2021!!!

 Hi everyone!  Long time no see!  How are things in your nook of the world?  What a year 2020 was!  Things toodled along at Cheviot Hills.  The sheep and the dogs have kept me centered, as usual. Let's see where we are at...

Sheep. Well, I sold off a lot last year; only keeping the best.  I got a new ram from my usual ram supplier.  I trust him implicitly, and am always happy with the lambs his rams produce.  He came to me in September, as a ram lamb, and immediately started to breed the ewes (as in the minute he walked into the field, he bred a ewe).  I added three North Country Cheviot, Suffolk cross ewe lambs to the flock, as purebred NCC ewe lambs are not easy to come by, and I wanted to see what them crossed onto a NCC ram would give me.  I still have two of the three Dorset ewes I bought as lambs two years ago, and they got bred to the NCC ram lamb as well.  Lambing started the first week of February, and there is one more to go.  Most of the lambs born in the two first weeks of February.  He did a great job that ram lamb...  My management was better this year, and we saw a lot more twins, and overall health of everyone is really good.  They are growing very fast.  I believe the two most important things for sheep are 1) Food that goes in and 2) Parasite control.  My grass leaves a lot to be desired.  Last year we had a drought, so I had to supplement everyone with some grain (not much at all, but enough so that they did not rip the grass out by the root).  I would give hay, but they will not eat hay unless there is almost no grass.  Sheep are sort of all or nothing, it seems... at least in my experience.  So, they had some grain before the ram cam by a couple months, and had good body condition.  I also brought them in for FAMACHA checks to see how they rated, and wormed whomever was not up to par- I also made a mental note of a big check against anyone who was repeatedly pale- they don't stay on the farm- it's a pretty big offense..  Anyway, I also wormed everyone when I vaccinated at three weeks before earliest due date.  Normally, I would only do those who scored low, but I have learned that just because they score well on FAMACHA, that does not mean they are not overburdened with worms, and could likely falter when faced with carrying lambs, and trying to produce lots of good milk for them.  FAMACHA is good, but it does not replace applied knowledge over time.  So, the ewes clearly appreciated the better maintenance, given the lamb crop this year, and the good health of the ewes who had them.  Lots of girls this year too.  The last few years, when I was sort of checked out on the sheep thing, we had lots of boys, and well, they don't stay, so we were hurting for having anything to keep.  I am proud of my sheep.  I have spent my $, blood, sweat, and tears on them over the years.  I buy the best rams, and I work very hard to cull out low performers.  Any sheep bought from me as breeders will improve *any* flock.

Dogs.  Well, let's see.  I have Joe, Robbie, and Jill.  Joe is 9 now. He's still my best dog.  I can't believe how lucky I was to get a dog like Joe. He fits my like a glove.  I never have to worry about him injuring a sheep, or not getting a job done, or hurting a lamb.  And he is as fit as ever.  

Robbie, he is doing well, albeit bored.  No work for him lately, because of the ice, and because Joe is just a really good lambing dog.  We are going to get back out there soon though!

Jill.  What can I say about Jill.  She's the nicest female I have ever had. She has an excellent temperament- loves people, and is the smartest dog I have ever had. On sheep she is forward, and if a sheep challenges her by coming toward her she matches the tenacity.  Never over does it, but will move things very well.  She works a lot like Joe.  (HOW awesome is that?!)

Meow. I lost Meow last month. I still can't really talk about it, except to say I lost my best friend.  I adored him, and he me.

 

That's the update for now.  Stay tuned for updates on sheep and dogs!