Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 I got chores done early today so I could do some work with the lambs. Not early enough! At eight thrity when we were done, dog, me, and sheep were all dragging tongues on the ground. And all of us are quite heat tolerant. But 80 degrees at eight thirty in the morning is just ridiculous. And the grass is toast. Even the bermuda is looking crispy. We're getting a couple round bales to feed this weekend. That makes me really sad. It hasn't rained in three weeks here. Where's all the tropical activity that global warming was supposed to bring us? It's gonna be a long summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Becca IT's in Texas- they got 19" in less than 24 hours in some parts. California needs it too. I think we are going to be in for some serious weird weather. We got a few storms last night- less than 1" where I am. The grass here is crispy too. My yard is, thankfully, not too bad because of the shade trees. As for working the dogs- Lucy just gets HOT. We don't work a lot in the heat- the humidity + heat is what gets you. She heads for the tank, or a tree, and then there's the bugs. I hope you all get rain soon. Perhaps the Texas stuff will head east. Try and keep cool. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Becca, We're supposed to have some relief by the weekend--temps at 80 Sat. and 82 Sunday. We will be working sheep in the mornings if you can afford the gas. I think we'll also be trimming feet at some point, and we know how you LOVE to do that (well, at least the rams were done when we vaccinated lambs and wormed a few weeks ago). Anyway, we just got a round bale for the rams (since they are in a small area with little grass), but the ewes are still managing okay in their crispy pasture, probably because of the excellent poison ivy and briar growth (both of which they love) down in the wooded area. Most everyone we've contacted about hay is reluctant to sell as they are already feeding what they've just baled. The bad news is that after the slim chance of rain we have for today and Friday, a high is supposed to sit over us for the next 2-3 weeks, which means NO chance of rain. Aaargh! Of course, you may have slightly different weather, which for your (and your grass') sake I hope is the case. Oh, and as an aside, apparently Handsome's son didn't inherit H's apparently nice temperament. Well, he is friendly, but yesterday I let them out to graze and he made for the staggerbush (mildly poisonous) and in my hurry to get out there and chase him away from it I neglected to grab a dog. He was heading in the opposite direction, so I had one of those senior moments (was on the phone) and, against any advice I'd ever give anyone else, I turned my back. Next thing I know he flattened me (I wasn't hurt--just landed on my back on the ground--was more worried about the possibility of having landed in dog poo, LOL!). Fortunately he didn't want to go any further than that and I was close to the back door, so I grabbed Twist out and that was the end of Cassanova's unwanted "advances." But if he's already showing this kind of aggressiveness at barely over a year old, I don't know how long he'll last here. I guess I'll at least wait and see what sort of babies he produces next spring. We really need to get the other side of the pasture fenced.... J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Julie: That's not good. I say use him this year, and on he goes. It ain't worth it my friend. We (I anyway) really like to live vicariously through you and your dogs working, and he is risking that. I am glad you are okay. To Twist: If mommy heads out to the ram's enclosure, you make SURE you are with her- you hear? Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 I hate to admit, but we got close to 5" at my house last night. So you guys can send me one sheep at a time to graze in the back yard. It stormed so bad that it tripped the back half of the house's breakers. If the lightening gets close enough, or the thunder loug enough, the ground fault somethingorother flips and down go the breakers in the office and master bedroom. No way was I going out there to fix it, either. We had (Chuck said) dime sized hail too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 I hate to admit, but we got close to 5" at my house last night. So you guys can send me one sheep at a time to graze in the back yard. Ok, that picture just cracked me up. I hope you guys get some relief. We've had big storms here the last two days. They don't last long, though, and we're still in drought conditions. The rest of the week has decent chances, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for all of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Julie, Rams will be rams after all (that's why we always say to never trust a ram, no matter how nice), and my fault for turning my back on him, even if he was walking away from me. But you can bet that he might just have to nibble on the poisonous plant a bit longer next time, because I *won't* forget to take a dog with me who won't hesitate to go in and stop him. (I've been letting them out to graze the semi-fenced pasture since they don't have much grass in their paddock--see what I get for being nice and trying to get them more grazing space? ) Laura, Just set out buckets and catch all that water and bring it with you next time you come out. The garden will appreciate it. