Re: [Blackbelly] More ram lambs than ewe lambs
Hi, I'm in western Washington state. This year with 5 ewes, we got 11 lambs, 10 were ewe lambs! But then, we've had 3 daughters, no sons, 3 granddaughters, no grandsons. It might just be the water.;-) Karen Spokane, WA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Aggressive Rams
Hi Everyone, I rarely post but have learned s much through this list. Thank you to everyone for sharing. I have had AB's for almost 5 years feel that I have something of interest to share with everybody. I, too, have had my fill of rams with bad attitudes through the years (I used to raise woolies ages ago). Over time, I've carried a 2 x 4, a pitchfork, I've used ram shields, have learned to jump a fence rather quickly (the fences are getting taller as I age though :-) . This past fall, quite by chance, I found an alternative method that my current ram has no idea how to respond to. I have a Old English Mastiff teenager (she's 1 1/2) that loves to use the buffet as I'm cleaning out the rabbit barn, keeping the door shut while cleaning isn't an option. I got tired of chasing, scolding hollering at her, so I was using a spray bottle set on stream to get her attention to try to break her of the habit. It's only got water in it, so no harm, no foul, she doesn't think that I can touch her from 15 feet away. Guess again. it's working. I was in the barn, right after shooting her with the water, I had to dump the wheelbarrow which was right in the vicinity of where my ram was. He'd never tried me before, but I guess he was feeling a bit frisky (he was coming 2 at that time). He looked at me, backed up a couple of steps, got 3 quick shots of water in the face. I've never seen a ram so bewildered in my life! He shook his head, backed up tried again, but to no avail. He still can't comprehend how I can touch him from a distance! Now I just carry a spray bottle whenever I go out in the field, it works great (although it doesn't look near as classy as a shepherds crook). I also use this when I grain the girls in the evening (I've only got 7 total, they get just a small amount), have trained him to keep to his own grain bucket, he's not pushing the girls out of theirs. Most of the time, he is very polite now, usually finds something to keep himself busy when I have work to do out in the field. We've had to go 'round a couple of times but it seems to have helped him decide who is dominant, without causing him, nor myself, any harm ( he's even learned a dance step or two!). This is something that I only use when I have to, but I keep it with me in case I may need it. I hope that this has been of interest may help some of you. Karen Spokane, WA ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Ram Blinders/Shields?
I wish I had the space to use so that they don't have to share a fenceline, or a pasture. If they didn't have horns, I would also try the small space introduction, but I'm concerned that a horn will get busted. There aren't any girls here for a few more weeks (until they come home from summer pasture), so hopefully the shields will only have to be used for a short time. I need to turn them into the larger pasture for a while. I, too, have had many fences, walls, sheds, even an old chevy pickup beat to smithereens by my boys. About the time that I thought I had them figured out, they bust up something else. S, I have hotline EVERYWHERE!!! What a difference that has made. I can watch two rams, on either side of the fence, do their dances, back up run at the fence only to stop just short of contact with the line. I have it set up so that each section, gate, etc. is set up with gate handles. That way for lambing, I can disconnect an area very easily, none of the lambs can get near a hot wire. Big Difference!!! I now have less stress, more time to do things other than repairs ;-}, I'm not swearing at my rams on a regular basis! It sounds like the blinders hold up to stress, stay put, so, I think that I'll give them a try. Thanks! Karen Winsper's Funny Farm Spokane, WA ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Mule Mountain Lion
Hi all, I have found out since I sent the post about the mule mountain lion that there is another story to the photos. If you wish to go the link that I've posted below, it will show the photos, as well as tell the stories then the real tale of what happened. Sorry about misleading you without doing my homework. http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/mulelion.asp Best Regards, Karen Spokane, WA ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Mule vs. Mountain Lion
