Other Farm Friends: Sheep, Dogs, & Ducks


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Other Farm Friends: Sheep, Dogs, Cats, Ducks, & Birds. Featured below is Jacob-Cormo Cross Lamb Isaac

Jacob's Ewe Atlanta

Atlanta is a Registered Jacob's, chosen for the quantity of her black/brown fleece. Since we have no Jacob's ram, but have a Cormo Lamb Ram, Ebonie will probably have X-bred Jacob's-Cormo lambs next Spring.

Atlanta and Lamb Ezekiel

They're adorable and growing very fast.

Cormo-Jacobs Cross Lambs

Bryn Hollow Farm's First Lambs, presenting Atlanta's little Benjamin. Atlanta had 2 lambs, Benjamin and Ezekiel, really neat to see lambs out in the pasture flockling with the kids. Atlanta needed help with this delivery, so the first lambing was quite an experience but the lambs are adorable.

Ebonie and her lambs: Ibrahim (Ibby) and Levi (Lee)

Ebonie delivered a few weeks after Atlanta and had no problems having her cute lambs. We now have 10 sheep. Unbelievable for a Goat Farm.

The New Cormo Lamb Ram, Magnum.

He finally arrived and is a very beautiful young ram growing very quickly. An older ewe who is non-related, named Kim, has joined our flock to keep Magnum company and present us with some Reg. Cormo lambs. Magnum is older and can't say he is particulary friendly, but he sired some nice lambs. Old Cormo Kimmie didn't get pregnant, but she's a sweet ewe.

Sheltie Echo

It is a good that Echo has so much land to run about on, for he utilizes every inch of it every day. Lots of energy, but a very good dog who bonds well with the goats (most of them)and he is also Kayla's best friend. Perhaps someday they will decide to have some Sheltie puppies, but not quite yet.

The Old Farm Dog, Brodie

Brodie was adopted from the Humane Society, after all every farm should have an old farm dog and he was running out of finding-a-home time. He is probably part shepherd and part Bernese Mt. Dog. None of the dogs are trained to be shepherds, but Brodie barks a lot and perhaps this helps keep predators at bay.

So far we have been lucky, with the no-climb fencing and the dogs there has been no predator problem. The sheep, goats, and chickens all retire to the barns at night, but the ducks who also prefer the barn have been seen wandering about at night. It may just be a good worm-hunting time for them, but they stay within the protective fencing. Brodie is older and isn't running about much, prefering the house or cottage and getting his rest.

Dusty and Joshua Stories In picture Josh is on left, than Atlanta, Ebonie, and on the far right Dusty.

That which has been the most impressive about the Jacob's sheep is their intelligence. The two Jacob's wethers are named Dusty and Joshua (from Rolling Hill's Farm).

Josh to the Rescue:
One day Joshua, who is not the friendliest of sheep, was standing by the gate closest to the house Baa'ing non-stop. Finally, since one can't ignore the loud and crystal clear resonant Baa of a Jacob's, I stepped onto the porch to investigate the situation.

I wondered if Josh, a sheep, could really be trying to tell me something. This was certainly not a typical behavior, especially for Josh. Looking around I noticed that his constant companion and brother-friend, Dusty, was not to be seen.

In response I went into the pasture as Joshua demanded. He proceded to lead me to where Dusty was stuck under an old RV, wedged under the front door step area which is lower than the chasis. Joshua then waited nearby Dusty until help came, for it took two of us to free him. If there is a moral other than don't keep old RV's in the pasture, it is to never underestimate the reasoning power of a Jacob's sheep.

Who's The Boss:
Recently I relocated the Jacob's into the buck barn and pasture area since the bucks were not keeping up with the quickly growing grass. Pasture management aside, knowing this is a grain area the Jacob's were very happy to be moved.

Why it would matter to either goat-Jackson or sheep-Dusty who was the ultimate administrator of the area is difficult to understand, but apparently this was an issue that had to be resolved.

I stood a bit dumbfounded as I watched Jackson and Dusty feign a battle, with Jackson rearing up higher than he has ever managed before. Dusty simply stood there with his head slightly down, just enough for his strait-rising horns to give Jackson something to consider if he really wanted to charge.

Of course Jackson, not being a fool, just feinted and put on a very convincing performance. This mock battle for supremacy didn't last long, after all it was hot, it took a lot of effort, and the sheep and goats really do get along very well. I doubt if there was a victor since there was never really a battle and it doesn't seem as if either the sheep or goats have changed their relationship of first come, first served when the grain and hay arrive.

The Jacob's Breed:
Jacob's are a primitive breed, getting their name from the Biblical story in which Jacob selects the "spotted" sheep. They are spotted and have a very nice medium fiber that when sheared is multi-colored: white, black, brown, and a sun-dyed red. There are prehistoric pictures of spotted sheep with straight horns painted on the Franco-Cantibrean cave walls in France. We can't know for sure if these were the ancestors of the Jacob's breed, but if any breed were intelligent and adaptive enough to stretch their existence across the mellenium, the Jacob's would be assured my vote as qualifers.

Jacob's Wool:
Jacob's are a dual purpose breed, but there is a richness and beauty to the dark brown/black of the Jacob's that I love and it adds wonderful color to blended fiber and wool products.

Recently felt was custom made from a blend of the dark Jacob's wool and the silver mohair from my older Angora Doe, Kitten. When it came back from the mill it was lovely, softer than I thought possible, and with the silver highlights of the Angora it is striking. It was supposed to be for sale, but parting with it would be difficult.

