ewes in the Bighorn Basin
Faithful blog readers know that due to extreme winter conditions in the Red Desert, our usual wintering ground, we have trucked most of our ewes north to the sugar beet fields in Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin. The Bighorn Basin is several hundred miles to the north of us, almost to the Montana border, but is also several thousand feet lower, and less snowy. We have some ewes who experienced “early conception,” probably due to a rogue buck lamb who escaped docking. At Powder Flat, we are set up for shed lambing (usually in March) and have a great crew. Pat and I went up to visit the ewes and herders, and to collect the pregnant ewes and bring them home to lamb. The Bighorn Basin is also experiencing an unusually snowy winter, though for them it is several inches of snow, not several feet. We have a good crew there too–Pepe, Modesto, Alejandro and Joel. It’s a long ways from home, but has feed available for the ewes.
ewes near Burlington
Border collie on the job
Tres Amigos
pregnant ewes ready to load
Modesto and Pepe
Home at last
Dogs give a welcome home
Ladder Ranch
Martha Kennedy
February 17, 2020 at 11:28 AM
I love the last photo. I know my Akbash could never have had a real job, but I’m inspired when I see working dogs. In our little life, Teddy, the Aussie watches from inside the house and Bear, the Akbash, guards outside. Luckily, there’s plenty of “big empty” for us to wander every day. I love those Wyoming vistas.
suz
February 18, 2020 at 12:50 PM
thank you for sharing your ‘life in the north’ with us. it’s so different from our hills-and-trees. as it happens, we are having a very mild winter, probably the mildest in my lifetime (i’ll be 70 in may). i haven’t had to shovel snow once yet, and we’ve had only a few days of very cold weather so far.
suz in farmy NE ohio