping them with their college entrance applications & financial aid, scanning and uploading old family photos to a family-specific blog, a large mailing project for our church, soccer tournament weekends for our youngest son, looking for a good job....and on and on.

And what about the animals of Boston Lake Farm? 

They are all doing just fine.  But I admit I haven't had much time to photograph them.  I hope to set a shearing date for early May.  But we just got 6 new inches of white stuff in the last 48 hours...on top of the mountains of snow we already have... spring seems very, VERY far away.  Lleulu gets spayed this Friday.  Hopefully that goes well for her.  I will certainly be relieved to avoid unwanted litters of pups.

Even though our main floor is currently being painted...and therefor is in great disarray...I'm still trying to do a little needle felting when I can.  I don't have the space, time, or power of concentration to work on my bird orders (for that I apologize!) but I am plucking away at a tiny doll for a little friend.  I hope it turns out well.

 



Late Fall

Just a few snapshots of the ewes.

I'm feeding hay in their winter pen now.  But the weather was just so lovely I thought I would let them out for a few hours.

They enjoyed it!

 

Lyneth...bigger than ever!

My two katmogets:  Nhu & Esyllt

Hannah by the lake.

And I can't forget to add some Lleulu.  She's all NOSE in this picture, which reflects her personality quite well.  ;)









Good Lil' Lleulu

To say I am pleased with Lleulu's progress would be understatement. 

Yes, she shreds anything she can get her jaws on.  She tends to target shoes and clothing that smells like her precious family.  She still is ambushed on an hourly basis by the crazy, extra-long tail that's mysteriously attached to her own hind-end.  But when it comes to LGD work...she is showing excellent promise.

The lack of rain and grass has finally forced me to let the sheep loose to wander through all the woods and nooks and crannies of the farm in search of edibles.  Thankfully there is quite a bit to be had.  But it was the first time Lleulu was exposed to "loose sheep."  My only real concern was that she would want to chase them....as she likes to goof around that way with our border collie, Meg. 

Disclaimer:  I know I'm raising Lleulu with slightly different tactics than the literature recommends for an LGD.  But our facilities and circumstances demanded I get creative.  So my goal was to stick to the spirit of good LGD training even if the details were not ideal.  I would say Lleulu is more bonded to the farm, than the sheep.  But that suits my needs just fine.  If she ends up defending the farm, I still have a good dog!  :)

Lleulu did GREAT under this new experience.  The sheep, in their excitement, did run and jump as soon as they discovered the magnitude of their freedom.  And Lleulu did want to chase them.  But I had her on a long leash and I gave it a quick "yank & NO" and she stopped.  I stayed outside with the flock and Lu for about an hour and decided to let Lu off-leash.  When the sheep ran a second time all it took was a firm NO to prevent her from taking off after them.  After a while I went in the house and watched out the windows.  Lleulu had one more chance to chase and all it took was a rap on the window to make her rethink her choice.  She plopped back down and watched the sheep frolic. 

Good dog!

 

I'm sure I will need to correct her from time to time...but I give Lleulu credit for being a very fast learner.  I'm so proud of her.  She's even starting to look like a real LGD...   lol



Injury-Please Advise!

About a week ago we noticed Nhu had terrible gashes on her face.  Every summer she is the one sheep that is terribly bitten up by flies...almost as if her skin is thinner than it should be.  The gashes across the bridge of her nose and from the front corner of her left eye forward seemed to be from her scratching at her face with her hind foot.

Of course our main concern was fly strike... But our favorite topical for that problem - SWAT - was out of stock at the feed store.  So we bought some aloe healing cream and a different (runny) anti-fly med.  Because the wounds were so open we opted for the aloe cream first to get a scab going. 

front veiw of mask

Nhu, however, continued to scratch and keep the wounds open.  Nothing was healing up at all.  So last night I created a fly-mask out of a sleeve cut off a long-john shirt.  I figured if horses could wear them...why not sheep?  My design is certainly not perfect.  But Nhu is able to eat, chew, and see out of the one eye.  My goal is to keep the wounds free of flies long enough for them to heal up some.  Then I will start using the 'pesticide' topical.  Hopefully by then the store will have more SWAT in stock.  It is a much thicker product that stays put longer.

wet spot is from aloe cream applied before mask

Anyway, the mask is not ideal.  Nhu's wounded eye is completely covered, which could eventually cause irritation to the eye.  But I'm less worried about that, at the moment, than fly strike.  The mask was still in place this morning.  But I have noticed Nhu scratching her wounded areas against trees.  And blood has soaked through the fabric across her nose...so she continues to keep the wounds open.