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted June 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 I could see rain all around me but there was a hole over our heads. Thunder like crazy, dogs going nuts. It's just not FAIR to have to deal with the noise of thunderstorms and no rain. The nicest ram I ever had was one I kept out of great trepidation from a ewe taht was a people killer. Either his motivations were different or else the time I used the shock stick on him as a young ram stuck with him, but he was quite humble all his days. Actually, I've never had a really mean ram here, though Abe took me down once and probably would have continued if I didn't ship him right after. The bad thing is that even with a weapon - whether dog, stick, or ball peen hammer - once a ram's been successful at taking you down, if he really meant it, he's going to keep looking out for a second chance. A young ram might have done it from high spirits, though, so I'd just keep an eye or both eyes on him for now. I'm going down to Karen's Saturday so if I can get the cell number of someone who gets reliable service down there, I'd be very happy to stop by and trim hooves with y'all. Hide the Koppertox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Julie he's not worth it. If you can make him a small paddock to himself, maybe a wether for company, so you don't have to handle him at all - maybe. I still say no, there are better rams. In my experience he won't just get you down after he builds this up, he'll get you down and continue hurt you, or get one of the dogs down at a moment of inattention. or a guest, or a neighbor.... I had a nice dog ruined for life by a similar natured ram. Rams will be rams, but blatent testosterone overload needs to go to heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bexie Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 rams are definitely rams. although my memories of my mom's rams are most favorable, i will not forget the dent in the pickup door. at least she made it into the pickup so it took the hit, not her. i still miss sheep despite the ram issues. but we haven't enough land. i'm not about to give up horses. we have to get molly to herding courses and hope she can manage on cattle and that the neighbor will let us help him move his milk herd around. she is from cattle lines so i'm hoping. but becca... that heat sounds awful! ours was BAD but it finally broke. the farm news is that things are ready for harvest 2 weeks earlier than usual. most people have gotten hay in at least once already. this is good news because we've had a couple bad years around here and prices have been high so it's been hard on the small farmers who buy and the unfortunate who lost their own harvest. i hope you and the dogs are able to cool off and there aren't too many urgent chores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Becca, The good news is that we wouldn't need to hide the Koppertox since all sheep are fleece free (Tony and I sheared the three show sheep a couple weeks ago--we are now the proud owners of not one, but two Shearmasters), so you won't have to listen to me screeching about turning fleeces green.... Lenajo, The answer for now is probably just to not let them out to graze and slaughter him if he keeps trying to be a jerk. They do have a big round bale in their paddock and can be fed and watered without actually interacting with them, so it is a manageable situation. We really would like to use him this fall, so maybe I'll just put a padlock on his paddock so no one inadvertantly goes in with him. And when I do go in there, I usually take two dogs just for safety's sake. They stay well back if the dogs are with me. But he's also not going to get a bunch more chances to hurt anyone, and I certainly don't want my karakul ram to learn any bad habits (he's a little older, has been used on the ewes before, and yet still isn't aggressive, though he comes from a breeder who selects for docile rams too--still don't turn my back on him either). J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Rams are rams, bulls are bulls, and stallions are .... But, I believe that once they go that extra mile to plan out the bash, and do it, it will not soon leave their mind. I don't mean to say that they shouldn't be "ballsey" but life is way too short to take chances. I may be overly worried because I have a friend who got nailed- while facing- a Suffolk ram, and is now permanent'y disabled - she broke several vertebrae and lost use of her right arm. Julie ps: Yes, that IS what you get- if you just plum ignore them and let them fend for themselves- they wouldn't have the energy to be bad Julie,Rams will be rams after all (that's why we always say to never trust a ram, no matter how nice), and my fault for turning my back on him, even if he was walking away from me. But you can bet that he might just have to nibble on the poisonous plant a bit longer next time, because I *won't* forget to take a dog with me who won't hesitate to go in and stop him. (I've been letting them out to graze the semi-fenced pasture since they don't have much grass in their paddock--see what I get for being nice and trying to get them more grazing space? ) Laura, Just set out buckets and catch all that water and bring it with you next time you come out. The garden will appreciate it. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bexie Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Rams are rams, bulls are bulls, and stallions are .... But, I believe that once they go that extra mile to plan out the bash, and do it, it will not soon leave their mind. I don't mean to say that they shouldn't be "ballsey" but life is way too short to take chances. I may be overly worried because I have a friend who got nailed- while facing- a Suffolk ram, and is now permanent'y disabled - she broke several vertebrae and lost use of her right arm. I believe that a lot is breeding, a lot is upbringing (both human and animal), and a lot is circumstances. A ram after a good ram is likely to work out, but it sounds like it didn't in this case. Or maybe it was the circumstances. Maybe he was edgy because of the heat, is young and feels compelled to show who is boss when unaccustomed to human-without-dog, and maybe he wanted to protect his grazing because it is usually limited. Really it's a personal choice of how the owner feels she can manage him and how he acts in the long term. Also it is a question of how valuable he is as breeding stock. If he is aggressive, he might pass that on, but maybe not or maybe only to rams so you could make great ewes and great meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Hey Bexie, This particular ram is not part of my purebred breeding operation so all of his lambs will go to slaughter--in fact that's the only reason I have him--to get bigger lambs and better growth. So whether he passes on his temperament is pretty unimportant (since the ram lambs would be wethered and all lambs sold by or before 1 year old), as long as he passes on his nice body.... But if he continues to be nasty, I may have to rethink that and try to find another ram. (He's also not the kind of valuable genetics I might want/need to hang onto, say, for my rare-breed karakul flock). FWIW, neither of the PB rams we use on the purebred flocks have shown a tendency to go after people. