Red Brick Road Farm Icelandic Sheep & Wool

Food Fight!

2012-01-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

The puppies are 24 days old and had their first "solid" meal today, Iams puppy kibble mixed with hot water and powdered milk, all blended into a delicious mushy mess. After they were done wallowing in it, growling, slurping and yelping, I let Belle back into the barn to clean them all up.

They have been in the barn since they were born, in a large baby pool with a red heat lamb. We've had temps near zero, but they seem to be plenty warm. I rarely see them directly under the lamp.

They are such an adorable bunch! All chunky, active and thriving. Belle is doing great as a first time mother. She had the barn to herself for the first couple of weeks, but now it's open and the sheep come and go.

Please inquire if you are interested, we have 1 female and males left, they are $350 each and should make excellent LGD's.

Christmas Puppies!

2011-12-25T18:38:00.001-08:00

Santa has been good to us, 7 beautiful, healthy Great Pyrenees puppies born just this morning, on Christmas Day. Belle is a wonderful first time mother. She is a full blooded great pyrenees. Sire is as well, and he's a big handsome boy. Belle has been a very attentive LGD for us, very tollerant of the sheep and lambs and happy to spend her days watching over them. These puppies were born in our barn and will be raised with our sheep, so should also be great LGD's. Once they mature a bit, I will post photos and start taking deposits. I haven't checked to see how many males vs. females we have, but they will all be $350 each. I will update with photos here and on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Red-Brick-Road-Farm-Icelandic-Sheep-Wool/186746228026140
Merry Christmas everyone!!!

New Ewes!

2011-08-03T10:40:00.001-07:00

We've just added two new lovely ewes to our flock! Lucy is a black mouflon ewe MBG29X
bred by Susan Norden from Mulberry Grove Farm. She's a very calm, sweet ewe and will be a very spoiled girl here. We love the mouflon pattern.

Tawny SRX EWE M2H 998T was bred by Susan Briggs from the Tongue River Flock. Any time I can add Tongue River genetics to my flock, I'm happy. She is related to our ram Thunder. She is a big hearty girl, very parasite resistant and doing fine in this terrible heat we've been experiencing. Can't wait to see her lambs next spring.

We don't usually buy many ewes, but it's so much fun to add these two beauties to our flock!

Goodbye, my dear Claire

2011-07-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

Claire, as a lamb in 2005
We lost a dear friend yesterday, our 6 year old ewe Claire. She had somehow injured her leg. It was swollen, but not broken. The heat has been really getting to her as well. I brought her plenty to eat and drink as she recuperated. I had also been giving her vitamin therapy, and really anything else that I could think of to ease her pain. The leg improved, but then a bad case of summer pneumonia set in. She was having difficulty breathing in the evening. By morning, she looked worse. I talked to my vet, and picked up a dose of Draxxin for her. I have used this in the past, and one shot has done wonders for sheep suffering from respiratory problems. It was too late. She died in my arms that afternoon.

Claire snuggling with her momma Hazel, 2005
Claire and her sister Charlotte are the oldest sheep born on our farm. Really, it was a bit of a miracle that they lived. This was my 3rd year of lambing, and I was still quite inexperienced. Their dam Hazel was a very poor mother, and had nothing but problems. She experienced ringwomb when trying to deliver Claire & Charlotte. If I hadn't intervened, neither would have been born alive. Hazel was depressed after this whole ordeal, so wasn't will or able to nurse her twin girls on a regular basis. I had to supplement them with bottles. If you've ever had a bottle lamb, you know how they steal your heart.
2007 Salem checking out Claire's twins
We didn't breed Claire the first year. She produced a beautiful set of twins in 2007 and was a wonderful, attentive mother.

Claire's dam Hazel remained open that year, but enjoyed babysitting her grand-babies. In fact, Hazel never did lamb again, so sadly, was shipped to the butcher.

Claire and her lambs

Claire has been a great producer for us, we've sold 5 of her ewe lambs to other farms. She has always been one of those easy keepers. Whenever I went out to check the sheep, I'd say "Hi Claire", and she'd always answer back. I will miss her sweet voice.

She had an outstanding set of twins this year. The only lamb we've lost this summer has been her ram lamb, who greedily ignored the electronet and got tangled up and died. So tragic, as I believe he was the nicest ram lamb ever born on our farm. Claire was very depressed about losing her boy, and never really seemed the same after that.

So, we are left with her beautiful daughter Ingrid to treasure, as well as her sister Charlotte and her lambs. RIP my dear Claire.

Lambs, lambs, lambs! Decisions, decisions, decisions...

2011-06-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

Most of these photos will enlarge if you click on them!
I've finally got all of the lambs photographed! They have grown so much in the past weeks. These have all been taken within the last few days, and they are in chronological order, oldest (aprox. 10 weeks old) to youngest (6 weeks). I will keep just a few, so many will be for sale. Some will go right to the sales list. Others, I will watch to see how they mature, especially the rams. I will also note how they do with parasites through the summer. So, the list may change from week to week! Keep in mind, that this is just a preview, I will have more information when I list them on my website.
Ilette RBR166Y
These two are my oldest lambs, out of Charlotte by Grendle our new ram from The Creeks Edge. I will be keeping Ilette for sure, she's looking just fabulous, a big, big girl and very friendly. Though they both started out at 7 lb., her brother Ilen has grown much slower. He's about 2/3 the size of her. He's got nice wide horns and great fleece, but won't be suitable for a breeder unless he starts putting on the weight!

Ilex RBR167Y

Ingrahm RBR169Y

These next two moorit spotted lambs will be staying here on the farm, out of Claire by Thunder our new Tongue River ram. Both are just outstanding! I will most likely match Claire and Thunder up again next year. These are the nicest lambs she's produced for us.

Ingrid RBR 170Y

Iren RBR171Y

This white pair is out of Grace (daughter of Charlotte) by Thunder. Iris is for sale, not sure on Iren yet. Wide horns and fabulous fleece.

Iris RBR172Y

Iden RBR173Y

This set is out of Delphine by Grendle. I wouldn't consider Grendle very long, but he has put some great length into the lambs he's produced, along with his thel rich fleece. Iden is for sale, Idalia will most likely stay here and replace her dam.

Idalia RBR174Y

Illias RBR175Y

This set of black grey rams are out of my leadersheep ewe Glimmer. Ilias is a homozygous black grey. Sire is Thunder, so they are looking much meatier than the typical leadersheep. Glimmer has outstanding fleece, so if I don't sell these rams as breeders, they would make great wethers.

Illiad RBR176Y

Ivory RBR177y

This set of white lambs are out of my very milky Fiona, sire is Grendel. Great stocky build, both should mature into excellent triple purpose sheep and should throw color.

Ivan RBR178Y

Ivette RBR179Y

Grettle is the dam of these twin moorit ewes, sire is Thunder. They are a perfectly matched set, Ivette will stay here, her sister Izette is for sale.

Izette RBR180Y

Inego RBR181Y

Fennel is the dam of this pair of white lambs. These are the only lambs out of Finn this year. (I sold a large number of bred ewes). Inez has alot of phaelomenon in her fleece, which gives it a rich antique linen look to it, very pretty. Inez is for sale, depending on his horn growth, Inego may be as well.

Inez RBR182Y

Ivy RBR183Y

These beautiful ewe lambs are out of Garland, sire is Thunder. Ivy will stay here, Iva is for sale.

Iva RBR184Y

Isabelle RBR185Y

I would keep this pair of ewe lambs if I had the room. Both are growing well, extremely friendly, excellent fleeces. If I keep one, it will be Isadore, the solid moorit. Sire is Thunder.

Isadore RBR186Y

Ilex RBR187Y

This last set of rams are real lookers, out of my big ewe Ella, sire is Thunder. They are just 7 weeks old in these photos. They should both mature into heavy meaty rams. Both are for sale.

Ilez RBR188Y

The Last of the Lambs

2011-05-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Our final two ewes have lambed! Faye had an adorable set of twin ewes by Thunder on April, 26th, both moorits with lots of flashing, one is also grey and the other may have spotting. I'll have to wait until they mature a bit before I'm sure about the spotting. They were right on target for size, 7 and 8 lb.

Ella had twin rams on April 28th, again, by Thunder, 8.5 and 10 lb. Ella is a big ewe and had no problem with these two. They should mature into really nice flock sires.

Here are Ella's sleepy one day old boys, out enjoying the warm sunshine in the pasture.

One of Faye's ewes, probably only about 3 days old here.

Her sister

Faye's girls are so calm and friendly.

Gardenia's ARE NOT! Catching them is nearly impossible.

A couple of sturdy ram lambs, look at the nice wide chests on these guys!

"If" I keep any rams, it will be this ram out of Claire by Thunder.
Her ewe is equally stunning. Now, that is a match made in heaven,
and will be repeated again next year.

Delphine's ram by Grendel.
He is another "stand out" kind of ram.

Delphine's ewe lamb, her carbon copy. I may keep her and sell Delphine.

LOVE the markings on the ewe out of Gardenia.
She certainly is a shy thing.

Charlotte's moorit grey ram by Grendel.

The days are warming up and the grass is growing. With the end of lambing season, I'm breathing a sigh of relief! No more late night visits out to the barn. Lambs have all made it into this world safely. Ewes and babes are doing well!

Phaeomelanin Ewe

2011-04-22T07:39:00.001-07:00

This Spring, we have a ewe lamb with a lot of tan splotches of color throughout her wool, really lovely, and yet another variation on the many possiblities to expect when breeding Icelandic sheep. In the years I have been raising these sheep, I have become fascinated with the seemingly endless variations on potential colors and patterns.

