Rotational Grazing

This is what I see out my front door this morning. The white fence on the left and right is electric netting. It allows us to keep the sheep in a smaller area (2 acres vs 50) so that they graze the pasture evenly. On the right, you can see the area they just moved out of, which is less green. Every few days, Chuck sets up a new area and move the sheep into it, allowing the grass behind them to regrow. In this manner, the sheep are always eating fresh, nutritious grass, and the rest of the pasture gets to regrow and store energy. Its a win-win situation for both sheep & plants.



Looking east from the front porch. There is a small pond in the area in the center of the picture, although you cannot see it from here, just the dam. We call it "Lake Rodenfels". LOL

Crockpot Pizza

Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 - 2 pounds ground lamb
1 box of pasta (rotini or twists), cooked
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
1T minced garlic
salt and pepper
2 can of mushrooms, sliced
minced garlic
2 large can pizza sauce (28 to 30 oz, total)
package of pepperoni slices (50 slices or so)
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
2 c shredded provolone cheese
1 c grated parmesan cheese

Brown ground lamb, onion, and garlic in olive oil; cook thoroughly, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook pasta according to package directions. Coat crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place two or three tablespoons of pizza sauce in bottom of crockpot. Add remaining sauce to browned lamb in skillet, mix and take off burner. Layer ingredients from bottom to top in this order:

1/3 of the pasta
1/3 of the lamb/ pizza sauce mixture
1/3 of the mushrooms
1/3 the cheeses
1/3 of the pepperoni

Do this three times. Cook for 4 hours on High or 6 to 7 hours on low.

Oleander Babies

As best I can tell at under 2 weeks of age, there is a blue tort buck, a REW buck, and cream doe.

Last night's dinner

This is the easy kabob recipe I posted recently. I served it with a side of corn pudding, and fresh steamed asparagus, picked 2 minutes earlier. :^) I ran out in the rain to pick it. I also made a strawberry pie, but Chuck ate it too fast for me to get a picture. LOL

Joni again

No, she is not catching up with those ears yet.

It's a rainy day, and this is my DOWOP (day off without pay) due to cuts in our state budget, so I am washing wool, dyeing, and generally trying to do something productive today. I also dumped all the rabbit dropping trays. And delivered the last of the BFL yarn to a new customer who is starting a yarn business locally. Wish I could do this every day. :^)

Uninvited guest

Look what I found on the rabbitry floor this morning. He must have come up the drain. I had to snip all the angora wool he'd picked up crawling around with a pair of scissors, and then released him back into the little stream beside the barn where he must have come from.

Guernsey County "S" bridges

This unusual "S" bridge can be found west of Cambridge Ohio at the intersection of US Rt 40 and Peters Creek Rd.

Lamb Roast Pizza

1 c cream cheese with chives, softened
2 T horseradish sauce
1 Boboli pre-baked pizza crust
1-1/2 c chopped leftover lamb roast
1-1/2 c chopped fresh tomatoes
1 c shredded lettuce
1 chopped green onion
1/3 cup creamy Italian salad dressing

Combine cream cheese and horseradish sauce in small bowl and mix well. Spread over pizza crust, then top with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving.

Cheviot Mule with Texel Sired Triplets

BFL lambing is finished

Arlene was just starting into labor about 7:30 last night, so I coaxed her into the lambing area, gave her plenty of space, and left her alone. Went down about 9:15, and there was a nice fat, LOUD, ewe lamb with her. She was very steady on her feet already, and going after mom for milk, so I left them alone. Checked back in about 10:30, and Arlene had passed her placenta, the lamb had eaten, and both were finally settling down for the night.Here you can see the lamb voicing her opinion of the situation - BAAAAAAA!
I've named her Rosalie.

So we have 30 lambs - 15 rams, 15 ewes. The first born on 3-19, the last born on 4-19.

BLU Print available!

Follow this link to the first issue of the Bluefaced Leicester Union newsletter - the BLU Print!

Or go to the BLU website - bflsheep.com and click on the newsletter link to download it.

Redbuds

Morning has broken

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the word

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day

Breaking the tie

Quadrille had a ram lamb sometime this afternoon. She brought him back to the barn for the evening feeding. Since its been storming all afternoon, we put them in the lambing area so they have a dry, quiet place to rest. He's a beauty, and well fed.

