[mother katherine]

I’ve heard that many 4Hers start with Holsteins, which should be fairly easygoing but fast growing. Brown Swiss can be very mild, as well. I have a pair of Jersey crosses and they are bright, willing and energetic.
It’s odd to a New Englander to hear you were warned off the dairy breeds – those are our preferences. They are more plentiful, cheaper and aren’t so apt to have unwanted weight gains which lead to shorter lives and foot/leg problems.
I don’t know much about the Dexters, but Vicki Solomon who writes on this forum has them, I believe, and loves them.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Yo, Reb,
Where in midcoast Maine are you? I’m “living in exile” but hope to get up to see my cousin and other relocated family in Waldoboro.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Oh, yes, they’re already being curried to get the winter coat out. Tail switches are under construction – Bright LOVES to get into the burdocks. He’s a lunkhead, sometimes.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Last summer, when our calves were about 4 months old, I didn’t have loads of time. But every day I captured, led them to the feed bunk(which is a good time to reinforce directional commands, rather than just a straight line to the feed), left them tied for a bit, and every few days got out the yoke and did 15 -30 minutes of “play time’: walking, pulling a tire, executing moves.
You don’t have to spend lots of time a whack, just consistently exercise dominance regularly and make social contact. Any time can be a simple disguised period of dominance that they will understand: executing commands while on the way to/from the feed, capture, release, stepping in or out while grooming.
And, yes, always take “the stick” for these times: I find it helps cut down on the confusion for them of what you’re telling them.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Anybody remember “The Two Ronnies”?
Now I’ve just lost the names, but there were two guys, one in a wheelchair, who did parodies of tunes: “Have Some Madeira, M’Dear”, “The Gnu”, something about hippos in mud. I love those guys. GOT IT~ Flanders and Swan!!
Of course, there’s John Mortimer, whose Rumpole was immortalised by Leo McKern. Believe me, he was a big asset to me in reading English at college – all that Oxford Book of Verse: I knew quotes from all kinds of poets.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

My condolences to you and Ike. Hope you find him a companion soon as he wants.
Until an ox comes along, would a goat be somebody he could hang out with? I know horses often form friendships with goats as pasture pals
Mother Katherine

[mother katherine]

Lleyns! Ab acquaintance of mine of Welsh descent first told me about them. She wanted some, but, I guess, there are none in the US.
I’ll be interested to hear how they work out for you.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Rob,
You’ve been busy this morning: I was glad to read your posts. Glad to hear the boys are still active and learning. When are you hosting an ox event? I’ll be there with bells on.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

We had a pair of Texels. They had been raised as pets were very sweet. They looked like overgrown cheviots to me – without the nerves.
The keeping of sheep with little grain and chemicals is not that hard, if you know your sheep and watch them to learn their ways. I am fascinated to watch our girls and have learned a lot about sheep and their ideas about themselves and their lives.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Caitlyn, don’t let all the steps in fleece prep scare you off. when I started spinning, the others would only let me have fleece that wasn’t worth anything – in case I ruined it. The shearer used to laugh as I scrabbled up all the bellies, tops and other wool not used in “regular” yarn. I got so that I could spin anything and good fleece seemed like cheating.
Anyway. At first, you don’t have to do all the washing and carding, as long as the fleece is reasonably clean and you used individual locks. A lot of people prefer to spin “raw”(unprocessed) fleece. You can, if the fleece is too oily, wash/rinse only the little bit you want to use at a time – much more manageable. Again, the primitive sheep, Icelandic, Shetland, don’t have quite the lanolin in the fleece and are fun to do raw.
Spinning can be as easy as 15 minutes a day. I used to spin while watching tv. If you use a spindle, you can take your little bit of fleece in a bag and spin anywhere: in the car, on the lawn, during boring talk, in a waiting room. People are fascinated to watch.
As far as pricey, see if someone has a crossbred or unregistered sheep. A wethered ram is agood fleece producer and is sometimes cheaper and more of a pet than a breeding ewe. I have several wethers of various breeds just for fleece production. One Icelandic wether was quite a local “star”: he appeared in many Christmas plays, went to schools and nursing homes. He loved being with people and often cuddled when I went to the field to visit him and his family.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Caitlyn, Look and see what people in Scotland have for sheep. Maybe you could find some threatened breeds you might like, such as the Leicester Longwool.
We have Romneys and they can be very friendly. Cheviot is what I think of when I think Scotland; but they are nervous.
I like the Icelandic the best: they are smart, low input, low maintenance (little to no grain) and can be very friendly and cuddly. I’m not sure how the Shetland breed is.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Carl, you are so funny. Never could see the attraction to shaving legs and pulling eyebrows(plucking). Tried once as a young kid watching aunts and cousin – seemed too much like S & M to me to be worth it.
When I was little, I used to love to watch the old workhorse roll; my mother was terrified he’d roll on me. It’s one of the few things I remember about him.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Bivol,
you find such interesting things. I enjoy the results of your research
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Wolfgang
I saw the RIP – did something happen to Fabian?
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Sooo Cooool.
I don’t know if bRod will do anything fancy like jumping, but I’m hoping he’ll keep on letting me get onto his back in preparation to ride when he’s old enough.
I want to start real early with the new pair teaching them tricks.
Thanks
oxnun

[Author]

Posts