Here, you can see the phaeomelanin on this mature ewe's head

There are basically three factors that determine the appearance of a sheep, Pattern Factor, Color or Pigment Factor, and the Spotting Factor. The color in the wool is caused by pigment called eumelanin (the black and moorit (brown)). There is also pigment called phaeomelanin which can be shades of tan yellows, or rusty reds.

Lambs born with phaeomelanin look rusty color at birth, however the pigment fades with age in the fleece. The head and leg continue to exhibit the color. You will notice this on many mature white sheep on their heads, tails and legs. In Iceland, it was believed that sheep with this tan had better meat conformation, so it is quite common.

The pigment gives the fleece a rich linen color—just another beautiful shade for the handspinner who prefers to work with the natural colors of sheep.

References: http://www.icelandicsheep.com/genetics.html

http://www.sinosheep.com/the-fascinating-colour-and-pattern-genetics-of-the-icelandic-sheep.html

Happy Icelandic Lambs!

2011-04-15T20:54:00.001-07:00

Have you ever seen so many happy lambs? They loved the sunny warm days earlier this week, me too! (Some of these images will enlarge if you click on them)

A Whole Lot of Lambing!

2011-04-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

Lots of new adorable lambs here at Red Brick Road Farm! This has been one of our easiest lambing season yet. We do have 2 ewes left to go. Except for one breach (backwards) lamb, the rest have all had normal presentations with quick and easy deliveries. I attribute this mostly to lamb size. Average weight out of 19 lambs has been 7.5 lb., with 6.5 lb. being the smallest, and 9.5 lb. the largest. One set of triplets, the rest twins! Eleven ewes and 8 rams. We should have 4 new additions to add to those numbers by Easter. Gardenia had her first set of lambs, twins, on April 12. Both ewes, by Thunder. Wow, he has really produced some nice lambs for us this year! I'm already planning next year's lambs. Fennel is Gardenia's sister. Her twins, born April 11 are by Finn, our only Finn lambs this year. One ewe and a ram.

Grettle had a sweet set of moorit ewe lambs by Thunder.

Grendle is the sire of Fiona's twin ram and ewe. She has the most impressive udder in our flock. These lambs should grow by leaps and bounds.

Glimmer produced a set of ram lambs by Thunder. One appears to be a homozygous black grey.

Delphine had a sweet ewe that looks just like momma, and a hefty moorit ram. Sire is Grendel.

We've had some beautiful spring days, so I'm getting caught up outside in the gardens as well as capturing lots of great lamb pics. Check back for those soon!

Grace's New Lambs

2011-04-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful Grace had her first set of lambs this morning, a 7 lb. ram and a 6 lb. ewe. My husband did a barn check at 6:30 am, and didn't see anything. By 8:00 am, they were born, up and nursing. When I went in to check, Grace's mom Charlotte was in the barn with her. I find it just so endearing the way that the older ewes look after their daughters, and even their granddaughters. So, Grace is a perfect momma, just like I expected. She adores her lambs, nickering to them with her loving momma sheep voice. Her lambs should be really nice, with genetics from their Tongue River sire Thunder, along with Finn and Charlotte mixed up in there. Aren't white lambs adorable?

Brother and Sister-Too Cute for Words!

2011-03-31T10:20:00.001-07:00

Claire lambs!

2011-03-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

I don't do regular barn checks at night during lambing season. I am an insomniac, though, so when I wake up, I often go out for a quick peak into the barn to make sure all is quiet. I woke at 4 am and decided to check the barn. We have so many ewes that could go any day. Claire was overdue by 3-4 days. She is one of the few ewes that I saw bred. Most I never see. It has been colder than normal, and that makes me worry, too.So, Claire was laboring away, so I went back into the house to change and make a cup of tea. Still no progress in 30 minutes, so I checked her out, and she had a very large head and one leg stuck. I helped ease out the ram, a 9 lb. spotted moorit with huge horn buds, quite a stocky boy! Claire got him cleaned up, but then decided that she was famished and dove into the manger. Since it was so chilly, I brought the ram lamb into the house to warm him up and gave him a few sips of colostrum from the freezer in a bottle, just in case. Meanwhile, Claire got back to business and delivered an 8 lb. black grey spotted ewe lamb. Once they had bonded, I brought the ram out and he set about getting a good drink from momma. Sire is our new Tongue River ram Thunder SRX 917T. He will be 4 this spring and still has the sweetest, calmest disposition. Though neither Claire nor Thunder are spotted, they both carry the spotted gene, so voila! Spotted lambs!

And so it begins!

2011-03-22T11:34:00.001-07:00

Our first lambs of 2011 have arrived! Just as I suspected, Charlotte was the first to go. Her first lamb was a 7 lb. moorit mouflon ewe ! This is the 166th lamb born on our farm, and the very first moorit mouflon.
I may have to keep this one.Lamb #2 was a 7 lb. moorit grey ram. Since his grey pattern is so pronounced, I'm thinking he may be
homozygous for grey. Sire is Grendel TCE561W

Ewes, admiring the new arrivals.
I thought Charlotte was done lambing, but she surprised me. I went out to check on her later, and she had a lamb stuck, coming out backwards. I quickly helped pull it out, and it wasn't breathing. I tried swinging it, mouth to mouth resuscitation, sticking hay up it's nose, but to no avail. She had inhaled birthing fluids and drowned, poor thing,
an 8 lb. black ewe lamb.
This was Charlotte's third set of triplets in six years!

Goodbye Winter!

2011-03-11T17:21:00.000-08:00

Before winter slips away, I thought I'd share a few more photos.
Here is the north pasture, so calm and peaceful in it's blanket of white.
The view right across the road from us. I love our meandering creek.Wandering in the winter wonderland.Our ducks taking a winter swim.Snowflake, our Sebastopol goose who thinks she's a sheep.Elvis, one of our Muscovy drakes.
With a crest like that, how could we name him anything else? A barncat, sunning herself.

Salem, always keeping a watchful eye.
We may have her bred this spring.
We've never had crias born on our farm.
We could use another guardian.

Rams, hanging out. Their job is over for another year.

They are such a handsome group. A few of the ewes, waiting for breakfast.

Our matriarch Stella, wading through the snowdrift.

The days are getting longer. The snow is almost gone.
Lambs will be here any day!!!

Snow! Snow! and more SNOW!!!

2011-02-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

We are still digging out from the recent blizzard.
We ended up with around 15". Very hard to tell though,
with the high winds of 30-50mph.
Chicago is about an hour east of us,
and they had 20+ inches with up to 70 mph winds!
We had thundersnow during the evening.
Mother Nature showing off her many talents! Our 4 wheeler with a blade is usually adequate for snow
removal, but not when you have 4 and 5 foot drifts.
The snow is so peaceful. I love winter.
I love our dinner bell up on the top eave of our house.
It is over 100 years old. We still use it.
You can hear it from over a mile away.
The largest drifts were behind our house. It's a real mess between our house, barn, wool house, chicken house, grainery and garages.
Our outhouse!

We even had drifts inside the barn.

The sheep aren't bothered by the snow,
as long as the hay supply keeps coming
and the water buckets don't freeze.

The ewes don't venture too far from the barn
when the snow is deep.

Girlies, waiting for breakfast.

The rams hung out in their "man cave" (trailer)
during the big storm.

Halla, one of the 2 ewe lambs I kept for our
breeding program. She always looks alarmed,
but is really quite friendly.

Stella, following me out in the heavy snow.
Love this wise, calm ewe.

Hesperis, Halla & Gardenia, my beautiful girls.

You can see larger views of most of my photos if you click on them!

Snowy January Days

2011-01-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

Glimmer

Many people complain about the snow & cold, but I like it. We are so busy during the summer. Winter is when I get caught up on my paperwork, have the chance to read some of my sheep books, spin, knit, and cook hearty meals.

Ellyssa

The sheep like winter too. They barely notice the cold. Hesperis

During the winter, I always try to attend
at least one sheep workshop.

Grettle
I went to one today, just south of Chicago. The main reason I wanted to attend, was because they had a lab class on Fecal Sample Analysis. We learned how to prepare fecals to look at under a microscope,
then determine what parasite eggs were in them.

Gardenia
I have books outlining the procedure,
but nothing beats a hands on class!

Claire, Charlotte (sisters) & Delphine
Here's a link to the wonderful handout we received:
GUIDE TO INTERNAL PARASITES OF RUMINANTS
Other classes were on record keeping, pastures, etc.
A very worthwhile day of learning!

Changes, changes...

2011-01-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

I'll never part with my Claire
We had the opportunity to sell a large number of ewes to a new dairy farm in Oklahoma. After much debate, I went through our flock, and parted with some of the ewes that weren't on my sales list, as well as all of the ewes on the sales list. I kept all of the bloodlines that I needed, and my very favorite, calm, special ewes. Our sales for 2010 went very well--a BIG thank you to my customers! I love sharing my sheep with you, and am here to help you along for as long as you need it! or even if you don't need it. It's wonderful to build up a camaraderie with other shepherds. We can share our hopes,
dreams, joys and sorrows.

Our flock, with lambs numbered in the 70's this summer. It kept us very busy, moving the electronet fencing daily. Now, we have a mere 16 ewes, with only 12 or 13 bred! It's been a long time since my numbers were that low. I'm really excited though, about our 2011 lambs. With 2 new beautiful rams, plus our Finn as flock sires,
we should have an amazing crop of lambs.
Grendel, our new moorit mouflon ram from The Creeks Edge
Now, I'll be able to buy a few things on my sheep wish list. #1 is a decent stock trailer. #2 is a digital scale
to weigh the sheep. Any other suggestions?

Is it Really 2011?

2011-01-01T18:50:00.001-08:00

Just yesterday, we were enjoying a long warm fall.
Now its January 2011. What happened?

