An electrifying experience...

So, this morning I went to walk the dogs, and I look over at the ram pen (about 12-15 rams, different sizes and ages) and see an animal twitching in the electric fencing...having noticed just prior to this that the buck kid that is supposed to be in there as well is not. So I run over to the battery, pull off a clip to turn the fence off quick, and run to the house and bang on Marie's window and tell her there is an animal in the fence twitching...She comes out of the house, and we go towards the ram pen, and we each are trying to figure out who it was - we had just gotten a new ram (on loan for a year or so) and we both thought it might be him, as he wasn't used to the fencing. Then we realize that it is Marie's oldest ram, Patrick, and one of the biggest, that is tangled real good in the fence. He had the fence wrapped up in his tight two horns as well as way up his one of his back legs, which is bent at a uncomfortable angle. So, we get him untangled, and he tried to stand up, but isn't able to. Marie massages his back legs a while, and then helps him stand up and holds his back side to support him. As she is doing that, the new ram, Otts (pronouced "uutts") smashes into Patrick and Marie head on, so Marie has to wrestle him to the ground to let him know who is boss, and not to do that again! So I held Patrick, and then we manage to get him with support to the barn, so he can recover hopefully!! He is standing when we go out to see him, but he is still weak on the back legs tonight. I of course sprayed Rescue Remedy in his mouth this morning as well. And that back kid?? (No name yet...) We are sure he took full advantage of the fence being occupied, to jump over poor Patrick and escape!! He wants to hang out with his sister, but we don't want him to breed her! So he is keeping Patrick company in the barn, and hasn't escaped yet.

NYS Fair Sheep Quiz Bowl

So, for the third year in a row, my oldest daughter's team won the quiz bowl, and this year she had all new team members, one of which was her youngest sister, Rosemary. Here is a link with their picture:
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/4H/sheep/index.html
The people who run it said they don't think they are making it easy, it's just that Marie knows her stuff. :-)
Proud mom...

Sheep Shearing

So, I took my then 15 year old daughter to sheep shearing school at Cornell last spring so she could shear her own sheep. Bought her her own shearers for her 16th birthday. She has been shearing her flock of sheep (count at 74 right now) and getting lots of experience. So earlier this summer, we go to this Amish store near us, and my daughter notices that they have a couple of sheep that need shearing badly. So she and her dad go into the place and start talking to the owner. Say they noticed his sheep needed shearing. He tells them that he has been trying to get someone but can't get anyone to come. They say that Marie knows how to shear sheep, would he like her to do his sheep? He says yes, how much? Now my daughter (16) thinks to herself she would charge $5 a sheep. plus gas. My husband says 'how about $100?" The guy says sure, and my daughter's jaw drops. Hopefully the owner didn't notice! Anyway, we get there a month later and we start shearing the sheep and the guy asks us if we would be willing to try to shear the llamas. We said we wold try, and it took us a while, and the boy llama was a bucking bronco, but for another $100, it was worth it!!
Lesson one for business school...