Wishing you a fast SPRING

I just read Nancy's Blog entry on no more winter pictures I agree.....its time for green Here is my north pasture last summer, enjoy
Jerry

Spring is coming!!

......this warm weather  gives me hope. Yesterday I ordered some flower seeds.
Blue Poppy......

Maroon Morning Glory......

Dark mauve Sweet Peas.....

Mixed Four O'Clocks.......

I will start the seed indoors, so they get a head start on the growing season.
My Hollyhocks will get a new support of which part will be hog panel. The panel will be the trellis for the vines---for a mass of flowers for the ground to the towering hollyhocks. I am recreating my Grandmother's front step garden.


Jerry

Shut the door!!

Its been extremely cold here in the Northland. Last night -18* with a brisk west wind...wind chill of -44, We are a hardy bunch but come on....! Enough already.  I enjoyed and envied Michelle's garden pictures of her new growth of parsley, crocus and rhubarb. Ours is under six feet of snow!
I have all critters locked in the barn. Nice days the sheep are out for the day to enjoy the sun, Little to enjoy the last coulple of days  This afternoon I took my camera to the barn. Sunshine coming in all the windows made the barn bright and cheery.......enjoy
View for the gate:

Ewes eating hay, Maybeline coming up to see if she can finagle a treat

The chicks are now pullets!  Eight Blue Laced Red Wyandottes and four Production Blacks

My BLRW breeder flock  "Beach Boy" and his 5 Splash hens enjoying a bit of scratch grain before sundown

Shearer is coming Feb 17 during our predicted warm spell Suppose to be sunny and 36*
Lambs start March 25th

Till later
Jerry

This warm weather is great!

You know the old adage "Make hay while the sun shines" on Wednesday, we had 34 degrees and full sun....ewe fleece was dry and all fluffy- they looked like big pillows. I worked in the barn. I sorted and leg banded my 3 1/2 month old Blue Laced Red Wyandottes....9 roosters and 11 pullets.
I sold a trio and sold a group of butcher roos. I have 8 remaining.......7 for sure pullets and one roo/pullet- time will tell. So I took down another chicken pen...I am working the chickenholic 12 step program.....my theory being less pens less chickens that can be kept......I started with 4 big pens and I am down to two,,,Selling a few more hens, by late March I will be down to only a few>>>my BLRW roo Beach Boy and 10 BLRW hens.  The empty pen will become a nursery for goat kids.....I will bottle fed the doe kids- make for tamer quieter gentler milk does.
Now I have to be honest the hen pen is good sized and it has two brooder/broody hen hutches on one side Each is 2 ft wide x 4ft long x 2ft high,,,, SOooooo I do have room to grow a few chicks........(looking down sheepishly at my shoes) Hucks! (shrug and mumbling)  one can only do so much
Till later
Jerry




 

Picture Day! Meet my Fabulous Eight!!

Miss Poppy bred to spotted Brewster, Poppy stands as if she knows she is special! And she is!

Tulla, my ewe lamb out of Bella. Tulla was born brown spotted, the Ag gene turned her fleece an oatmeal color. Tulla is bred to spotted Brewster

Flashy Bella. Spotted ewe with longer fleece in mioget. bred to spotted Brewster.

The remaining ewes are bred to Chocolate Bar.

 Mama May The ewe that started the 'all Shetland' flock. A white fleeced 'black' ewe

 Nugget. A sweetheart. Always ready for a cookie treat.

Palisade, good ole Pal. She politely waits her turn for a cookie. Her look says "Do you have a cookie, now?"

 Tinkerbelle lambed as a yearling......last Spring. She is huge and is the same size as Yarrow.

Last but certainly not least Yummy Yarrow....Gorgeous ewe with fancy fleece..She is granddam to Miss Polly, and a daughter of Gail's BlueBell. 
All my ewes are lap sheep. I like my sheep to crowd around me for chin scratches and cookies. Ewe lamb Tulla tries to act all scared and aloof, but last night for the first time,  she nibbled on a cookie--from a very safe distance of course!
Till later

Jerry