Belle is back to her old self, barking all night, sleeping all day.

Frosty winter days have been beautiful!

Breeding groups have been set up, and already disbanned.

Thunder SRX 917T --can't wait to see his lambs this spring!
Ewes on a frosty morning.

Another new ram to our farm, Grendle TCE 561W.

Finn & Fable

Some of Thunder's ewes.

Harmony and Snowflake, our Sebastopol goose pet.

Happy New Year
from Red Brick Road Farm!

Sheep are shorn!

2010-11-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

The fall harvest is in--60+ gorgeous fleeces in every color and pattern. Just as I look forward to lambing in the spring, I look forward to the fall shearing of the sheep. I am so grateful to have David Kier come out again to shear. He is so good with the sheep, and so generous with his knowledge. We had some wonderful helpers come out too--thank you, thank you! We could never do it without our helpers. I prepared a lamb stew as well as chicken soup, along with apple pie for dessert. Our fall weather has been so nice, we relaxed on the deck and had a wonderful lunch. Each fleece goes into a box, and stored in my wool house. I am really looking forward to skirting all of these luscious fleeces.

And the cycle begins again, the sheep are in their breeding pens. With two new handsome rams, plus our Finn, we will have our nicest lambs ever this spring.

Visions of Fleeces

2010-10-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Lovely Gardenia, in the cool evening.

Summer has turned to Autumn, and that means colorful winter squash, apples to pick, and beautiful fall fleeces. Autumn in all it's glory. A picture says a thousand words, so, enjoy the beautiful sheep!

Matriarch, Stella.Salem, watching the flock.Beautiful FayeGodiva, waiting for a treat! I love how the sheep lick their lips when it's time for dinner!Handsome Fable.Dalla, our leader ewe.Finn & ThunderLovely Claire-BearHer sister Charlotte, my fave!Ewes in the evening.Rams in the morning pasture.Ewes in the afternoon.

We are all enjoying the cool fall temps!

Rattlesnakes in Northern Illinois?

2010-10-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

I was very surprised to learn that indeed, there are poisonous rattlesnakes in N. Illinois! Almost 3 weeks ago, I found our LGD Belle laying on the front porch, one of her favorite spots. We are on a hill, and she can keep a close eye on things from there. No surprise to find her there, by evening, she hadn't moved. I checked her and found that she had a hugely swollen leg. I figured that she had gotten hit on the road. After further inspection, her leg and hips seemed fine, except for the huge swelling. I gave her a shot of dexamethasone, covered her with a wool blanket, and waited until I could call the vet. I couldn't sleep, and checked her several times during the night.

We took her in first thing Monday morning. She stayed in the intensive care unit for 2 days. The vet, who was from Texas, thought it looked just like some of the snake bites that she had seen. A little Internet research, and we found that there is a native rattlesnake to our area, the Massasauga, or swamp rattler http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistrurus_catenatus. It's rare, but we do have the perfect habitat for it. Her whole leg was very weepy for about a week.

Belle has been on 2 pain meds and 3 broad spectrum antibiotics for the past 2 1/2 weeks, a total of 16 pills per day! We started out hiding the pills in meat, cheese, braunsweiger, but now, she is very suspicious of all treats and is fighting her pills. She's been a very good girl, stoic, as Pyrs go. Everyone at the vet clinic loves her, and can't imagine that she would be a good guard dog, though, she is!

We left her wound open for 2 weeks, but now it is wrapped, with changes every 2-3 days. Boy, does she hate that! Her vet has been very pleased with her progress. They felt that she may lose her leg. Now, it looks like maybe she'll lose a toe and part of her foot.

After many trips to the vet, things are finally looking up!

Whole Foods

2010-09-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods has recently announced that they will be importing Icelandic lamb to sell in their stores. They have even made the comment that Icelandic Lamb is the "best in the world". I certainly can't argue with that! We've been eating Icelandic lamb, as well as mutton for years, and it's amazing stuff. Very mild and lean. Plus, it's nice to know how healthy grass fed meat is. Check out the information on this "Eat Wild" site for the health benefits: http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm (photo courtesy of Saveur magazine)

Here's some basic information about Icelandic lamb from the Icelandic Sheep Breeders of N. America site:

Meat Production
Though famous throughout the world for wool production, the Icelandic breed is predominately grown for meat in Iceland. Since the cool and wet climate precludes the production of most grains in Iceland, the breed has been selected to bring the meat lambs to slaughter weight off of the summer and fall pastures. Icelandics are very adaptable, and can be handled in a variety of management plans. Here in North America they thrive on grass-based farms where they are rarely fed grain, to dry-lot situations where they are fed daily, and all the management systems in between. Market lambs will start to reach their ideal slaughter weights of 70-100 pounds at four to five months. With continued
access to quality graze, the lambs can be slaughtered directly off the grass all through the fall months. This has positioned the Icelandic breed to fit well in the move towards grass-based farming, enabling “natural” and organic farmers to utilize the Icelandic breed. As meat consumers increasingly recognize the health benefits of grass fed meats, and as economic pressures drive our farmers toward grass-based businesses, the genetics of the Icelandic breed become increasingly valuable to our sheep industry. The Icelandic breed is considered a mountain breed, and historically mountain breeds have been milder in flavor, and
leaner than the lowland breeds. The meat is indeed very tender with a mild flavor, and is generally described as gourmet meat. With the leaner, European style carcass, and the mild flavor, Icelandic lamb can appeal to the palate of even those consumers who avow they "just don't like lamb." With the combination of the economic and market advantages of grass fed farming, and with the appeal of the delicious flavor, the Icelandic breed is a natural for direct-to-consumer marketing.

So, here's the post, and link to the article. http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2010/09/the-tender-story-of-icelandic-lamb/ There's a great video of Icelandic sheep in Icelandic. Now, I just hope that American consumers realize that they can buy FRESH, grass fed Icelandic lamb right here in America, from local farmers, and they won't have to pay those high WHOLE FOODS prices, either!

Weekend sheep work

2010-08-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

The flock had one last peaceful weekend of grazing before we separated the rams from the ewes.We had a few cooler days. With Fall in the air, the rams were getting rambunctious! I think it was mostly Fable. He decided to pick a fight with Finn. I could hear them from my bedroom window, the sound of horns crashing. Maybe Fable knows that he won't get any ewes this fall. Although he's a beautiful ram, we just have too many ewes that are related to him. I can't bear to send him to the butcher for that reason alone. I would really love to put him to work this fall, selling him to another flock. He is very reasonably priced, and I would consider trades. He's a triplet mouflon ram. I don't have him registered yet, but his pedigree would be the same as his sisters (click). He is very easy to work with, parasite resistant, gorgeous horns. It's funny how our new ram Thunder decided to step in and be the referee. He didn't do much fighting, but did get his ear smashed trying to settle the other rams down. This morning we decided it was time to work the sheep, and try out our new working system that I got on Craigslist called Billy Goat Gruff Complete Worker System. After using it just one time, I would highly recommend it. I don't feel nearly as beaten, battered and bruised as I usually do, working with these feisty Icelandics! Loading them into the chute was the hardest part. Things would have gone quicker if we had 3 people working instead of two. Maybe the sheep will get used to it, and go right in themselves eventually (yeah, right).... Above, I am tattooing, my least favorite job.

The system is nice. Once you have the sheep in the headgate, the sides both swing open so it's "easy" to trim hooves. Trimming sheep hooves is never an easy job though. Most of them kick and fight and would rather strangle themselves than have their hooves trimmed.

Here's Fancy, in the torture chamber.

And my dear Charlotte, getting her hooves trimmed. We did all of the ewes this morning and sent them on their way. It was over 90 degrees by the time we were finished. I think my back is fried. We'll do the rams tomorrow.

Summer into Fall...

2010-08-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

We've all just about about had it with this summer weather! The ewes think that the only solution is to stand in front of the fan in the barn. Delilah and her ewe lamb are fan hogs. Other ewes escape into the weedy fields in search of verdant pastures. Bad girls! I spent 3 solid days combing out fleeces, trimming hooves, deworming and giving shots. Stay away from those weeds going to seeds, girls!
Fern's ram lamb, a handsome boy!

Finn, always my good boy.

Thunder, SRX 917T, our new boy is settling in just fine. Our ram Fable has befriended him, and they are now inseparable!

Our apples are getting ripe, so they sheep are enjoying an evening treat of windfalls every night. The weather is cooling off and fall is in the air! Girls, munching apples!

Thunder is here!

2010-08-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

We add a new ram to our flock almost every year. This year we are getting two! My husband picked up our first new ram over the weekend. Thunder SRX 917T, a moorit grey Icelandic ram, bred by the late Susan Briggs of Tongue River farm. She used him on her ewes, so I knew he would be something special. Hedgeapple farm in Iowa bought him in 2008, and Lorraine was kind enough to share him with me. He is in a dark area of the barn with Fennel's ram lamb for company, so the photos aren't the best. He is very calm and easy to work with. Horns are clearing his face at 3 years old. Nice long frame. His fleece isn't as soft as Finn's, which doesn't surprise me. The white sheep tend to have softer fleeces. I can't give him a complete evaluation until he's shorn. Those long fleece can hide many faults, though I don't expect to find any with this handsome ram! He will be a wonderful asset to our flock.

You know you're a shepherd if....

2010-08-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

We have subscribed to "The Shepherd" magazine for years, and place an ad in the Breeders Listing every year. I enjoy the magazine and learn something new from each issue. Wish they had a website, though!

This issue had an article called "You Know you're a Shepherd if" with some great anecdotes. Here's a few of them that stand true on our farm:

You Know You're A Shepherd If....

