Monday, March 16, 2015

We Knew You Were a Traitor!!!





Today was the day. The last day of easy living for the (mostly) whethers who by now thought that life was just their oyster. Up until today they have been given plenty of forage, a little extra grain every day, all the lounge and play time a young sheep could ask for. A dry roof over their heads. Some big two legged sheep would come by and fork hay over to them and even play with them when they got a bit over excited and tried headbutting a bit. Life was just grand. It was great being a sheep.

When I ventured into their pen after I had the loading chute all set up they came running up to me looking for food. It was really no big deal to stand by the gate and open it for a slaughter lamb while pushing the ones we are keeping aside. We had one that got a bit jumpy and was a somewhat of a problem but eventually got him in with the others. Even once they were separated they didn't catch on.  They eagerly ran up the chute and into the trailer following the sound of grain.

Then the door of doom closed behind them.

When I got them to the slaughter yard and unloaded them they all turned to look at me like I was the most despicable traitor that ever walked the face of the earth.

Oh well such are the facts of life. A mans gotta eat.




Before taking the lambs to slaughter and after morning feeding I had another load of that green Oak to split up and haul back. That job is blessedly finished. Since it was in a friend's yard I had to wheel barrow the wood about 20 yards to the truck. I took my son along with me this morning to do that part so I could finish up.




The first row of the firewood deep reserve is now pretty much filled once again. This green Oak is going to take at least a year to cure so I emptied my reserve spot of the old wood and am now refilling it with this green stuff. Should give it a long time to cure and longer before it get's so dry I have to burn it so it is perfect to begin replenishing my deep reserve with.

After the last load of this particular tree it was time to unload about 25 square bales into the loft.




I had my son stack them as I tossed em up to him. We don't normally buy hay but since last year was such a bumper year for hay around here and our neighbors had this left over and really wanted to free up some space they sold us 78 bales at a dollar each. Can't beat that with a stick as it's pretty good quality. I figured what the hell the loft was sitting empty anyway might as well fill it. At that price I can use it for straw or bedding if nothing else. It won't really fill the loft anyway, we have had well over 300 bales up there years ago but it looks better to be in use once again.

While we were in there we discussed putting up one of those old time bale pulley systems. I think it would be a cool addition to the old barn. I know it used to have one years ago and we could use it for our small Alfalfa bales. Because I ain't tossing Alfalfa bales up there let me tell you. These bales weighed in at about 40 or 50 pounds and my arms are feeling it right now as it is. Alfalfa bales will go 100 easy sometimes. I don't mind man-handling them around on level ground but I ain't tossing em 15 feet into the air.




Before all this sheep moving and hay throwing could get underway I had to move the 8N out of it's home. The 8N didn't mind one bit, it likes being out in the sun, but the barn cat was not happy I stole his nap spot.

This guy is named Braveheart. He was born down in the loafing shed a couple years ago from a dropped off stray cat that was pregnant. We found him a home but by the time we had discovered the litter was down there they were almost completely feral and he never fit in with the family that took him so they brought him back. He is actually quite tame now but he totally disappeared until this Winter so that we thought he had either found another home or had met with an accident. About January though he showed up in the barn and hasn't left since. I suspect that he joined the local cat population that wanders between our barn and the neighbors and then this Winter decided ours was his home again. We had him neutered two years ago so there wasn't any wild oat sowing going on or anything. Funny thing about this cat he is the exact opposite of his name. He is literally scared to death of his own shadow. His mother was the meanest cat I ever met though. She wasn't very big but she was a scrapper which is why she isn't around anymore as she got into it with the neighbor's dogs. Too bad to because she was also the only cat I ever known who would go up into the very top rafters of football field sized barn and clean out the pigeons for me.

Anyway I think this cat is about the prettiest one we have around here. He is a ticked tabby and has turned very affectionate. Just don't try and make him come into a house or he will scratch your eyeballs out. 

So we got everything done today believe it or not. I had my doubts when I rolled out of bed this morning that it was all going to come together at all but it did.

Now it's time to go pass out.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!


