The 5 new Scottie girls are now wormed and in with the other gimmer lambs, which too have been wormed and marked as to the ones that are to go to the next decent store sales market. This means we will be carrying 10 gimmer lambs through the winter to introduce into next years breeding flock. We had hoped that we would have been able to buy at least 10 Scotties, but it was not to be, so we had a really hard look at our existing gimmer lambs. We have only so much land that some will have to be sold.
Whilst we were in "weighing" and "toe trimming" mode, we also brought the "fatties" in. This group as a whole have gained 2kgs in 3 weeks, which is not bad. But they are still a little light so next week I will be finding out from our auction mart when the next "light lamb" sale is and the surplus lambs will be booked in. It's tempting to try and keep them all and try and put some more weight on them, but experience tells us that what the lambs weigh in November, they will still weigh that in New Year, but we will have to have put a lot of feed into them for nothing. So off they will go before they start eating too much of our winter fodder. We need it for the ewes.
Off to Leyburn tomorrow for the Teeswater Sheep's Show and Sale, my first as their breed secretary!!!!! We are also in the market to buy a Teeswater Tup, but it will depend on the price, as always!!!! Wish me luck.....
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Sunday, 3 October 2010
New Cockeral
When I got my chickens I didn't really want a cockerel and so I decided to sell my Sussex cockerel. A chance conversation meant that he has gone to live with a friend's Sussex hens at the other side of Whitby and is settling in fine.
My hens on the other hand, once the cockerel had gone were really out of sorts with them selves and when I saw an advert in the North Yorkshire Smallholder magazine for a Cream Legbar Cockerel, I decided to buy him.
I went to get him on Thursday night and on the Friday morning when I let everyone out, there was a bit of "sorting out" between the hens and the cockerel. As it was wet most of Friday they all went into the hutch to stay dry and that seems to have helped them work out their "pecking order" and on Saturday when I let them out the hens were happily scurrying around the cockerel. They are now a much happier bunch of ladies.
He's certainly a nice looking bird, still a bit wary of me, but I'm sure in time he'll be eating corn out of my hand as the hens do.
My hens on the other hand, once the cockerel had gone were really out of sorts with them selves and when I saw an advert in the North Yorkshire Smallholder magazine for a Cream Legbar Cockerel, I decided to buy him.
I went to get him on Thursday night and on the Friday morning when I let everyone out, there was a bit of "sorting out" between the hens and the cockerel. As it was wet most of Friday they all went into the hutch to stay dry and that seems to have helped them work out their "pecking order" and on Saturday when I let them out the hens were happily scurrying around the cockerel. They are now a much happier bunch of ladies.
He's certainly a nice looking bird, still a bit wary of me, but I'm sure in time he'll be eating corn out of my hand as the hens do.Success at the Horned Stores Sale
We had some success at the Horned Sheep Store Sale on Saturday. We knew there was only one lot of 20 Scottish Black Faced Gimmer (ewe) lambs in the whole sale of over 2000 lambs, and we had to wait right until the very last lot of Gimmer lamb sales before they came into the ring.Their owner had 3 lots for sale. 2 batches of 10 and a final batch of 5.
I started the bidding at £30.00 for 
the first lot of 10, but ended up
the first lot of 10, but ended up being out bid at £46.00. The same hap pend for the 2nd lot of 10. Finally these 5 little ewes came into the ring and I was successful, as the other person who was bought the other 20 wasn't interested in this last batch.
As you can see from the photos they are in the barn for the time being and as the weather today is absolutely lashing it down, no doubt they will be glad to be in the dry.
Before they go out onto the grass, they will need to be wormed and put on short grass as they have just come off the moors and so if we put them straight onto lush pasture it will go straight through them.
Now just the Teeswater Show and Sale to go to on Thursday!
Friday, 1 October 2010
Stores Sale
On Wednesday we took 8 weather and 7 ewe lambs to the store sale held at our local mart in Ruswarp. It's always a worrying time as you are not sure what sort of price your sheep will bring. Thankfully prices held and we were very happy with the price we got. It wasn't the highest nor was it the lowest, which to us means we've finally got our sheep right for the buyers at the mart.
Now just to see if we can get some Scottish Black Faced gimmer lambs at tomorrows horned lamb sale.
Now just to see if we can get some Scottish Black Faced gimmer lambs at tomorrows horned lamb sale.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
It's only September but it feels like winter!