Your backyard privacy fence is electronet.

Your wife shakes a bucket to call the family to dinner.

Dinner leftovers and sheep meds intermingle freely in your refrigerator.

You own every flashlight invented in the last 20 years, but none with a live battery.

When you enter any large open building, your first thought is, how much hay will it hold?

Your baby monitor is hooked up in the barn.

You like the smell of wet wool.

Your favorite sandwich is a Greek gyro, your veggies come on a kabob and you love real Roquefort cheese.

Your favorite Bible verse is the 23rd Psalm and you drift off to sleep peacefully each night in green pastures beside still waters.

It's still hotter than Hades here. Poor Delilah rests her head on a tree and wonders just how much more she can endure....

Finn stretches out on his side to keep cool. It reminds me of the 60's when my mom put those hard curlers in my hair and expected me to be able to sleep. How uncomfortable! How can a ram with wide horns rest on his side? Looking forward to cooler weather next week!

Fun new things coming to our farm...

2010-08-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

This has been a very trying summer across the country for livestock owners. The unrelenting heat and high humidity has been, at best, unbearable. The one blessing that we've had is rain, lovely rain. I haven't had to water the garden once. The pastures rebound in no time after the sheep graze them. The downside, is that this is ideal weather for parasites. We have spent a lot more time monitoring the sheep this year. We run them through and check eyelids every 2 weeks, or less. I've put a deposit on a Billy Goat Gruff worker system. It will be a great back saver. Another Icelandic breeder uses one, and highly recommended it. We are adding a new ram to our flock this week,
and I can't wait to see him, I'm just thrilled to be able to add him to our flock. He's a ram that Susan Briggs from Tongue River used as a ram lamb in 2007.

"Thunder" SRX 917T
2007 Photo courtesy of Tongue River Farm

This is Susan's description of him: SRX917T "Thunder" Grey moorit twin horned ram. Fabulous fine silky fleece. Long body. Wide hornset, Quiet disposition. Excellent meat conformation; the best hind quarters of all of the ram lambs this year. Sire: TCE228R Laekur/Hunn) High percentage of Tongue River Farm breeding. Dam: SRX623R a gorgeous Neptune daughter with his silky lustrous fleece. Excellent milk production, easy lamber, excellent mother. (1,2) (Kani/Bambi/Blaevar/Stubbur)"Thunder", photo courtesty of Hedgeapplefarm in Iowa

Thank you, Lorraine, for sharing this wonderful ram with us!

A bad hair day

2010-08-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

We finally got Salem's fleece sheared. It doesn't look good,
but she is now cool as a cucumber!

She's such a beautiful girl, and so tolerant of our llama shearing inexperience.

The sheep teased her quite a bit about her new haircut, poor girl!

New Banner!

2010-07-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to order a banner for our farm, for those times that I'm vending a fiber fair, or doing a presentation. I finally sat down and got one done! I ordered it from www.Vistaprint.com. It's their "medium" size, 4 X 2.5, on heavy duty vinyl with hanging tabs, and the cost was around $40. A similar product at Staples would have been closer to $100! Shipping was fast, and it looks very nice. Happy!

Got Sheep?

2010-07-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

Just the mention of sheep makes my bi-blue Sheltie crazy.
Olive, what a sheep lover!

Just trying to keep cool....

2010-07-22T18:06:00.001-07:00

It's been a HOT summer. With the frequent rains and humidity, our heat index hovers around 90-100 degrees. We all do what we can to keep cool. The ducks, of course, spend their days in the creek. This Muscovy momma has hatched over 30 ducklings this summer!
Olivia, our bi-blue Sheltie stays cool
by attacking the sprinkler.

Halla, our lovely homozygous ewe out of Dalla
The sheep stay cool by hanging out close to the creek. Beautiful Claire
The water is refreshing and cool.
Ginseng, growing out so nicely!
But, if the sheep want to eat, they have to go out and graze. They are up and out early. By ten o'clock, they are lounging in the shade.

handsome Grady
I spend a lot of time hauling buckets of cold water to their lounging areas. When it's hot, they get lazy and don't want to go out into the heat for a drink. Now that they are growing out a heavy coat of wool, I can understand that.

Gardenia and the ewes

It's mid July, time to get the lambs weaned. Some of the mothers do that on their own. Some love their babies just a little too much.

Pastures have held up well, with all of the rain. We really need to get some hay into the barn for winter.

Fable, with his beautiful wide horns

The rams we have now are so mellow. I like that in a ram.

Salem, Claire, Stella and flock coming in for the night.

We still haven't gotten our llama sheared.
That is on the "to do" list for July.

Grazing, grazing, grazing...that's what summer is all about.

Buying rams

2010-06-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

I've been on the hunt for new bloodlines to add to our flock. It's been hard to find a proven ram with good horns, fleece, heavy build, milky lines, calm temperament ..... Where are all of the proven rams? No one seems to offer them for sale. Betting on a ram lamb is always a gamble. The genetics can be good, but that is never a guarantee. Those ram lambs can be awfully cute, and quite tempting to buy....

I put a deposit down on a nice looking moorit mouflon yearling ram from The Creeks Edge. Alan Leighton is a very respected breeder, with a beautiful flock. The genetics will be a good fit with out flock, and the color and pattern will be a nice bonus.

I would really love to add another ram or two, and it would be especially nice if we could manage a trade. Our two mature rams are really nice. Wide horns, parasite resistant, muscular build. I'm especially keen on Grady. He's a yearling, but has been growing out exceptionally well. His fleece is rich and black, mild temperament, very long muscular build, wide horns.

Fable, our other mature ram is also a nice boy.... a black mouflon with an easy going temperament, wide horns, nice build.

Summer storms....

2010-06-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

The Midwest has been bombarded with
severe weather this summer. The sheep are always willing to pitch in and clean up the damage. If only we could teach them to run a chainsaw!Large chunks of trees have been torn down, and we've even had trees uprooted! It seems like we have thunderstorm and tornado warnings every other day.
Lots and lots of wind and rain.

Temps are also fluctuating a lot, with high humidity the norm. So far, the sheep seem to be handling it all in stride. We had a sheep work day on Sunday. CDT shots for lambs, and eye checks for everyone (FAMACHA) Very few sheep needed to be dewormed, which was a good thing, considering this weather that we've had.

Growing like weeds!

2010-06-15T12:01:00.001-07:00

Halla RBR140X

The lambs have been growing even faster than the weeds this spring. I've been trying to keep updated photos on our main website www.RedBrickRoadFarm.com As much as I love these lambs, I can't keep them all! If you are looking to add Icelandics to your flock, take a look at our website. The best way to promote and encourage husbandry of these fine sheep is to make them affordable. We try to offer our sheep at reasonable prices, as well as discounts for starter flocks. Helena RBR124XRBR126X

RBR 122X Hildgrim RBR125X

RBR 164X

Herriot 135X

Hosta 127X

143X

Hazel 129X

Quick Update......

2010-05-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

Claire's handsome moorit ram
My son is graduating from Newman Central Catholic this week! My baby! So, I am busy getting ready for out of town guests, getting the farm ready for a big party on Friday, as well as keeping the sheep happy and healthy, gardens planted, mulched and weeded, house cleaned,
oh the list goes on and on! Glimmer's sweet black grey ram
This time of year, we move the sheep constantly. They are fat and happy with all of the lush spring pasture.

Handsome Harvey--sold!
Lambs are growing,
some nearly as big as their mommas.

Handsome Haydn, meaty boy with heavy, heavy horns

We spend as much time as we can, taming the ewe lambs. Many are calm and adorable. Who cares about a clean house when you have sweet lambs to spend time with?

Stella's triplet girl, sweet and friendly with the silkiest fleece ever!

Website updates

2010-05-17T19:18:00.001-07:00

Is there anything more frustrating than trying to publish or update your website? I don't think so! We've sold a few sheep and lambs over the past few days, so I'm working on the website. I am very particular and persnickety (if that's a word) about the website. I have a bachelors degree in fine art, with an emphasis in graphic design. Unfortunately, this all happened before computers were introduced into the curriculum. So now, I'm learning this computer design on my own. UGH! One of these days, someone will figure out a program to make it easy. But until then, I am frustrated.
And, why is it, that the website looks fine on my computer, but when I look at it at on another computer, it looks all funky? I certainly don't want my customers to think I'm all funky! I'm not!
Maybe I'll just go out and spend some time with my sheep. They don't care how my website looks. They don't want to be sold, and would be happy to live out their lives here.
Sorry, girls, that's not the way it works..........

Yes, turkeys really are THAT STUPID!

2010-05-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

You've heard that turkeys are stupid, well, yes, it's true! We bought these heritage turkeys because they were supposed to be somewhat more intelligent that the modern breeds. I don't know about that. Our hen hatched 8 poults. One died when she decided to live out in the rain last week. I can accept that, survival of the fittest and all of that.
Well! We had thunderstorms blowing through the last couple of days. I figured they'd be OK, in the barn, but no! Momma turkey freaked out sitting on the nest and crushed all but one of her babies! Stupid, stupid momma turkey! Note to self: next year, take away all babies after they are hatched!

Rain, rain, go away!

2010-05-13T10:53:00.001-07:00

A view from our bedroom window

There is over 4" of water in our rain gauge from just the past two days, and it's still raining! The NW section of our property (the lawn) is on a 100 year flood plane, as in it's apt to flood once ever 100 years. Now that the farmers have tiled all of their fields, it floods once every year (at least!). Well, the good thing is that our house and outbuildings are all up on the hill, so we never have water damage to those.The ducks love it when we have a small lake on the lawn.
My husband always wanted a home on a lake,
and now we do! Looking out at the bridge

The psyche of sheep

2010-05-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

Learning to understand the spirit and soul of a sheep is something that I strive to do. It really helps when handling sheep, to know just what their actions might be. As I grow older and my flock grows larger and my back grows weaker, I am constantly looking at ways to improve the routine handling of sheep. If you have sheep of your own, you know that they are quite intelligent, but a different intelligence from our own.

