The Craziest Day of the Year, Part 2

On Sunday, we took care of the essentials with the non-breeding sheep.  All the lambs, as well as Sandy, Henrietta, and the wethers needed deworming and hoof trimming as well.  Quartz needed an ear tag replacement; we managed to forget it last time around.

Beryl getting her mani & pedi.

 There was an impromptu sheep-lifting contest (okay, not really...).

Fully Grown Class: Henrietta

Little Sheeple Class: Opal

 I lifted Pecan (okay, not really).  I helped coat Pecan.

I don't think Pecan likes his coat.

Some individuals stopped for a snack.

Rhoda (or Molly?), Beryl, & Peat

 Then we worked on a secret project.  Snowball knows what it is, but he's not telling. 

Snowball

The Craziest Day of the Year, Part 1

This year, it ended up being more like an entire weekend of craziness.

On Saturday, we put the the ewes in with the rams.  That sounds simple enough, but we needed to trim hooves, deworm, and in some cases, check udders for soundness and insert an ear tag.  The rams needed to be harnessed.  Once all that was done, we needed to get six ewes to the far side of the back pasture.  Their ram (Chert) was then delivered to them.  Then we put seven ewes in with Feldspar in the other "half" of the back pasture. 

This year's breeding line-up.

The wethers had to be relocated as well.  Peat, Yeti, and Almond went easily, but Pecan was a bit of a challenge.  We ended up driving him to the front pasture in the dog crate in the back of the Mule.  (No pictures, but I think everyone in the neighborhood saw us!)

Pecan: It's not possible to carry him across pastures!

Chert's ladies are Elsie, Elvira, Tiffany, Filly, Peanut, and Pistachio.  Half are first timers (Filly, Peanut, and Pistachio), and they're nervously clinging to Elsie.  Then there's Elsie, who is twice as big as him...  Poor Chert.  He's not quite as self-assured as Feldspar...but then again, Gunpowder wasn't very confident at the beginning of breeding season last year, and he completed his job with flying colors.

Chert's ewes

Calico, Czadas, Hazel, Tricot, Theresa, Cashew, and Macadamia are with Feldspar.  Feldspar is fitting right in with his ladies.  He has two first timers--Cashew and Macadamia.  Cashew is sticking close to mommy Calico.  Macadamia attacked Feldspar, ramming him a few times, and now they are getting along just fine.

"What is that wee horned creature?" -Cashew

Feldspar & his ladies having breakfast

Feldspar & Hazel

. 

Mothers and Daughters

Macadamia and Henrietta

Tiffany and Galena

Molly and Elvira

Czadas and Beryl (Aunt Tricot is on the left)

Molly and Elvira (again)

Marble and Hazel

Surprises

Gunpowder and Pecan!  They rarely make it on the blog.

Why don't I take more pictures of those gorgeous horns?

Guess who's been sleeping outside.

  Theresa is out in front, approaching a person. Gasp!  (She's actually starting to do this all the time.)

Theresa, Macadamia, & the gang

 Well, no surprises here...except one....

Czadas, Henrietta, Elvira, &...

 It's Molly!  Elvira is teaching Molly about chin scratches. 

Molly & Elvira

Elsie is waiting for her coat.  She's going to be surprised... 

Elsie

Coat Season

Galena and Theresa (not her mama)

 It's coat season.  Almost everyone has been stuffed into a coat.  Galena is wearing a big girl coat, and it's still snug.  Her fleece is enormous.

Shockingly, Sandy's coat is baggy.

Peanut

Olivine

Peanut looks more like Sandy than Sandy's own lamb, Olivine.  (But Almond and Feldspar are Sandys with horns!)  

Czadas

 This year, I put similar looking sheep in different colored coats so that it's easy to tell everyone apart from a distance.  Czadas is wearing gray; Tricot (not pictured) is wearing khaki.

Opal & Calico

...Except for Calico and her mini-me Opal.  For now, the size difference makes it obvious, but in a couple of months, Opal will be as be as big as her mama.

Elsie

Elsie is going without a coat this year.  A bit of her fleece felted under a coat before, so we're going to see what happens when she doesn't wear a coat.  Also, her fleece doesn't grip onto the hay like some of the others (oh, Calico!) and usually shakes right out.  (And she looks so pretty without a coat!)

Filly

The coats are worth it, though, for lovely clean fleeces.

Macadamia

After all, they are very messy eaters. (Interestingly enough, the boys are much neater.)