November Ends
We got a little rain yesterday; this has been the first rain since Hurricane Sandy. Grass growth has been at a minimum, which has meant moving sheep more often and in bigger paddocks. Normal conditions in Ohio would mean we’d have plenty of grass at this time of year and the ewes would be putting on weight to get ready for breeding. So to compensate we started giving them hay. But we are way behind on grass growth. The good thing is that our ewes are at the right condition score for breeding.
Most of our 2012 lambs are coming to weight (90lbs+) and will be ready for sale. Beth sent out our 2012 newsletter, which Sean developed (it’s nice getting free marketing advice from a professional in that field), so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that will have the lamb orders all in before Christmas.
Our layers are off to be butchered today. Since we raise Rhode Island Reds for eggs, we’ll get some good meat for soups and pies from them. I’ve been behind on the next order of chicks, but we’ll have them in next week or after Christmas to get them raised for egg production, which will start again around May when they are matured.
Also we are building a new egg mobile that will be on a trailer instead of the old fashion type on skids that we currently have. Our original one will be converted into a brooder house, so that we can start raising some meat birds too. Having the hen house/egg mobile on a trailer allows us to pull it behind the sheep. The chickens get the same fresh grass daily, but help simulate the ground where the sheep have been the day before.
As for December, we’ll be cutting wood for the stove from the trees felled last spring, and couple of infrastructure projects…all if the weather continues as it has been.
Most of our 2012 lambs are coming to weight (90lbs+) and will be ready for sale. Beth sent out our 2012 newsletter, which Sean developed (it’s nice getting free marketing advice from a professional in that field), so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that will have the lamb orders all in before Christmas.
Our layers are off to be butchered today. Since we raise Rhode Island Reds for eggs, we’ll get some good meat for soups and pies from them. I’ve been behind on the next order of chicks, but we’ll have them in next week or after Christmas to get them raised for egg production, which will start again around May when they are matured.
Also we are building a new egg mobile that will be on a trailer instead of the old fashion type on skids that we currently have. Our original one will be converted into a brooder house, so that we can start raising some meat birds too. Having the hen house/egg mobile on a trailer allows us to pull it behind the sheep. The chickens get the same fresh grass daily, but help simulate the ground where the sheep have been the day before.
As for December, we’ll be cutting wood for the stove from the trees felled last spring, and couple of infrastructure projects…all if the weather continues as it has been.
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