Emma and the Chickens

This is Emma.  We picked her up a year ago.  She’d been abandoned by her mom in the middle of the night on one of the coldest nights we had last winter.

She apparently is a fighter since she survived the cold temps.  She came to us as a bottle baby.

This is Emma today.  There is something to be said about bottle babies.  Upon a quick mental perusal of all of our animals, I’m pretty sure that all of them have been raised on the bottle…which accounts for some of the odd behaviour we see around this farm!

Emma is a “pip” – she has more personality than most sheep and she has no respect for electric fences.  Of course, with the thickness of her wool, I’m not sure she even knows it’s electric!

But we love her.  She knows her name and she lets us pet her.  She’s great for the kids who come to visit the farm.

Yesterday, in spite of the new fence I put up in front of the electric fence, she got out into the new pasture.

Someone had thrown an apple core in there for the chickens to eat but apparently sheep like apples.

I’d let the chickens out of there run into this newly sown pasture so they could scratch and eat the bugs.

Emma thought it might be nice to visit the chickens in their own home!

How she squeezed through the small little door is beyond me!

The chickens were a bit perturbed that this gigantic visitor was eating their food!

So they had a chat with her to let her know what was what when she came to visit.

I looked up from weeding and saw Emma in the chicken run.  My first thought was, “Now this is the ultimate in integrated farming!”

Second thought, “How in the world am I going to get her out of there!?”

Not a problem – she was out before I got around to the other side of the chicken house.  Maybe it was something the chicken said 🙂

These bottle babies are so cute and adorable….and grow up sometimes acting a little more like pets than farm animals.

…And we like it that way!

My First Wool Skein

Our first animal on the farm was a sheep.  I had never had a sheep and when we went to pick up Sage, our Shetland sheep, the lady there was a spinner and a knitter.  She showed us her wheels and knitted projects.  I remember thinking how cool it would be to make your own yarn and to knit something with the yarn.  I knew none of those skills so it was just a dream…7.5 years ago.

Yesterday, I finished my first skein of wool yarn.

Last year I bought my first spinning wheel so I could start to learn how to spin.

I had 6 years worth of wool in bags in the basement.  The pressure to do something with all this wool was mounting.

I washed one fleece…two years ago 🙂

Then this year I decided that if I was really going to get going with processing all this wool, I needed some accountability.  What better way to be accountable than with friends!

Especially friends who know way more than I do.

My new friend and I learned how to card wool…

These are called rovings when you roll the wool off the carders.

And of course, there’s always some vegetation that needs to be picked out.

Then it’s time to start spinning…

It’s fun seeing all the different wheels that my friends bring to the house.

Michelle and I have a simple basic wheel but it works!  Someday I’d like to get a fancy wheel – they’re beautiful and spin so nicely.

Once the wool is spun, then it’s put on Yarn Ball Winder.

The wool is then plied which means the two ends are twisted together in the opposite direction of the original spinning.

This is what it looks like when the plying is finished.

The skein is set in hot water with a few drop of Dawn Dishwashing soap to clean and set the yarn.

Carefully, the water is squeezed out and rolled in a towel for that last bit of water.

Lastly, it’s hung up to dry.

I’ve not started knitting with my yarn yet but I’m excited to give it a try.

We have some great knitters in our group and they’re all different ages.

I love listening to them talk about patterns, stitches, techniques….

And then seeing what they’re making!

These are little leg-warmers for her niece who’ll be born in a month.  Aren’t they cute!!?

It’s so wonderful to be with a group of friends who are like minded and  know more than me…

I love to learn…even if it does take me 7.5 years!

Sir Loin the Protector

Emma, our newest lamb to the farm, has been by herself since the day she was born.  We bottle fed her so she had human contact every day but she didn’t have any animal friends.  Emma’s been down in the pig pen since we weaned her so she could be close to the group of animals she would eventually be living with – Britches- the Boer goat, Sir Loin and Edward- the cows…

and Sage and Rosie- the sheep.

The problem with bottle fed babies is, when they see a human, they think they need to “talk” with them and convince them to come and spend time.

I have to say that Emma is the LOUDEST sheep we’ve every had!  At first it was quite comical.  She could bleat the loudest and longest of any animal.  Only problem – she wouldn’t stop and it would go on and on.  One time  Emma did have her head stuck in the fence so the incessant bleating was warranted but that’s not the norm.

I’d had it this last week and asked Mae Mae to put her in with the other animals, it was time.

Mae Mae told me that as soon as Emma entered the other pasture, Sir Loin took her on as his own.  Any time Britches tried to get close, Sir Loin would get in between and push him away from Emma.  Britches finally got the hint and left her alone.  That night, Sir Loin tried desperately to be close to Emma so they could sleep near one another but Emma kept running away.  Eventually, Emma settled by the group and Sir Loin was content.

When it was raining the other day, Emma was in this small shed we have in their pasture and Sir Loin was guarding the entrance.

I find it fascinating watching how animals will interact with one another, especially different species.  More than once, I’ve seen the older cows protect the younger animals, no matter what type they were.

One time, a stray dog got into the pasture and the younger goats all ran to the biggest cow and got underneath him while the cow was swinging his horns at the dog!

Emma still goes a bit ballistic with her bleating when she sees a human exit the house but at least it doesn’t last as long anymore.  She has other animal friends and that makes life a whole lot better….

and she has Sir Loin who has taken it upon himself to protect her and watch over her.