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted June 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 When are you breeding again, Julie? I'll be breeding earlier than you, most likely - I'm aiming for Feb/March this year. I was thinking of going a bit later but I don't like the way the later "surprise" lambs we had in late April hit the wall in terms of growth, once the heat came on here. And their mothers all got hit very hard with worms, while the rest were fine. Anyway, you'd be welcome to borrow Handsome if it worked out for you. He's quite arthritic but he seems quite able to do the job judging from the three "surprise" lambs he sired within days of arrival. The only thing is that he's super dominant. He's not a fighter but there's no doubt who gets all the ladies when he's in the pasture. It's just his size, I think. So you can't run him with another ram and hope to get lambs from the other one, unless you separated some off. Just an option in case you are looking to ditch his son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderlicious Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 I think all of you need to stop complaining. By 7am it's at least 90 degrees here, and it gets up to 110 every day. *cries* I'd been wanting to take both dogs out to work sheep one last time until summer's over, but unless I go before the sun comes up, it's not gonna happen. Bleh. I'd take some of that rain, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted June 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Yes, but you are in Arizona! If I wanted to live in a desert I would have moved to one long ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie&MeBC Posted June 29, 2007 Report Share Posted June 29, 2007 Ack, I feel your pain, Grace, as we both live in Arizona. The other day we made the mistake of going out in the afternoon for a hike and Lucy kept diving under cacti and any other shadow she could find (including mine) because her feet hurt. That's hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderlicious Posted June 29, 2007 Report Share Posted June 29, 2007 Yes, but you are in Arizona! If I wanted to live in a desert I would have moved to one long ago! Yeah, yeah. I didn't move here by choice. First chance I get, I'm high-tailing it to Alaska! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted June 29, 2007 Report Share Posted June 29, 2007 It was 65 degrees and sunny today in San Francisco. For summer, it was a pretty nice day. The normal summer weather in my part of town is something like 55-60 and foggy. Every now and then it gets a bit old. But then I remember the days of 95+ and muggy in Philadelphia and I don't mind it. Yeah, I kind of miss wearing shorts (I have not worn shorts -- not once -- since moving here, except when I was traveling to warmer parts of NoCA, mostly for sheepdog trials) but on the other hand I really don't miss sweating. Seriously. The only time I sweat now is at the gym. It rules. The best part about the weather here is that Solo LOVES it. He doesn't handle heat well and starts wilting at around 60-65. Becca you should come visit me. Come on, don't you have any relatives left around here or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted June 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2007 Nope. I live where all my relatives are now. Except the ones on Montana. Or Scotland. Or Mexico. Kind of long story, but the Reader's Digest version is that my American great-grandfather was a pioneer, one of those "elbow room" guys who moved when the town he lived near got more than one street. I've got known aunts, uncles, and cousins in Detroit, zillions of relatives in Mexico City who wouldn't know me from Adam, and a couple still in Montana who would know me if I introduced myself. Even all the classmates I was closest to, have moved away! One of them even lives here in NC - married a career military guy and lives in Jacksonville. I can only name two of my classmates who stayed in SFO. We were a very diverse class but one thing we shared in common - how much we hated that city. We just had our 20th reunion. It was held at the home of one of my classmates, who has a six acre property in the Valley. Six acres, woo hoo. I didn't go. If I had the money and time to go out there, I would come visit you instead, Melanie. But I'd wait until early fall - summer's my least favorite season there. I like it fine here, it's just the lack of rain that's got me whining. It looks like our neighbor with all the cows is going to share with us. He's going to drop a bale over the fence the next time he comes by. He's highly amused at the idea that one bale will do for us for a few weeks, probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon M Posted June 29, 2007 Report Share Posted June 29, 2007 I dont remember the last time it rained here. I know it was awhile ago. It's been between 85-105 for weeks. Gets up to 115 here, but I imagine this year will be even hotter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 29, 2007 Report Share Posted June 29, 2007 I didn't move here by choice. First chance I get, I'm high-tailing it to Alaska! Now that's kind of like jumping from the frying pan into the fire isn't it? Okay, poor analogy. It's certainly going from one extreme to the other, though.... We did get a bit of rain last night, brought by a thunderstorm. Thunder rumbling at bedtime doesn't do much in the way of helping with last potty break of the night, so my reward for the fact that we got a little rain is that I had restless dogs at 4 a.m. (all those thunderphobes who couldn't possibly do their business at 10 p.m. if thunder could be heard, even miles away). But any rain is a good thing right now. Melanie, I think lots of fog would depress me, but I could certainly deal with a climate where the temps stayed around 70! J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsnrs Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 At least we don't have to shovel snow. And it cools off at night. THe porch was beautiful tonight. The mornings aren't bad; work til 11 a.m. and then retire til the sun goes down. No big bugs to carry you away either. Narita in AZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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