Unpublished - The Year That Was

Ti'Beau ( Leduc) 
 
Have a great 2012!

'Tis the season.....

To be Jolly and  Jolie, all the flower pics were taken this morning. It is mild and  calm and you could even dare to say there is a whiff of spring in the air and yet autumn it seems  hasn't  finished.

Choisya

Hydrangea

This is actually a new flower and the leaves are still on the plant not yet frosted.

Fuschia!

Hebe

This hebe is the largest variety and generally puts on a good show at most times of the year but it is excelling itself at the moment.

Liza

"OK enough of the christmas carols what did Santa bring me??"

And Its All Over

This week Brittany was hit by some large storms. Fortunately the north coast escaped relatively lightly but it did lead to some impressive skies. The photo doesn't really show how very black the sky was ahead, it was as black as night and  in total contrast with the brilliant sunshine.

Today was the last day for the  breeding groups and as of this morning Gary is very pleased to be back with all his girls and the boys are back to swinging the lead.

It has not been the breeding season that I had originally planned and as always it will be another 3.5 half months before the earliest lambs might arrive, as usual everyone waits with baited breath in the hope that expectations may be realised or even surpassed but above all that everyone is delivered safe and sound and with out complications. Its all over?................ no its all yet to come!

To this years breeding groups I am delighted to have been able to add this rams bloodlines. "Ti'Beau" has been working hard and I am extremely grateful to his breeder for the opportunity to introduce his breeding to my flock.

I will be following his lambs closely and you can expect plenty of updates on this rams breeding.

Christmas Cracker !

 A stunning photo of a  grey ram.

For those who haven't been following Pepino's progress on the German Ouessant Sheep Forum and with thanks to  Pepino's owner Simone LINK for the kind use of the photograph. 

Aine Update

The photo says it all really, no significant change, well unless you count a further week of not being well and eating virtually nothing. It seems the diarrhoea is under control but worryingly Aine has no appetite. Nimue joined her for a few days earlier in the week until I found Nimue ( who was doing a wonderful impression of a very healthy lamb) preventing Aine from getting to the water bowl. For the last few days with the mild weather I have put Aine out with the other lambs for a few hours a day, today, perhaps, there is a slight improvement , she voluntarily nibbled some ivy and after a few hours outside did actually seem to acknowledge the presence of the other lambs.

On the menu is vegetable soup to keep things going on the digestive front and to keep her strength up, how much longer she can continue like this I'm not sure, I will have to reappraise things in a couple of days if there is  no improvement.

UPDATE on the update. Monday the vet exam showed an abdominal mass  The x-rays showed that her bowels were in stasis, Aine was put to sleep. I am none the wiser and a lamb has lost her life. There are no words to describe that feeling.

Its That Time of Year Again

Click on the picture and enjoy the magic:-)

Troubles and Tribulations

It is sometimes said that sheep will take it turns to read the medical dictionary and find ways to die. I don't subscribe to this, I am a firm believer in good management significantly reducing the likeilihood of sheep sucumbing to many opportunistic infections. Sheep are very susceptible to stress and this can be stress from poor housing,  over crowding, insufficient  or unsuitable grazing or low body condition due to parasitic burden. By ensuring good management you can make life a lot easier on your sheep and in doing so on you.

That said sheep like all animals do get sick from time to time and  it can be hard  to spot a sheep that isn't doing well, they will do everything they can to maintain an outwardly normal appearance and it may only be  at the last moment when they are really very ill before they start to show any obvious signs.

For the sheep owner this means two things  good management is essential to the health and well being of your flock and secondly be vigilent. Know your sheep, their behaviour and above all whats normal for them. If you find a sheep separating itself from the flock and this isn't usual behaviour then it can never hurt to take a closer look and see if there is something amiss.

It is rare for me to have a sheep unwell without any obvious reason to explain the problem but I have been watching Aine for a couple of weeks, sometimes she has appeared well and at other times subdued, distanced from the others and not grazing as she would normally do.  Having brought her in once for a couple of days and found nothing obviously untoward she went back out only to show signs a few days later that all was not well. Mainly just that she was quieter and resting more than the others. This time when I caught her up it was clear she was scouring

Having an area where you can bring a sheep in and isolate them is essential, you can monitor their  progress and  ensure that they are kept out of inclement weather, the heat lamp may not be an essential item but if  the area is large and the sheep have a choice of where they position themselves, it is surprising how many choose to remain under the lamp ( it may not be essential but it is appreciated.)