17 comments:

  1. Busy, busy! And there's nothing better than being ahead of the game when it comes to prepping. Hopefully a new nap spot for Braveheart will be found soon. We're still discussing barn plans and a pulley system for hay for hauling up the bales is something we're planning. Not sure how that will work out, so it would be nice for you to do it first, LOL.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leigh - Well I actually have an old manual pulley system that belonged to my Father. He used it to pull engines way back when. The problem is the damned thing takes like three people to move it and I am not even sure how I can install it without a lift truck.

      Not sure what I am going to do but I will post it :)

      Delete
  2. Wow! Not even any time for a nap! ;-) Sounds like you had a pretty productive day and you made a steal on the hay. Good work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hobo - MMMM naps. I love naps. Everytime I try and take one though someone knocks on the damned door :)

      Delete
  3. You are incredibly busy Preppy. Watch your back on the bales - having tried to shuck a 16 lb sheaf 20 ft this weekend I can imagine what your arm feels like...

    Any sense on how you did on the sheep this year?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TB - Oh this year was a complete bust money-wise anyway on the sheep. I put out a lot of money on projects and the like that I know I am well in the red for the year.

      Prolly will be this year as well.

      Delete
  4. I don't think its ever easy to load up an animal and send it off to its ultimate demise, but such is the fact of life. At least you know where your meat came from. We're getting ready to send one or two of our hogs off as well. They've been ready for some time, we just haven't had the time to make the one way trip downtown.

    Nice find on the hay. I'd about give my right arm for a bale at $1 each. They go for nearly $7 here in central FL.

    Stay busy (thirsty) my friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Izzy - I have seen second or third cutting Alfalfa go for that much around here but not grass hay. A good grass square bale of Fescue, Orchard grass, what have you mix is usually about $3.00 a bale, sometimes $3.50. This year the 1200+ pound round bales were selling for only $20.00 delivered. It was a good year for me to stock up a bit and change some land around since it wouldn't cost my through the nose to buy the hay.

      Delete
  5. PP - yer like jam in that there is always 2 days of work to do in only 12 hours and it never really lets up except for a few snowed in winter days. any other day of the year there are always 12 million chores.

    and, i would love to get some of your lamb meat up here. not a lot of people on the island raise sheep and the ones that do are on the other side of the island. and they pretty much butcher it for themselves and their neighbours. i haven't had lamb since we left the city - arghghghgh! can you mail me a half a lamb? shouldn't cost too much and we could consider it an early xmas present. also throw in a litre or 2 of your honey - bahahahah! we'll mail you back a ton of trout. sounds like a good deal to me!

    that cat is beautiful. i hope he finds another good napping spot. much love buddy! your friend,
    kymber

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kymber - Hmmm maybe I could meet you guys at one of the border crossing areas? I have never been checked going across the Canadian border.

      Delete
    2. Lamb is delicious - oddly enough Kymber, in the US it is typically confined to rack of lamb (very expensive) or lamb chops (also expensive). For years, the only place I could get it regularly and plentifully was at a Mongolian BBQ.

      Delete
    3. I don't understand why it is expensive either really. We of course eat a lot of lamb. My favorite way is actually lamb burger to be honest but I have not had any of it that wasn't delicious. The ribs are especially good when prepped right.

      Delete
    4. TB, PP - if i could get myself a whole lamb i would eat it from forehead to tail! i love lamb anything and am a big believer in eating from head to toe and leaving nothing to scrap. gristle, bones, eyeballs - you name it - i will use all parts of an animal. we used to be able to get a variety of lamb cuts back in the city but here - it is not sold in grocery stores and the few farms that do have lamb do not sell outside of their small communities.

      somebody needs to mail me some lamb! i mean it! much love to both of you!

      Delete
  6. You were kind of like how Obama will look to all of the two legged sheep one day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sf - Ya but they didn't buy it when I told them it was all Bush's fault :)

      Delete
    2. You also should have told them how you were as upset and outraged about the situation as they were and didn't know anything about it until somebody explained it to you.

      Delete
  7. PP,

    You've been very busy my friend. Glad to hear you accomplished everything you set out to accomplish today.

    Now you've found yourself a really great deal on hay bales, wish we had neighbors like yours :-)

    ReplyDelete

Leave a comment. We like comments. Sometimes we have even been known to feed Trolls.