Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Farm tour


Last Saturday we went on a farm tour of the Lindsay area. The photos above show biosecurity in action at one large sheep farm that runs 1000 ewes. Note the blue plastic booties that cover up your boots and shoes. These are disposable and stop diseases from spreading from your farm to theirs and vice-verse.
The lambs shown below were the result of an accelerated breeding program that gives about three lamb crops in two years. Hormone mixtures are added to the feed to help promote out of season breeding, but some ewes just naturally do this. The lambs shown were Dorset or Suffolk crosses, mixed in with a dual purpose British milking sheep.

After a good restaurant lunch, we went to see another farm which had 400 ewes. The owner had converted a hog operation into a sheep farm. He really didn't have to make a lot of changes. He also did an accelerated breeding program and has been experimenting with the use of lights, mimicking the change of seasons.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Colourful sheep

Freshly dyed sheep run in view of the highway near Bathgate, Scotland. The sheep farmer has been dying his sheep with nontoxic dye to entertain passing motorists. Aren't they lovely? Hope it keeps away the parasites !

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Suddenly, everyone wants llamas

I am guessing that because we have had such a long hard winter here in Canada,  as soon as the temperature is a few degrees above freezing and the sun comes out, people start to think spring. When they think spring, they also think of animals- lambs frisking in the fields, and the llamas that are needed to look after them and protect them from coyotes,wolves and stray dogs.

In the last week or two, we have had about seven serious inquiries about our llamas for sale. The one in the photo above is going to Nova Scotia and another one left yesterday for the Hamilton region. Another two year old female is going up to Bancroft and we have to deliver two more to Brockville, Ontario in the near future. Seven have either left or are about to leave. It is sad to part with them, but I was asked by my doctor about two years ago; "How long do you think you can keep on doing this?"
I thought this was quite funny at the time as I was in pretty good health, but I understand that llamas are fairly big, although not as heavy as a horse or cow, but they can still knock you over accidentally. As nearly all my elderly relatives broke hips and legs in their later years, I realised that I should take the doctor seriously and at least cut down the numbers to half a dozen or so. The sheep can stay for a while-they are a lot smaller and tend not to knock you down unless you stand in the way of a stampeding herd - which I have done in the past. I was standing in front of the sheep trying to get a good photo and our Border Collie was driving them from behind. They all ran right over the top of me, but I survived a little flatter but with no broken bones!

For more information about our llamas and care and feeding of them, see: www.sabinsfarm.com