Which leads me to our "Bridge of Peril". If you haven't seen our YouTube video from last year, click here.

We have access to a wonderful, varied planted pasture north of our creek. We have a small wooden bridge for the sheep to cross, which they have become used to, and readily use. We've had some flooding in the last couple of days, which has washed the bridge downstream a bit. We repositioned it, just 10 feet away from the original spot. Well, this has totally upset the routine of our sheep. In the morning, when we move them from the barnyard to the N. creek pasture, they run toward the creek in glee, kicking up their heels. But then they arrive to where their bridge is supposed to be and look at the creek bank in dismay. Where is the bridge? How will they cross to the lush north pasture?
Hello!? It's just 10 feet west of the original spot!

So, I spend some time trying to coax and lure the sheep across this new bridge. Most aren't convinced, but the gullible little lambs trot across without a thought. Several of the ewes, and some of the lambs lept into the creek, and swam across to their verdant pasture. Crazy, when all they'd have to do is cross across the bridge just 10 feet away.

If you thought sheep couldn't swim, yes, they can! They are great swimmers!

Party time!

2010-05-07T10:37:00.001-07:00

Look what the UPS man brought me today!
Two of my favorite things!
The yarn is some of my Icelandic that I had Stonehedge spin for me. They always do a fabulous job. The oatmeal and creamy white yarns are loosely spun 2 ply done up in (aprox.) 4 oz. skeins/125 yd. per skein. The rich moorit brown is also a 2 ply but in a sport weight skein of 225 yd./3 oz. So nice! I also received 3 colors of roving from them last week, black/grey, (very) black, and moorit brown.
Now, for some sheep pics:

Fellicia's little black ewes Helen & Helena. We have SO MANY black lambs this year. I've always loved black sheep,
and now our fields are overflowing with them!

Evra, and her badgerface twins (ram & ewe).

The girls love when I open the gate and they can forage in the woods. I sometimes wonder how they manage to find their way home, especially with those young lambs.

Although Charlotte has already twinned, she looks like she could have a couple more in there. (I'm glad she didn't)

Delphine's 3 white triplets, 2 ewes and a ram.
They have the pinkest noses and ears!

A Saturday Surprise!

2010-05-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

Since we were officially done lambing, I decided to sleep in a little on Saturday morning. Got up, had a couple cups of coffee, and decided to take a walk out to the pasture to check on everyone. Look what I found! Glimmer with a little 6 lb. black/grey ram lamb!

I had suspected that she was pregnant for the past month. She had that poochy rear end that just says "I'm pregnant". Then, we sheared her a few days ago, and she had no udder. Zero, zilch, zip. She didn't even look that round. I was relieved.

Well, now I'm relieved that she had him OK. I've begun supplementing her with some extra feed to hopefully get that udder producing more milk. The little guy is warm and vigorous, so she must be doing OK with him.

So now, yes, I believe we are done lambing!
(Do you hear that, girls??)

More new life!

2010-05-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

Turkey babies! Our blue slate hen successfully hatched out
eight little poults this week. We have her cooped up in the barn for now.
It won't be long until they are out cruising the gardens foraging for insects. The blue slate turkey is a nice variety for the small farm.
It is a heritage breed and is considered critically endangered.
This is the proud daddy.
He considers himself to be king of the barnyard.

Whew! I think we're done!

2010-04-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

At least I hope so... I had two yearlings lamb today without a hitch. Grettle had a sweet little 6 lb. black ewe this morning. Her wool has grown so much over the winter, I was afraid the lamb couldn't find her udder, but, no problem.
Georgia had a seven lb. black ewe lamb this afternoon. That little girl was so vigorous, she was up and running in seconds, wandering around the barn, chewing on hay. After about 20 minutes, she decided it was time for some milk. Neither of these girls were supposed to get bred, but Grady had other ideas, and broke into their pen when they were cycling. Well, I guess all's well that ends well! It's so nice to see how well these young mothers do with their lambs.

We've begun shearing a couple of sheep per day. The Icelandics shed naturally in the spring, so if you wait for the spring break in the wool, shearing is easy. We put them on a stand, and it comes off in just a few short minutes. This is Finn, our two year old ram. He's maturing very nicely. I love his wide horns. He has the silkiest fleece of all of our rams, and the calmest demeanor. He has given us a lot of cute black spotted lambs,
and of course plenty of white lambs too.

Drea's twin ewes, by Grady

Esther's twin ewes, by Finn. These girls are so chunky!
I'll do this breeding again next year.

Claire's adorable moorit ram

Evra and her pair of black badgers, a ram and a ewe.

Pippi's black grey spotted ewe

Now I have to get everyone named, and my sales list ready, which will probably come out in May.
Maybe now I can get some sleep!

Small miracles

2010-04-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

I was sad when I thought that Fionna, my largest 2 year old ewe, lost her lambs this winter due to a miscarriage. Imagine my surprise this spring when she developed an udder full of milk and a round tummy! Today, she finally had her lamb,
an 8 lb. moorit grey ram!
Sire is Finn.
Spring is really here, the gardens are in full bloom, and so is the lawn! Here are some of our bluebells.

Can you see Belle, peaking at me from in the barn?

I love this crab apple tree on the north side of our barn. I bought it as a tiny forlorn little twig of a plant in the reduced section at Smith & Hawken in Chicago. It has beautiful, delicate shell pink blooms with a heavenly scent, and sets on tons of tiny red crab apples.

Getting ready...

2010-04-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready for "Ag Day" tomorrow, a program put on by our county extension program for 4th and 5th graders (400 of them!). I think this is the 4th year that I've participated in it. I bring along a couple of ewes and their lambs, as well as some sheep products. I always try to make it interesting, and even try to freak the kids out a bit. I show them sheep horns and tell them that yes, they eat this things (in Jello), and other odd tidbits.
I just hate being away from the flock for the day. We still have a few ewes due, plus many tiny confused lambs that sometimes get lost. Well, my husband promises to be home on his lunch break. I don't know how much good that will be. He just isn't that aware of who has lambed, or will lamb, and then tends to freak out about things. I hope all goes well....

Lambs, lambs everywhere!

2010-04-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Esther's girls

Everywhere I look, there are lambs! No new ones today,
so I spent some time in my much neglected flower beds.
And, of course, taking more cute lamb photos.

Pippi's pair of spotted black greys

Folly with her newly born babes,
a white girl and a moorit grey boy.
Small, but mighty!

Folly and newborn twins

Charlotte and her twin girls

Dalla's incredibly cute black grey spotted girl

Esther's black spotted ewe

Pippi's girl

Helen and Helena, Felicia's girls

King (Queen?) of the Mountain

Happy, smiling babies

Faye and her chunky boy

Stella's white triplets

Lambing is winding down. Still 3 or 4 left to go,
unless I get more surprises.........

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Morning

2010-04-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

( I began this post on Sat. morning, but have been too busy to post it)
Mornings like this is the reason I no longer breed ewe lambs. This past fall, Grady broke into our non-breeding ewe lamb pen twice, so I have several unplanned breedings.

My favorite ewe lamb Garland happened to be one of those little floozy girls who got bred. She was a big girl, so I hoped everything would be alright.

At 6 this morning, I found her in labor. I sat in the barnyard drinking coffee, and watched her. She wasn't progressing, so I had my husband hold her while I went in a checked for the lamb's presentation. Two legs forward with the head turned back. Way back. UGH!! The worst.
We finally ended up turning the lamb around and pulling it breech (dead). My husband had to euthanize the ewe. Her uterus was ruptured and she was spilling out her intestines. Horrible, horrible, horrible. I still can't get the image out of my mind.

Fennel saved the day, with a beautiful set of black twins. Thank God!

That evening, another one of our ewe lambs went into labor. Ginger had a big black ram lamb on her own, Grady is the sire. She's one of my crazy girls. She's a good momma, though.

Monday, my bottle ewe from 2009 (Godiva) had a little (6.5 lb.) ewe on her own. So nice to see these ewe lambs as good mothers.

Later that day, Garnet, Claire's ewe lamb had a 7.5 ewe lamb. She is also doing a great job, caring for her new baby.

This morning, Folly went into labor, and produced a pair of teeny tiny little lambs, both 3.5 lb. a moorit grey ram and a white ewe. Even though they are small, they are feisty! and so cute.

Delphine finally lambed today. She went into the lambing jug this morning, and Stella her momma (along with her white triplets) joined her in the barn. Just like her momma Stella, she produced 3 big white lambs, an 8 lb. ram, and 8 lb. ewe and and 9 lb. ewe. All doing well, and Delphine will be a good momma.

Today was my daughter's 17th birthday! She is one life's best blessings.

More lambing to come. Boy am I tired. I've taken lots of cute lamb pics, so hopefully I can get those posted soon. They are so adorable!

What a day!

2010-04-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

What a day this has been. Frea started out the day with a tiny ewe lamb. I think she's a premie, our first in 8 years of lambing. Mom looks bewildered, lambie looks confused. She wanted to nurse, but just couldn't get the hang of it. So, I decided to tube her. This is quite a scary thing to do. Elaine from Flesi Farm in Maine has some great instructions, so that is what I follow. Blogger won't let me cut and past the instructions, dang it.

So, I've been tubing the premie today, and she seems to be doing well. Frea is quite frustrated. She wants to be a momma, and doesn't like this situation! The little ewe weighed in at 3.75 lb.

