Blackie First to have her Calf

Either 25 April or the day before Blackie had the first calf.  He looked so small against the calves I bought in December, who are now about six months old.  Penny and Harriet have now joined the herd and are fitting in just fine.

 








 

More Rain and More Grass

In late March it rained enough to top up the back dam and make the grass grow. 

 

Tap Enclosures and Trough Slab (Angle Grinder & Chainsaw)

(The before photo was taken in January)

Also in late March and early April I straightened the top tap and made a stronger enclosure of sheep yard mesh.  We then made a concrete slab and bolted the trough to secure it from moving, or being moved by the cows.  In the top west paddock I enclosed all three taps.  

I also got to use an angle grinder to cut the jaggered tops of the mesh, which was easier than using a hacksaw and pretty exciting with all the sparks flying.  The next weekend I also had a lesson in using the chainsaw, including how to sharpen the chain blades, cleaning the filter and filling bar oil and petrol.  I cut up two old fence stays.  

 

 

 

More Improvements for the Shearing Pen

 

On Monday afternoon I went to town and purchased more sheep yard mesh for the tap protectors, lucerne hay, and some black rubber to line the shearing pen, as suggested by the shearing contractor.  Dad, knowing how I procrastinate, suggested that we attach the black rubber straight away to get the job done before I organise shearing the wethers to be butchered.

More Blackberry Bashing and Spraying

I had two days off work to help Dad with controlling the blackberries in the back paddock on 16-17 March.  On Monday Dad drove the ride-on and I was armed with long handled snippers and we continued our attack on blackberry bushes.  Because it was such a beautiful day, on the way home I also took photos of the back paddock.  On Tuesday we returned with Grazon to spray the regrowth patches and stubborn blackberries that were mown and sprayed on Dad’s last visit.  

Separating Sheep

On 15 March with some help we separated the sheep.  One group of 15 were the breeding ewes, mostly merinos with a few old favourites and crossbreeds thrown in.  The other group of 15 included the new lambs from last year, merino wethers both high and low wool yielding, and non-merino ewes and wethers from the year before last.  The first group will be introduced to a new ram next month.  The second group will be further separated into two groups: sheep to keep and sheep to either butcher or sell when that decision has been made.

Crutching

The crutching on 6 March went quite smoothly with the addition of a new ramp as an improvement to the shearing setup. 

Tea Cosy Natural Dyeing Sampler

I entered my natural dyeing sampler tea cosy into the local show on 5 March and received a second place in the dyed article section.