So far this year on the farm

At this time we are grateful for the fenced area we had and now are getting the new areas finished for the 2011 season. We now have three new ram lambs to add to our farm for the mating season. Last year we lost Bandit and decided to keep two of his offspring for breeding as he was an amazing ram. It appears he passed all of the good qualities besides the great conformation and fleece.
One of the hard parts of having a farm with sheep is that you have to be willing to cull, no matter how cute they are. If there is something off then you have to stop it from being passed to the next generation. The justification is that the icelandic make great meat that is gourmet. I just hate being the bad guy sometimes.
We are into October now and almost ready for the rut season to begin. Got everyones hooves trimmed and now they have to be sheared then off to their enclosed fields. Can't put harneses on these guys as they are too small compared to other sheep for marking when they are breeding, but a raddle powder mixed with oil on the ram chest does the trick. They are very shy breeders so this coloured paste is great so there are no mysteries as to who is or isn't mating.
I was happy to have them in the mating game at the end of October and new lambs at the end of March. This way I also know that by the next breeding season, the new lambs will be big enough to mate also. If the ewe lambs are not big enough then they don't mate, as simple as that. The ram lambs can start breeding at 5 months, no problem. I have 2 ewe lambs that should be bigger at this time and are not so I don't see that as a good prospect for future breeders, I wouldn't sell them to another farmer either. They are even too small to butcher at the moment and should be bigger compared to the others who were born after them. This is where hard decisions come in.
I have found that working with the standard medicines when needed is the right path to take on a sheep but I also have found that my own desire to incorporate herbal methods and go the natural way is good. A marriage of both. They get molasses and Organic apple cider vinegar in the water. During the season when they are waiting for the birthing to begin then I have the molasses tubs for them and salt with selinium. I have used dandelion root powder and garlic for their intestines to help digestion and ward off parasites.
The fortunate thing about this year is we are going into winter slowly, must be nature keeping pace with slow me, or at least feeling sorry for me and taking it easy on me. Thank you Mother Nature!