RSS

Tag Archives: lambs

Shipping lambs

10 Nov

lambs in the corral

In the fall, we send lambs to the feedlot. These are the lambs that we have nurtured in the womb throughout the cold winter months. These are the lambs that we saw into the world in a cold wet spring. These are the lambs for whom we fended off coyotes and ravens and bears. These are the lambs who followed their mothers and grew on sweet summer grass.

Some of their numbers fell to predators. A few fell to the hundreds other hazards that await the creatures that we care for. Now we sort out the ewe lambs who will stay with us and become mama ewes. The others go to feedlots where others look after them. In a few months, they will go to slaughter and provide sustenance, by-products such as insulin, and pelts for all of us. The income they bring helps us continue the cycle  of husbanding livestock and caring for landscape.

sunrise

lambs loading at Cottonwood

Raul with a lamb

onto the truck

Meghan supervixing

 

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 10, 2019 in Animals, Family, Folks, Peruvian sheepherders, Sheep

 

Tags: , , , ,

Fall Lambers

01 Nov

“What was I thinking,
listening to sweet nothings
in June? Loved and left!

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 1, 2019 in Animals, Poetry, Sheep

 

Tags: , ,

Counting on, Modesto’s bunch

02 Jul

ewes and lambs in the Johnson corral

July 1st brings the on-date for the Forest grazing permits. We worked Modesto’s bunch at the Johnson corrals, in the Routt National Forest.  We not only counted the ewes and lambs, but put numbered paint brands on the “marker” ewes, and gave Rhen an opportunity to practice his mutton busting.

Cora keeping an eye on the sheep.

Belling number 2, Juan supervising

 

numbering the marker ewes

Rhen practicing mutton busting

Siobhan and her team of Border collies

Counted, belled and numbered–heading for summer pasture

 
2 Comments

Posted by on July 2, 2019 in Animals, Dogs, Family, Folks, Sheep

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Fall Gather

22 Oct

Bringing the cows and calves home

 

 

In the fall, the cows and calves are gathered into private pastures near the Home Ranch. They have spent the summer months grazing on National Forest permits. It takes several “back rides” to make sure that all the critters have come down from the summering ground, and we collect them into pastures where they can graze and hang out until it is time to sort them. Here are some views of our family, friends and employees moving cows and calves closer to home. Soon it will be time to load the calves onto trucks to their new homes, and the cows onto trucks to go to winter pastures and cornfields where they will ruminate and gestate until spring.

The cows and the sheep have been sharing the Sheep Mountain pasture.

Trailing past the sheep camp.

Avencio and the sheep are staying behind.

Heading past the reservoir

trailing along the ditch

a ewe and lamb came along

crossing the Little Snake River bridge

Will and Micah heading for the gate

Eamon counting cows through the gate

the fishermen were not disturbed

 
3 Comments

Posted by on October 22, 2018 in Animals, Cattle, Events, Family, Folks, Folks who help us out, Peruvian sheepherders, Sheep

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Maria the cria

10 Jul

Here’s Maria looking out for the new lambs.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 10, 2018 in Animals, Llamas, Sheep

 

Tags: , ,

Shearing 2018

08 May

Wooly ewe with bell
Photo by Elizabeth Campbell

2018 shearing is complete. The crew showed up in a timely manner, the ewes moved through in an orderly manner, and we thanked our lucky stars because many years bring problems, from weather to a late crew to the late arrival of our sheepherders from Peru.

First the ewes trailed from their winter pasture on the Red Desert to Badwater, which is spring and fall country. The shearing crew showed up and set up their shed and baler. We brought the bunches through, staging them for the trail south to the lambing grounds. We got two days of rain, which was welcome, but finished in time to trail several days ahead of lambing.

We then moved on to Powder Flat, where the ewes who had lambed in March were still in the wool, and the bucks, still in their red “working clothes”, awaited. We had a glitch when my dog, Cora, hit the automatic locks on the pickup as I was hauling the shearing shed to Powder Flat. Unfortunately, the pickup was at the main gate (fondly know as The Portal), and my phone was inside. After several hours, which included a long walk, much unhitching and hitching and dragging heavy vehicles around with a tractor, we were able to haul the shed to the waiting shearers and get started. Pat brought the extra keys, liberating the truck and the dog.

After two half days, all were sheared and ready to head into the spring season and events.

Border collie with sheep
Photo by Elizabeth Campbell

Ewes, waiting to be sheared at Badwater

Sharon at Badwater

Wooly sheep in chute
Photo by Elizabeth Campbell

 

Newly sheared ewes

 

 

ewes at Badwater shearing

shearing, with shed and truck

David on the wool bales

Hampshire bucks waiting for the shearers

Rambouillet bucks

shorn ewes with lambs at Powder Flat

Rhen supervises the loading of the chute

Riley and Siobhan, back to back

Rhen at the Craig Wool Warehouse

 

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 8, 2018 in Animals, Dogs, Events, Family, Folks, Folks who help us out, Peruvian sheepherders, Sheep

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Spring is rushing over us!

12 Apr

Spring has definitely sprung, if not with weather, then with spring work. After a dry winter, we have had series of spring rains and snows. In the meantime, we have lots of baby lambs and calves arriving. We are trailing sheep to spring country and preparing to shear.

Cows with calves at Powder Flat

Heifer eating afterbirth

Wild horses watering at developed well

windmill from the ground

ewes and lambs

docking the early lambs

bum lambs in a box

lambs warming up in a tub

rainstorm with Battle Mountain

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 12, 2018 in Animals, Events, Folks, Peruvian sheepherders, Sheep

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

← Older posts