We have dried off several does and are milking Scandal, Liz and Oldesouth Silver Princess has come home to be milked. She has two lovely daughters sired by Superb. SunRa is still milking, and insists on coming in to be milked, but will be dried off shortly. NC Promisedland SIA SunRa has just been awarded her SG (Superior Genetics) award!! She is an ELITE sweet girl now! SG is a combination of conformation and production, calculating out to be in the top 15% of the entire Nigerian Breed! It takes a pretty girl who can milk to receive this award!!! My sweet SunRa is pictured below doing what she does best, milk...
UDiamond, Oldesouth Belladonna, Oldesouth Babette, Oldesouth Cocoa Delight, Oldesouth Summer, Oldesouth Blue Reba have all been dried off and have earned their milk stars with CLASS!
UDiamond is very pregnant, probably with quads and was drying up for the show in Dothan. I think everyone has earned their star except for Little Tot's Estate Silene. Silene is an older doe, LAed 90, but has not been milked, so it is a big if as to if she will make her milking star. 2012 will be her make or break year. I hope to freshen her daughter mid 2012, sired by Oldesouth Shell Foop.
The girls will start freshening again in December, hopefully after Christmas to give me a break. Next year no one will be freshening until the end of February. UDiamond and Sunra are due to kid in January 2012. I do hope UDiamond has a couple of does. She had bucks this past year. The final numbers will come next week, but I believe she hit the 1000 pound mark as a first freshener. Will post the final numbers when we get the last milk test results. UDiamond is pictured below.
Our weather has been a bit up and down, with temps in the 70s and humid with rain, and now a cold front is passing through. We received some rain which I hope will make the planted winter grazing take off, reducing the need for so much Hay.
Oldesouth Blue Alexa is due to kid the middle to end of December. Her kids are sired by Superb. I am really excited about this and think Alexa will be my first home grown SG (Superior Genetics) doe. She milked over 700 pound of milk and LAed at 85. All this as a second freshener. I can not wait to see what she can do as a third freshener. This little doe is under 19 inches tall as well. She is a true Nigerian Dwarf!!Most of the Icelandic sheep have gone to their new homes. I really miss old Havvah and that goofy Boing who would jump into the feed bucket and hook her horn in your pocket or bucket. I have their lambs and will keep a few Icelandics for myself. I do love their fleece and especially their lamb meat. I have three young rams going to the processor Nov 30th. Lamb is so healthy, sweet and good for you, one would be crazy not to keep a few. I held back Havvah's son by Snow Man as herd sire once Snow Man went to his new home. The Trump is still here, but went through some tough times. The Trump had to have his horns cut, had horrific fly strike and almost died. I scrapped maggots FOREVER off him and shot him with every antibiotic I had to save his life. Trump, not being all that friendly, would not get close to you to check him out. It was not until he was at deaths door did he let you know, all was not well.
I noticed him not out with the girls, his ewes. Had to run him down with the Kawasaki Mule to get a hold of him and see if he was OK. HE WAS NOT... and collapsed, thinking I had killed the stubborn SOB, had Philip, his brother Evan and myself gather him up and then we saw the full extent of his problem... OMG! Maggots like I have never seen in my life, all over his face, head, down into his horn beds, around his neck, down to his shoulders. I did not have to temp him to know he was in BIG TROUBLE! Trump was to the point of delirium. I got the reciprocating saw, lopped off the horns and started digging out maggots!!! Shot him up with Biomycin and Exenel to start, then switched to Biomycin and Extended Pen G. I sheared his head, down to his shoulders. It has been so cold here I darned not shear him completely in fear of loosing him to pneumonia. He looks goofy with his head and shoulders shorn, with the full puff of fleece over the rest of him. Trump has never been friendly, but knew he needed help and did not fight our doctoring and his recovery. I am happy to say, I think he will be OK and live to see another breeding season at least... I do love the beautiful Morrit lambs he produces...
This is the last photo of The Trump with his horns in August 2011, photo below.
