Shearing Time!

I don't know why, but this is my favorite time of year. It may be exhausting and busy, my back may hurt, I've nicked my hands a few times, and I think there is still a piece of wool in my right eye- but, I love this time of year!

Besides spending more time with the sheep, goats and alpacas (which is a welcome time for all of us, as we rarely saw eachother during the winter- other than to feed and water. It was a cold and snowy winter...not conducive to playing with farm friends). So, we get quality time together. There is just something about physically shearing a sheep, goat or alpaca that brings one back to their roots. Well, maybe not one's individual roots...I wasn't fortunate enough to grow up on a farm. My grandparents had a small farm...but no sheep. I'm thinking more like the roots of our ancestors...for whome farming was a way of life for them and their neighbors.

This is the first year that I've had electric sheep shears. I've had goat shears...which work great on goats, and okay on alpacas...useless with sheep. So, I've been shearing my sheep for the past 6 years with hand shears and/or sharp scissors. What a delight it is to shear with electric clippers!! I called my mom that first day to tell her that I had sheared 8 sheep in one afternoon!! What you need to understand is it often took me two days to shear one sheep by hand. Today I even sheared my first alpaca. His first time being sheared as well- the two of us made quite a team. I was rather proud of myself, but poor Sam was horrified. (by the way- to the dear friend that told me that alpacas only spit at eachother and not at people- that may be true- unless you are the person who is restraining them and shearing them- they DO spit at people! LOL). We did finally come to an agreement, I'd shear quick if he'd stop spitting green goop at me. Sam is shorn, not that pretty show cut that you see on people's website. More like the cut that a 3 year old does the first time they find scissors left in their reach. Let's put it this way...when I put him back in the pen and the other alpacas came over to check out his "new do" He spit at them! I can only assume they were laughing at him, and he wasn't at all amused. He'll get his payback, though, they all have the same barber!

The goats didn't look half bad- I've gotten good at them, and they are much more willing to stand still and let me cut. The sheep looked better than last year, and only the first few suffered clipper nicks. Overall, I'm pleased with my shearing. Not fancy, but effective.

Now my wool is moving its way from the wash sink, to the dye pot, and eventually on to the trampoline. Yes, the trampoline. Much to my children's chagrin, the trampoline makes the idea wool drying tool. Large, raised from the ground and black to attract the sun, the trampoline is made of some sort of a woven material, so it allows the wool to breath underneath, and dries it in record time! Don't worry, kids, in a few weeks you'll have your trampoline back!

Bottle Feeding Goats

This has been our first experience bottle feeding goat kids. I shouldn't say that, we tried once years ago, and the kid died, and it broke my heart. I didn't plan on ever trying again. Well, when Lilly's first kid came out stillborn (a little buckling) with irregular looking amniotic fluid (looked infected), I grabbed the feet of the next two doelings and pulled them quickly out and got them cleaned up. Mom was not looking so good, so we put her on antibiotics. I am pleased to say she is coming along nicely and hopefully will be fine. The two doelings are over two weeks old now, and just thriving! We are bottlefeeding three, as that same night Sarah, one of our angoras, gave birth to a little nubian/angora buckling. I figured I'm bottle feeding two, might as well three! I have to say, I've never had such friendly goatlings!!

When I bottlefed that first goat years ago, I used the goat formula you mix up. I was worried about having the same results as before, so I looked up online to see what other people use. One website that I have always trusted the information on suggested whole cows milk with corn syrup mixed in (of course, fresh goat milk would be ideal, but I knew I wouldn't have enough to feed three kids). I decided, hmm, makes sense. The site http://www.fiascofarm.com/ said "real cow's milk was better than fake goat milk" which made perfect sense to me. Als0- no mixing needed. Easy to get. If you run out in the middle of the night- it is sold everywhere.

What I ended up doing is using whole cow milk, adding whatever goat milk I got from the mommas, adding a little goat drench to some of the bottles, and a little corn syrup to the milk. About once every other day I add a tiny bit of sulmet for coccidia. The goats are doing so well. They are growing daily and have doubled their birthweight at 2 weeks. They are active and healthy. And, I am still sane! (In spite of the one night they decided they were STARVING at 2am!) I have learned, feed them a little extra right before bed, and turn off the light! Then they just might sleep.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! The goats are bonding to the humans, and hopefully will make awesome 4H projects for the children! It didn't take all that much extra work, and it was kind of fun! With two more does to kid this week, I am hoping that those kids will stay with their moms, though, and three kids are keeping me busy enough! But, if I have to bottlefeed, at least I'm not terrified of it anymore!!