Painted Deserts and 50% Katahdins for Sale

My flock has been growing quickly and it has come time to part ways with a few sheep.  Here is what is currently for sale:

On the left is a 2.5 month old Painted Desert Ram-good stout prospect, dam Santana Sayen -6th place ewes 6-12 months, 2012 PDSS show. Ram $125, Ewe-$200 SOLD

Spot recordable 50% Katahdin ram lamb born Jan 18, 2013, dam Teanna above, sire "Potter" pictured at bottom of page  $175.00 SALE PENDING

Estrella's Ambrosia "Brandy"-PDSS ewe, she was bottle fed and is the friendliest ewe ever $125 (to someone who will love her), Moon-4.5 month PDSS ewe lamb. $75.00 SOLD

Tammy-a great PDSS ewe, dam of Pebbles (pictured below). Currently has a 50% Katahdin ewe on her side who I will be keeping. $200-Tammy will be available at the end of Feb 2013. I will hold her with a deposit. Sold

Bella is a really nice PDSS ewe, born in  2010, dam of Luna (listed below) and Arabella (in photo) a 2013 50% Katahdin ewe lamb (Arabella is not for sale).  $175

Luna 2012 PDSS ewe out of Estrellas La Bella and Estrellas Brennan. Has been exposed to Katahdin ram. (Pictured at 5 months old),  $175.00

Aleshanee Tiponi, 2010 PDSS ewe. Tiponi has produced two sets of twins for me to date. She was 2nd in the tough  6-12 month old ewe class in the 2012 PDSS show.  $200

Hugo fancy recordable 50% Katahdin ram lamb born 12/21/12. Dam is Aleshanee Tiponi PDSS ewe above, and Potter, Katahdin ram pictured at bottom of page. Combines the best traits of Katahdins and Painted Desert sheep.  Badger markings around eyes. $175

Ella 2012 yearling PDSS out of Aleshani Tiponi (pictured above) and Tejas Ranch Red Cloud exposed to Katahdin ram. $150 SOLD

Yearling ewe, Pebbles exposed to Potter registered Katahdin ram. $200 SOLD

"Potter" Registered 100% Katahdin Ram, born Jan 2012. Good size, good natured and proven sire (sire of all the 50% Katahdin lambs on this page) $350

I will offer a discount for purchases of 3 or more sheep.

Revisiting the Bucket List

The beginning of the year is a great time to review what we accomplished the prior year and make plans for the upcoming year so today I'll revisit my 2012 bucket list and see how well I did (this may be scary-I have a  sneaking suspicion I may have been gotten a tad waylaid last year.

The 2012 Bucket List:

• Move (first my dd and I)  ✓-Happily accomplished in May 2012
• Secure the fencing -happily most of the property is fenced, we just need to fix/improve it.  1/2 ✓ -we did get gates put up to secure the perimeter but our guardian dog just jumps over it. Not sure what we'll do here.
• Set-up dog kennel- X-not started, I'm putting this one on hold since I may build a kennel into the house addition/garage when that eventually happens.
• Make sheep shelter X-I cheated, I used the barn, but this will go on the 2013 bucket list so the horses can have the barn back!
• Move the livestock to property ✓
• Research what fruit trees do well at 8800' altitude (no that's not a typo -this property is located at some serious altitutude! Plant test trees. 1/2 ✓ -I did the research but didn't get the trees bought. Thiswas late to get a lot started. 
• Fix greenhouse 1/2 ✓ -I did fix it, but the wind ripped the new door I built off so it still needs fixing! 
•  is going on the 2013 bucket lits.
• Research and plant berry canes 1/2 ✓ -Again I did the research and actually ordered the plants but they are schedule for April 2013 delivery, hence only the 1/2 checkmark!
• Plant vegetable/herb garden ✓ I did get some herbs and vegetables planted last year, but with our May move date 
• Remove fallen tree from pond, remove beaver dams where they are changing water flow-X-we tried to haul it out with the mule but it wouldn't come. We started chopping it up for a pond side fire last week!
• Fence bottom pasture. X-just not enough hours in the day! 

Results:   ✓=3 tasks completed (yikes this is bad!)

           1/2 ✓=3 tasks partially completed

                  X=4 tasks not started

The results don't exactly look stellar but as always there is all sorts of accomplishments that were completed that never made it to the bucket list, such as building the doghouse, fencing the side pasture, seeding the side pasture etc.

And now for the 2013 Bucket List:

• Make the sheep house with at least 3 pens. 
• Fence bottom pasture
• Order and plant fruit trees
• Fence/cover vegetable garden so chickens can range in it, put in duck pond.
• Fix greenhouse
• Get ancona ducks
• Start aquaponic system in greenhouse. Something like this one:

• Stock pond with trout
• Complete alternative driveway entrance

Dog yard (our backyard is about 2 acres-too big to watch them at nighttime. I don't want any predators getting my pups!)

This concludes the 2013 Bucket List.  

A new year...some new babies and a farewell to 2012 and a friend

Well the new year has come upon us despite the Mayan calendar ending.  Maybe 2013 was just too far in the future for them to consider?  I read the other day that Jan 04, 2013 was the day Marty of Back to the Future fame was supposed to land in his Delorean...I haven't heard of any sightings yet, but it sure does make me feel old that the future is now!

Sadly just after Christmas we lost our favourite ewe "Delilah", Katielyn's bottle fed lamb from two years ago.  She was nearing the end of her first pregnancy and suffered pregnancy toxemia. We tried to save her with an emergency visit to the vet, but she passed away while trying to revive her. We suspect she was carrying twins and what with the cold weather, and nourishing the babes in her womb she used up all of her energy reserves.  Farewell Delilah, we miss you and the babies we never met.

2013 has already brought us some bouncing baby lambs...our first offspring by the Katahdin ram, Potter purchased in July. To date we have 3 ewes and one ram by Potter with a few more in the works. 

L to R, Single Ewe Lam born 01/03/13, twins Ram on left born  12/21/12

"Maya" ewe lamb born on 12/21- the day the world was to end!