The vet and I spent a couple hours this morning with the ewes crowded together in a nice warm bunch getting the girls ultrasounded. The good news is all the girls are bred except Tammy – who I didn’t want bred anyway. We had difficulty getting readings on many of them, so Hattie is the only one we know is expecting multiple lambs. On the very last one we happened on an improved technique of laying the ewe down and turning her over. She became very docile – less movement helps obtain clearer images. I’m looking forward to just shy of a dozen lambs skipping around the pastures next spring! My best estimate is 5 off-white and 6 black. Maybe Fergie has read the rule book since last year… It’s quite possible there will be some bonus babies since 3 of the mature ewes twinned last spring.
Breeding Groups set for the Season
The babydoll breeding is hopefully over for the season. I used all 3 rams so next year I have the option of selecting a ram lamb for breeding to unrelated females within the flock. J.C.’s ladies are expected to lamb ~March 26th with the rest following within 2 weeks. I plan on having ultrasounds performed in early January so I can adjust the ewes’ rations according to the presence and number of fetuses.
J. C. and his mini-harem.
These are the pen assignments:
J. C. is in with Hattie and Fergie with the goal of breeding for strongly dark fleeces.
Turbo was assigned Claire, Nina, and Olivia (the Claire Clan), but also bred Rachel and Sara. . . the girls’ choice.
Winslow had his way with Penny, Iris, and Rhonda.
I appear to have been successful in keeping Tammy from being bred (due to her late arrival (May) and, thus, small size). (Modified 1/8/2015)
Aquaponics Shut Down for Season
With the onset of cold weather, the temperatures in my unheated greenhouse fell into the teens this last week. The few remaining plants were not active nor numerous enough to cleanse the fish water and the cost of keeping the water in the temperature range tolerable to these tropical fish (and the bacteria that support the system) could no longer be justified. So… this first trial season was over. The process of decomissioning the system was a bit tricky so I’ll share the experience. TWIMC. . .
Due to an earlier operator error (forgetting to turn the circulation pump and aerators back on) there were just 11 fish remaining – most quite small. Few, if any, are large enough to fillet, but still needed to be retrieved from the subterranean tank. To keep my options open regarding the cooking or further raising of the fish, I made an effort to match the water temperatures between the new container and the old one to reduce stress. I also put them into new water to cleanse their system for improved flavor. In this case it meant using well water with some of the iron precipitated out combined with the recommended level of aquarium salts. I purchased a fancy fish net with a blunt end and fine mesh suited to their diminutive size for the extraction itself. New data perhaps, but the fish people say the tilapia can tolerate water temperatures down to 61F. Mine tolerated 54F, though its probably not recommended.
The fancy new net for extracting the fish with the buried fish tank and insulated cover in the background.
I transferred the aquarium heaters to a 5 gallon bucket of the clean water and brought the temperature up to the same temperature as the water in the buried fish tank. It took patience but I was able to catch the fish (and didn’t fall in). They are an unusual blue color appropriate for their name: Blue Nile Tilapia. One of the down sides of having the fish tank buried is the limited light available for fish gazing. The size and number of fish remaining was also unknown until the “harvest”.
My goal was to drain everything into the fish tank to preserve the water for watering potted plants in the greenhouse and perhaps as a “seed” for next season’s water and bacteria. The subterranean tank will be partially heated by the earth and partially by a single aquarium heater or livestock tank heater over the winter – or so the plans goes.
Two of the aptly named Blue Nile Tilapia.
The circulation pattern of the water in the system is from the fish tank to the syphon bed, then the middle tank, and finally the raft bed before returning to the fish tank. I worked in reverse order and started by shutting all the valves between the tanks. I was able to syphon out the raft bed down to about 1″ by filling a hose with water at the hydrant, then carefully placing the “uphill” end under the surface of the raft bed water then dropping the other end into the fish tank. When the syphon failed due to low water I took out the last bit with a wet/dry shop vac until there was not a connection of water across the bed to freeze and push out the walls. That water was not saved. The middle tank was straight forward using the same sort of syphon system.
The last of the raft bed water was removed with a wet/dry shop cac.