Sheep Shearing

Our Sheep Shearing day dawned into a beautiful, crisp morning.  The weather was perfect as we hustled around getting the last minute details taken care of before our guests started arriving.  As with any farm, always expect the unexpected.  When Mae Mae went to the goat barn to do her chores, she discovered that Abby had had her babies out by a tree.  I was working in the garden and heard Mae Mae’s squeal of delight as she ran over to the see the new kids.

Abby was fine but the kids were a mess!  It was a very chilly morning and they were wet, covered in dirt, and shivering.  Change of plans – forget the garden and take care of the new babies.  I carried them quickly into the barn and put down new straw.  We rubbed them down with towels and cleaned them off.  Mae Mae took care of Abby, we made sure the kids nursed, bedded them in the straw and headed off to finish our other chores.

We needed to get Sage and Rosy into the holding pen before people arrived.  They get skittish in all the commotion and I wanted to avoid that potential problem.

Finally, we were ready to go.

While we waited for others to arrive, our guests took time to get acquainted with the other baby goats.

I love watching the delight on the children’s faces as they hold the babies.

Marbles decided she’d like to check out the human baby!

Yes, there’s a lot involved in getting ready for an event but as a family we’ve agreed it’s all worth it.  We love to watch the faces of our guests as they share in this experience with us.

These children were brought to the farm by some of our friends and this was their first time seeing farm animals.

What a privilege to share with others the daily or yearly happenings of the farm.

Sage was first to be sheared.  Her fleece was beautiful this year.

After the sheep are shorn, I give them their yearly shot.  I figured since they’re down and restrained, what better time to do it!

See kids, you’re not the only ones who have to have shots…

A naked sheep!  Must feel so good to get out from under all that wool.

This is a full fleece.  Rosemarie shears in such a way that it’s all one piece.

I handed out wool to everyone and asked them to smell it – education is greatest when a lot of the senses are involved.

Some were a little more eager to “smell” than others!

This little fellow figured out where the cameraman was hanging out…

Priceless – a whole new world opened up for this little one at our farm.  What a joy to be able to provide that opportunity for him.

Rosie was next – she’s a big sheep.  Mae Mae wasn’t sure she could hold her down.

Her fleece, too, was just beautiful and it was obvious she’s been well fed!

That is the downside to the wool.  It’s hard to know how much weight the sheep are carrying because it’s hidden by the thick wool.

But shearing day reveals all!

The look on this young gal’s face is precious as she buries her fingers into the wool…

It’s providing an avenue for discovery and learning that motivates me and makes all the work so worthwhile – the reward of watching the children.

The questions that are asked…

Casey was the last one to be sheared and this was her first time.  It’s a good thing she’s the smallest because she certainly squirmed around a lot!!

But Rosemarie got the job done and, once again, made it look so easy.

So now I have 3 more bags of wool to be carded…

and spun.

And the sheep?  Well, they’re going  to be busy the rest of the year working on their wool for next year’s Sheep Shearing Day!

Mae Mae had a little lamb…

Every parent struggles with teaching responsibility to their child.  I’ve realized it takes a concerted effort, an implemented plan, and lots of adjustments.

I will admit that homesteading has afforded my children unparalleled opportunities for learning all kinds of life lessons in very tangible ways.

For instance, last year, Mae Mae was given a little lamb whom she named Toby.  He was cute and followed her everywhere.  Mae Mae was bottle feeding him and taking very good care of him.

One morning, she went out to the barn and came running back into the house crying.  Toby was dead.

There was no explanation for the bloat.  My kids have learned that death happens at times for reasons we will never know.  My kids have learned how to grieve and they understand that the process is different for everyone.  They have compassion and a tenderness for others because each of them has lost a pet very close to them – some of my kids even cradling the animal in their arms when it breathed its last breath.

But this particular day was a very special day.  Mae Mae and I went to visit a friend’s farm in Covington.

I’d received an email that my friend had a bottle-baby, little ewe and she wanted to give it to Mae Mae.

My friend knew about her loss from the previous year.

This was our first time to her farm and we had a wonderful visit.  Even her guard dogs were happy to see us!

As with most of our new animals, we documented the first visit.

The responsibility of this little lamb, Emma, was now handed over to Mae Mae.

She was responsible for all the daily feedings – every 4 to 5 hours- with no complaining.

Mae Mae was to make sure that she noticed anything unusual in Emma’s behaviour.  That meant that she had to spend a lot of time with her so she would recognize the difference between normal behaviour and unusual behaviour.

Mae Mae was responsible to make sure Emma had a warm place to live,

and that Emma’s place was kept clean and sanitary.

Mae Mae had to take time to play with Emma every day and make sure she was exercised since she would be living by herself for a while.

She had to remember that Emma was just a baby and would put anything into her mouth.

Be sure to keep harmful objects out of her pen.

And most importantly, pay close attention to Miss Lynn’s instructions about Emma’s care and her history.

Emma was born in the pasture on one of the coldest nights in January.  Wet and shivering, she survived the night and was found in the morning – her mother had abandoned her.  But Emma’s a fighter and with tender love and warmth from Lynn, she pulled through.

Mae Mae must be careful to protect her…

keep her safe…

and comfort her when she’s afraid.

Teach Emma that she, Mae Mae, is her new mommy.

Mae Mae must let her know that she loves her very much and others do to…

There is a pride and a confidence given to children when they are given responsibilities,

especially when that responsibility is another life.

A life that is so totally dependent on another for it’s well-being, care, and safety.

There is a special bond that develops between a baby animal and the one who is responsible for its every day needs.

The gift that Mae Mae will receive back for all her care, attention and responsibilities….?

The life lesson that no text book could ever teach a child?

Unconditional love.