woolbabies

[woolbabies]

Forgot to post this earlier... oops!

#youtube #vaccinations

[woolbabies]

Brand new camera, brand new editing software! Four weeks and counting to lambing!

#intro #youtube

[woolbabies]

Nearly 6 weeks until lambing begins! The most growth of the lambs happen during this time, so it’s pretty critical for high-quality hay and grain to be given to the ewes! So hyped!

[woolbabies]

New video! The Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency sent me a package...

#youtube #osma #sheep

[woolbabies]

For some reason, the link to my Asks page isn’t showing up in this theme... Until I get it fixed or update to a different look, here’s the link!

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 Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you may have or just say hi!

 I love hearing from you all, and it makes my day to answer your questions!

#asks #youtube

[woolbabies]

Our first youtube video is live!

#youtube #sheep #update

[woolbabies]

T H E  P R E G N A N C Y  R E S U L T S  A R E  I N ! ! !

(Whiskey was freaking out the entire time because we had to seperate him from the ewes while Dr. MacKenzie did the ultrasounds. )

Alright, so here are the results!

Praetoria- At least one, but too far along to tell.

Minty- Twins

Rosemary- At least one.

Shirley- At least one.

This means that we’re looking forward to DOUBLING our flock size within the next few months! The ewe’s due dates are in Mid-April.

#Praetoria #minty #shirley #lambing 2k19 #January 2k19 #rosemary #vet #pregnancy

[woolbabies]

The vet’s coming out to give the ewes and ultrasound on Tuesday! I’m so excited for future lambs!!!!

#ewes #vet #minty #Praetoria #rosemary #shirley #lambs #January 2k19

[woolbabies]

It’s been bitterly cold (~-20 Celcius) these past few days. Thank goodness the sheep have their thick wool coats! 

#whiskey #January 2k19 #winter #cold #ram #snow

[woolbabies]

Me, a disgraced academic turned farmer, surveying my crops: Finally… I am out standing in my field

[woolbabies]

It was mild today, so the sheep came to say hi! :)

(Left to right- Rosemary, Praetoria, Minty, Shirley, and Whiskey)

#sheep #flock pics #ewes #ram #tunis #arcott #rideau arcott #suffolk #minty #rosemary #shirley #praetoria #whiskey #snow #january 2k19

[woolbabies]

Hello!

I’m Jay, and welcome to my blog!

I‘m a homeschooled teen who’s dream is to farm sheep. This will be a documentation of my adventures and misadventures, my victories and my mistakes, and my joy and sorrow.

I first got hooked on sheep when I participated in the local 4-H sheep club. Although I never finished the club that year, I did fall in love with my two project lambs, Hope, (a North Country Cheviot-Suffolk ewe) and Tessa, (a purebred Suffolk).  The summer that I spent with them that year was the best summer of my life. Unfortunately, I had to make the tough decision to send them to Freezer Camp. They were two wonderful sheep, and I will never forget the influence they had on my life.

Fast forward two and a half-ish years, and I had the chance to begin raising sheep again. This time, I planned for months beforehand. I decided that these animals would be a permanent addition to my family’s 13-acre hobby farm. In June of 2018, I brought home four ewes. Two of them were F1 Rideau Arcott X Suffolk, and the other two were 1/3 Rideau Arcott and 2/3 Suffolk.

Rosemary, Minty, Praetoria, and Shirley, as they would be called, would become my best friends and the foundation of my future flock. During that time, they helped me learn more about sheep than any book I’d ever read could have taught me. We also had some trials, including many broken fences, nail-biting over copper poisoning, and a case of pinkeye.

However, four ewes do not make a flock, and so I decided to go ram hunting. AI was too expensive, and no one offered rent-a-ram. Crestfallen, I thought that my dream was impossible. Eventually, I decided to buy Whiskey, a purebred, pedigreed, registered Tunis ram. It was the best decision I’ve made yet. Whiskey is sweet, to say the least. He acts more like a dog than a ram. I look forward to seeing his lambs in the spring.

So, there you go. The complete history of my adventures with sheep to this point in time. 

I hope you’ll decide to stick around to see what happens next and hear about my other ideas and plans to make myself more self-sufficent.

#sheep #homesteading #farming #tunis #suffolk #arcott #rideau arcott #lambs #ram #ewe