Ella lambed while all of this was going on. Such a good ewe, no problems with her--ever. A smaller ram lamb weighing 5 lb. and a big ewe lamb weighing 9 lb., both black. Ella is such a nice, easy going, no problem ewe.

As Ella was lambing, so was Claire. Claire was certain that Ella's ewe was hers. I quickly put Ella and her lambs in the barn, much to Claire's dismay. She bellowed and fussed around the barn door, but finally settled into pushing out her lamb. A GIANT moorit ram weighing in at 12 lb. His horn buds are gigantic. Claire has had 2 sets of triplets, and several twins, so it was quite a surprise for her to have a single. This little guy should grow out really well.

Here's a cute pic of Dalla's ewe lamb. Isn't she adorable?

Evra lambs

2010-04-14T05:42:00.000-07:00

Evra had twin black badgerface lambs yesterday morning at about 6 am. That seems to be a popular time with the girls. She had an 8 lb. ram and a 4.5 lb. ewe. The ewe was backwards, so I was glad to be there. She came out so quickly, Evra didn't even realize she had a second.
Delilah is so funny with her new baby, spoiling it rotten. She's extremely protective, and wouldn't leave the barn all day. That little ewe is the cleanest, fattest baby here. Her wool glistens like mohair.

We certainly have been blessed with some beautiful lambing weather. Most of our springs are wet and dreary, but we've gone from winter to almost summer like weather in no time at all.

Lamb count: 13 ewes, 12 rams

Lambs, lambs everywhere!

2010-04-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

Found Delilah at 6 am frantically licking off a giant 11 lb. ewe lamb, sadly dead. I'm sure it came out backward and drowned. Poor thing. "If only" I had gotten up an hour earlier. A second ewe lamb followed, almost identical in coloring and weighing 9 lb. That darn Delilah. Such a piggy girl. She is very possessive and proud of her remaining lamb. She's a black spotted badger, with Finn being the sire. Hope she has horns. Delilah is the only true polled ewe in our flock. One of Stella's triplets, a ram

I went a little crazy with lamb photos today. I snapped away until the batteries died on my camera. The lamby cuteness only lasts so long, so I try to take advantage of it!Dalla and her twins, a white ram and a gorgeous and most interestingly colored greyish blue spotted ewe lamb.
Sire is Finn. Pippi's black grey spotted ewe lamb.
I'm feeling pretty irritated at Pippi tonight. She's one of those ewes that won't keep her baby bums clean. They get all yellow and pasty, hard as concrete, and as smelly as can be. I spent part of my evening soaking lamb butts in warm sudsy water, then spraying them with PAM cooking spray. Weird, huh?
The oily spray really helps to keep those bums clean.

Esther's black spotted crazy girlDrea, headed out to pasture with her girlsA close up of Drea's black badgerface ewe. The black badgers have a lot of moorit coloring, but Icelandics can only be one of 2 colors, black or moorit. It really makes for a richly colored fall spinning fleece. Belle loves all of the new lambs.Doesn't she look content?More of Stella's cute triplets.Charlotte's black grey ewe lamb is the calmest,
sweetest girl born this year.Charlotte's other ewe, this cute black grey spotted is so frisky, and is always licking her lips!

Lamb count so far, 12 ewes, 11 rams. Boy, am I tired.

Sunday Lambs

2010-04-11T19:28:00.001-07:00

A good lambing day! Pippi had 2 adorable black grey spotted lambs, a ram and a ewe, both with white blazes. I love Pippi's lambs, they are always exceptional. I just wish that Pippi was a calmer ewe. She was born in Michigan, and though a nice ewe, has never calmed down. Her lambs are more mellow, and we have two of her lovely daughters from last year. Sire is Finn. That combination has produced such nice lambs, I'll do it again next year. These lambs weighed in at 8 and 8.5 lb.

Drea had 2 ewe lambs today! A nice black ewe and a black badgerface, sire is Grady. Both weighed 8 lb. Dalla also twinned today, a white ram lamb weighing in at 8.5 lb. and the most beautiful blue grey spotted ewe lamb weighing 8 lb. Sire is Finn. This is a repeat breeding, and I'll probably do it again this year. The lambs are just exceptional.

I also spent a good deal of time in the garden today. Planted kale, collards, Swiss chard, turnip greens, leeks, broccoli, radish, sugar snap peas, and mesclun today. We are typically very wet, so I hope they don't get flooded out. Our rhubarb is up, so I made some yummy rhubarb ginger scones for breakfast.

A busy lambing day!

2010-04-10T18:37:00.001-07:00

What a busy day! My daughter has been such a big help to me, I told her we'd go shopping for shoes to go with her prom dress today. My husband was home from his week long business trip, so I hoped he could handle things while we were gone. A quick barn check before we left, and I found Elodie with a white ram lamb and another on the way. She quickly presented a moorit ewe lamb. We jugged them and were set to go. Sire is Echo . Lambs were 6.5 lb. and 8.5 lb.

We were enjoying a lunch at Pannera when my husband called. The granny ewe (Stella) presented a lamb in a water bag, what should he do? Um, rip it open? Then he "thought" it was a ewe but not sure. My daughter fired off a text message, if it has big horn buds and balls, it's a ram! She followed with another ram, so this her her fourth set of triplets! She is always such a wonderful, prolific mother, and has an udder the size of a basketball. There may be some spotting on the legs, I'll have to look closer tomorrow. Sire is Finn. Lambs weighed in a 5.5 lb., 6.5 lb. and 7 lb. We returned from our shopping trip to find Fauna in the barn with a ruptured water bag. She fiddled around forever. Finally, I had my daughter hold her so I could check her dilation, which was not good. I gave her a shot of oxytocin, and she went into labor. Still, not much progress. I checked her again, dilation was good, but a backwards lamb. Ugh. Got him pulled out, and he looks good, a moorit ram. We were really hoping for a moorit or black mouflon, but no such luck. Sire is our black mouflon ram Fable. This ram weighed in at 8.5 lb.

The lambs are all frisky and healthy, so it's been a good day! The sun is shining, and the sheep are all happy. So is the shepherd.

Charlotte lambs!

2010-04-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

My dear Charlotte had 2 gorgeous ewe lambs this afternoon! I always look forward to her lambs, they are always nice. I wish I had 10 more Charlotte's in my flock! She had a big black grey ewe weighing in at 9 lb. and a black grey spotted ewe weighing 7.5 lb. Echo is their sire.

Charlotte is such a hippo of a girl, I thought surely she had another in there. Especially when she produced a big water bag after the 2nd lamb. But no, just the two, and that's a good thing. Triplets are always more of a challenge, though fun, and they certainly do increase your flock size in a hurry.

The little black grey spotted ewe looks a lot like her Grandpa Avery! I can't wait to see how she matures.

(Live) Lamb count, 4 rams, 4 ewes!

Crazy Esther

2010-04-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

I swear, my ewes are a bunch of practical jokers. They get bored waiting on their lambs to arrive, so they play late night tricks on me. The last two nights, the baby monitor alerted me to the sounds of a ewe in labor. I groggily pulled on my coveralls to check, and find nothing but some sleepy ewes chewing their cud and snickering at me. Hmmm. On the way back in, I heard a lamb baaing, but not in the barn. I look around and there's Crazy Esther, out in the far mucky corner of the barnyard with a lamb! More baaing, and I see another teeny lamb on the other side of the fence! Thank goodness I was there. I got them all settled inside the barn and went to bed.

Crazy Esther had two ewe lambs, just like last year, both with horn buds. The white one weighed in at a mere 4 lb. and her sister at 7.5 lb. Both very active and vigorous. Hurray for Esther!

Fern's little ram

Fancy and her sweet little mouflon ram

Belle loves hanging out in the field with "her" sheep

Napping on a warm sunny spring day.

Blue Siberian Squill

Seasonal closet changes

2010-04-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

Our home is a big old rambling farm home built in the 1800's by a family with 11 kids. The family was quite wealthy, our home is beautiful. I think of them every day, and hope I can live here forever. The closets are larger than most old houses, but still small compared to today's standards. As we change from winter to spring and summer, I exchange the clothes from bins to closets to bins, to be stored once again in the attic. With only two kids, and two adults, why do we have so many clothes? Do we really need them? How did a family of 13 live here with these small closets?
My husband and I have been about the same size for the past 20 years or more. I tend to buy classic style clothes that don't really go out of style, with most of our clothes coming from resale shops. I hate to throw anything away. But, like most women, it's fun to get something new (from the consignment shop!)
The U.S. has such a quest for buying new things. No one seems to be satisfied with what they have. Everyone wants more, more, more. It's scary. No one wants to be responsible for their actions.
And so, we go on with our life. Raising sheep, chickens, ducks, geese... Planting large gardens. Trying to live, season by season.
Or, maybe I'm just cranky from all of this work when I'd rather be outside...

Lamby cuteness!

2010-04-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

Ivan, hoping to go out to RUN

After several days of chilly drizzle, the sun began to peak out of the clouds. Everyone had a case of cabin fever.

The ewes loved going out to nibble on grass.

I love watching the new lambs
bouncing alongside their mommas.

They don't eat grass yet, but it sure smells good!Some of the lambs have white "flashing" in their wool. These aren't true spots, and often fade with time. They are good indicators that the lamb carries spotting, though.

Felicite's little moorit grey ram looks like a little old man.
I'll have to get busy working on H names.

Fern's little white ram--sweet!

and.......ANOTHER BIG RAM!

