The weather was beautiful this weekend! We’re still a little damp, but not muddy like last week. So we got busy with outside chores all weekend. Boy, my arms and legs are aching today!
Saturday we loaded up those cows we sold–went smooth as silk.
Then Mr. Fix-It and I moved the chicken house, cleaned it out good, and set it up on some fresh ground in the orchard. (Ok, we only have one peach tree at the moment, but we call it the orchard because one day…)
Our hens got to peck around a bit for the afternoon and walked right on back in by themselves come evening. They’re usually pretty good about that now anyway, but I wasn’t sure if they would figure it out since we moved it. We didn’t move it far, but they are just chickens.
But I did them an injustice. They found the coop just fine.
I kept the kids inside most of the day on Saturday. The boys are coughing and sniffling and it was a bit nippy out and I just didn’t want the cooler air to set them back.
But by Sunday it was even nicer (and they were going stir crazy!) so we all headed outside after Church.
The Ladybug and I worked sheep for the afternoon, and Mr. Fix-It and the boys tilled up the garden, untangled the fencing and put it up, and planted our first lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage plants of the year.
I wish I had pictures of us working sheep, but honestly, it was hard work and I was busy. We ran everyone through the chute, dewormed them, trimmed hooves, and checked over all the little guys.
And when I say little guys, I mean it. We have 13 ram lambs and only 1 ewe lamb so far. I’ve got 6 left that haven’t lambed yet.
To do hooves, you turn the sheep up on its rump as if it’s sitting in a chair, and then hold them down using your legs while you trim hooves (or whatever you have to do) with your hands and a clipper tool that looks like garden cutters. In that position, they’re pretty much prone, but some of them are still pretty feisty. It’s the same positioning you see when someone is shearing.
There’s a specific technique to “throwing” them into that position (it’s not really “throwing”) that involves controlling the head and turning it into the shoulder…but I’m not very good at it yet. Most of my efforts involve grabbing a’hold and hauling backwards until one of us tips over…and hoping its the sheep. {By the way, you don’t ever want to pull on a sheep by their wool. It’s not good for the wool, or the sheep.}
And you have to be very careful about grabbing horns. They can be helpful if you know what you’re doing, but if you don’t…just don’t. They’ll come off. (I don’t know this from experience, but I’ve read about it several times and it’s not pretty.)
Anyway, the Ladybug and I worked our way through the whole flock. I’m tired and a little scratched and scrapped and bruised up, but I actually enjoy most of the animal parts of the farm, so don’t get the impression that I’m complaining too much!
And we ended the day with more good news! The folks that took Hannah called and said that they were very happy with her and it was working out great and that they’re riding or working her every day and they were ready to pick up her registration papers if that was ok. Which it was, of course. We just kept them because they were taking her as a trial and we agreed to take her back if it didn’t work out. They even said that she’s already slimming down noticeably!
What an answer to prayers!!
How was your weekend?
