Sheep management

Read about another shepherd having another sick sheep... People, in case you don't know, sheep are generally a hardy animal, and as long as they have good forage and minerals and clean fresh water, you don't really need to do much on a daily basis.  Sheep can be prone to pregnancy toxemia at the end of their pregnancies, but that can be prevented by not having fat sheep going into pregnancy, then having them get lean and having their bodies not be able to meet the requirements of the pregnant ewe late in pregnancy.  The point I am making is that adult sheep should not just appear "weak" in out of the blue, unless something is lacking or you have stressed them some how.  So, here's the deal- if you are feeding hay 100% of the time and your sheep keep cropping up with weakness caused by low Selenium, this is a management issue, not a sheep issue.  This is your fault.  So, get your hay tested, and MAKE SURE your sheep have ad lib access to minerals at all time.  Better yet, get them OFF that hay 100% of the time...  this will ensure a wide range of food stuffs to better cover their needs.

Sometimes it's good for us to read stories like this, because it just reminds us to keep being careful with our sheep and ensure they have what they need... They certainly don't need much.  So ends my sermon for today.

Today I have some errands to run and then up to the sheep and then home.  Nothing other than that.  Am very poor right now, as I have to pay my oil bill by next week.

My sheep are doing well.  I am feeding one bale a day, and also putting another when needed as over flow into the hay manger.  It seems to last a few days, so they do need a bit more than one bale, but in the hay manger, at least it's not being wasted... Hard to judge how much they need at this point... The ram lamb is quite confident.  Yesterday he went up to a station where a black ewe was and she made to butt him- he just put his head down lower and was ready to play...  then she went back to her hay :)

Dogs are good, cats are good.  Boy Kitty was super sweet last night and cuddled with me all night, even when I got up a few times he came right back.  He's just a great kitty.  I thank God for him.

Well, that's it for now :)