Frustration

This has been the most action filled breeding season yet for my herd.  Last night all the rams decided they wanted to be in the same pen, and so they forced me to eliminate the breeding groups and pen the boys back in the ram pen for the year.  Bug is going to be in with the main flock for a couple weeks as a clean up ram, but I've had enough of everyone thinking they need to be in a pen other than their own.   Next year there will be some serious fencing done on the small pasture.  Up until this year, we have never had an issue with the electranet from Premier, but we have 2 sheep that are continually going under this year and it's caused a fair amount of frustration and work for us.  Bug has been the worst offender this past week, he just can't seem to accept the fact that Nantucket gets a group of his own, he wants all the girls.  Woven wire, here we come!

I'm quite certain everyone is bred, as the rams have not been sniffing any girls for a while now, but it's still is not fun doing a impromptu sheep round up at 8:30 pm in the dark.  I'm just glad we caught it right away so I don't have to worry about DNA testing to determine who bred what.  Tuesday will be the final day for 5 of the boys, so that will leave Bug and Nantucket as the only "men" on the place.
I currently have 25 sheep, 3  of them are wethers, 5 rams (3 are freezer rams)  and 17 ewes, one of which is a Texel cross ewe that I keep so we have a couple larger freezer lambs.  Two wethers and 3 rams will be going to the processor on Tuesday morning, so that will leave me 20 sheep through winter unless I sell one of the 3 ewes I have on my sale list.  I'd like to keep my breeding group to 20 or less, but I keep finding sheep that I think I need.  (grin)
Next on my list of "gotta have" is an emsket ewe or a gulmoget!  Maybe I will have one in the spring and won't have to go looking for one.  I just love the variations of gray colors, they are so lovely when made into yarn.  I seem to gravitate to the "blues" in all my critters, as Blue Cochins are my favorite chicken also.
May everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones.
TaTa for now