What Welshmen do when they're bored

Deadly Carnivorous Plant Catches Whole Sheep!

Thistle

 Unfortunately for Thistle he is now simply an amazing skull I have saved to take with me when I put on demonstrations and presentations about Jacob Sheep. I had high hopes for Thistle as a future breeding ram and I kept him and his half-brother Goth together so they could keep each other company as they grew . I was going to see which ram I preferred and sell the other. I was leaning towards keeping Thistle and selling Goth. That decision was taken away from me when Goth killed Thistle during play.

Rams do pretty much everything with ramming involved. To nurse from their mamas they ram her udder to bring down milk for them to suckle. To play they ram each other , the trees, the fences , everything. So one very hot week in the summer when both rams were about 16 months old Thistle got his horns caught in a feeder and Goth rammed Thistle as he was trapped exposing him broadside ~ a perfect target for his brother. Goth punctured Thistle's lung and Thistle died.

Thistle shortly before his demise at the horns of Goth.

Goth in 2013 at the Washington State Fair. ( Yes, he plays with the big rubber balls.)

Solitude Wool roving for handspun yarn

A wonderful intro to different types of wool , including my favorite breed, Jacob Sheep. For any fiber enthusiasts this is a great video.

How To Make Your Own Un-Bleached Sheep or Goat Skin Rug

My Rams ~ Sires For My 2016 Spring Lambs

 Cedar Pond's Goth

 Goth ~ born March 2005

 Puddleduck Jonas

Just a young ram ( 2 years) I am very excited about. Spring 2016 is going to be a very interesting time in the lambing pens.

Jacob Sheep Lambs Playing

My Sheep in June 2015

 I have a new ram ! My husband & I made a day of it and drove to Oregon awhile ago to buy a new ram from Ingrid Painter of Puddleduck Farm. I cannot adequately express what a delightful time we had with Ingrid and her family as we shared a lunch provided by them and talked sheep ! Can I just say it is rare for me to be able to unashamedly talk sheep with people for a bit and I get so excited and inspired when I do. ( I suspect my husband does too but he's more quiet about it ! ) This is Puddleduck Jonas and his sire is a Huntsberger ram, all the more thrilling for me. I am looking forward to next spring's lambs. Jonas has settled in here quite easily and is a fairly mellow ram .YAY !!!!

 This is my 2 year old ewe Teekah. Teekah is a trade for a ram we raised. ( Cedar Pond's Barbarian ) and is his daughter. I am going to sell Teekah because I have too many sheep and with the exception of our 10 year old Buttercup I don't keep 2 horned Jacob sheep in preference for the 4 horned. If I desired more 2 horned sheep she would be a keeper !

 This is Teekah's ewe ( girl) lamb, also 2 horned.

 Two of my older ewes are shown in this picture. The ewe looking straight on in the background is 10 year old Sassafras who had a nice ewe lamb this spring. The ewe in the middle looking at me is Naomi ...

.... who is 14 or 15 years old. She has no more teeth, has not lambed for 2 years , and a month ago I thought she was going to lay down and die. She rallied though and is now going strong. Her fleece is terrible and the only reason I keep her is for sentimental ones. My first sheep are now old, a few have passed away and I am still excited about keeping Jacob sheep. God is so good to me, silly sheep that I am, and He is a good Shepherd. If only I could emulate him a fraction in His good care, but I try !

Cedar Pond Jacob Sheep for Sale ~

It's that time of the year when the lambs are all growing quickly and I have to decide which sheep to sell . As much as I'd love to keep all my sheep ( especially the new lambs ! ) it gets pretty expensive to feed so many and space is limited. The sheep above is Cedar Pond's Brigida * and she is for sale with her lilac ewe lamb ( girl lamb ). Brigida is registered and her lamb comes with all the paperwork to register her. Brigida is the daughter of Cedar Pond's Goth * & Bide-a-wee Buttercup *.

Brigida has 4 horns that grew out and fused evenly , 2 on each side of her head, making it appear she as two very nice wide horns. Her lamb also has 4 horns , now about an inch to two inches each.

I am selling Brigida and her lamb together for $225.00 for both of them. ( price is for both together)

 Cedar Pond's Toril* is also for sale. She turned 1 year old this spring . She has 4 horns. She is the daughter of Shadow Mountain Landon & Cedar Pond's Tovah *.

I am asking $175.00 for Toril. If you buy Toril , Brigida, & her lamb together I will sell her for $125.00. ( $350.00 for 3 very nice Jacob Sheep ewes!)


 Shadow Mountain Landon is also for sale. He is a registered 4 horn Lilac Jacob Sheep. He is 3 years old . He is related to most of my sheep now and I prefer not to use him for breeding with my flock, but he'll make a great ram for someone needing new bloodlines and wanting to add Lilac coloring to their flock. Landon ( I call him Tonkin ) is the son of Mud Ranch's Packard & Rocky Acres Rosemary. Both of his parents are lilac and 4 horned. He is a triplet. I am asking $225.00 for him. He has recently been sheared and vaccinated.

More New Lambs

 Cedar Pond's Tovah lambed today and after some assistance gave birth to a healthy ewe lamb.

To read about her delivery & check out my stint as a midwife here , Spot On Cedar Pond *.
Cedar Pond's Gudrid also had her first lamb today, a healthy lilac ewe lamb. Today was a good day. God is so good to me, praise him !

Both lambs were sired by Shadow Mountain's Landon Tonkin.

New Lambs , Good Mamas !

 First born lamb of 2015 ( February 12, 2015 ). He is a fine ram lamb from Bide-A-Wee Buttercup & Cedar Pond's Goth. I am hoping his horns turn out well balanced because Buttercup is getting older and I'd love to keep a ram lamb from her and the lamb's father, Goth.

 Buttercup & her newborn ram lamb.

 The same morning Cedar Pond's Sassafras gave birth to a ewe lamb. The last 2 years she gave birth to twins, but Sassafras is getting older and her ewe lamb is a bit tinier than I expected given the girth Sassafras was sporting before she lambed. In spite of how tiny this lamb is, she is very healthy. This lamb is also sired by Goth. Goth is getting old too, and I am hoping there is a lamb sired by him worthy of keeping for my future generations of Jacob Sheep.

 Sassafras was a very diligent mom, licking & licking her lamb to clean off the afterbirth. This also bonds the mama and her lamb. This little lamb was nursing her mama very quickly , a good thing for lambs, and all newborns. The first milk any mama produces gives newborns colostrum that provides not only the newborn her necessary  nutrition, but the anti-bodies the little lamb needs for a good start in life. ( ALL newborns of all mammal species need this ! ) Ideally this happens within the first hour for optimum benefit. If I discover a mama has not been able to suckle her lamb within the first 2 hours I will milk the mama and feed the lamb the needed colostrum , giving the lamb a boost and increasing the chances the lamb will thrive.

Sassafras was not happy with me so close to her and her new lamb. She put herself in between me and the lamb , blocking any contact and any more pictures. I love knowing my mama sheep are good and protective mamas. That is the way God made them. And really, would YOU want to challenge a very protective mama with horns ?

Peek-a-Boo

Peek-a-boo, I see you Buttercup. Buttercup is due to have her lambs any day now. She spends a lot of time propping her head up on railings while she soaks up the sunshine.

Goth & Tonkin

 I have two Jacob Sheep rams. The oldest is Goth ( Cedar Pond's Goth ).

Here is Tonkin ( Shadow Mountain's Landon-Tonkin). He is a 4 horned lilac ram.