2010-04-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Fancy surprised us with a big 9 lb. black mouflon ram lamb this late afternoon. My daughter and I had gone into the barn to give Bose to the Tuesday-born lambs, and there he was, all dried off and fed. Fancy is a black mouflon badgerface, which is a double pattern. I love the mouflon pattern, too bad he isn't a she! Sire is Echo.

Another big ram!

2010-04-06T18:58:00.001-07:00

Doesn't Felicite look pleased with herself?

A quick barn check, and Felicite was in the corner, moaning and groaning. I took a peek, and it looked to be another big lamb, but at least the hooves were coming out the right way. Pulling lambs is hard. I hate to be too brutal. Sometimes it feels like you are going to pull the legs right off the poor lamb! First think I do, is lube mom up good with Ivory dish soap. I manually try to get her vulva stretched out. Using washcloths to pull gives you a better grip than paper towels. Still, not quite good enough. Those lambs are so slippery! So tonight, I tried something new. I put a heavy rubber band around each leg. It worked like a charm! Now, rubber bands will be added to my lambing kit.

Felicite is so happy with her new little boy. Finn is the sire.
Those horn buds are huge!

It's been a busy (happy) day in the barn,
and the day isn't over yet.

Two New Ewes!!

2010-04-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

Felicia was due to lamb over the weekend. She was one of the few breedings I saw, and could somewhat plan for. Two beautiful ebony black ewe lambs! Sire is our black yearling Grady.Sizes were perfect--6 and 7 lb. Ewe lambs rarely have large horn buds, so delivery is so much easier on mom. Delivery was swift and easy. The girls were lively and nursing in no time. I love black lambs, and have way too many black adults. Who knew that black came in so many shades? From charcoal, to ebony, inky, raven, steel, pewter, gun metal, ashen, chocolate, cocoa, grey...the list runs on and on. Felicia is another first time mom, and doing a wonderful job!

Another BIG single!

2010-04-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

The baby monitor woke me this morning with the sounds of a ewe in hard labor. I threw on my clothes and ran out to the barn to see who it was. Fern! A two winter ewe, first time mother. From the size of the emerging hooves, I could tell it was going to another big one. I ran back inside to wake my daughter and made a pot of coffee. Back out we went. Fern wasn't making progress, so we helped ease the lamb out, another 9.5 lb. ram with big horn buds. He's white with a black spot on his heel. So, Fern carries spotting. Sire is Finn.
I got them situated in the lambing jug, only to discover someone else had taken up residence. A brown Muscovy duck! She'll have to find another spot to lay her eggs.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Holy Week

2010-04-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Holy Week is a busy time for us. Not only are we lambing,
our family is also active in community events and church.
My son Spenser had the honor of playing Jesus
in the Passion Play this year, and Randy was a guard. It was a big time commitment, but well worth it. Just awesome!

Faye's ram

2010-04-02T19:49:00.001-07:00

The birth of Faye's ram brought a much needed ray of sunshine to our otherwise dismal week. It wasn't an easy birth. Faye is a two winter ewe, but this was her first lamb. He was a big boy at 9.5 lb., and it was a struggle getting him out, but at least he was facing the right direction! Singles are nice, because they grow out so well, but they can be impossibly large at birth. A pair of 7 lb. lambs is so much easier on the the mother than a 10 lb. ram with large horn buds. This guy is a big chunk, much like his father Finn. He looks to be white with some spotting on his legs. We haven't decided on a name for him yet. Faye is a wonderful, attentive first time momma. Such a sweet sight.

A Rough Week...

2010-04-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

If I had a week like this as a beginning shepherd, I think I would have given up on sheep. What a week. Losing our first lamb was bad enough. Today, we lost one of my very favorite ewes (Deidra) to ketosis, or maybe hypocalcemia. In the 8 years of lambing, this is my first experience with it, and poor Deidra was the one to suffer from my lack of knowledge. I still have a lot to learn. Sue Reith has written some article on this, and I plan on studying them further.

She went out to graze with the flock yesterday, but lagged behind, and was first to come back to the barn. I noticed some spotting, and worried that maybe she was having a miscarriage. By evening, she was quite lethargic, and by that time I was figuring it out. I was up with her half the night, dosing her with Keto-Nia drench and dexamethazone. She was off feed and water. I spoke with my vet several times, and read everything I could on the subject. I followed the treatment in the Laura Lawson book "Managing your Ewe" (bible to most sheep owners) . My vet is ready and willing to help, but she is not an expert on ruminants, so I feel that I'm own my own most of the time. The ISBONA yahoo site is a great help and support, and I rely on it often. So, I was at the vet's this morning picking up more meds, and poor Deidra died while I was gone. It's shocking, how quickly it can happen. I loved that girl. She will really be missed.

On a happier note, Faye had a nice big ram lamb this evening. He's mostly white with spotting on his legs. More on that later.

Poor Faith

2010-03-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

Her little ram lamb didn't make it. A sad start to the lambing season, but things can only improve from here, right? His breathing was never quite right, very labored. My mom, a retired nurse is visiting, and we tried every trick in the book, but it just wasn't meant to be.
Faith was very sad. This was her first lamb. We have started to milk her now, and she has been the calmest ewe I've ever milked. Her teats are tiny, so it's not easy. She is so relaxed, tolerant and sweet, though.
This may sound gruesome, but I had my husband skin the dead lamb. We put the pelt in the frig. We should have ewes lambing in the next day or two. If one has twins or trips, we will try to graft one onto Faith. She is an eager and accepting mother, and it won't hurt to try!

King Hrothgar

2010-03-28T09:53:00.001-07:00

Daughter Maddie, with our first lamb of the 2010 season!

He's here! Our first lamb of the season! Faith had a huge single, a black spotted ram. He had a rough start to life. At our first barn check this morning, I saw Faith with one rear leg sticking out. I knew he would drown if we didn't get him out quickly. I found the other leg and pulled, but he was stuck tight. My husband, Randy, took over and we had him out, looking limp and lifeless. I swung him, breathed air into his lungs, and rubbed him down good. Finally he gave a little kick and came to life. It was chilly out, so I brought him into the house and worked on him longer. Randy stayed in the barn to milk out colostrum. Little by little, the ram perked up. He had a good sucking reflex, and drank a couple ounces of the colostrum.
My son had friends over, so it was fun for them to see a newborn lamb.
Meanwhile, in the barn, Faith was standing in a corner wondering happened. I never did hear her do the nickering mother sounds. We put her in the jug and tried to introduce her to her baby, but she pushed him away. I'm sure he had lost her scent, so I tried another trick. I rubbed afterbirth on him, and draped some over him. She started sniffing him, then licking and nickering! The mothering instinct is there! Now, we just need to get him nursing. I don't want to start the season with a bottle lamb.
This is our eighth season of lambing, so all lambs will have H names. My son and his friends picked the name Hrothgar, King of the Danes, and father figure to Beowulf. The first lamb of the season is the king. His sire is Finn.

Still waiting.........

2010-03-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

I thought that SURELY we'd have lambs by now. Good Lord! The girls are holding out on me again. It happens every spring. They love to torture me, and test my patience. They are scheming to all lamb the same day. That must be it! There are basketball udders and wide loads in the barnyard. Lambing will begin any second, I'm sure.

I need your help!

2010-03-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

On a whim, I submitted our family for a photo contest. Imagine my surprise, when I found out that we are finalists!! If we get the most votes, a professional photographer from California will come out and photography our family, farm, sheep, and whatever else she finds interesting out here on our place. Now I need your help!
Go to her web blog and vote for Terri
before Tues. 3/16 midnight!! THANK YOU!!

here's the link: Julia Wade Photography

Old barns

2010-03-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

An early winter view from the North

Our Pennsylvania style side hill barn was built around 1850. I love it. Inside, I look at the ancient huge timbers, and the way the barn was constructed, and I'm so amazed. I wonder about it's past, the livestock and people that have come and gone. The sweat and tears that have gone into it. My dear daughter Maddie, always ready to help

Instead of going on vacations, we spend the money to re-roof the barn, and save the other old buildings on our old farm. Illinois has so many beautiful old farmsteads, and so many in disrepair. It makes me sad to see them, but I realize how expensive it is to keep them up. At one time, our farm had sheep, cattle, pigs and poultry, as did many small farms across the country. Factory farms and government regulations are making it impossible to make a profit as a small producer, which is too bad.

Family bonds

2010-03-09T19:01:00.000-08:00

Claire and her momma Hazel, from 2005

Many Icelandic sheep breeders have noticed the strong family bonds in their sheep. I know I have. I go out to do a barn check, and sisters will be sitting with sisters, moms with daughters and grandmas, grandmas babysitting their grand-lambs. Mothers and grandmothers hang by their daughters during lambing, as if to give comfort, or maybe a few words (baa's) of wisdom. When I buy a couple of ewes from another farm, they hang together on our farm, like friends. I wonder, does this happen with other breeds, or is it because the Icelandics are a primitive breed? It is one of the things that endears me to these beautiful, intelligent sheep.
Their ancient wisdom.

Anticipation!

2010-03-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

Ginger, one of our crazy little one winters

I'm beginning to get a little worried. I hadn't intended to breed any of my ewe lambs this year. Grady, our ram lamb had other ideas. He broke into the non-breeding pen 3 times this fall (the little booger!). Rams will be rams, that's for sure. The ewe lambs all look to be in good condition and not overly fat, so I'm sure they will be fine. I just wonder how many there will be.....

Delphine and her daughter Geranium

I've been doing udder checks when I feed in the mornings, and it looks like we'll have lambs in less than a week! I need to do a bit of prep work in the barn. We don't jug everyone, we really only have one lambing jug for 30 some ewes, then a larger pen for maybe 3 ewes and their lambs. Some don't go in at all. I keep a dry erase board handy, and record lambings as they occur. A baby monitor is on, so I don't normally do midnight barn checks, even though I'm a bit of an insomniac and sometimes wander out in my boots and robe if I'm up. Can't resist!

