sheep – Page 2 – Plum Blossom Farm

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Carole Balala

Some Much Needed Rain

Thank goodness we got another storm that brought some more rain. I measured and this week the farm got 8+” from the storms that came through. At the end of last month I had started to get a little worried since our dry spell seemed to stretch on and on. We were having very warm temps for the winter as well. It definitely felt more like spring. The grass in my pasture had stopped growing and that is not what the sheep want to see!

As much as I hate keeping the sheep in the barn during a heavy storm it is very dry, warm and cozy in there. I put down fresh straw and everyone just hunkers down. And although nor the sheep or I enjoy slogging through the mud the days after a rain we all do love the life the water gives to the plants. Including the moisture received by the hay and alfalfa fields of the central valley which will feed the flock next year. I am hoping that we will get enough precipitation this winter to drastically lower the hay prices this year. I won’t hold my breath but I’ll keep my fingers crossed 🙂

The Russian River really flows after a big rain and it feels so good to watch it grow to a muddy, healthy size!

Posted on August 6, 2014August 6, 2014 by Carole Balala

Saying Goodbye to Old Friends

This has been a difficult week for the farm. We lost two of our oldest flock members. Two of my original girls Violet and Camellia died of natural causes on Monday. Violet got sick first and then Camellia. I had the vet out on Saturday, unfortunately it being a weekend I had to pay emergency visit fees, and after all that the vet had no answers for me, only suggestions. I gave them each doses of antibiotics, b vitamins, CMPK doses, nutri-drench, wormer, probiotics, grain, alfalfa and rest. All in the hopes that something would work for them but to no avail. These girls have been with me since the beginning of the farm and I was especially close with Camellia who was the sweetest, gentlest soul I have ever met.

Violet, 10 years old, was my only black female and the mother of my big boy Cedar. She was a wonderful mother and Cedar loved to be near her even as an adult.

She was a bit of a pig and loved all the produce that the flock gets each week but her favorite treat was always bread. She had a gorgeous jet black fleece when she was younger that grayed as she aged- I can relate. 🙂

Cedar remains close with his dad Brody and will take comfort in his company I believe.

My dear Camellia, 13 years old, will be greatly missed. Days later I still think I see or hear her in the flock only to have the truth come rushing back to me that she is gone.

Camellia had such a warmth and softness to her that she made a perfectly natural, doting mama. Her twins Madrone and Manzanita grew up to be lovely adults in their own right.

She had one of the softest fleeces I have known and a roundness to her body that showed her years of mothering before I knew her. She loved treats and affection and would always greet me for a hello.

Camellia had a calming, zen-like presence. I would glean that from her and walk away feeling more centered than when I approached.

I loved her so much and will always be grateful to have known her.

The difficulty in having animals is that they age so fast. A lot of my flock is now in their golden years and I am realizing I will have to get used to loss. It will be difficult but the connections are well worth it. These creatures add such much reward and joy to my life and I hope I have added contentment and love to their lives as well.

Posted on July 15, 2014July 15, 2014 by Carole Balala

The Barefoot Shepherdess

I don’t feel envious of other peoples lives very often but I found myself feeling that way today. A customer of mine, Victoria, who recently bought a cat cave from me, mentioned I should check out this woman referred to as The Barefoot Shepherdess. I went on youtube and found myself immediately enchanted and captivated by this woman and her traditional farm in the Yorkshire Dales of England.

She is famous for her barefoot walking tours and fashionable wool tweed ensembles and has gotten quite a lot of press from the BBC and other media outlets. I, of course, am more drawn to her gorgeous farm and sheep work. I like her aesthetic style but think I’ll stick with my tee shirt and jeans with coordinated muck boots!

I do not have the kind of space or soft green hills that she does so I wouldn’t dream of walking my rocky homestead barefoot. But it does look like a heavenly way to look after the flock, check fence lines and look over the lush hillsides.