For those of you who ever wondered about using mules for livestock protection, for those that already have them, take a look at this!! Karen Winsper's Funny Farm Spokane, WA A couple from Montana were out riding on the range, he with his rifle and she (fortunately) with her camera. Their dogs always followed them, but on this occasion a Mountain Lion decided that he wanted to stalk the dogs (you'll see the dogs in the background watching). Very, very bad decision... The hunter got off the mule with his rifle and decided to shoot in the air to scare away the lion, but before he could get off a shot the lion charged in and decided he wanted a piece of those dogs. With that, the mule took off and decided he wanted a piece of that lion.. That's when all hell broke loose...for the lion. As the lion approached the dogs the mule snatched him up by the tail and started whirling him around. Banging its head on the ground on every pass. Then he dropped it, stomped on it and held it to the ground by the throat. The mule then got down on his knees and bit the thing all over a couple of dozen times to make sure it was dead, then whipped it into the air again, walked back over to the couple (that were stunned in silence) and stood there ready to continue his ride.. as if nothing had just happened. Fortunately even though the hunter didn't get off a shot, his wife got off these 4... ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[blackbelly] Disturbing Birth
Hello Everyone, On May 13th, I had a 2 year old ewe deliver a beautiful ewe lamb, weighing in at 6 lbs. We had a hunch that she had another, so we waited patiently for it's arrival. It wasn't right. First a leg, then one more leg what looked like a vital organ. Something I hadn't witnessed before. She was straining, not getting anywhere, so I went in to find the problem. When all was said done, I had a baby that looked like it had been folded in half (head to bum), for the entire gestation. It was normal from it's nose to it's front shoulders, then the body cavity was entirely open all the way back to it's rump. All of it's insides were outside. I think that what amazed me the most was that it was alive breathing, eyes open. All four legs, tail, hide, hair, but no skin over the right side of it's body. If you looked at the letter U, the outside of the round part is where the lamb was open, with intestines, vital organs just hanging there, the ribs exposed. She seemed very petite, but weighed in at 4 lbs. We quietly removed it from the ewe let it pass away. This ewe was never exposed to pesticides, fertilizers, no vaccines, no medications, even her hay was organic. I used the same ram last year with this ewe (as well as other ewes) had a nice ewe lamb. There were no problems with any of the other ewes lambing this year either (same ram), although one still looks very pregnant after giving me a single, healthy 7# ram lamb, I can still feel movement. H. I've seen a lot of livestock born over the years, had some surprises, lost a few babies, but this one really set me back. I just wanted to put this out there for you to file away with the strange unusual. Karen Winsper's Funny Farm Spokane, WA ** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[blackbelly] Ivomec Plus Question + vaccines
Hi all, Has anyone ever used Ivomec Plus to worm their sheep? I just had a fecal done on my sheep, there was a possibility of liver flukes (as well as a variety of other beasts). Since they're not common in this area, the vet wasn't sure, just suspicious. We don't live in a wet area, so this doesn't make much sense, but I'd like to take the precaution go ahead worm for them. I have 4 ewes that are 3-5 weeks from lambing, as well as two ewes that have just been exposed to a ram in the last 3 weeks, so I don't want to use Valbazen, I don't want to purchase two different products if I don't have to. Also, are there any vaccines that should be given to these ewes before lambing? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Karen Winsper's Funny Farm Spokane, WA ** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] sheep eating the barn
Hi Robert, I don't know about creosote, but how about putting metal on the areas of the barn that they're chewing on? I've had to do this on a couple of corners that seemed to be irresistible. Karen Winsper's Funny Farm Spokane, WA ** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[blackbelly] DEFRA destroys a herd of cattle in the UK-
This is the power issue we are concerned our government is letting loose without better safety guidelines to protect the farmer. We can tag and we can keep records but the government has to allow means of rectifying these issues [ in advance of a problem.] From warmwell.com- DEFRA destroys a herd of cattle in the UK- From Private Eye 16th March 2007 Muckspreader ' Until last month David Dobbin, 43, of Backford near Chester was the owner of a 567 strong dairy herd which represented his entire livelihood. Several of his cows had won prizes and the herd's value was well over half a million pounds. In 2005 DEFRA officials inspected the voluminous documentation required for his cattle under EEC rules, including passports and numbered ear tags for each animal, and found what they claimed to be a number of unspecified irregularities. Instead of discussing how these could be sorted out, DEFRA last November