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2003 PHOTOS (click to view 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 photos) |
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Photo
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Early this
morning, the sheep enjoyed an extra-large
Thanksgiving Day serving of their leafy green
alfalfa hay. While the the sheep chowed down, two
of the Pyrenees dogs Emily (left) and Angus
(center) seemed to be wondering when they would get
their own special treat. In the spirit of the
holiday, I always like to share turkey with the
dogs. It won't be long now, kids - just wait till I
get that bird in the oven!
November 13, 2003 Meet the
newest members of the SkyLines family In addition to
rounding out the farm's organic weed control team,
these shy, gentle creatures also produce small
amounts of that wonderful and rare fiber -
cashmere. The goats are still wearing their summer
hair coats now, but as the nights are getting
colder their warm, soft, cashmere undercoats are
beginning to grow in. Today,
head goat Ollie (foreground) has led the herd out
to nibble shrubs in the draw pasture. Ollie is very
protective of his charges, and here he's thoroughly
checking out the camera before allowing me to get a
closeup photo of the other goats. September 11, 2003 Below, SkyLines'
Great Pyrenees guard dogs (left to right) King,
Angus, and Emily lounge among the grazing sheep.
These fearless guardians are alert and active all
night long, and then they spend most of their days
sleeping or resting. In spite of daytime
appearances, though, the dogs are on duty 24/7.
Visits from the shepherdess, friends, and the
family dogs are always welcome, but absolutely no
other creature is ever allowed in the sheep
pastures, be it coyote, dog, raven, wild turkey,
deer, elk . . . or even skunk!
August 12, 2003 This little girl
was born about six weeks after lambing was over and
the flock had moved from the barn out to the woods
pastures. I had assumed that Eleanor just didn't
"take" this year, since she never showed any signs
of impending motherhood. Well, much to my surprise,
one July day she walked out of the woods with this
bonus lamb in tow! A first-time mom, Eleanor has
proven herself to be an excellent mother, and a
fiercely protective one too. Good girl!
July 30, 2003
Head 'em up, move 'em out! This afternoon, I led 93 of the sheep down the runway between the newly-cut hayfield (left) and the woods pastures (right), headed for fresh grass. The entire flock moves to new ground every one to two weeks, slowly traveling from one end of the farm to the other through eight subdivided pastures. They've just finished their second round trip of the season, and are now going back to the beginning, where the #1 pasture has been resting and regrowing since early June. Rotating pastures ensures that the sheep are always grazing grass that's in a vegetative, growing state (meaning green and highly nutritious), and it's also an important part of my internal parasite control program. All of the animals know the routine and really seem to enjoy it. When I go out to a pasture and holler "Gather up, let's go!", sheep, dogs, and donkey all come pouring out of the woods. Within a few minutes, the entire mob has gathered at the gate to the next pasture, and they're bawling at me to hurry up and open it! Here, the line streams past me as I stop to shoot this photo. The Great Pyrenees guard dogs have, as usual, rushed ahead to check out the new pasture before the sheep arrive. And, just a white speck in the distance, Peaches the guard donkey brings up the rear of the group.
On this
classic hot summer afternoon, the sheep
are all lounging under the trees, taking
advantage of the cool shade to chew their
cud and nap. Lilly
and her 3-month-old boy (both caught in
mid-chew) were quite surprised when I
crawled under the branches to snap this
photo of them! At 11
months of age, Angus the Great Pyrenees
pup is close to being a full-fledged
member of the SkyLines guard team. This
endearing boy still has a bit of
goofy-puppy in him, but he's beginning to
take his job very seriously and doesn't
miss much. Above
right, Angus had been napping with some of
his sheep under the trees, but roused to
check out the intruder in his pasture
(me).
