farm life – Bohemian Bounty

Shear Relief: Removing the wool from sheep

The Bohemians May 23, 2016 farm life, Naivar Farm, sheep

sheep shearing 2016 — The girls are shearing Zachary, our sire cheviot

Texas is not an easy climate for a wool sheep. This year’s cooler and wetter weather are a relief for our Cheviot herd. There is nothing easy about shearing a sheep.

The equipment is expensive. The sheep are uncomfortable. The people are uncomfortable. Someday we will be able to invest in better equipment.

We do not put coats on our sheep and the wool is full of dried dirt, sweat, and dust. Burrs and grass are tangled in the locks.

Wool has many uses and it was fun to learn how to felt and spin on a hand spindle last year. I am sad that the U.S. does not export as much wool but Cotton is king in our continent. It is still fun to play with and we will be selling the wool to spinners, felters, and crafters.

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Spring lambs bound

The Bohemians March 29, 2016 animal husbandry, cheviot, dorper, farm life, lamb birth, Naivar Farm, pasture, sheep, soil, spring family farm, future of food, lambs, meat, orchard, organic, pasture, plants, seeds, sheep, soil health

The cold days are behind us and it seems every animal is jumping around the farm.

Mostly, we have Dorper lambs bounding up the hills and springing up and over each other. Last year we only had four lambs because many of our females were too young to breed. This year we have lots – we have tripled our herd.

We have 8 males and 7 females – 6 sets of twins – 14 altogether. Our cheviots have not given birth and one dorper female is all that is left but her milk sack is growing.

Many friends ask about holding them. the best time to hold one is the first day they are born. They are sleepy and often lay day to sleep – just like all baby animals. However, mother ewes are very protective and some are even scary and will hit you.

Young male lambs often weigh more and are more jumpy and they have a quick instinct to mount other lambs. We separate our males and will be selling them for meat.

You can read about Dorper meat and we invite you to dine with us to understand it’s qualities and see how pasture raised Texas sheep tastes.