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I think you mentioned Flirt had triplets (now sadly two), but how common are they in Jacobs anyway? How about sheep in general?
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Apr 26, 2015 18:38
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kinmik posted:I think you mentioned Flirt had triplets (now sadly two), but how common are they in Jacobs anyway? How about sheep in general? It has much more to do with management than breed in most cases but triplets aren't uncommon in Jacobs. In general first time ewes of most breeds have a single, maybe twins if they're in really mature and in nice condition at breeding, and then after that you can pretty much count on twins as long as they go into breeding season in good condition. To get triplets (or more in the case of breeds like finnsheep) you need to really monitor quality and amount of feed and start increasing it about a month before breeding. That's called "flushing" and I actually didn't do much of it at all this year because my barn was under construction just before breeding season. The two sets of trips I had this year are both from ewes who took last year off so they went into breeding season in extra good condition and were ready to drop some eggs. The last time Jazz had trips it was her first year here and she moved from the farm where we bought her which had heavily grazed fields to our farm which hadn't been grazed at all for a long, long time and that naturally flushed her.
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Apr 26, 2015 20:28
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Aaa finally done with lambing! Juniper had two handsome little boys at 3:30 this morning. I spent all day yesterday dealing with Johnnie who tried to poke her eye out and needed to have her eyelid stitched back on but I'll save that story for later and give you all the full list of babies we've had this year. I'll get around to naming them all at some point. We started with the romeldales, a baderfaced ewe and a white boy. They're big and sassy and they like to dogpile on me and eat my hair.   Then Johnnie had her little premie girl who is also huge now and refused to pose for me today.  Next came the goats. Ginger had a dark red girl and Angela had a silver brown one within 12 hours of each other. Angie's kid is bold and adventurous, Ginger's is a little more skittish.   On Easter Aster had boy/girl twins in the water trough but they're fine now. They're wild little beasts but very pretty.   The next day Moose had her giant inbred moose boys. She only has half a working udder so I supplement one of them and they're growing well.   Then was Page who had her big single boy that got a little broken being pulled out. He's all healed up and still has the sweetest, best little lamb face ever.  Maddie has a big, stuck boy too but he was pulled without incident. He's sort of a dork.  Eclair finished up our run of giant cormo boys with her 10 lb beast. He's basically a holstein.  Jazz then showed everyone up with triplet. Two normal girls and a little shrimpy boy who looks like a teeny version of his big brother Twofer.   And finally Juniper and her twin boys. I'm hoping one of them turns out nicely and I can keep him to breed back into my line in a year or two after bringing Isadore in. I've been hoping for a boy version of Jewel for a while now. 
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Apr 29, 2015 20:55
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InstantJellyfish, congratulations! They are just adorable! If I could I would sit outside among the critters all day! Thank you for sharing those wonderful photos!
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Apr 30, 2015 00:48
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 Smiley face spots!!
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Apr 30, 2015 15:53
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Omg I LOVE Eclair's baby. Stuff him in a box and send him to ME. 
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Apr 30, 2015 16:48
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Superconsndar posted:Omg I LOVE Eclair's baby. Stuff him in a box and send him to ME. I really like dat big beef. He might actually get to keep his balls in the great cormo testicle massacre coming up.
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Apr 30, 2015 20:33
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Superconsndar posted:Omg I LOVE Eclair's baby. Stuff him in a box and send him to ME. Superconsndar you have some absolute cuties too! The baby piglets gonna be meat pigs?
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Apr 30, 2015 20:54
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piscesbobbie posted:Superconsndar you have some absolute cuties too! The baby piglets gonna be meat pigs? We're keeping the girl permanently; and I'm keeping two of the boys to breed to their mom and their sister once or twice because they have some latent traits I want to try to pull out. After those breedings we'll either sell them or eat them. The other two boys will either go bye bye or get eaten, whichever comes first.
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Apr 30, 2015 21:41
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Eat all the pigs
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May 1, 2015 02:28
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Suspect Bucket posted:Eat all the pigs Actually ButWhatIf and Fluffy Bunnies are visiting in a week and they are going to help me kill and butcher Porgwife and her two terrible Porgsons  Roast A Pig
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May 1, 2015 02:57
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Superconsndar posted:Actually ButWhatIf and Fluffy Bunnies are visiting in a week and they are going to help me kill and butcher Porgwife and her two terrible Porgsons You stole my idea for my birthday party. I will be doing a pig killin and luau in three weeks.