Drawing a syphon up the syphon housing
The greatest challenge came with the syphon bed. There was about 2″ of water remaining and the only way to access it was down the opened up syphon housing. I finally decided to use a hose ball-valve on the “uphill” side to enable me to keep the water in the hose (primed). So I had to hold the other end up – pinched against the bed – while I opened the valve under the level of the water and then I could get the other “downhill” end to the destination tank and release it. I was able to evacuate all but about 1/4″ of water. I tried to further shop vac the rest out to no avail. I’m hoping the pressure from that much ice will not be enough to damage the bed construction and that the hydroton pellets will somehow interrupt the ice formation. Time will tell.
I will be monitoring the water temperature in the buried tank to see how it tracks as winter progresses. Note to self – maybe start this a little earlier next year. The shortened daylight ran out on me two days in succession during this process and having wet hands (or other parts) in freezing temperatures is not pleasant.
Sheep and Fiber Farm Tour
The Tour this last weekend was a great success, at least in my estimation. I took my two youngest ewe lambs and a truckload of other paraphrenalia to Melodee Smith’s yak farm near Welch, MN (Clear Spring Farm) where she had a pen and yard space awaiting me. There were lots of interested (and interesting) people touring and I had a great time telling anyone who asked about my precious Babydoll sheep and the products they produce and help produce (fruits from my orchard).
It was easy for me to assume the role of Babydoll Southdown spokesperson for the weekend – with enthusiasm. I had assembled a poster that spells out the advantages of the breed and had it on display when the wind speed allowed.
My display also included rovings, combed top, and hand spun yarn from my flock, and some preserves made easier by my 4-legged groundskeepers.
The combined Smith and Anderson families did a great job of entertaining and educating visitors about their yaks. I was amazed at the delicateness of the fiber from these large animals. The kids handled their 4H food stand with skill and courtesy. The wares were mighty fine, as I can attest. I sampled extensively, but missed out on the yak meatballs.
I was kept busy with the number of visitors taking advantage of Saturday’s balmy weather and must have had my hands in my pockets on Sunday since I missed out on lots of photo opps of the yaks and the ewe lambs on display. I did catch a few photos of Larissa Walk’s lovely dyed wool items from her display and demo (see below) inside the most un-barnlike barn I’ve ever seen.
I’m already looking forward to next year and hope the Tour continues.
Demonstration: Yarn being dyed in a walnut bath.
Flock gets clean bill of health
Results came back from the folks at GeneSeek today indicating that NONE of the adult flock members are infected with OPP. Hurray!! The results of the second test (indicating their underlying genetic potential to contract the disease) will not be back for another couple of weeks. Stay tuned…
DIY Shearing
Moonshadow, my grayish Shetland wether, was in need of shearing. His fleece was gorgeous – mostly bur-free and clean.
Moonshadow before shearing.
By spring it would be longer than most fiber mills care to handle – I’m thinking it was about 4″ long at this point. Over winter it would get dirtier as well. It needed to be done soon so some could grow back and keep him insullated over winter. I figured – How tough could shearing one animal be? I’d received a used electric shearer (Thanks, Meg!) so set to the task. I had tied him with a dog collar around his horns to the trailer hitch on my truck. Well… after uncovering just a 9 by 12″ patch of skin the poor dude was about ready for a transfusion. The blades were as dull as I’d been warned they would be and my emery cloth treatment apparently hadn’t helped.
I headed over to an Amish neighbor who sheared for me in 2013. He said he would do it but he was swamped and I’d need to bring Moonshadow to him and … I chose not to impose and headed back home. This time I took out an instrument labeled as an “antique, English-made” hand shearer, touched it up with the angle grinder and whet stone, and started in.
The victim during the perpetration.
It took over an hour of being bent almost double, but I got it done. Periodic breaks to unkink the spine seemed to be appreciated by Moonshadow, too. I was able to pull the cut wool away from the work area so had very few second cuts, so the quality of the harvested wool is quite good.
Moonshadow after shearing.
I was glad I had the extra fiber length to work with. I wouldn’t want to do it with the shorter-stapled Babydolls, but know I could if I had to. I didn’t cut super close so he shouldn’t get chilled. The extended handling made him calmer (resigned?), not freaked out as I had feared.
The crime scene.