Shadows of the evening

Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh,
Shadows of the evening steal across the sky.
Through the long night watches, my thine angels spread
Their white wings above us, watching around our bed.
Jesus, give the weary calm and sweet repose;
With thy tenderest blessing, may our eyelids close.

Amen

Green Pastures

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,

He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul....

Some of the lambs

Rabbit in Red Wine Marinade

1 rabbit, cut into pieces
3 large garlic cloves
1 bottle of red wine
2 oz. of kosher salt
1.5 oz. of sugar
1.5 oz. of peppercorn
1 small branch of thyme
½ bay leaf
½ star anise
Combine and stir all ingredients (except rabbit) in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil; set aside for 15 minutes. Submerge rabbit pieces in cooled brine and place in refrigerator for 6 hours. Drain, discard marinade, and pat dry, then sear rabbit in olive oil over medium-high heat; about 3-5 minutes per side. Place rabbit in oven safe dish and finish cooking in a 400-degree oven for about 30-35 minutes, brushing with more olive oil as necessary. Arrange on plate and serve. This would be nice with a side of wild rice pilaf and fresh greens salad.

Maximo and Sierra Leone's litter

My latest Satin Angora litter. Looks like 2 red does, 1 red buck, 2 tort does, 2 tort bucks. If you are interested, please contact me, as I usually sell out the SAs quickly.

Joni

Just look at those ears!

Somerhill Calais

This is Calais, who will be entered in the Great Lakes show and sale on Memorial Day weekend. She is a yearling. Contact me for more information prior to the sale.

Iden's rams

Here are Iden's twin rams that were born Tuesday, 4-6. I finally caught the family together in the daylight.

BFL Lamb Chops

The beginnings of dinner last night. Natural colored BFL lambchops, saute'd in garlic butter with baked potatoes and whole green beans. I wanted to have steamed asparagus, but it got dark before I got a chance to pick any. So tonight will be our first asparagus meal of the season.
The chops were mild, delicious, and unbelievably tender!

Sweet n Sour Rabbit

Rabbit (2 -3#), cut into pieces
2 T cooking fat or oil
1 c pineapple juice
1/4 c vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c fresh pineapple pieces
1 med. green pepper, sliced
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c water
Flour, salt, and pepper

Directions:
Cut rabbit into serving pieces. Roll in mixture of flour, salt, and pepper. Heat fat or oil in a heavy pan; brown rabbit pieces on all sides over moderate heat. Add pineapple juice, vinegar, and salt. Cover pan; cook over low heat 40 minutes or until meat is tender. Add pineapple and green pepper; cook a few minutes longer. Mix cornstarch and sugar and stir into water. Stir this mixture gradually into liquid in pan and cook slowly about 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Vivace and Dessa

Chuck found them out in the pasture yesterday afternoon. Viv would not leave the lamb to come eat her evening grain, so he brought them in to feed her and get the lamb tagged, etc. I let them back out this morning. Viv is so sweet and attentive - its cute to watch them.

More lambs

Iden had twin rams yesterday afternoon. They are exceptionally handsome, I think, and nice sized - 12# each. Unfortunately, I forgot to take their picture until after we let them out this morning, so I'll get a picture this evening after work & the BLU board meeting teleconference.

I had to run a lamb to the vet last night because we had a new baby that was not walking on his rear leg. Doc says its not broken, but there is nerve damage due to being stepped on. He got a steroid shot and we have to give antibiotic for 2 more days, but Doc thinks he will recover. Luckily, he is able to get up and about and nurse, and even plays a bit with his sister. We set up a big pen for them so mom has more room and the lambs can play, but he won't have to walk so far following her to and from the pasture. So I got home from the vet last night at 9PM......we had eggs for dinner. :^) I think he looked a little better this morning - we'll see.

So the score is 14 ewes, 14 rams, with 2 more ewes to lamb.

What's with all these legs?

Hey, what are all these legs????

Rowan has triplets! 2 rams and 1 ewe(Larue), all english blue, with 2 of them really black, and one of the rams is smokey charcoal grey. I've never had anything but really dark patterned lambs before, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the lighter one looks like as a yearling.

Busy Day!

