We brought the ewe flock in this weekend for a pre-breeding check and crutching (clipping wool around the tail). We have a lot of Cicer Milk Vetch in our pastures and while it is good, protein rich feed that holds its green well into winter it does cause some animals to pass very loose stools and if that happens to collect on the wool it’s a mess for the ewe. Crutching is not a nice job for us but a necessary one this year. Fortunately it doesn’t occur across the board but only on some animals.
Kelpie dogs BJ and Coyote Mic had the honors of doing the flock work this weekend. With the two dogs and the cold weather incentive the flock was gathered and moved in sweet and sure fashion. Since crutching is a job that takes time the dogs were put up once the flock was in. There were half a dozen ewes too thin to go back out. The bulk of the flock though is in fine shape and have returned to grazing stockpiled forage. The rams were let out yesterday to join them.
Given the extremely dry spring and early summer we’re so fortunate to have stockpiled forage this year and to be grazing it this late considering the ewes came on to it about a month earlier than usual. Adjacent to the stockpiled forage is a wide strip of mixed prairie and bush. Between the two plots of grazing land the ewes are doing well. We’ve been running this flock on a grass-based basis for well over a decade now and every year it amazes me that the prairie came through yet again.
Land is not to be taken for granted and truly this year was rough and to have come out of it in decent shape is a wee bit of a miracle and a forgiveness of nature. I was speaking about land and animals to a fellow this weekend and I told him this year was the first time I felt as though I had failed this land. And I do feel that. Not in a laying blame/self judgement way but in a way of knowing that I was beat by the weather and I was lost over how to manage for the land and the animal at the same time. I’m not sure if that weather has shifted and we’re out of the woods or not, but one blessing about a northern winter that shuts plant life down is that it provides a measure of reprieve. A time out if you will, and hence time for reflection about what to do differently.
The area the flock is grazing is not fenced on one end and there isn’t enough snow cover to prevent the ewes from traveling further afield. This means some shepherding is required. And that means I won’t be going too far from home base for the next while which is not unusual. Since it also turned cold and windy I’ll take advantage of the situation to work on our house build and do some felting projects I’m aiming to wrap up before the new year.
Also, I seem to have settled on regular posting of photographs on my instagram account. if you’re wishing to see more sheep and dogs photos than you get here please drop on by and check it out.