The chance to have my own Shetland wool to work with in a couple different shades is exciting. I partially skirted the fleece until other duties intruded. It was easier than skirting the Babydolls’ – cleaner and over 95% of the locks exceded the minimum staple length for my processor (2″). I separated the wool into silver and cream piles so will have at least 2 color lots.
I’ve recovered to the point of considering shearing the other Shetland wether, Noir, too, for a third shade (black).
That means I would have to catch him, though …
Testing flock for OPP
Just when I was getting smug about being in a great position relative to the genetic resistance of my flock to scrapies – another disease hits my radar. Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP) is much more prevalent and is eventually lethal to all flock members who contract it. It affects the lungs, the joints, and sometimes the nervous system, but symptoms vary widely and often an infected and infectious animal exhibits none of them.
A group at USMARC, a USDA research facility in Nebraska in conjunction with staff at UN-Lincoln have investigated the epidemiology and genetic resistance factors for the disease. They found a gene that they determined affects how the virus penetrates the membrane around living cells. They also found variants in the sequence of this gene that correspond to different levels of susceptibility – there is no absolute resistance known – yet.
Today a vet, her assistant, and I drew blood from the breeding flock to be sent for testing of their 1) genetic resistance profile and 2) whether they have the disease. The first test uses gene sequencing the second uses ELISA to detect the level of antibodies in their blood.
As a responsible breeder it is important to me to know the status of my flock and its members so that I can make appropriate breeding, culling, and marketing decisions. Lambs younger than 7 months do not test reliably for the infection status so I cannot know for certain their condition but can get some indication from their genotype and whether the disease is present in the flock at all, especially in their mothers. The disease is transmitted through milk and colostrum but also through mucus – sneezing and slobber on shared water containers, for instance.
The results should be back in about 2 weeks so I should know in time to decide the best course of action for showing lambs at the Sheep and Fiber Farm Tour on October 11th and 12th.
Whether I’m being paranoid or prudent will only be known in hindsight. Stay tuned for the results. If you care to learn more about OPP, there is a society to raise awareness of it that has a very nicely done and informative website.
http://www.oppsociety.org/Home.html
Orcharding Challenges
The fruit and nut orchards have been struggling this year. Since it’s still within the establishment period for some – that is understandable and even expected. The mature fruit, planted by the previous owners, also hit some rocky spots, however.
Peaches: Yes, I know Minnesota is not peach territory, but they produced so beautifully and bountifully last season that I thought perhaps global warming would be my friend and salvation where this crop is concerned. Not to be. The temperature dipped to at least -34F here with devastating results. Four of the 6 trees were killed (though they made feable attempts to leaf out). The last two were killed to the ground and sent up shoots. One of these was so weak that it toppled and died, too. The final one is being fortified from sheep browsing and my nephew and I planted a ‘Reliance’ peach near it that was actually bred/selected to handle -40F.
Pears: For the most part the pears are doing great. They have a heavy crop on and, oddly, seem to be ahead of last year in maturation. They have, however, been attacked by some psylla insects that have skeletonized many of the leaves severely. I hope the crop matures well and the trees have adequate winter reserves considering the lost leaf/photosynthetic surface. The psylla looks like a terrestrial leech with a wider head than body. Note the elongate black blob in the photo.
Apples: Moonshadow, the gray shetland wether, is a browser, a fact that I didn’t appreciate fast enough to prevent some damage to my young apples. What was at stake? In May I had planted 8 dwarf apples (4 ‘Liberty’ and 4 ‘Sweet 16’) to extend my harvest season and also provide earlier harvest relative to larger trees. They are on Bud 9 rootstocks and are reputed to grow to 25 to 30% of seedling tree height – I’m figuring 8 to 10 foot. The first time he and the other sheep were pastured among them, Moonshadow got on his hind legs and, with his forelegs on the cages, ate the tips out of 4 of these and 5 of the 11 small grafts planted in 2012. The trees are releafing, but it will take some time to retrain a leader in each. The 4 ‘Cortlands’ and 2 ‘Golden Delicious’ are bearing heavily, but the ‘Connell Red’ are in an off year. The question remains… did Moonshadow teach this behavior to the young and impressionable Babydoll lambs?
