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Weekly Reports
- 2025 1/27-2/2 Week in Review
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- 2025 2/10-2/16 Week in Review
- 2025 2/17-2/23 Week in Review
- 2025 2/24-3/2 Week in Review
Weather
January ended with over 4″ of rain. We got some rain, but we also got warm weather and freezing weather in February. February is definitely part of winter even if some days it feels like spring.
Sheep Health
I lost 2 lambs and 3 sheep to health issues. None of the lambs I bought from Lampasas had any issues, just the rejects I bought from my neighbor. Could I have done anything better? I don’t know. I refuse to use antiparasitics, antibiotics, etc… If the animals can’t survive without medicine, I need to get rid of them one way or the other.
I don’t know exactly why the animals were getting sick and dying. Sure, maybe they were full of parasites, but why now? I imagine they were missing something important from their diet. I was holding back on the protein supplement for the sheep. Next winter I am going to give them all they can eat, and see if it makes a difference.
I might look into getting higher quality hay that has more protein in it for the sheep. This kind of hay can get quite expensive, however.
Cattle Health
The cows seem fine, if a little thin. I think next year I will be more generous with the protein supplement. I was worried because their manure was getting too soft but I think I’d rather have fat cows coming out of winter than hard manure.
Wire Problems
It’s well-known that sheep are fine staying in the wire as long as they have plenty to eat. What about in late February when the grass starts growing? They are tempted to leave the row or area they are confined to and start eating the new grass. How can I stop them? I really can’t, short of netting or more wires and a physical barrier.
Next year I am going to keep the cattle and sheep together as much as possible. Only when they are lambing and the ground is muddy and there’s a good chance the lambs will get stepped on in the hay will I separate them out. The sheep will get more wires and I’ll keep the fence hot. Furthermore, I am going to provide more supplemental feed to hopefully convince the sheep not to leave their area.