This was definitely a winning blend and will lead to more blended wool and goat fiber felt products. Jacob's wool can be used for many types of projects, sweaters, socks, wall hangings, etc. It has a nice style and staple. More and more selective breeding is leading to a finer Jacob's wool and Dusty and Josh have a finer wool than the ewes. Eventually our ewes will be bred to a Cormo for what is hoped will be a very nice cross-bred sheep.
The Arrival of the Cormo Sheep:
The expectation was that the Jacob's would be so delighted to have Kim and Magnum joining the sheep ranks that they'd run right over and introduce themselves. Not so, apparently they recognized these new comers as another breed of sheep. The first time Magnum and Kim walked into the pasture toward the Jacob's, the Jacob's stood with their heads down and horns upward, as if scared Magnum and old Kim presented a threat. Kim and Magnum graciously turned around, at which point one of the Jacob's ewes ran over to check out Magnum. Apparently the addition of a ram did stir some friendly interest.
Later that evening, Dusty, the self-appointed embassador and leader of the Jacob's, went over and examined the new comers and left. They have now fully integrated, but it took a few weeks and Magnum has definitely demonstrated that he is attract to the ewes.

Peacemaker Ebonie:
The other evening two of the does, Rosie with horns and Pebbles without horns, were rearing up and butting heads. While this is never serious and a rather typical and playful event, the situation disturbed Ebie. Deciding this wasn't okay, she strolled quickly toward the conflict and positioned herself between the two does, giving each that special kind of a glance a mother gives her children when telling them to cut it out. Whatever the controversy was about, Ebony ended it quickly.

Am hoping the Cormo-Jacob's crosses will inherit the intelligence of the Jacob's as well as have finer and Jacob's like colorful wool. If the lambs are born polled, that would be fine with me.

The Ultimate in Patience (Picture on Right: The ducklings from the hatched eggs)

Rune Duck sitting on her eggs in an old Feeder. What's amazing is that the kids and goats in this pasture/barn area used to sleep and jump in the feeder all the time, but now respect the area and the young duck sitting on her first brood of eggs. Ducks help keep the pasture clean by grazing for insects and worms, but there are only 5 Rune ducks on the farm.

Learning to Just be Flying Through

First Keeley and then Prince, Starlings, decided to hatch from under the eves of the cottage roof and then promptly fall out of their nest. If you believe raising animals is work, caring for infant birds is a very labor intensive project that takes a lot of committment. They both returned to the wild, but I still miss Keeley and her antics.

The first discovery was that there is a baby-bird formula for sale, and a non-needled 3 cc syringe works best for feeding. These little ones need to be fed every 1/2 hour. When Prince was discovered on the porch a month after Keeley was rescued, he was so weak only a few drops continually given made him strong enough to survive and eat more at one feeding.

While suspecting Keeley to be a girl, it was the arrival of Prince that led to confirmation, for from the beginning Prince was a bit larger and more focused on developing his physical strength, sitting, standing, and he was an early flyer. Keeley is more social and cognitive, but she had more quality time. It takes about a month before they start to fly, at first with short flights and crash landings that don't seem to hurt them.

These are the first birds I've ever had a relationship with, the amazing part is that one can have a relationship with a bird other than with parots and other types of domesticated birds.

When Keeley first arrived it was warmer, but when the temperature fell the regular light over her box wasn't enough. Fearing for the cold and near dormant birds life, a fast trip to town to buy a heat lamp was necessary. An hour after being under the lamp she totally revived and resumed eating. The lamp was used with Prince from the first and since he didn't even have feathers it was a major and positive addition.

What has been the most amazing is how intelligent, responsive, and social these little birds are. They know their names, answer when called, listen attentively, and come when you call them.

Keeley flew out the door one day, but she was still a bit young to make it on her own. Standing under the nearby tree, calling her, my neighbor thought me a bit insane and informed me goats don't live in trees. About three days later Keeley was in his yard and he knew it had to be my bird as it was too tame to be wild. Calling Keeley, she flew to the tree and one limb descent after another came to where I could reach her, bring her inside, and feed the very hungry Keeley.

They also demand attention, Keeley was trying to learn how to type on the keyboard with her beak and became adept at clicking the mouse. When working with pastels, she gets jealous and grabs the corner of the pastel paper to shake it. If this doesn't work she then starts to peck at the pastels or grab them and toss them to the floor. Prince still needs to be fed here and there, but they are just about ready to be freed. Often noisy and pests though they are, they will be missed.

They are Jr. Starlings, but discovering what type of birds they were required purchasing a book titled: Birds of the Willamett Valley Region. Its been nice to own, much more aware of birds now, have used it to identify other birds seen around the farm.

Fluffy

Fluffy is an adopted cat who was abandoned by someone, managed on her own for about 3 years, but she is very happy to have a home, cuddles, and is a lovely cat who has no enthusiasm for hunting.

Atlanta and Lambs

Atlanta had a white lamb ram and black/brown and white ewe lamb (sold). The little ram's wool favors the fineness of cormo. Ebonie had 2 twin ewe lambs, really cute, with wool that also favors the finess of the Cormo.

Reg. Jacobs, Ebonie's twin ewe lambs.

These two are so cute, wool looks like it will be very fine. Both eligible for Reg. with National Colored Sheep Association as both parents are Reg. Sire is Cormo Ram Magnum, his wool has a micron count of 19 and it all blends so beautifully with Pygora, especially the Type A.

Cross Ram Benjamin

Born last year, Benjamin has grown up to be a fine ram, he is also friendly and has really nice wool.