If you want to check her out in action try this youtube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozm4tdwluhk

She also sells her eye catching outfits on her website: http://www.shepherdess.co.uk/

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Carole Balala

2014 Hay Season

This years hay has come in and it is beautiful but super expensive! For hundred plus pound bales last year of high grade hay I paid $13 delivered. This year for the same level of hay I’m paying $19. Ouch!

California is having serious drought conditions and it has affected this years growing season. There wasn’t enough rain for a lot of crops to grow and some fields didn’t even get planted. Because of this we are looking at higher demand for the hay that was grown. Word around town is there just won’t be enough hay to go around this year so regardless of price people are having to stock up while they can. I know some people have had to sell off a lot of their animals which is so sad but I understand the predicament – less grass grew because of less rain, meaning they would have to buy extra of already pricey hay.

Tuesday will be my last delivery load and I’ll be done buying hay for the year. Its been an expensive month! But to see my critters happily munching on some tasty grass hay or alfalfa makes it well worth it.

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Carole Balala

New Girls Have New Names!

I am delighted to inform you all that we have a winner in the “Name the Ewes” Contest! Our winning entry came from Karen of South San Francisco. Who sent me the following ideas:

Demey -(short for Demeter) Greek mythology Goddess of Harvest/Grain
Persephone- her daughter, Goddess of Spring/vegetation
Flora – Roman mythology – Goddess of Flowers and Spring

I will be naming Mama Demeter, her daughter Persephone and Auntie will be Flora.

I am so excited about these beautiful names and am looking forward to informing the ladies of their new elegant labels this evening.

Thank you so much to all of you who sent in your wonderful names! I was so impressed with the participation and with the stature and quality of the ideas that were submitted!

Karen will be receiving a $50 gift certificate for Plum Blossom Farm to be redeemed either on our website or in person at an upcoming fair.

Posted on March 30, 2014March 30, 2014 by Carole Balala

New Friends

auntie sheep

This week I have gotten the chance to get to know my new girls better. They have their old names Auntie, Mama and Baby which will need to be replaced since I have so many mamas, aunties and babies in my flock- but more on that later.

The beautiful girl to the left is Auntie. She’s the one with a little entropia (bottom eyelid sometimes rolls in on the eyeball slightly) in her right eye as you can see. She is the most skittish of the three. The other two will approach me even if I don’t have food and are just less jumpy around me in general. When I put their dinner in the shed each night Mama and Baby will come in while I’m there and start eating. Auntie will wait till I’m far away from the entrance then race past me and slide across the wood porch, scrambling hooves flying, till she’s safely inside. I’m not worried though – some of the sheep I’m closest with in my original flock were ones that were super spooky and took a long time to win over. The shy ones are worth the patience it takes to make them feel comfortable.

Here is Baby. Not the greatest photo but she has the longest bangs so it’s hard to see her eyes all the time. I will have to post another photo after the shearer is here. This girl is so sweet and tries to be very brave around me. She sticks closely to her mother at all times and is just another reminder to me that animal families often want to be near each other and not separated. She has started baaing more to my sheep so I’m looking forward to getting her in with the flock where she can make new friends. At two years old she is my youngest member of the flock now.

The bottom photo is of Mama, leader of the tiny pack. She is the most demanding, baaing when she sees me or when she feels dinner should be served. The other two take their cues from her. If she is alert they become alert. If she is calm and interested they relax. She is a protective mother even now as I learned when the vet came out. While were trimming Baby’s hooves she was distress baaing and Mama came over and checked in with her. Mama came from across the pen (where she was trying to stay away from us) to touch Baby’s nose and stand nearby. It was very touching.

They still need names and I think I will be asking for your help on that topic in the upcoming newsletter. I need three related female names for these three girls and the entry that wins will be given a gift certificate for the website. So sign up for the newsletter on this site if you haven’t already. It goes out once a month sometime during the first week. I will keep you posted to what new names win out.