If needed I could section off the area to provide several pens, potentially more useful during lambing but this old chicken house has served very well for a variety of uses.

It is never wise to try to diagnose an animal yourself, however there are some basic's of sheep care that  should be part of a  first aid kit and can save an expensive vet call out particularly as these things seem to happen when  it is least convenient.  Firstly a good range of wormers, it is generally one of the first questions your vet will ask you. If you are not worming your sheep or can't remember when you last did it, your management needs improving. My most important tool apart from taking a good careful look over a sheep is a thermometer, digital these days is easy and knowing how to correctly take a temperature reading makes all the difference, if you're not sure ask your vet to show you one time. Don't forget to label the thermometer to make sure it just gets used for sheep!

A 60ml lamb feeder is a useful item for drenching and unlike a 60 ml syringe has a nice nozzle which can be used to make sure your sheep gets the drench and not have it spat out everywhere. It is a good idea if your vet is willing to provide them to have on hand some treatments to help with diarrhoea, oral rehydration products and  also in cases where needed a product to help improve gastric function. Having these few items on hand may save an expensive vet call out but it doesn't mean you don't need to call the vet, a quick phone call once you have brought a sheep in and examined them and preferably taken their temperature may be all it needs for the vet to provide some useful advice and basic care often with the proviso that if things don't improve to call them back.

Aine seems to have turned a corner although her appetite is still poor and  I have discussed her condition with my vet. It may be a while yet before she is fully recovered and with low body condtition she may still have further problems to come with the rest of winter yet to go, she may well need extra attention when she does eventually go back out to the field to make sure she has sufficient reserves to cope with  winters demands.

Designer Genes

You have no idea how much fun I had finding a suitable photo;-) but I was thinking more of genes - a little description.
"The Agouti gene is responsible for determining whether a mammal's coat is banded (agouti) or of a solid color (non-agouti).^[1] The chief product of the Agouti gene is Agouti signalling peptide (ASP), but there are a number of alternative splice products.
In dogs, the Agouti gene is associated with various coat colors and patterns, including sable and tan points.^[2]
[..........]Mice that are homozygous for the non-agouti allele and non-agouti-yellow allele have non-agouti coat color (such as black)." LINK
 
All very technical  but  more creatively, the agouti gene is one of natures designers, in sheep it is responsible for pattern, it puts motif on an otherwise drab canvas, this is all well and good in a breed where agouti patterns are well known.

But we are talking Ouessants here, although, the design element doesn't have to be broad brush strokes of paint sometimes the effect is in the shading.

LINK This shows the best representation of agouti at work along the length of a hair although this is represented as its seen in dogs.

So why would you get pattern in a non-agouti black sheep............? Food for thought.

The Tups are in

The Nursery

Irony

A maturing oak is a beautiful thing. This one is in the adult rams paddock.

Its not small and there are several others on the perimeter but they don't present the rams with a problem. 

However this one did. LINK

La Bergerie

Over the summer the area where the sheep igloos have been sited has undergone some development, there is more planned this comming autumn but I guess at this point it has moved from a collection of igloos to a fold.
Whilst I do have a very nice brick built spacious des res for the sheep should I need to bring them in overnight or for observation it is some distance from the main paddock.  Fortunately Ouessants are easy to move around and its not been a problem but there have been times when it would be handy to have a place closer to the field and one where it would be possible to gather all or some of the sheep and make all the jobs that need doing a little easier. Ideally the aim is to be able to avoid the need for anyone to give me a hand with catching up or moving a sheep something which isn't always possible at the moment ( try opening a gate or three with a ewe in labour in your arms!)

My neighbours spoil heap just grows and grows (sigh) however the igloos are now enclosed and I can move the sheep through from one paddock to the next and if the gate is shut at the far end its easy to pen the whole flock
This winter a further large igloo will provide more than enough shelter for everyone and the addition of a gate or two over the opening of a shelter will allow me to pen a ewe and lamb if necessary rather than have to catch them up several times. The next project is  to provide a wind break, the  view in the photo is north facing and as the rest of the field has no real opportunity for the sheep to get out of the wind it seems ideal to combine it in a place when the sheep will get the most benefit.

