Tuesday, June 19, 2012

North Country Chevior Mules

We bought a Blue Faced Leicester ram a year ago and bred him to ten NCC ewe lambs.   The rest of our new acquired ewe lambs were still too small to breed but the ten were over 120 lbs so we felt they were okay for breeding.

When they lambed in May I was amazed at the size of the lambs.  They were lovely, very vigorous lambs and in minutes were up and nursing.  In no time they were bounding around.  They went out to the pasture sooner than the Clun Forest lambs mainly due to the fact we had the NCC lamb 6 weeks later so the weather was much warmer.

Spring Babies

On May 7th we had our first baby pigs born here at Wind 'n' Woolly.  I always said I wouldn't have pigs but after going to Ranfurly Farm in Chase B.C. to pick up a BFL ram I changed my mind.  they have Berkshire pigs and I saw them roto-tilling their market garden plot.  This plot is about half an acre and is surrounded with electric wire.  The pigs were busy rooting around and had the ground totally worked up beautifully.  So next thing I knew I had phoned a fellow and ordered three weaned piglets.  Two gilts and one boar.  They came home in dog kennels and when they got here were quite impressed with their new digs...literally digs.  Since then my husband, Worker Boy, has built them lovely pig pens and we even had a water hydrant installed so I don't have to haul water from the barn.



     We weren't sure when the girls were due to deliver so moved them into the barn in plenty of time and set up an area with heat lamps for the babies to get under.  I was amazed to go out to the barn one night and find my husband (I had woken up and he was gone and after a quick search realized he was at the barn) standing by Bess's stall watching her with her babies.  They were all wandering back and forth across her belly looking for "their spot" and it was quite frustrating for me to see one that had no sense of direction.  Finally they all had their fill and headed under the heat lamps.  I can't believe how fast they have grown.  Once the weather is nicer they will go out to the pen with lots more room for them to run around and play tag.