It's moving time!

Hey everyone!

I've been working on a new website and blog together and it's up and running! All about the Mother Ranch, our crazy animals and funny things that happen over here as well as a new set of videos we are doing, starting with this one of the Rocket with her best friend Finn:

or you can find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fvs4sh-zfQ&t=14s


Anyway, I hope you will follow me on over to my new place on the web:

https://www.themotherranch.com/

See you soon!

Julia

White Chicken Red Hat

Most were uncertain why she left her family to strike out on her own but personally I heard her say it was "Boyfriend" and his harem of females.

"He's not particularly kind. He talks a lot about himself and his beautiful white "Silkie" feathers but he doesn't bother telling me how pretty MY white feathers are and he has never, not even ONCE mentioned my beautiful red hat."

She had had enough.

The minute she arrived at the Mother Ranch in their moveable house she ran for it. In all the chaos of the big move everyone was in a tizzy, talking about what had happened and wondering what was going to happen next. In a frenzy of homemaking, six of the harem laid eggs almost immediately. Boyfriend strutted around the house yelling at the girls to stop talking so loudly, they sounded like a bunch of...well, you know.

Watching the hubbub, White Chicken Red Hat knew. She had been all broody with her plan to escape at the old house but with the big move, the time was now. Acting exactly the same as the harem she shrieked and carried on with all the drama she could muster, "I don't know what we're going to do! That was the scariest thing ever! What if...! Oh no...! And then...!" And before anyone knew what was what she had slipped out the chicken door and took off at a dead run. She ran like a chicken with her head...well, you know. 

to be continued...

Laura Longtail's lambing story

Brad and I were finishing prep for a class that another coach was going to hold at our ranch-including evening chores and moving the sheep and their dogs to pasture 3.

The coach arrived along with one student and the guardian dogs were barking up a storm. I passed Brad in our work and he said quietly, "We're missing a mama sheep." Three ewes and their lambs were nearby but I didn't see Laura Longtail. I looked way out in the pasture and could see her standing completely still out in the middle of the tall grass. That was odd. Tess and Duke saw her and went barreling toward her. They stopped about 50 feel from her and became statues themselves--tails high and stiff.

By that time I was walking out because it all felt really weird. As I got closer I realized that Laura Longtail's tail was sticking straight out. Huh. She started walking toward me and as she got closer I saw her udder was huge and the teats were bright pink! Wha?? She passed me and I saw what the problem was, there was a lamb, stuck. It's nose, part of his muzzle, and one foot.

We didn't even know she was pregnant. 

Laura Longtail is a first time mom.

I called our friend Nancy and asked her for advice. She said not to worry too much, sometimes stuck lambs can survive. She said to find the other foot, pull it out, pull the lamb out, swing it by it's back legs and give chest compressions if needed.

I called Brad out to the field and with some tricky maneuvering we were able to get the flock and their dogs out of the pasture while keeping Laura Longtail in. Brad caught and wrestled Laura Longtail onto the ground and I got to work. I was able to just fit half of my right hand inside, right next to the lamb's head--what a tight squeeze! In a few minutes I found the lamb's other hoof and using her contractions was able to get the foot out. With a few short pushes by Laura Longtail, the baby lamb slid out onto the ground. No heartbeat. I quickly scooped him up and swung him (a giant ram lamb) by his back legs, trying to get things moving along. All I could think of was, "Come on little lamb, please survive." Placing him back on the ground and still no heartbeat, I did chest compressions. Nothing. I tried swinging and chest compressions one more time. Still nothing. Sigh. 

Okay. This is the hard part of ranching.

Brad brought the flock back in, they went out to graze, and I brought the lamb up to his mom's head and she began licking him. This was the saddest part. I wasn't sure how long to leave him with her. Do I take him away? Do I wait until he's clean and dry? I decided to wait and sat down next to her. Tess, their livestock guardian dog, waited with me--laying on the other side of the fence, holding space for us all. She was very calm and her calm seeped into me. Laura Longtail gently cleaned her baby for about five minutes. She stopped to look at him for a moment and then placed one of her nostrils directly onto one of his. Waited. A few seconds passed and she repeated it. She breathed. He didn't. She slowly got to her feet and walked away, back to the flock. 

As a child and into adulthood I've always loved the James Herriot books. Living on this ranch, one of my dreams was to assist an animal giving birth. I'm so glad I could save Laura Longtail. I'm sad I couldn't save her lamb.

Early Morning Sogginess

5:00am. Wake up to a downpour. Think it sounds pretty...

Really hear it. Wonder about the animals. Decide everyone is fine. 
Realize all the windows in the small goat barn are open! 

