Just some random pictures ...

[J.T.M.]

To pass the time .
I am a big fan of rotational grazing .

The tool to make it easier ...





If its green- or was green at one time - I'll graze it



Rosie with a couple of Dec./Jan. ewe lambs



One of the four ewe lambs I held back



Here is # 72, some of you may remember her as the smallest of the Quintuplets ... Excuse the junk ......



Another shot of 72

[J.T.M.]

I'm not sure if Rosie is a good body guard or not . She is always on the lookout for trouble, and seems to have a fetish for getting into it.
( rabbit on the other side of fence ).This picture was taken two weeks ago ... even in a 2 yr. drought the ewes go into breeding way to fat



Eating a thistle patch .....
( this is the ewe 651 and two of her quintuplet daughters 72 - 73 )





It took Rosie a long time to warm up to me .Now she won't leave me alone and has a very big jealousy streak

[J.T.M.]

And we will end this with a leg of lamb ...

[bruce2288]

When you still have green grass, it is plain nasty to say you are in a drought. Kidding.

[Callieslamb]

They look very nice. What breed? I almost fenced in our side and back yards this year. I have a feeling they'd go for my flowers first though.

[J.T.M.]

Originally Posted by bruce2288

When you still have green grass, it is plain nasty to say you are in a drought. Kidding.

Its true Bruce , its all in the type of grass you have and how you manage it . We have had less then 3" of rain in my part of Iowa since March .My ewes went 35 days on nothing but ragweed . In order to give the pasture a rest , I grazed any piece of ground I could find ( neighbors ditches ect. ) , even if it meant only an hours worth the graze .

Originally Posted by Callieslamb

They look very nice. What breed? I almost fenced in our side and back yards this year. I have a feeling they'd go for my flowers first though.

Sheep train very easily . My ewes will graze right up to the border of my flower bed without issues .You may be surprised at how easily they train .

[D Lynn]

Great pics! Thanks for sharing!

[Le Petit Norman]

looks like 72 got some fun with the ram already

[Queen Bee]

What a sweet face #72 has! Your sheep are beautiful and I love Rosie... What breed do you have? Is Rosie full size?

[J.T.M.]

72s dame is a very very prolific PB polypay .Her sire is Lle de france / dorset .What a perfect combo for pasture sheep. It was not my intention to breed the ewes this early, as I prefer April/May lambing .My own health issues ,along with the rams willingness to jump 48 " fence ... ect. ect
I will most likely abort her and hold off re breeding her until Dec.

[J.T.M.]

Rosie is a mini ..... but don't let the small size fool ya. It may be a coincidence , but the day Rosie came here is the day I stopped losing turkeys to the coyotes . I have seen her run from my wifes small lap dog I have seen her back down from barn cats ... who knows .
She has become very clingy .Always on my side .When a ewe comes up for a scratch from me Rosie will get goofy .

[bergere]

Beautiful sheep, love your Donkey and that leg of lamb looks really good!

[bknthesdle]

I'm so jealous of all the green grass. We haven't had (accessable) green grass for my sheep since the beginning of June. If your grazing a ditch for only a few hours, can I ask.....how do you get your sheep there and then bring them home? I had a small low spot that use to be a small pond that was about the only green spot on the farm. I just couldn't figure out how to get my sheep there as it wasn't attached to their fence line.

[J.T.M.]

Originally Posted by bknthesdle

I'm so jealous of all the green grass. We haven't had (accessable) green grass for my sheep since the beginning of June. If your grazing a ditch for only a few hours, can I ask.....how do you get your sheep there and then bring them home? I had a small low spot that use to be a small pond that was about the only green spot on the farm. I just couldn't figure out how to get my sheep there as it wasn't attached to their fence line.

One of the tricks to moving sheep is to have very friendly sheep ... it makes life so much more easier ..
sheep005.mp4 video by Jeffcoke - Photobucket

My sheep know a few commands " Go home " and " lets go " Here they are 5 acres away and all I had to yell was " LETS GO " one time and they came .

003.mp4 video by Jeffcoke - Photobucket
Things to remember :
When training them always let them move at their own pace , never force them or you will cause them to scatter .A ewe will only go the direction she is looking ... Example ...she will not turn right while looking left .

[J.T.M.]

From the barn to the ditch in about 3 mins. Its very unusual for a ewe to go up on the road .Thats # 001 , she also steps in the flower beds on occasions just to see if Im paying attention .
Excuse the mess ..I was remodeling the barn when I had my heart attack ...
10512001.mp4 video by Jeffcoke - Photobucket

Here you see them waiting for a signal from me to enter a new area ...
10512002.mp4 video by Jeffcoke - Photobucket

[bknthesdle]

Can you come visit me and show me how you do that JTM? Please? Don't you want to vacation in ND? lol!

[bknthesdle]

Ps. Do you just let them graze during the day and bring them home for water in the evenings?

[J.T.M.]

Originally Posted by bknthesdle

Can you come visit me and show me how you do that JTM? Please? Don't you want to vacation in ND? lol!

To fish the red river is a dream of mine

Originally Posted by bknthesdle

Ps. Do you just let them graze during the day and bring them home for water in the evenings?

I have a food grade ,55 gal. drum sitting in the back of my pickup that gravity feeds water to a plastic kiddy pool that I put in the ditch with them .But I do take them in the morning and bring them home at night . All this interaction between us with the moving ect. really keeps them almost petting zoo tame -which isn't always a good thing -

[J.T.M.]

I have had this kiddy pool for yrs. It has sent me on a search and rescue mission many times after a big storm has blown through .But I always manage to find it ( one time over five miles away ) .Also the geese use it when the sheep are in the pasture with auto water'ers .... I toss the pool in the ditch pull up along side it and fill it up .

[bknthesdle]

Love that idea!!!!