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May 1, 2015 03:18
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Superconsndar posted:Actually ButWhatIf and Fluffy Bunnies are visiting in a week and they are going to help me kill and butcher Porgwife and her two terrible Porgsons feels like there's a story behind them getting the axe here
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May 1, 2015 03:23
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Nah not really, she was a lovely trash pig that I bought for cheap as an Intro To Pigs and her two sons are lovely too so they've served their purpose as learning aids and now they can go to trash pig heaven (the freezer!!)
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May 1, 2015 04:08
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Superconsndar posted:Nah not really, she was a lovely trash pig that I bought for cheap as an Intro To Pigs and her two sons are lovely too so they've served their purpose as learning aids and now they can go to trash pig heaven (the freezer!!) Bad genetics or bad temperament?
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May 1, 2015 04:17
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I've always thought those porgs seemed gross and hellish. Animals have gone to freezer camp for lesser offenses. Have some bouncing lambs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaQCkJfg7hM
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May 1, 2015 04:22
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Neddy Seagoon: Temperament is largely genetic so Yes.  They're built wonky and they're skittish and mean. They're also pot bellies and while I do want to use smaller pigs, they're a little *too* small to be worth the effort. Instant Jellyfish posted:I've always thought those porgs seemed gross and hellish. Animals have gone to freezer camp for lesser offenses. So, so gross and hellish
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May 1, 2015 04:27
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Instant Jellyfish posted:I've always thought those porgs seemed gross and hellish. Animals have gone to freezer camp for lesser offenses. that video is straight up  also while we're on the topic of butchering annoying animals, what would you say is the pettiest reason you've had an animal butchered for?(my guess it has to do with a male goat or sheep being a smelly jerk and or breaking something valuable)also Porg sounds like a really offensive racist name for Orcs and or Ogres 
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May 1, 2015 04:32
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Instant Jellyfish posted:I've always thought those porgs seemed gross and hellish. Animals have gone to freezer camp for lesser offenses. I like the goats bounding in wanting to play. Do the goats and sheep like to all hang out together?
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May 1, 2015 04:33
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drrockso20 posted:that video is straight up Win got the ax because he was being a dick to my cormos and the cormos are all sweeties who like hugs and also he had a weird goat fetish so gently caress off Win. It turned out for the best. Asiina posted:I like the goats bounding in wanting to play. They're usually all in the pasture together but they're very clique-ish and don't really hang out. Even the white sheep and the jacobs divide themselves up. Dang animals are racist.
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May 1, 2015 04:37
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Instant Jellyfish posted:Win got the ax because he was being a dick to my cormos and the cormos are all sweeties who like hugs and also he had a weird goat fetish so gently caress off Win. It turned out for the best. too bad Win's taste for goat poon-tang couldn't have gotten you a Geep before he got the ax, cause those rare little mutants are adorable 
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May 1, 2015 05:01
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Instant Jellyfish posted:Win got the ax How do you actually handle this? I'm guessing it's not actually an axe? I'm curious because I suspect that I'd be way too big of a softy to actually kill/butcher anything I'd named. A farmer I am not.
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May 1, 2015 06:07
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drrockso20 posted:too bad Win's taste for goat poon-tang couldn't have gotten you a Geep before he got the ax, cause those rare little mutants are adorable He wasn't usually after the female goats  Khizan posted:How do you actually handle this? I'm guessing it's not actually an axe? I'm not comfortable doing large animals myself because I don't want to gently caress it up and cause them unnecessary suffering. Instead I pack them in to the back of my trusty hatchback and away we go to our friendly neighborhood slaughter house. I checked it out before I brought in my first sheep and it really wasn't the nightmare I was expecting. It's clean, the butcher area is far away from the holding pens, all the animals waiting were calm and relaxed and the workers were gentle when handling them. They send the carcass to a local butcher who cut and wraps it to my specifications and I can pick it up within a week. The first time I thought I was going to be really upset about sending something I raised to slaughter but I wasn't at all. They had good lives and a quick death and we should all be so lucky. Plus heritage breed grass fed lamb is fantastic and so much cheaper than store bought stuff. Windsor's sage sausage especially is amazingly delicious.