Hickory-Pecans: I did no replacement planting this season and the hickory-pecan census is down to 28 – 4 died over winter and another 2 gave up the ghost this summer. I’m concerned that part of their struggle is due to the lime-laden dust from the gravel road less than 100 feet to the south of the planting. You can see the dust deposits in the accompanying image. They are likely to handle high soil pH better than the chestnuts (who are luckily, another 40 feet from the road). I paid for one dust-control application that was effective in August and also gave them a 1/2 cup dose of 20-20-20 fertilizer to try to improve their condition. The fertilizer was delivered in a hole made with a bulb planter about 3 inches deep and 1 foot to their downhill side and the plug was replaced on top of the fertilizer. To quote a horticulture educator at the Morton Arboretum speaking about transplanting woody plants: ” The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.” I’m looking forward to lots of leaping next year.
Chestnuts: This is the “creeping” year for the chestnuts, but they are looking tough. All of them died back to near the snow line this last winter and some are looking very blonde from the continuous lime-dusting. Of the 13 present at the end of last season, 3 didn’t survive the winter and another 2 died this summer. When they stabilize a bit, I plan to transplant them to a more fertile, moister, and more acidic location among some white pines.
Wild (Prairie) Plums: The plums ripened at a particularly inopportune time so I only harvested about 4 gallons worth. This was enough for 2 quarts of plum liqueur (not yet strained), 1/2 gallon wine, and 8 1/2 pints of jelly. I purchased a new canning aid, a steam juicer, that did a beautiful job on the juice for the jelly.
Additional Stone Fruits: I added two plums, ‘Superior’ and ‘Toka’, and two sour cherries, ‘Montmorency’ and ‘Northstar’, to the orchard this summer. Due to the time spent on our book for work, “Growing Hybrid Hazelnuts”, they were not planted as promptly as they should have been. They also suffered from the Moonshadow effect. The ‘Montmorency’ cherry didn’t make it, but the others are doing reasonably well. We are experiencing a huge grasshopper population this season, which doesn’t help matters.
Elderberries: My cultivated bushes are still juvenile so my harvest is from the clumps growing behind my property in the drainage swale. Flowering was glorious this year but pollination was a bit sparse. I collected enough to test out the steam juicer and netted 4 quarts of juice. Two of these got highjacked for wine. The wine making is something I have not done before, but I figured it is yet another way to preserve the harvest. If grape juice and wine are healthful then the juice and wine from elderberries should be even more so. I’m not quite sure when to start sampling the wine, but I will let you know how that goes… even if it gets poured down the drain.
In spite of the work they require, the taste of their fresh ripe fruits is enough to convince me to plant even more… preferrably with off-set maturation dates so they can get the attention due them at harvest as well.
Coated cuties will be on The Tour
On Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12 the self-guided, 2014 Sheep and Fiber Farm Tour will be held in southeastern Minnesota with options to stop at 5 fiber farms plus the Faribault Woolen Mill. Thanks to a couple of grants, the tour is free with the intention of informing the public about the associated animals, farmers, fibers, and products. At each stop there will be tours, demonstrations, and, often, items for sale.
Three or so of my coated (see “Lambs don fatigues” post) ewe lambs and I will be camped out at Clear Spring Farm. This 40 acre yak farm is located near Welch, MN. I will also have rovings and yarn for viewing and purchase. The tour is open from 9 to 5 each day. Tentatively, I will be there with the girls from 11 to 5 each day ( there IS a farm here that needs care after all…) For more info visit:
Click to access SheepFiberTourBrochure2014_LR.pdf
Lambs don fatigues (coats)
Today three of the ewe lambs were outfitted with olive drab (well… almost) coats to keep their fleeces from fading and getting infiltrated with vegetative matter. It was a bit 3 bearish – one fit a bit large, one a bit small, and one just right. I have a couple more for an off-white lamb or 2.
It was interesting to watch the flock dynamics. Sara, who has spent lots of time with Tammy, immediately snifted her and accepted her. But then the adult ewes got spooked by the coated trio and Sara had to run away, too. I’m anticipating they’ll have figured it all out by morning and the three won’t be pariahs.
I’m excited at the prospect of having cleaner fleeces next spring – both from the perspective of it being a higher value product, but also because it won’t take nearly as long to skirt them. I will offer the opportunity for fiber lovers to reserve fleeces as next year’s shearing approaches.
Meanwhile… hut 2, 3, 4 eat that weed and then some more!