MARCH 1st

Oh, this is going to be FUN, posting a new Calendar photo on the first of every month!

I chose this picture for March because it shows a freshly shorn ewe (Stephanie). We always shear in March. After which, it usually snows ;-) I hate shearing! Not that I actually do it. We pay a guy (Phil Yokum) to come shear the flock. He does a good job, but I hate seeing my poor, pregnant girls, manhandled! I'm always a nervous wreck. It must not be too bad though, because they all come up for cookies afterwards. They seem to enjoy having that heavy fleece off their bodies. Most want to be scratched, scratched and scratched some more!

I chose to have my flock sheared before lambing for several reasons. Fist of all, I like to be able to SEE how the girl's pregnancies are progressing. That last few weeks, some remarkable changes take place in the ewe's bodies and I can usually tell, within a day or so, when one of my girls is ready to lamb. It also lets me know if anyone needs more (or LESS!) feed. Less is a more typical problem, here in the Bluff Country. My girls tend to be a bit on the overweight side, even though I do not give them any grain ~ just hay ~ throughout their pregnancies.

Here's a picture of one of the boys after shearing:
They all look so little and frail once that beautiful fleece is removed. Kind of cute too, because they tend to not recognize each other for a few minutes! There's always a bit of pushing and shoving and a little head butting before they realize that it's the same old flock...

Here's hoping for a safe, happy and healthy March, 2006! Next month, the LAMBS arrive!!! I'll start the annual "ALICE WATCH" in the beginning of April...