What do you do to keep active in the winter? (car, distance)

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Maineah

You keep the kids in a pen??? That's cruel!

Last years kids are outside, they live in the forest. I built for them sheds out there.

We are expecting new kids to start arriving in another week. 34 nannys most of them kidded triplets last year, so we are prepping for a whole big bunch of kids this coming April.

The nannys are all purebred Alpine milkers at a Maine artisan cheesemaker's facility.

So we have been making pens for them. Getting ready bottles and lots of nipples.

Four feedings a day, should keep us busy for a few weeks.

[Maine Writer]

Shovel snow, read, chase my daughter's bball team, catch up with friends, write, shovel snow, order seeds for the garden, shovel snow, work at my winter job, shovel snow. We ice fish occasionally, cross country ski occasionally and snowshoe often. Starwalker, I wish we'd thought of it. We have four pairs of snowshoes and trails.

[indecisiveinaz]

Wow!
It sounds like fun to me!

What is the temperature range today(since you're all in different places)?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by indecisiveinaz

Wow!
It sounds like fun to me!

What is the temperature range today(since you're all in different places)?

43* / 21* today

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Last years kids are outside, they live in the forest. I built for them sheds out there.

We are expecting new kids to start arriving in another week. 34 nannys most of them kidded triplets last year, so we are prepping for a whole big bunch of kids this coming April.

The nannys are all purebred Alpine milkers at a Maine artisan cheesemaker's facility.

So we have been making pens for them. Getting ready bottles and lots of nipples.

Four feedings a day, should keep us busy for a few weeks.

Sounds like fun!

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by indecisiveinaz

Wow!
It sounds like fun to me!

What is the temperature range today(since you're all in different places)?

Low this morning was 32 high was 57 (Freeport)

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Last years kids are outside, they live in the forest. I built for them sheds out there.

We are expecting new kids to start arriving in another week. 34 nannys most of them kidded triplets last year, so we are prepping for a whole big bunch of kids this coming April.

The nannys are all purebred Alpine milkers at a Maine artisan cheesemaker's facility.

So we have been making pens for them. Getting ready bottles and lots of nipples.

Four feedings a day, should keep us busy for a few weeks.

Wow! you will be busy! I thought we had our hands full with 19 pregnant ewes.

Our sheep throw doubles at best. Thus far we have 11 ram lambs and 8 ewe
lambs. We are having lambs daily now and just had 2 ram lambs a couple of hours ago.

Lambs that don't take to their mom's or vice verse are called "bummers" (at least in these parts) Bummers or orphans are the only lambs we would ever bottle feed. So far we have no bummers.

We have been working on our "creep", which is a pen that only the new lambs can get into. This allows the lambs to have a place to get away from the flock to rest and eat with out competing with the adult sheep.

The mother sheep and her lambs spend only a day or two in a small lambing pen by themselves before they are introduced and turned out to be with the rest of the flock.

Hopefully we are done shoveling snow but...... I wouldn't count on it.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by bignhfamily

Wow! you will be busy! I thought we had our hands full with 19 pregnant ewes.

Our sheep throw doubles at best. Thus far we have 11 ram lambs and 8 ewe
lambs. We are having lambs daily now and just had 2 ram lambs a couple of hours ago.

Lambs that don't take to their mom's or vice verse are called "bummers" (at least in these parts) Bummers or orphans are the only lambs we would ever bottle feed. So far we have no bummers.

We have been working on our "creep", which is a pen that only the new lambs can get into. This allows the lambs to have a place to get away from the flock to rest and eat with out competing with the adult sheep.

The mother sheep and her lambs spend only a day or two in a small lambing pen by themselves before they are introduced and turned out to be with the rest of the flock.

Hopefully we are done shoveling snow but...... I wouldn't count on it.

You have a lot there too.

This dairy does not want to keep any of their daughters this year. And they want to use every gallon of milk as possible for cheese [their primary business]. So our deal is to take everything and not be picky about male/female.

So far, yesterday I have already sold eight doelings.

We only want ten doelings and two bucklings for ourselves, the rest will be sold or will go into the freezer in the fall.

Last year I bought a lot of kids at the annual lamb/kid auction in Corinth. But it was the last week of March, and we had snow up through the end of April last year. In fact last year the deepest snow dump was in April, so between whatever bugs they got from the auction yard and then the cold weather, we lost most of those kids.

This year they will never see an auction yard, and they are going into our house. So we hope to do much better.

[Maineah]

Oh yeah drink too! (in moderation of course)

[moughie]

Originally Posted by indecisiveinaz

I've read a lot about cabin fever. What do you do to keep active and sane in the winter months?

Probably the same thing we do to keep active and sane in AZ during the summer months!! Read, watch movies, exercise, travel, clean house.....

Honestly, it is the same thing, but in reverse seasons!

At least here in AZ we have the thrill of monsoon season to look forward to