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May 1, 2015 14:39
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I think I recall it was you that kept the skin of one of the sheep you really liked? Is that commonplace? I know sheepskin is super soft and am mad jealous, but how the heck do you arrange that? Do you have to take them to another butcher that will clean it for you, or what? Do you just say "hey I want to keep the skin so I can ship it off to my friend the taxidermist"? Having grown up in a suburb with pets this is super new to me. I feel weird asking this question. I'm hungry and thinking about adorable sheepies and how wonderful they must taste and how soft their skin must be. I'm not quite sure what to think.
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May 1, 2015 15:00
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Chaosfeather posted:I think I recall it was you that kept the skin of one of the sheep you really liked? Is that commonplace? I know sheepskin is super soft and am mad jealous, but how the heck do you arrange that? Do you have to take them to another butcher that will clean it for you, or what? Do you just say "hey I want to keep the skin so I can ship it off to my friend the taxidermist"? Having grown up in a suburb with pets this is super new to me. Don't feel weird! We all have our jobs and a sheep's job is to be productive. They provide wool and lambs and meat and pelts. My job is to keep them happy and healthy and try to keep them in as ethical a manor as I can. When I drop them off I ask for the pelts back and sometimes the heads if I want to clean those and try to sell them. I didn't get Win's head back because I liked Win despite him being an a-hole and didn't really want to deal with the feels. The people at the slaughter house always get excited when I don't want the heads back because they think they're cool too and will call dibs on them. Anyway, when I drop off the sheep they get a sticker stuck to the wool with my name on it and they write down that I want the pelt back on that so I know I'm getting the right one. After the sheep is killed they skin it and if they see I want it back they clean off the extra flesh and salt it for me. They don't think wanting the pelt back is weird at all and a lot of people do it. Once salted you can store the hides in a cool, dry place for ages until you are ready to tan them. The last batch I tanned myself but I really need to go back and work them some more so they're more supple and less like a wooly piece of plywood. This time I'm waiting until I have a few saved up and I'll send them to a tannery that makes machine washable pelts so that people can use them for bed mats or baby mats if they want. Here's one of my foster kittens from last year enjoying a soft, fluffy sheep pelt. 
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May 1, 2015 15:46
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drrockso20 posted:also Porg sounds like a really offensive racist name for Orcs and or Ogres How handy! I'm in a DnD game where I play a super racist rouge (human shoanti that hates all other humans and orcs. Other races are MAGICAL). I have a running tab of fantasy racist expressions because it turns out being a racist off the cuff is really hard when you've been raised a multicultural new york liberal. Instant Jellyfish posted:
Gruff loooooves his sheep girls. And they love him back.
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May 1, 2015 15:56
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Instant Jellyfish posted:Don't feel weird! We all have our jobs and a sheep's job is to be productive. They provide wool and lambs and meat and pelts. My job is to keep them happy and healthy and try to keep them in as ethical a manor as I can.
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May 1, 2015 19:23
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Good news! Gruff does NOT have CAE! However, his ladyfriend Red does, and most likely her daughter, Rose (who we did not get tested at the time but we are now doing the whole herd). They also all have CL. So tomorrow we and the volunteers will be re-enforcing Gruff's pasture, moving Red and Rose in, and figuring out what to do with the sheeps. Gruff is also getting castrated soon. Which is good because holy poo poo his balls hang to his knees. This is kinda annoying though, since Red is our better milker, and getting her from Gruff's castle to the milkstand can be annoying. The exciting world of livestock rescue.
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May 2, 2015 02:20
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Suspect Bucket posted:Good news! Gruff does NOT have CAE! However, his ladyfriend Red does, and most likely her daughter, Rose (who we did not get tested at the time but we are now doing the whole herd). They also all have CL. So tomorrow we and the volunteers will be re-enforcing Gruff's pasture, moving Red and Rose in, and figuring out what to do with the sheeps. Gruff is also getting castrated soon. Which is good because holy poo poo his balls hang to his knees. That sucks. I'd much rather deal with CAE than CL. CAE is easy enough to eliminate from your herd, if those abscesses burst on your property it's more or less there for good. It's also way grosser, ugh. I'm kind of amazed Gruff still has his balls. Most livestock rescues in my area are pretty militant about castrating everything ASAP.
