I actually really like being busy as it turns out

[unicornduke]

Had a really delightful weekend, stressful but fun.

I hit the road early on Friday since I was supposed to help with some sheep hooves but it got pushed back so I got to the farm by lunch time which was great. Down at the selling area, I whipped through more cleaning and organizing and started getting the RST ready for my office area and the bin setup. Worked on clearing out the remaining stuff that was in the selling area too. I wish I had taken before pictures because I'm actually thinking about all the stuff we got done and it was a lot.

Saturday was a lot of thinking, once we got a lot of the stuff out of the selling area, like the wagon that was being painted, I started setting up displays. A little different this year, typically we have two sets of displays, one out in the triangle area where anyone can browse and one on the way back from the picking field since they're usually in different places. But since we don't have the picking field (turns out spreading pumpkins in the picking field takes around two hours every morning with 2-4 workers doing it, big task! but people like it, so next year), I only need one set of displays. So many extra displays! I got the jams, jellies, syrup, honey, tshirts and sweatshirts displays mostly ready. I had one worker painting all day, I had the other worker setting up displays and working on the string maze.

Only casualty of the weekend was a bin of squash that the wagon collapsed under, but only once they got back to the selling area. Best case scenario for a wagon breaking because they had been driving down the main road. It's the wagons fault, it was an older one that the cross beam collapsed and dumped the squash, so we lost some there but not a ton.

Sunday was more of the same busy busy, lots to do, lots of workers to direct. I hit the road around 4:30 and got home at 8 and was very tired afterwards

The RST got set up by the end of the weekend, all the interior displays got set up, all the exterior displays got set up and I had two workers start putting pumpkins, gourds etc on them, ahead of schedule. We're going to try and get the produce washer set up to wash gourds and other small things so they sell better, so those aren't on the displays yet. The laborers got some picking done and dad sent them off to pick white pumpkins. We're way ahead of schedule for a lot of things *knocks on wood* and a little behind for some others, but most of the setup work is done.

I really enjoy working with my dad as it turns out, he's fun, he's great at getting things done when I ask, he's willing to just get it done or tell my why it can't be done yet and will tell me when he'll get to it.

I'm feeling way better than I did this summer. I'm full of energy, I'm excited, I've been going for walks and bouncing around with energy. I left a box in the entrance to my room this morning and actually jumped over it instead of stepping. I didn't realize how down I was feeling all summer, I was so blah and not energetic. I've been getting up at 5am every morning and I headed out to work earlier than I needed to. I worked all weekend, 10 or 11 hour days and I'm ready to do more so that feels nice.

Comments

[ranunculus]

I was getting some energy back, while the weather was cool and the breeze shifted direction. Right now it is hot again (100 - 103) and my eyes have swollen up again so no energy. Grrrrr. So easy to do things when energy is available! As you say it feels good to work....
Glad things are going well at the farm.

[unicornduke]

Oh no! It's finally beautiful fall weather here with cool nights in the 50s and 60-70 degree weather. I hope it cools down again soon for you!

[reedrover]

I’m glad for you that this is energizing and positive. I’m envious of your good times with your dad and I hope they continue.

[unicornduke]

Thanks! I'm hoping this is a good start

[graydon]

Hurrah for feeling energetic!

Here's hoping for a long run of excellent fall weather.

[unicornduke]

It has been glorious so far!

[frith]

Hello! What is it with these sheep that they need a hoof trim? Is it their diet? Are they penned 24/7? The Himalayan tahr at work had excessive hoof growth and I requested a low-protein feed as a way to fix this. Then I switched to another section and the tahr started to mooch off the yak diet so I don't know how successful the switch was or if someone didn't monkey around with my solution. At home I housed a couple of alpacas that arrived with excessively long hooves. Several months of controlled feed intake (sweetened sheep feed) plus hay (as much as they can eat without wastage) plus free choice grazing (1/4 acre, mostly wild forbs plus some fresh cut tree branches thrown in) and the hooves wore down to something acceptable. The llamas in my back yard never need a hoof trim.

TL/DR: I'm of the mind that normally ungulates should not need a hoof trim and if they do, something has gone wrong.

[unicornduke]

Hi, nice to meet you. I am not an animal nutritionist and don't give advice on sheep diets, just a sheep shearer and so I trim hooves when we shear. I find the sheep we shear usually need a trim once a year because they're mostly out on grass pastures and don't get the wear down of their feet like when I kept goats on rocky hillsides. The growth and condition of the sheep feet varies extremely widely between breeds and living conditions.

That being said, this flock in particular was pastured on wet ground over the summer and started having hoof rot issues, so I was checking to make sure their feet had dried out after they had been moved to a dry spot and trimming spots that had separated to make sure they could dry out and not become an issue. I checked over the lambs before this and I'm going to look at the ewes this week.

I think your experience is with different animals in different circumstances than the ones I'm dealing with.

[frith]

Thanks! What I'm gathering here is that wet pasture, soft ground and possibly rich grazing contribute to excessive hoof growth (and rot!) in sheep, which are probably adapted to living in dry, poor and mountainous regions. A once-a-year hoof trim sounds mostly cosmetic, or maybe a preventative measure.