Life here on the Wenzel farm is same same chicken lips. We spent spring break sick, so nothing fun happened other than chasing a fevered child around to give them some motrin. This warm weather though is renewing our spirits and getting all of us excited for the coming planting season. Sean has tilled up our garden area and where my herb garden will be. I have even planted Lavender seeds. Everything I have read says that if you have two green thumbs you have a 50/50 chance of getting your seeds to start. I have one greenish thumb, I figure my changes are down to 25%, but I'll keep trying and learning.
On the far left is my three lavender pots. The rest the kids planted.
Where my herb garden will eventually be.
Speaking of learning, we learned that no matter how many times you wipe a sick chicken's pasty butt, you can't save them all. In addition to our three turkeys we already talked about, we added two more chickens and four more turkeys. Unfortunately, one turkey died unexpectedly of our original three, and then we lost one of our little chicks to the dreaded pasty butt. We did replace that little chick with two more to bring our new little flock to three light brahma chickens, four white turkeys and two bronze turkeys. The turkey's days are numbered (Thanksgiving) and some of our existing flock of egg laying hens are also going to be turned to stewing meat this fall. It's sad to think of these birds that we're holding and talking to and really treating as pets almost, as food in a few months, but Sean and I agreed that the whole point of this farming endeavor is to become a little more sustainable on our own. A little less reliant on big farm and grocery stores for food. With that said, I more than likely will cry when they leave the farm for their fate of coming back to the freezer. Even my beloved sheep are not safe from being turned to food.
The sheep are doing wonderful. The warmer weather has really started the wool coming off in puffs. I have been rooing Caiohme daily. Some days I get a ball the size of my hand, others like today, just a little the size of my thumb. Even more exciting than thinking about learning to spin yarn from my own wool, is the two newest members of my herd. Jinny and Bridgit.
Bridgit
Jinny
You can see the wool just hanging off of them. I have a harness lead that I think I will have to use on these two to get them to stand still for rooing. I hate thinking about stressing them out when they are so new to us, but I simply don't have the time to get them comfortable with me like I have with the others if I am to get that wool off of them before it gets too hot. For now I am spending a good 15 to 20 minutes in the pasture every morning and evening just watching and sitting there. I also will get a cup of oats and feed Caiohme out of my hand to show them that I am not an aggressive or bad person. Jinny seems more inclined to come near me, but Bridgit bleats for her to come back and Jinny backs away. Bridgit seems like a jerk. If her personality isn't improved over the summer, she might be off with Bellasarious this fall to wait in the freezer for the turkeys and chickens.
Herd management is something we discuss frequently around here. Sean is of the mind that we should just let them go and do their own thing. Their ancestors did that for years, unnoticed in the wild and have survived. I am of the mind set that the rams need to be separated from the ewes and designated penning needs to happen during the rutting season (Sept. to Feb.) We'll have to see who wins this conflict of opinions, Fingers crossed it will be me. It would make it easier to get the sheep papers and register them as a conservation herd, if we go that route, if we know who sired who with whom.
Well, I think I should wrap this post up before I just start listing the things that are going on around here in a boring, straight forward, choppy manner.
Thanks for reading Sheepies, type to you soon!
~B
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