May 26,
2003
Lambing is over now, and everybody's been out grazing in the woods pastures, where they'll spend the summer. In this photo King the Great Pyrenees is clearly happy to be out of the winter barnyard, as he oversees his sheep in the "back 40" pasture. Barely visible to King's left, Alice and her twin lambs head uphill to join the rest of the flock for a cud-chewing session on top of the slope. Everyone seems to enjoy this pasture tremendously, with its combination of a high-and-dry slope with good visibility, and its cool, moist flat filled with lush, rich grass (see photos below).
About halfway down the hillside, this yearling ewe has bedded down for her afternoon nap in a patch of snowberry bushes, within easy reach of a snack should she wake up hungry.
Further
down the hillside, on the flat, the Romney-Montadale ewe
Nora and one of her month-old lambs are wallowing in the
knee-high fresh spring grass. Sheep heaven!
The 2003 lambing
season is just getting underway now, with about 30
ewes bred. So far, the weather's been just
glorious, and the girls have all been delivering
beautiful, healthy babies. Here's a sampling . .
. Lucy's
three-day-old girl enjoying the warm, sunny
day. Margaret's
twins, about an hour old and still wobbly, haven't
yet figured out that there are two spigots, and
that there's one on each side! In another few
hours, though, they'll both be pros at this nursing
business. Nadine's tiny
girl is just too precious . . . Romney ewe
Lilly and her sturdy boy seem ready for
anything. My friend
Cindy cuddles Sara's sleepy lamb Sasha. Chubby
Sasha is about 2 weeks old and the first lamb born
this year. Sara keeps close watch in the
background.
Top:
We sheared and individually skirted 51 fleeces this
year, and the tired and dirty crew were still
cracking jokes at the end of the long, hard day!
Meet the SkyLines 2003 shearing crew (left to
right): Nadine, Penny, Margo, Jessie and his mom
Susan, Tertza and her dad Martin, Fern, and
Priscilla. Right:
Shearer extraordinaire Martin Dibble was gentle but
persuasive with the ram Elmer, who just wasn't in
the mood to get his hair cut this year. Shearing a
sheep takes just minutes, though, and once it's
over it is very obvious that the sheep feels great
about being rid of that thick winter coat.
March 4, 2003 Still no snow on the ground, and though we never really had a winter, it's clear now that spring is on the way. The red-winged blackbirds have returned and have, as usual, taken up residence in the Hawthorne bushes that ring the pond. As another sure sign of spring, Audrey (foreground), Alice (background) and the rest of the sheep are about ready for their annual haircuts. Shearing is a couple of weeks away now, and then lambing will begin in early April. The cycle of life continues . . .
February 10, 2003 February is another quiet month on the farm. Here, some of the bored Romney-cross lambs (with coated Buster in the background) have followed me into the barn to see if I might do something interesting, like maybe offer them a treat. Sorry kids, nothing today!
January 19, 2003 January is a quiet month on the farm. Once the ewes have been bred, winter becomes a time of quiet contentment, as we all settle in and wait for spring. Gestation in sheep is about five months long, and lambing will begin in early April. In the meantime, the "ladies-in-waiting" kick back, live the easy life, and focus on growing babies and fleeces. Here, Romney-cross sisters Rita (top) and Linda (bottom) while away the afternoon and wait for dinner to be served.
January 18, 2003 Yikes! Still no snow! The light snowfall of mid-December melted off before Christmas, and since then we've had weeks of warm, 30-40-50 degree weather, rain and fog. Almost unprecedented for this area! Of course, everyone's been enjoying the unusually mild, open winter - why not? Just to be on the safe side, though, I'm making preparations for a long, hot, dry summer that may well put the farm's water supplies and pastures to the acid test. In this photo, Julius the young Romney wether isn't sure if he approves of my photographing "his" girls. Julius has recently assumed responsibility for the pregnant ewes in one of the farm's winter pastures. It's not his job, guarding is what the three Great Pyrenees dogs and the guard donkey are here for, but I'm not complaining. In coyote country, you really can't have too many guard animals!
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