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Carole Balala

Lucky Sheep Get Daily Organic Salad Bar

For the past year the animals of Plum Blossom Farm have been spoiled with fresh, organic fruits and veggies. My friend Farah, who passed the ducks along to me, was very kind to share in the produce she gets from a local small grocery chain. The produce the store sorts through and can’t sell because it’s slightly wilted or blemished gets put in a bin for us each day. Some of the produce looks perfect and I cannot figure out why it got thrown out at all.

The sheep and ducks eat the majority of the veggies. The ducks favorite treats are butter lettuce and tomatoes. The sheep love celery, apples, carrots and to my surprise, oranges. It is so fun to watch them run to see what time of goods the produce piles hold each morning. I love to spoil them and it helps cut down on my hay bill which is always a good thing!

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Carole Balala

Splitting up the flock

I have had these new sheep for almost a year now and the blend has not been seamless. My original flock is all polled, or hornless and the new flock has large prominent horns. What has happened is that my original Wensleydale flock is fearful of the new Karakuls and for good reason. The Karakuls can be very pushy and ram the Wensleydales, very hard at times.

In the six months that I have had the two flocks housed together I have had two serious injuries in my original flock. I had a wether named Marzo (see below), unable to stand for several days due to a pelvic or spinal injury.

Then Lawrent (white sheep above) suddenly was very lame one evening when I entered the barn barely able to walk, clearly in a great deal of pain.

Both wethers luckily made a full recovery but that was the final straw; the flocks would have to be separated.

I do not want to re-home the Karakuls because they are so personable and sweet to me and each other. I have just figured out a new was to think about them. They are the “goat-iest” sheep I have ever known. They are bolder around dogs and people than most sheep and are more aggressive like goats too. When I had goats I did end up keeping them separate from my sheep as they were getting picked on in the same way. Except those goats were Angoras and half the size of my original sheep and so it seemed a slightly more even match.

So now my chores are a bit longer and more complicated. Two waters, two mineral tubs, separate feeders, etc. But at least I can relax and know that everyone will be safe.

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Carole Balala

Sheep Oral Surgery

A month of expensive vet visits are the most current events at Plum Blossom Farm. The older sheep in the flock are needing dental work. Most sheep are not allowed to grow old. They are sent to slaughter far before they need any medical care. On my farm however all the animals have a forever home here and are given whatever medical attention they need.

Just like horses, sheeps teeth continue to grow throughout their life. This is probably where the phrase “long in the tooth” comes from. This becomes a problem as the grinding molars grow and cause each bite to be painful. The sheep in this condition lose weight and become thin. I have heard so many times that old sheep just get skinny, there is no way you can fatten them up. But apparently this is the actual problem and it is at least manageable. But it does cost – $125 each.

I found a new wonderful vet out of Potter Valley named Dr Rich Brazil. He was willing to float my older sheep’s teeth. This means filing them down. It was a long process with sedation involved but everyone made it through fine so far. I will do one more round of old girls and boys to make sure everyone’s teeth are in good shape. I had to break the patients into two
groups to divide the bill.

I am glad to do what I can for these sweet animals. It is so rewarding to see them eating better now and finally putting some weight back on; just in time for winter.

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Carole Balala

First Fall Shearing

This is the first time I’ve ever had two shearings in a year. All the time I’ve had the sheep I’ve just had them shorn once in the early summer or spring.

My shearer believes that sheep stay healthier without all that wool on them throughout the year and it does seem like they get a spring in their step the day after. Studies have shown that sheep will grow more wool per year if they are shorn twice.

Plus most wool mills can only handle a 6″ staple length. Some of my sheep get near that at the six month mark so it becomes a problem for the mill equipment after that.

We’ll see if the locks still sell okay at the shorter length. But either way it started to become a matter of necessity to have shorter, cleaner fleeces.

Tag: sheep