Today has been another wet and horrible day and this afternoon we lit the wood burning stove in the front room. It seems strange because this time last year we had fires on the moors!
This morning we moved the ewes into the back field so they have access to the barn for some shelter, as well as some fresh grass. We've moved a hay rack and feed troughs into the gimmer lamb's field so that we can give them extra rations of barley straw and sugar beat shreds. The "fatties" are on hay and sheep coarse mix. We should be giving our tup Finn some extra feed, but he's summered well and if we are not careful he will be over weight.
The chickens are in my veg plot, scratching around for bugs and seeds. The Sussex cockerel went to a new home last week and at first my hens seemed a bit lost with him gone and for a couple of days we only got 2eggs. But they have settled down again and are back to laying 4 or 5 eggs a day.
Yesterday I was at a Craft Fair in Saltburn. It was cold as there was no heating on in the hall, not many people about and so I sold very little, but I did sell more than some of the other stall holders?
I will get some more photos uploaded to the blog, if and when the weather decides to be nice!!!!
This morning we moved the ewes into the back field so they have access to the barn for some shelter, as well as some fresh grass. We've moved a hay rack and feed troughs into the gimmer lamb's field so that we can give them extra rations of barley straw and sugar beat shreds. The "fatties" are on hay and sheep coarse mix. We should be giving our tup Finn some extra feed, but he's summered well and if we are not careful he will be over weight.
The chickens are in my veg plot, scratching around for bugs and seeds. The Sussex cockerel went to a new home last week and at first my hens seemed a bit lost with him gone and for a couple of days we only got 2eggs. But they have settled down again and are back to laying 4 or 5 eggs a day.
Yesterday I was at a Craft Fair in Saltburn. It was cold as there was no heating on in the hall, not many people about and so I sold very little, but I did sell more than some of the other stall holders?
I will get some more photos uploaded to the blog, if and when the weather decides to be nice!!!!
Saturday, 25 September 2010
Sheep!!!!
Well we are now the proud owners of 2 Teeswater ewes! My friend Jayne and I went to look at 4 ewes owned by a local breeder. Whilst Tim and the breeder stood chatting Jayne and I walked through the girls. We agreed that we both liked ewe number 2 and 3, but would be happy with ewes 1 & 3. We decided that we would take all 4 ewes, but until they came out of the trailer we were not sure who would have which 2. Tim and the breeder showed their true "yellow streaks" by refusing to "referee" who would get which ewes!!!!! Anyway they are staying with the breeder to be mated to his tup. We could be lambing as early as February next year!!!!
We've also decided to change the focus of our flock breeding and breed Teeswaters and Mashams (you put a Teeswater tup to a Scottish Black Faced ewe to create a Masham). So to that end, yesterday we went to the Horned Ewe sale to buy some Scotties. But the few that were there were not very good or went through in too big a group. We only want 10!
Next Saturday is the horned lamb sale and I've noticed in the catalogue there are some Scottie gimmer lambs for sale. So we will go and maybe have a bid on them. It's not ideal but if it's the only way we can get some more Scotties, then that is what will have to do.
As a result of our change in breeding focus, at the Teeswater Show and Sale on the 7th October, will see us looking for a Teeswater tup and maybe a couple of ewes/lambs. It will greatly depend on prices as to whether we just get a tup, or a tup and some ewes.
On Wednesday we are sending 15 of our lambs to the "Store lamb sale". We don't think they will make the 40kg mark by December, so sending them to the store sale means we won't have to carry them through the winter hoping they gain enough weight to make it viable to send them to the "fat market", especially as we are now starting to give the sheep some sort of supplemental feed. Hopefully we will get a good price for them!!!! Fingers crossed.
We've also decided to change the focus of our flock breeding and breed Teeswaters and Mashams (you put a Teeswater tup to a Scottish Black Faced ewe to create a Masham). So to that end, yesterday we went to the Horned Ewe sale to buy some Scotties. But the few that were there were not very good or went through in too big a group. We only want 10!
Next Saturday is the horned lamb sale and I've noticed in the catalogue there are some Scottie gimmer lambs for sale. So we will go and maybe have a bid on them. It's not ideal but if it's the only way we can get some more Scotties, then that is what will have to do.