The final addition will be the possibility of positioning a couple of hurdles in such a way that I have a smaller more mangeable sized pen  inside in which I can sort sheep with relative ease. I still use the trusty roll of fencing at the moment but this is really only suitable for the odd sheep or for use with two people.

Further projects for this field include planting of more hedging  assuming that we ever get a spring worth talking about! and planting some more shade I have gone for holly this time as its evergreen providing some relief from the unbroken view even in winter.

I have had a bumper selection of wooden travel crates arrive this year which will serve as temporary shelters for the rams until my budget stretches to some more permanent fixtures.

Sheep shelter one LINK

Sheep shelter two LINK

A View of the Ewes

It has not escaped my notice that very few ewes have appeared on the blog recently, no particular reason why not except that they are not always easy to photograph well. Today I took the opportunity whilst they were scrumping apples to see if I could get a few pics. No ewes to pick out specifically, those shown are just the ones that appeared relatively photogenic and willing to stand still long enough to get a photo that wasn't fuzzy. I am still thinking of my breeding groups and nothing is yet decided but sometimes having some photos helps to focus the mind.

Fée ( Hastipa-Royer x Solaia-Billès)

LOL this is what I mean by focusing the mind Fée is anything but a fairy! I had one particular ram in mind for her but I am rapidly changing it. She is square both front and back despite the way she is standing in the photo. 

Aine another of this years ewe lambs only she won't be going with a ram. I will be keeping a non-breeding group this year and I only plan on using three rams but that will still mean four groups to keep an eye on which is more than enough work. Plus of course the bachelor group of rams not being used but with extra space this year it will make life a lot easier.Aine's bald neck is because she's still sticking her head through the fence!!

Mia (Kerdaniel)

She looks a lot blacker in the flesh, this ewe has not really been put to her best advantage and I plan a mating for her this year which should accentuate her plus points I am hopeful for a nice lamb from her.

Nixie, Mia's lamb from this year, she will run with the ram but is one that may not take.

Nimue, I have agonised over this ewe lamb, the temptation to put her to a ram this year is strong, but I think on balance I won't get any further any faster and it makes sense to wait for the right mating next year. She will join the non-breeding group.

Amelie, grandaughter of my first ewe Rosie and each year I hope for a ewe lamb from her, but not so far. I would very much like to continue this line as a ewe line, fingers crossed this year may be the year!

 Soélie ( Koudou-des Lutins x Oanez-Ecomusée)

Again I'm waiting for a ewe lamb from this ewe she had a nice ram lamb this year and I will repeat the mating.......

I would dearly  love a decent photo of Lodicia  as none so far have done her justice. This ewe has a special place in my heart her character is quite unlike any other ewe and although she is aging we take extra special care of her to make sure she is great shape. I doubt that she could beat the lamb that she produced last season but I can't wait to see her lamb in the spring. She will be mated to César ( des Lutins) who is also a great favourite here, a special lamb from two special sheep? We'll see.

Autumn Watch - Red Alert

 Happy autumn:-)

Sugar 'n' Spice.......and all things nice

The boys were lured out from under the trees where they had been sheltering from the rain.

I keep a salt block in the paddocks year round but over the summer they have become exhausted. Now is the time to ensure everyone is in tip top condition so I have replenished all the blocks. I don't have any holders and they don't seem to weather badly so I just put them out as they are. The sheep love them!

The blocks are manufactured locally and contain more than just salt or trace minerals. They are also specifically made and balanced for sheep so there shouldn't be a problem with overdosing of copper or other elements. For the sheep its just something tasty to spice things up a little.

2011 Rams Horns Comparisons Autumn

Well this was going to be a comparison between Elwen and Kerwen both rams were earmarked for staying here and running on but Elwen has gone to Holland to continue his duties there, so not really a comparison at this stage although I hope the photos will prove useful in the longer term against other ramlings of the same age maybe next year.

It has to be said at this stage that getting the right shot of Kerwen has proven an impossible task and it will have to be a composite of pictures as the front view head up isn't amongst these photos!

Given that horn growth seems to be virtually impossible to determine with certainty I remain quietly hopeful that things are going in the right direction.

From recollection Elwens horns had slightly less length but were more substantial I'm not sure that one is better over the other just a question of difference.

Currently Kerwen is sharing with Helori as I didn't want to put him in with the adult rams just yet, that said his behaviour with the ewes in the paddock next door shows that he's all ready to do his duty no matter his precocious age.

Helori was more than happy to oblige for a photo!