Jillian had twin girls early this afternoon. When I checked on the flock about 4 pm, I heard little voices in the back of the barn. Hmmmm - who do these belong to? Jill came to the door, saw me, and left. I went out and gently eased her back toward the barn, and when she heard the little voices, she went in. Heck - what did she know, these are her first. She thought you just had them, cleaned them up, and then off you go grazing..... what? I need to feed them? Well, why didn't anyone tell me that? Obviously, they've worked things out this evening, and both girls look full to bursting. They are Paisley and Paige. Paige is the little one.
These are Bess' twins. She had just had the ram when I walked into the barn, and was cleaning him. Since I saw little feet sticking out, I knew his twin was still to come. While I was getting Jill and the girls settled into their pen, I heard a loud, long bellow. By the time I checked Bess 5 minutes later, the ewe lamb was on her knees, and within 10, she was up and going for a meal. Her name is Encore. These are Bess' first lambs, too.

Yesterday's lamb

This is Adagio's ram lamb from yesterday's post. He weighs 11.5#. She and he are out in the pasture together today, and he trots right along behind mama. He is a candidate for a clean-up ram for this fall based on his genetics.

A happy ending

Wynne was in labor this morning when I checked the barn. After nearly an hour, she still just had toes showing, so Chuck and I decided to check her. The lamb's head was wedged in tightly. I worked the feet free, but the head was wedged into her pelvis. Chuck lifted her rear off the ground, and tugged and pried and wiggled and finally popped the head free, and out slid the lamb. She was kicking and convulsing so hard I was afraid something was wrong, but soon raised her head and looked around. Mama started licking and nickering to her right away, so we stepped away and left them to bond. Within 10 minutes, the lamb was up, but Wynne licked her so hard she fell down again. I gave Wynne 1cc of banamine and a shot of antibiotic, and left them alone. The lamb was soon nursing, and in 2 hours, already hopping around the pen. Mama Wynne has passed her placenta, so all is well with both of them now.
Smile, Marisol! Happy Easter!

Dodgie's little guy

...who is not that little! He's 11.5#, and was born early this evening. As you can see, they are getting along just fine together. We put them in a pen so he did not get trampled during rush hour at feeding time. I'll let them out in the morning after the barn clears out. We may get rain overnight, so having less sheep in the main barn is good. Still have 7 more ewes to lamb.

Good morning, twins

These are Ballad's twins - one of each. The ewe lamb (Valley) is in front, at her feet. They were born early this AM, and mama was about to take them out into the pasture with her for her morning graze. I grabbed them and penned them up until I gave them shots, and banded tails and put in ear tags. Now they can go out and play in the sunshine.

Horseradish Crusted Lambchops

4-6 lambchops
3 T dried bread crumbs
2 T butter
salt & ground black pepper
1 ½ T minced shallot
2 T minced or pressed garlic
1/4 cup well-drained prepared horseradish
1 T parsley
1 T thyme
6 oz coarsely-crushed potato chips
1 ½ tsp mayonnaise
1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Toss bread crumbs with 1 T butter, salt & pepper in a non-stick skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Cool on rimmed baking sheet then toss with shallot, garlic, 2 tablespoons horseradish, parsley, thyme and crushed potato chips.

3. Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt & pepper. Heat one T butter in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear chops until well browned on both sides. Transfer to wire rack and let rest 10 minutes.

4. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons of horseradish, mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl. Just before coating chops with paste, add gelatin and combine. Spread horseradish paste over top and sides of meat, leaving bottom and ends bare. Roll coated sides of chops in bread-crumb mixture, pressing gently so crumbs just cover the paste; pat off any excess.

5. Return chops to wire rack and place on rimmed cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes and serve with horseradish cream sauce.

Horseradish Cream Sauce

• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 1/2 c horseradish
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Whisk until cream just thickens. Gently fold in horseradish, salt and pepper – refrigerate at least 30 minute prior to serving.

These would be great with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus, fresh from the garden.

Clio's boys

Clio was in labor when I checked the barn this morning around 7. She soon produced a big white ram lamb, and here she is cleaning him up. He was up staggering around in no time.

I knew she'd have another one (saw its toes) so I went back up to the house and had breakfast. Half an hour later, she had just given birth to this second ram lamb. He is solid charcoal colored all over - the bluest lamb I've ever seen! I'll post another picture once he is dried off and I can really tell what he looks like. I "think" his wool is actually white, but not sure yet. Clio is a Loyalty daughter, and Lockerbie is a Titus son with a little bit of Jamie in the background. She has produced dark english blue lambs in the past.

Thank goodness for lambs - it had been 5 days since the last set of twins!This is the dark ram now that he is dry. So he is definitely white. He is also a stunner!