October 18, 2024 When moving sheep from Waimea to Kona or vice versa, those individuals eventually form new bonds. In August I took four lambs to Waimea from Kona. They were raised on a bottle, and even those tame ones started bleating when their friends disappeared among the 100 other sheep. Among those four, you…
Willful and stubborn sheep polluting their land 200 hungry sheep and no sheepdog makes it crazy difficult to push them into their prepared paddock. To safeguard their health and also from getting out onto the road they have to obey my voice. But their heads are down, each doing their own thing. The majority are…
The enormous belly on the third and pregnant ewe walking away makes me a bit concerned. Yes, sheep can have triplets, septuplets even, but my experience on poor pastures of Hawaii is that singles are the norm. A set of live triplets will create a hierarchy, and the weakest one will be a runt. This…
This mature ewe just baffled me. She always lambs without difficulty. She was in good condition. Yet when I got her to her feet I saw the mucous plug, but hardly any sign of labor. Sensing a problem, I was baffled when the head and one foot was correctly positioned. I went ahead and delivered…
In Hawaii, grass can harbor larvae known as Barberpole worm all year long because there is no winter freeze to limit their reproduction cycle. It affects young lambs and nursing mothers to the degree they will die if the internal worm load is high enough. Prevention is key, so I move sheep onto fresh grass…
Today is a challenging day. I will teach for a little bit as a sheep farmer to 18 people. It’s an adventure, hands on experience to feed, move and medicate the sheep against internal parasites and tetanus. The grass greened up and it makes for a beautiful setting. I’m asking the Lord to make it…