Some Semblance of Sanity Returns

Now that the irrigation is working in the front fields, our new pump has arrived and awaits installation of the electrical panel, and half of our guests have returned home, things are slowly returning to normal. The haying is all but done, neatly stacked in the barn and likely going to be sold as all our pasture is still green and healthy and the neighbour has allowed us to graze the sheep in his pastures as well. The actual haying exercise has been problematic but we have learnt enough to be able to manage it all ourselves next time around, as long as all of our ancient equipment is up to the task and the modifications we need can be made to the bailer (converting it from wire to string tie).

We're hopefully coming to the end of 30+ days of 90 degree weather as well. Just a small dose of rain would be a welcome change. In the last couple of days we have been gathering soil and hay samples to determine the nutrient uptake ability of the ground and the nourishment value of the hay. One thing we have quickly learnt is that what cows and horses will eat is much different to sheep as sheep are much more fussy. Unless its still green they won't touch it, much to our annoyance. We're hoping that in the winter months this fussiness goes.

Our flock has in the last couple of days unexpectedly grown as well. Several weeks ago we noticed that a 'stray' ram had appeared amidst our ewes. It's not breeding season yet so we let him be thinking his owner would eventually come by (even after we scoured the neighbourhood asking who owned him). Well nobody wanted him apparently so we figured when the time came he'd be off to the scales as an extra few dollars in our pocket. Well one sheep might have been fine but yesterday afternoon we discovered 5 more in one of our fields. Same breed, same age roughly (yearlings). Again we did the drive around asking the neighbours, and again nobody knows who owns them. It's not like they're the same as all the other sheep around either, they're quite likely either Katahdin's or Damara's, hair sheep usually reddish in colour. They're also all male, undocked and unweathered.

So, we have a dilemma. What to do with 6 young rams. There are essentially 2 options and both have their merits. Both breeds of sheep are bred to have less fatty meat than traditional meat sheep and are much hardier, able to survive on very low quality scrub feed, so either we could pocket a few hundred dollars by selling them to the scales, or we could slaughter them ourselves for the meat. The second (or is that third) option is to use them as male breeding stock with our East Friesians. Say what? Well they are a similar build, are extremely hardy to sheep parasites (which will do well with the rather frail East Friesians), actually produce above average quantities of milk, and are aggressive toward predators such as coyotes.


I'd just add in here at this point that we are unsure of the 'wandering livestock' rules in Oregon, but these sheep are untagged and apparently not carrying any identifiable marks (I even checked for tattoos in the ears).

Perhaps its not such a dilemma after all, but my initial thought was "We'll contaminate our breeding plan!". We will need to have the sheep fully checked by a local vet to ensure they are OK, but maybe a Damara or Katahdin / East Friesian cross is breaking new ground in the sheep / cheese industry and the possible advantages are extremely interesting. Stay tuned on this one!