Listen. Doesn't seem windy. Seems to be coming straight down. 

Drift toward sleep...

Hear the wind. Shit. It's now coming into MY open windows! Get up, close my windows. Dogs don't stir. Even the pup. No one wants to go out. 

Put on socks and heavy robe. Walk around house, closing all the windows, most were just cracked. Whew. 

Go to mudroom to get my boots. 

!!!!!!

I had left ALL the windows WIDE open. Slate (thank God) floor soaked, along with the wood windowsills. Ugh. Add heavy Carhart hooded jacket to my robe and boots. Big white livestock guardian dogs ERUPT IN FURY the second I step out of the house. Obviously an intruder is escaping OUT of the house. I whistle. The screaming continues. I call to them. Nothing. They are pretty damn scary when they don't know who you are. I'm happy about this :-). 

Slosh through puddles to goat barn. How long has it been raining?? Goats are bedded down and completely dry. Yay. Slide windows nearly closed and slosh back. 

At least my worry for the goats saved my mudroom from flooding!

My ManChild and my Rayn

Zaaaaaaap!

I can't tell if the fence is on...lean over to see if the light is flashing...
and rest my hand DIRECTLY on the wire going into the charger. 

"F*$!#!!!!"

Yes, it's on.

Ow!

 

How to throw your back out with overalls

 
Carhartt winter overalls are made of heavy cotton canvas. On the inside they have a thick quilted material. They are meant to go over jeans and sweatshirts and boots so they are huge. The matching coat is then big enough to go over all of that.

So, when I thought about this today, I realized I'm basically wearing a boat cover. HEAVY. Now next winter I don't imagine this being an issue as I'll be stronger. This winter however, is our first winter at the Mother Ranch and my soft, sweet, suburb body is suffering. Not only from the weight of these things but because I'm finding they are completely changing my walk--to one of a duck!

I can feel my spine telescoping downwards... 

 

We lost a sheep today...

 

We came home today at 4:30 after being gone all day to find a dead and disemboweled sheep.

Actually Michael found her. It was Speckles. I was feeding horses in the big pasture and heard Michael call to me from the sheep/donkey pasture that we only had four sheep and the fifth was dead. The whole conversation took place with us calling back and forth about 200 feet away from each other.

Me: What?? I see the four...is that the fifth one way back there? (As I'm saying this I'm realizing that it's not normal for one to be so far away from the others...)
Michael: Yes, it's dead.
Me: Are you sure it's dead? Maybe it's just sleeping?
Michael: Oh it's dead alright.
Me: How do you know?
Michael: It's eyes are open and it's intestines are hanging out.
Me, jogging up the lane now: You saw it?
Michael, matter of fact and calm as could be: Yes.

Suddenly all the questions he had been asking about death and where we go after were more clear to him. (Ah. I see. So the part that makes us "us" goes to another place and this other part stays here.) We all went out to the sheep and Michael reached out to touch her fur. He wasn't freaked out. He touched her leg. He told her he was sorry. 

We of course assumed coyote until we remembered there is a mountain lion on the east side of town (in our old neighborhood of all places!)--just a few miles away. A friend suggested we call the Division of Wildlife and the guy on call called us back. Brad sent him pics and the guy just said that there are some signs that it might actually be a mountain lion. OMG! Nothing is safe from a mountain lion! I don't worry much about coyotes with the horses, they typically ignore each other. But a big cat!? Please pray and send good juju to the Mother Ranch. That cat needs to be caught and relocated far far away!

UPDATE: The Wildlife guy suggested Brad skin the sheep's neck out to see what kind of bite marks were there. He did and we are now 99% sure it was a coyote. While not a happy thought, it's definitely better than the thought of a mountain lion lurking around! 

 

Sheep wrecked

 

Sigh. Midge has been doing amazing with remembering past sheep dog training.

Thought this would be okay.

Not okay.

At all.

I walked into the sheep pen with young (training wise) Midge. Had her lie down. Went to open gate while (I thought) keeping an eye on Midge. Suddenly 5 thundering sheep hit me at the knees and I actually went completely airborne for a moment. Landed hip, wrist, back, head. Got to an elbow and found them heading for me again!

Midgie was just doing her job, bringing the sheep to mom.

I shrieked, "LIE DOWN LIE DOWN LIE DOWN!!!!!!!!!"

Midgie did. Brad came and removed her but not before she moved again and sent the freaking sheep in my direction for a third time. I still wasn't up yet so I just screamed and kicked at the poor sheep until they went the other way. Not my finest moment.

I finally got up and out of the pen. 

Arnica orally and topically. Advil. Ice on several parts. Ouch.