Sheep

The month of October was chalk full of sheep work which had the Kelpies feeling very satisfied but me less so.

The dry conditions in our area steered the tough decision to part with a significant number of ewes this Fall. It is important to us to respect what the prairie land can give and we have already asked a lot of this prairie. And while I’m not arrogant enough to believe the lack of rainfall is within my control I am arrogant enough to demand that I manage well whatever the conditions and managing right now equates to having less mouths grazing the prairie.

This selling of ewes came on the heels of a few hundred lambs leaving for market so the shift in the flock size feels dramatic. I believe it’s been over a decade since the flock was this small.

One becomes accustomed to the size of a flock and you develope a sense of knowing whether you have your group or are missing some. When I head out to bring the flock in for water in the evening I can’t help but feel that I missed a group somewhere such is the difference in the flock size.

With a large flock that roams the prairie having enough guardian dogs is always in the back of your mind. With the downsize we now have a more than adequate number of guardian dogs going but I have no gumption to sell any. Our pack consists of three dogs older than seven years of age and I’m comforted with knowing they’ll stay on and continue to lead a rich purpose bred life with enough younger dogs to handle the workload. There is less concern with bringing new dogs in anytime soon which is somewhat of a reprieve for me because these dogs are one of the deepest treasures of this life, and thus, also the deepest heartbreak at times. I’ll be okay with needing less of them. One of the two up and coming pups will be moved on in order to avoid future conflict between the two but there is no immediate rush for that just yet.

This flock is my day job. The income from the flock is my contribution to our combined living income. The changes in ewe numbers equates to a significant change in that income in the future. Moving forward we have decided to put more emphasis on wool production and ways to add value to our wool clip. It all feels a tad risky right now and yet I feel assured that less is going to be more as we go forward even though I can not see all the how’s just yet.

The cold weather arrived well before the snow. With the lack of rain fall all the sloughs and the majority of wetlands went dry this year. The very few water bodies that still held water are now frozen over with a thick layer of ice. Getting water to livestock has become a main priority the last several days. We are now bringing the flock home every evening to overnight near the yard where the water bowls are, and letting them out to graze for the day (so the Kelpies are one again gainfully employed). This skiff of snow is not much but it is good to see it and the ewes will be taking it in as they graze which will help alleviate the dry dusty grass conditions they are faced with.

The new water bowls Allen blessedly installed during the last week of warm weather are seeing good use. There is a line up at the water bowls every evening but no matter how many ewes are there if the old fellow wants to drink he does. We take for granted the availability of our own water and how easy it is for us to access it so we often forget that water is a resource of major importance to animals. There is a pecking order at the water bowl.

Moving sheep in and out every day quickly became familiar routine for us and the ewes and it makes me feel so thankful for stock dogs. It’s not only that they do the job so readily but it’s also because of the regular use of stock dogs that the flock is so accustomed to moving.

We are settling into the routine of fall, and just as I write that I think how odd it is to say one is settling into a season of Nature when one lives a life embracing nature and being embraced by her. What other choice should we take? But I used to fight the seasons, letting angst about a future season taint the beauty of the present one.

Winter feed is home and stacked. With the majority of the lambs gone the flock is quiet again as they graze. Ewes have been sorted, with a group still to go for sale. Guardian dogs are busy with the increased Coyote activity.

The new Corriedales have taken their new haven on the prairie in stride. I find myself wondering what they figure about this place; the dry, nakedness of it compared to the humid, forested landscape they came from. Are they lost without their own flock or do they think of such things at all? They have a tighter fleece than my Corriedale ewes which at a distance gives them a grey appearance and makes them easy to spot among the other ewes. It will be a treat to handle that wool come shearing time.

I’m making my way through the batch of photos taken while on that move with the Aveley Ranch sheep flock which created so many memories for me. Here are a few more before I move on.