As a result of our change in breeding focus, at the Teeswater Show and Sale on the 7th October, will see us looking for a Teeswater tup and maybe a couple of ewes/lambs. It will greatly depend on prices as to whether we just get a tup, or a tup and some ewes.
On Wednesday we are sending 15 of our lambs to the "Store lamb sale". We don't think they will make the 40kg mark by December, so sending them to the store sale means we won't have to carry them through the winter hoping they gain enough weight to make it viable to send them to the "fat market", especially as we are now starting to give the sheep some sort of supplemental feed. Hopefully we will get a good price for them!!!! Fingers crossed.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Cat on a hot tin roof......
Not exactly more a Resident Vandal and hubby on a hot tin roof!!
The Resident Vandal arrived on Monday to help Tim finally roof the lambing barn, but when he arrive the weather was so awful, it looked like the roof would never get finished.
On Monday and Tuesday they finished off some fencing and re-hung some gates around the lambing barn, so that it was all "sheep safe" and finally on Wednesday morning the wind had subsided so they were able to crack on with the roof. It took them 2 days to get all of the 17' & 18' panels in place and securely fastened down.
I had to do an emergency run to York for some more roof fixings on the Wednesday as they were not sure they would have enough to finish the job!
Friday the weather turned again (wind and rain) and thankfully there was just a bit of finishing off to do before the end caps could go on. But the weather has not been kind to us, so Tim and possible me will put them on this coming week.
On Saturday we decided to put the newly roofed barn to use and give the ewes a quick weigh, pedicure and dental check. Most of the ewes are O.K, but one or two are down on their weights and a couple have lost more teeth than is good for them, so we will have to replace them in our breeding program, sooner rather than later. We'll have them in again at the end of the month just to check that they are all putting weight on now that we have put them onto some more fresh grass.
The "fatties" (aka the fat lambs) also went through the scales and anything over 25kgs was given a yellow dot on their back, the ones under 25kgs will be going to the lamb stores market at the end of the month, along with the 7 ewe lambs were are not keeping for breeding.
We've decided that we're not carrying any more lambs than is absolutely necessary through the winter this year. The reaming "fatties" will be gone before Christmas.
On Wednesday we're going to look at some Teeswater ewes with a friend. It will be interesting to see how many we buy! We need at least 6 additional breeding ewes this year to bring us up to our ideal breeding flock of 30 ewes. The Horned Breeding Ewe sale is also on at the end of this month. We will be going to see what is available and hopefully we might be able to get some more Scottish Black Faced ewes like we did last year.
It's a busy time of the year for breeding ewes.
The Resident Vandal arrived on Monday to help Tim finally roof the lambing barn, but when he arrive the weather was so awful, it looked like the roof would never get finished.
On Monday and Tuesday they finished off some fencing and re-hung some gates around the lambing barn, so that it was all "sheep safe" and finally on Wednesday morning the wind had subsided so they were able to crack on with the roof. It took them 2 days to get all of the 17' & 18' panels in place and securely fastened down.
I had to do an emergency run to York for some more roof fixings on the Wednesday as they were not sure they would have enough to finish the job!
Friday the weather turned again (wind and rain) and thankfully there was just a bit of finishing off to do before the end caps could go on. But the weather has not been kind to us, so Tim and possible me will put them on this coming week.
On Saturday we decided to put the newly roofed barn to use and give the ewes a quick weigh, pedicure and dental check. Most of the ewes are O.K, but one or two are down on their weights and a couple have lost more teeth than is good for them, so we will have to replace them in our breeding program, sooner rather than later. We'll have them in again at the end of the month just to check that they are all putting weight on now that we have put them onto some more fresh grass.
The "fatties" (aka the fat lambs) also went through the scales and anything over 25kgs was given a yellow dot on their back, the ones under 25kgs will be going to the lamb stores market at the end of the month, along with the 7 ewe lambs were are not keeping for breeding.
We've decided that we're not carrying any more lambs than is absolutely necessary through the winter this year. The reaming "fatties" will be gone before Christmas.
On Wednesday we're going to look at some Teeswater ewes with a friend. It will be interesting to see how many we buy! We need at least 6 additional breeding ewes this year to bring us up to our ideal breeding flock of 30 ewes. The Horned Breeding Ewe sale is also on at the end of this month. We will be going to see what is available and hopefully we might be able to get some more Scottish Black Faced ewes like we did last year.
It's a busy time of the year for breeding ewes.
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