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May 2, 2015 18:51
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Chaosfeather posted:I think I recall it was you that kept the skin of one of the sheep you really liked? Is that commonplace? I know sheepskin is super soft and am mad jealous, but how the heck do you arrange that? Do you have to take them to another butcher that will clean it for you, or what? Do you just say "hey I want to keep the skin so I can ship it off to my friend the taxidermist"? Having grown up in a suburb with pets this is super new to me. I have the heads of two of my goats in the freezer and one of their pelts, to turn into cleaned skulls/tanned rugs later. They were both does that I hadn't planned on butchering and who died suddenly due to stupid poo poo. I just kinda wiped my tears and then disassembled them, you pretty much just get over it. I just tell myself that at least this way they aren't going to waste and get on with it.
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May 3, 2015 00:38
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Tears happen. I remember Mr. Layton, big burly farmer neighbor guy. His favorite roosters were killed by a neighbor's loose dog. I had never seen a grown man weep like that. Felt so bad for him. He was out there picking up the feathers.... it was so sad.
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May 3, 2015 21:00
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Superconsndar posted:I have the heads of two of my goats in the freezer and one of their pelts, to turn into cleaned skulls/tanned rugs later. They were both does that I hadn't planned on butchering and who died suddenly due to stupid poo poo. I just kinda wiped my tears and then disassembled them, you pretty much just get over it. I just tell myself that at least this way they aren't going to waste and get on with it. yeah but has boot gotten over it yet? maybe he too is secretly a psychopath dog like moses.
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May 6, 2015 08:21
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Ahahaha I forgot about poor Boot and his thousand yard stare.
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May 6, 2015 12:07
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Thanks for the replies! The sheepskin sounds super soft and that kitten must have been in heaven every time it used the 'blanket'. Though the heads bring up a follow-up question : I like morbid curiosities but does anyone buy a sheep skull, or is that for personal use/garden decoration? I am more used to 'feathers teeth and the like' so I have a hard time imagining what someone would use a critter's skull for. I do think it's cool that these sheep get to have awesome, comfortable lives before their parts are used. Also, I love seeing pictures of the happy critters.
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May 6, 2015 15:19
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Tasty_Crayon posted:Ahahaha I forgot about poor Boot and his thousand yard stare. He seems to be over it now but I swear to god he's liked me less since it happened. Just in subtle way I can't describe.  Poor Boot. My captive bolt got here yesterday; gonna do the pigs either this weekend or sometimes next week. I'm thinking I'll lock Boot in the garage to spare him the horror and betrayal.
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May 6, 2015 19:57
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Superconsndar posted:He seems to be over it now but I swear to god he's liked me less since it happened. Just in subtle way I can't describe. Offer him pig ears as a token of friendship (I'm assuming boot is a pup [post that dog]).
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May 6, 2015 21:43
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Chaosfeather posted:Thanks for the replies! The sheepskin sounds super soft and that kitten must have been in heaven every time it used the 'blanket'. Though the heads bring up a follow-up question : I like morbid curiosities but does anyone buy a sheep skull, or is that for personal use/garden decoration? I am more used to 'feathers teeth and the like' so I have a hard time imagining what someone would use a critter's skull for. I haven't sold any just because I haven't gotten around to cleaning any nice ones properly but lots of people want to buy skulls. I used to have a whole big skull collection when I was in college but not I just have a ton of live animals and the dead ones are less interesting to me. Some people collect them as a spiritual thing and some people just think they look cool. Especially a nice 4 horned one can be a unique piece in a collection and bring in a decent amount of money. I know one jacob sheep farmer who sells lamb by the pound, sells finished pelts for about as much as the meat goes for, and the skulls for about the same. They tripled their income per sheep by processing and selling all the parts of it, not counting selling yarn and finished fiber goods from their breeding stock. Jacobs are little workhorses
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May 6, 2015 23:31
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I used to work with an artist who used a variety of animal skulls in his pieces of art/sculpture. Gorgeous stuff, it's been so long ago.
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May 7, 2015 03:38
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Instant Jellyfish posted:I haven't sold any just because I haven't gotten around to cleaning any nice ones properly but lots of people want to buy skulls. Down here in Texas, my family has always cleaned deer skulls by sticking them in a fire ant mound and waiting a few weeks. This is probably less practical in Ohio, though.
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May 7, 2015 04:19
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Just need a good bin of flesh-eating beetles. Clean those suckers in a jiffy.
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May 7, 2015 19:04
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