 I slit the fabric under the chin to keep it from being too tight on throat



Does ANYONE have any ideas for how to keep her from scratching?  Or should I just keep the area moist witht the aloe cream and hope for the best?  Please comment with your advice if you have any.  Thank you!

Green & Lush

Just some photos of the green...

Esyllt, my pretty girl.

Hannah, stripping my Juneberry bush.  Naughty sheep. 

Shachah, watchful from his hilltop seat.

Spring For Sure

The wild plums are thick with blossoms this year.  Their scent is heavenly!  Our weather has been fairly warm and dry so we will hopefully get a plum crop again this summer.  Love plum jam!  

We had the sheep sheared later than usual this year, on April 22.  In the absence of lambing, there was no real hurry to clean the girls up so I could view their pregnancies.  Fleeces came off much better than last year - yay! - and a wonderful group of people came out to the farm that day to be a part of the event.  I couldn't have asked for a more fun and helpful bunch of folks.  A huge thank you to Mary, Kristen, Susan & Dennis, and Kayla for EVERYTHING.  And of course I wish to thank Byron Johnson, who does such an excellent job of shearing.  And I have special gratitude for my husband, Clancy, who keeps me sane and does all the hardest prep-work and hoof trimming.

Luckily for the ewes, we have had beautiful weather since shearing.  I haven't feared for them being cold even once.  They have also been solely on enclosed grass for about a week now.  I still have to move the electro-net every day because the grass isn't growing super-fast yet...but it is getting there.  In fact, the season seems about a month ahead of schedule.

Those that follow Boston Lake Farm on Facebook have seen this picture before...of the spindles I am making out of wooden toy wheels and dowels.  The idea is simple: stick the dowel through the wheel and ta-Da.  But it actually takes me a little while to shape the dowel ends to be soft and round and to sand down the end that is put through the wheel.  The dowel is just a little too big, which ensures a tight fit.  I've been enjoying using these supported spindles a lot.  They spin 'forever' and are perfect for the finer yarns I like to spin.  Plus I just have fun working with the wood.  These spindles are fairly small (1.75-2" whorls)  But I have a short attention span so they are perfect for me.

Happy May Day!

Moving On With Spring

I always think of the first day that I let the sheep out of their winter paddock as the "first day of Spring."  The lake ice was gone on Monday...very early this year.  I finally got my lilacs, walnut & apple trees, rhubarb and garden spaces fenced in with electronet.  Leaving the girls with the entire run of the farm.

And run they did.  They spent the first 30 minutes of their freedom bouncing, skipping, and running from one end of the yard to the other.  Shachah even joined in the silliness.  But the minute the sheep got too close to his precious porch where his food dish resides he showed his fangs and growled.  No harm done...the younger sheep have to learn not to mess with him anyway.

It has been exactly one week since Pooja died, and I miss her.  While Shachah is an excellent guardian by himself, he and Pooja worked so well together.  It was Pooja that made sure the sheep didn't wander out of the yard and I was counting on her for just this moment in time when I let the flock roam without electronet.  Shachah stays with the sheep, but he doesn't mind if they wander down the driveway or powerline.  So I have to keep an eye out and call them back if they go too far. 

We have noticed how Shachah has picked up the slack this past week.  He used to sleep most of the day in his favorite spot by the sheep pen while Pooja kept watch.  They would switch roles at dusk.  But now Shachah is alert 'round the clock.  Yes, he naps, but not as soundly...and not in his cozy spot anymore.  So we are definitely looking for another LGD...for Shachah's sake as much as ours.  He deserves a good partner.  Please spread the word that we are interested in another LGD.

Megan was pretty excited when the sheep were released today, too.  Since I wouldn't let her round them up, she found her tennis ball and begged a few minutes of fetch.  She'll get her chance to herd this evening when the flock goes back into their pen.