Thursday, June 30, 2011

More of the same

 Just Shetlands in my flock now (and one cross bred wether that is destined for the freezer so he doesn't count).  Spooky and her other lamb sold.  The Shetland ram lambs are maturing very nicely.  I love the black and white one of Peep's below.  Other Shetland news, the possible poll carrying ewes of Opal's and Hester's look like they are going to Tennessee.  Edit here: transportation problems...so Opal's and Hester's are still available for anyone lookng for some nice poll carriers.
 Just Red Stars in my laying flock...the folks that bought Spooky brought be a few year old hens and started pullet chick to go with the started pullet I had tucked in the barn.  My friend's kid's class had hatched her and she came here to live.  None are laying right now but hopefully sooner than if I had to start chicks over myself.  The yearlings are just finishing molting so I am hopeful.  Still have a few eggs in the fridge to tide us over.

 Pigs just two this year...Tamworth Hereford crosses to raise for our table.
 Goats...just Saanens.  Two for sale.  Either the kids or the buck and buckling.  I would like to keep Whistle and either her daughter OR Watson.
 The buckling is for sale either way and he is very handsome.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Photos for my SSS&T Posting

Forgive the repeats for regular followers but I just posted some of the sheep for sale on the yahoo list and put a link for here so here it goes:


















Thursday, June 23, 2011

Keeper Kats

I know I should probably not put as many pictures of what I am keeping, but my keepers need some attention and photographing them helps me evaluate them too.  I also have so much related to them for sale and they willl have offspring here in the future so I think their inclusion on the sales blog is relevent.  So we have Spinkles ewe lamb above by Zeus.  Her twin ram is stunning and is for sale, as is her mom.  Below we have Carmel's ram lamb...what color would you call him for registration?  His black and white twin ram is for sale and is also very handsome, as well as his dad Swiftriver Neville.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Usual Suspects

Well the chicken mystery is still unsolved.  From some emails I received after my last post and local farmers I have talked with, it seems the prime suspect for the kill is a weasel or mink.  Ironic this farm was a mink farm back in the 1940's.  The tell tale sign...a few were missing their heads.  Then I think an opportunistic raccoon and our resident fox family came in to help clean up.  The live traps are empty so no luck there so far.  Our pigs were picked up yesterday and that same farm will have pullets ready to lay available beginning of August...Red Stars. I think I will pick up a few of those and order some other breeds when we order our meat birds and start them later in the summer when I am ready to give up my mudroom again for a while.  Not ready yet...

Took a few pictures of ewe lambs available for sale yesterday.   There are 3 brown based ewe lambs (one or two of those may be modified or carry the modifier) and 3 black ewe lambs for sale, as well as the 2 black and white F2 Heights Orion ram lambs, and 3 katmoget ram lambs.  It is Monday...reasonable offers considered.  Violet and her ewe lamb left this weekend to start a new shetland flock close by.  The Cheviot and one of her lambs leave soon to join Lilly in her new home.  That is all the update I have for today, so I will leave you with a few photos:

Pearl's F2 Heights Orion
Opal's  and Champ's ewe lamb possible poll carrier and possibly modified.

Hester's ewe lamb also possible poll carrier by HarvestThyme Champ:

Cotton Candy's F2 ewe lamb:

Hope and Patches' ewe lamb:

Marshmello's F2 ewe lamb:

Destiny and Zeus twins:

Better close up of the ewe lamb.

Pretty Pearl - this photo is just for you Robin :)

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Bad night for the laying hens...

...their coop was broken into or we forgot to shut the small door of their other coop and all were killed last night.   I went from 14 layers to zero in one night.  Raccoon or fox?  Anyone know what predator would take all of them?  Piles of feathers everywhere.  Live traps set so I guess we will find out...Anyone ever order started pullets?  The thought of starting all over and raising baby anything in my mudroom at the moment is daunting.  Just as I was ready to return the rug and take back the room from the puppies.  I know that is topic is off the sales focus of that this blog was intended to be, but I guess that I needed to vent about my latest farm mishap.  The layers were 2 and 3 years old, so I guess it was time to replace them, but they all were still laying consistently.  I am sorry I failed to keep them safe.  I worry about my lambs.  The sheep  were brought into the welded wire and the outside charger with  surrounding electro net is on as a first line of defense.  In the 5 years of having the small animals here nothing has ever gone in to any fencing to take anything until now.  Best layer suggestions, I know everyone has their favorites.  I had a White Leg Horn, Buff Orpingtons, R.I. Reds, Barr Rock, Easter Eggers, Red Star, and Silver Laced Wyndotts.  I think I liked my Buffs the best.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Horns and Puppies

 This is Swiftriver Neville an F1 Heights Orion and the sire to many of the this years lamb crop.  So he is 50% UK and 50% old New England blood (Maple Ridge).  This ram makes me want to keep horns in my flock because simply he is magnificent.  He is also the calmest coolest ram ever at three years old, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body.  Now mind you he is the alpha ram but his presence alone seems to be enough to command the respect he needs to be in charge.  He also seems to respect that I am ultimately the REAL alpha of the place and as long as I bring him good things like food, water, fresh pasture, a few scratches, and ewes in the fall, he finds no need what so ever to ruin a good thing. His microns fall of his two year old year were 26.5 SD 4.8 and CV of 18.2 SF of 25.2 and a CRV (find that an interesting number to look at as it seems that the higher it is the more crimp) of 58.9.  He is for sale as I generally like to use a ram for a year or two and then have them move on.  He carries moorit and spots.  I am keeping his two sons pictured below for further evaluation.  Ideally I would let him have a breeding group here in the fall and then let him go to a new flock.  He is priced at $350 but there is a $50 discount if purchased with a ewe.  He also has two HST black and white ram lambs, also priced at $350 available for sale.  His musket HST son is sold and is going to Cape Cod!

 The last male puppy sold and will be leaving for his new home tomorrow.  The last female may also be sold to a good friend.  If they decide they are not ready for a dog at this time, we might keep her ourselves.  She has been here too long and we have gotten attached.  If our friends take her, we will still be able to see her often.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Brown Based Gullies

 Olympia's twins:  moorit (?) ewe and fawn ram lamb.  He is either half or fully polled.  Has small "chips" for horns.  He makes me want to give up horned rams altogether!
 Quechee twin ewes may also carry polled. I am wondering if the gully is mioget as she is lighter than Olympia's ewe and darker than her ram.  The gul/kat I think I would call fawn.  For the time being all 4 are being retained, as well as Hester's fluke gully ram.  I have some decisions to make about the future of my breeding program and if I do decide to go "polled" and I would need to keep all the gully's as the foundation of that.

Monday, June 13, 2011

FOR SALE

 Saanen buckling
 Aunt Dessie (NFS) with Hope (NFS) and ewe lamb daughter that is for sale.
 Marshmello's fawn F2 Heights Orion ewe lamb
 Dessie's fawn katmoget ram lamb above and Sprinkles' fawn katmoget ram lamb below.
 Peep's black and white HST F2 Height's Orion ram lamb.