asked Cheshire Trading Standards officials to seize all his passports, making it illegal for him to remove any animal off his farm and virtually wiping out his income. Last month the officials removed his entire herd to another farm elsewhere in Cheshire, stating that it was their intention to destroy all 567 animals. Their authority, they claimed, was an EC Regulation 494/98, issued at the height of the BSE panic. This lays down that if the keeper of an animal cannot prove its identification within two working days, it shall be destroyed without delay under the supervision of the veterinary authorities, and without compensation from the competent authorities. Although these powers given to ministry officials were quite unprecedented, the regulation only permitted them to destroy animals which could not be identified. DEFRA has never claimed that the paperwork for most of Mr Dobbin's cows was not in order. Thanks to his Liverpool lawyers, Kirwans, Mr Dobbin managed to get a High Court injunction, giving his cows a stay of execution less than an hour before the slaughter was due to begin. He also won leave from Mr Justice Goldring for a judicial review on the grounds that DEFRA was acting way beyond its legal powers. But at the beginning of this month DEFRA insisted that, unless Mr Dobbin could prove the identification of every single one of his cows, they must still all be destroyed. Since all his cattle passports - the most obvious means of identification - had been confiscated, this was impossible. The officials said he would instead have to provide DNA identification for each animal within two days, which would have been physically impossible - not least because the cows had all been moved to another location which Mr Dobbin was not allowed access. On 6 March therefore, the High Court had no choice but to give DEFRA's officials permission to proceed with the slaughter. The need for this was particularly urgent, they said, because they did not have the resources to look after or milk the cattle properly, and this was causing severe animal welfare problems. When informed of the judge's decision over the phone, Mr Dobbin burst into tears and on 7 March the destruction of his cattle began. All that he can hope for now is that the judicial review, set for nine months' time, might at least confirm that DEFRA acted beyond its powers. But, in the meantime, this is scant consolation for the sight of his entire life and livelihood going up in smoke just because DEFRA's officials have been so zealous in exercising for the first time powers greater than that given to any British officials before them. For the pleasure of ruining a man's life and killing nearly 600 healthy animals, it must be a small price to pay. ** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] Brix and Grass Quality
This sounds quite interesting! SoI went to e-Bay, found them WOW! The prices vary greatly, s, I'm wondering which one you got. I can't even find grass right now for the snow, but I have faith that someday, it will again be warm green outside, without all of these four letter words.snow, cold, hail, brrr so on. Thanks! Karen Winsper's Funny Farm Spokane, WA ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[blackbelly] Ivermectin
Hello Everyone, I was wondering if anyone uses ivermectin injectable to worm their sheep? Orhas anyone ever used the paste made for horses??? (That would make it s easy!) I have 4 blackbelly ewes with one month old lambs that are getting ready to go to a clean, irrigated pasture, I would like to treat them before they go. I would be worming 3 days before they go. I am also wondering if the lambs should be done or if they are too young. I would prefer not to drench, so any help would be greatly appreciated! And if you do use it, what dosage should I use? Is it given SQ, or IM? Thanks so much!! Karen Winsper's Funny Farm ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] Mini Tags for Scrapie/NAIS
Would they allow you to use permanent tattoo's, or do you have to use tags? Karen ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] Reposting Link to Beet Pulp Info
In a message dated 8/22/2005 6:21:32 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: http://www.shady-acres.com/susan/beetpulp.shtml Thanks Barb Karen ___ This message is from the Blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info mailing list Visit the list's homepage at Blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] Hello to All
Julian, Thanks for the info on when I can breed my girls. I have the area to separate my ewes from my rams, I'm just wondering how old they are before I have to start worrying about it. At approximately what age do the ewe's come into their 1st cycle, how old are the rams when they can start procreating? Thanks, Karen ___ This message is from the Blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info mailing list Visit the list's homepage at Blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info
