Forage

Hero and Heidi inspect the status of our forage.  The ryegrass, a cool season grass, is mature and going to seed, but still very palatable.   In fact the sheep prefer the ryegrass to the patch of Eastern Gamagrass, a warm-season/summer grass, that is now ready to eat.

Baling Hay

We needed some square bales to feed small groups of sheep, in small feeders.  The round bales are too big and cumbersome for these uses, but essential for feeding the large flock.  So Jeffrey set up the square baler and we produced 80 square bales from 4 round bales.   Jeffrey did all the work.  I sat in the tractor to rapidly stop the baler in case of a jam, which happened twice.  Here are some photos, mostly from the tractor seat.

Water Tub Visitor

I went to hook up a water tub for the sheep and found this snake sleeping under the cover.  I was thinking I could still hookup the hose when the snake unwound itself and turned into two snakes.

They are not poisonous, but when I started reaching down to hookup the hose, the one by the faucet hissed at me and started shaking its tail.  That put me off a bit as I thought my hand would be a little too close to the snake's head.  So with a stick I gently persuaded it to move out of the faucet cavity and hooked up the hose.  

When I finished, both snakes had moved back in under their shelter and the sheep had water.

Ewe Lambs

The ewe lambs born in September and October of 2020 are heading out to pasture (about 120 of them).  Each morning I call them out.  They pretty much know the way, but I follow them out later with Hero and Heidi to check on them and get them to the right spot if they stray.   Hero and Heidi tour around with me checking for threats.   In the evening the lambs come back to get a bag of feed I pour out in their troughs.   When not on tour with me,  Hero and Heidi stay with the ram lambs in the west blueberry fields.