So many shepherds shear their ewes before lambing. We usually wait until April or May to do shearing. With Icelandics having their wool break post lambing, that's the best time to do it. The ewes do seem to shed the wool around their udders and belly, so the lambs never seem to have a problem finding their milk. Such anticipation!

Gala blues

2010-03-03T10:07:00.000-08:00

Salem, our guard llama

We've been fighting the Gala/Mal ware virus
on our computer for the past 2 weeks.
It got so bad, we had to erase everything
and start all over with new software!

My husband the engineer thought it would be an interesting
challenge to fix it himself. Interesting? more like frustrating!
I think (hope) everything running fine now....

A photographer came out to visit us last September.
I had almost forgotten about it, until I received a CD
with beautiful photos that she took of some of our animals.

Handsome FinnThe ever-smiling DelphineFudge

How nice to see green grass and sheep with long flowing fleeces!

Falla

March is here! That means that lambing will start soon!

It's up!

2010-02-18T19:03:00.001-08:00

Beautiful silvering Faye, on a snowy February morning

The new website is up and running! http://www.redbrickroadfarm.com It's far from perfect, but improving every day. It's a big improvement over our old site, plus it will be much easier to update. I believe in the adage, "a picture says a thousand words" or that an image is more influential than a substantial amount of text. No doubt, I'm more of a visual person than a writer.
Websites appear differently on some computers. Let me know if it looks funky to you, or if there's something you'd like to see. I'm always looking at ways to improve!
Please also note, we are changing internet providers. Our new email is rbrfarm@centurylink.net

Frosty, frosty

2010-02-13T16:49:00.001-08:00

I awoke to the frostiest landscape I've seen
in 14 years on our farm.
Absolutely breathtaking!
Stella bumped up against the fence,
and was covered with frost. The temp was zero, but sunny and still.

It was an amazing morning to be outside.

Olivia and I took a walk up to the secret garden.

Even the scraggly elm in the ram paddock
was beautiful today.

Belle is always quick to investigate anyone on the road,
and was happy to find that today it's only me.
Mornings like this are priceless!

Winter mornings

2010-02-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

I'm not much of a morning person.
I need good, strong coffee before I venture out into the cold.
A chorus of hungry baa's greet me, and I get a few suspicious looks,
"Where have you been? Can't you see we're starving?" Everyone follows me with their expectant eyes....Pregnant ewes are always hungry. And sometimes irritable!Bellys are starting to get round, and there's still
over a month until we begin lambing!Belle, the watchful guardian, always on the lookout,
even when she's been up all night barking at coyotes The sky is full of contrails, jets heading west from Chicago.
A beautiful, sunny morning!

In the Bleak Midwinter...

2010-02-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

(Evening in the south pasture)

In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.

Verse one, written by the English poet Christina Rossetti in 1872.

(Ewes waiting for breakfast)

I love that poem. I love winter days.
Having the time to catch up on some reading,
gazing out the window watching the birds,
feeding my flock of sheep,
watching the ewes as they grow heavy with lambs...

(breakfast is served)

(some of our own hand dyed Lopi yarn!)

Time to do some spinning and knitting,
skirting fleeces, taking photos, editing photos,
working on the website...

(a moorit Icelandic lamb fleece)

Cooking up deliciously hearty dinners
in my new Le Creuset french oven...
(yes, it's worth every penny!)

We missed out on the latest big snow.
Hoping for more soon!

The Icelandic Ram Game

2010-01-28T05:55:00.000-08:00

Doesn't this look like fun? Even if you don't want to actually play the game, it would be a great reference for AI Icelandic rams. It has just become available online through "Shop Icelandic"

I ordered a set today. Of course while I was at it, I had to browse through the other items. I found this cute Icelandic sheep, which is supposed to be some sort of cell phone decoration. I think she looks rather mischievous, don't you?

Updates coming soon!

2010-01-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

January! Cold and blustery winter days. A fresh pot of soup simmers on the stove nearly every day, warming the kitchen. I love soup in the winter.

I have diligently been working on improving our website www.RedBrickRoadFarm.com. Our flock is growing, and how can I sell sheep without a decent website? We have used the 1 & 1 host, with one of their templates. For some reason, it has not been compatible with our computer/windows system, browser, etc. Updating it is a nightmare, which is my excuse for lack of updates. I've been working on Frontpage software to update our site. It should be up before lambing begins in late March. Hopefully sooner, though! I do have a few bred ewes that I'd like to sell. I love designing the web site. After all, I do have a bachelor of fine arts degree with an emphasis in graphic design. The technical aspect is something else. When I went to college, we didn't even have computers! I'm really not that old, either.

I've taken thousands of photos of my Icelandic sheep in the past eight years. I'm trying to find a decent side pose of each of the 50 or so sheep of in my current flock. Not easy! I will have to remind myself next summer to take more side shots. Especially in the fall when they are looking fabulous sporting their full fleeces. Some ewes are so friendly, with their faces right in the camera. I can never get side shots of those girls. I took photography classes in college. The old fashioned kind, developing and processing your own prints. Now, with the click of a mouse, I can edit the photos in no time. I use Adobe Photoshop Elements, which can do amazing things. I need to learn more. I love the way I can erase hay in the fleeces or a eliminate a runny nose.

We may finally be upgrading to high speed Internet, instead of the satellite dish-woo hoo!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Old Reliable

2010-01-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

It happens every winter without fail. Our outdoor water sources freeze up, one by one. The faucet by the back door is the first to go. Then the line to the stock tank in the barnyard. Finally, the water hydrant by the milk house. Not even a heat lamp can bring it out of hibernation. This is when we turn to "Old Reliable", the hand pump on our deck. It's right over our well, a shallow, sand point well dug in the 1800's. So, we get a good workout, hauling buckets of water to 50+ sheep.
I enjoy the quiet of winter after the holidays. It's a good time to get caught up with sheep paperwork (registrations), read, work with wool and dream about spring lambs. Most of the year there's so much to do outside, indoor tasks get neglected. Whether it's the daily task of moving the electronet, filling stock tanks, famacha checks, along with gardening, building upkeep, etc. Winter demands are few... hay twice a day for the sheep, water for the heated buckets, mineral feeders filled, a bit of hoof trimming. The pregnant ewes are mellow. If they're not eating, they're dozing in the barn or basking in the winter sun

on their south facing porch.
This is Gretchen, a triplet ewe lamb out of Deidra. She is one of my wild, skittish girls. I hope she settles down soon. Several of Fudge's offspring have his high-strung temperament.
I think it's the leadersheep genetics.

Ewe lamb Garland, Pippi's super chunky girl with the most annoying voice I've ever heard. No quiet baa's from her. Whenever she sees me, she bellows loudly

BAAAAAAA! BAAAA! BAA-AAA-AAAAA!!!!!!

Grace, another 2009 triplet ewe, sitting in her favorite spot.

She is so much like her momma Charlotte.

Not a flocker, content to do her own thing.

I like that in a girl!

Christmas goodies

2010-01-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

Did you get any fun fiber related gifts for Christmas? I did! Some new books, Knitting Little Luxuries...a book that has been out for a while. Lovely, feminine designs that don't look too difficult for my limited knitting skills.Also, The Knitters Book of Wool, which will surely become a classic. I love all of Clara Parkes books.

Teaching Yourself Visually Hand Dyeing written by Barbara Parry, a very eloquent blogger that I enjoy. Teach Yourself Visually Knitting, the updated version will be available later this winter. I have it on order. I am determined to become a better knitter this year!I also received a nice shipment from Paradise Fibers. I love ordering from them. They have such a wonderful selection of spinning fibers, dyes, and other goodies. I got a yarn yardage counter, several Country Classic Dyes, 2 new jumbo bobbing for my Kromski wheels ( I got the new jumbo flyer for my December birthday), plus, some new spinning fibers--Tussah Silk Noils, Seacell, and some Tencell. I love playing with new fibers, and will blend these with my Icelandic on my drum carder. I am so busy with the sheep during most of the year, winter is the only time I can really spend some time experimenting with fiber blends, dyeing, etc.

Farm Accidents

2010-01-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

I went out to feed tonight and found Falla dead! Somehow, she had gotten her horn caught on the manger, flipped over, and strangled herself. UGGGHHHH!!!!! This was one of my most prized yearlings. Not the friendliest of girls, but with valuable new bloodlines to our flock. She was bred to Finn, and since he carries spotting, those lambs would have been spotted beauties. It's times like this that I kick myself, thinking, why didn't I go out to feed before starting dinner? What could I have done to prevent this? She will certainly be missed. Her brother is Fudge, and now I'm really glad that we used him as a breeding lamb last year, so the genetics won't be totally lost. Even with a flock of 40 ewes, I find losses like this very sad.

A Winters Day

2010-01-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

It's been so cold here! Power outages and a dead furnace have added a little more work to the daily chores. Belle knows how to stay warm, snuggle up in the sheep manger! What a brat she is. I've been working on some socks, some lovely yarn from

Blue Moon Fiber Arts I am the slowest knitter on the planet,

that's for sure.

Here is Ivan, modeling my socks. He feels tortured and unhappy about it. He will probably be an old man before they are finished. Oh, if only I could concentrate on my knitting! Why can't I be a better knitter? I love to spin, and I guess that's just my thing. I do need to work on my knitting, though.
Have you ever seen the movie Fargo? That's what the scenery looks like, the field south of our farm. Bleak, bleak, bleak!!! I will have to look at this for another 4 months! At least I can look forward to lambing season. I have a lot of sheep paperwork to keep me busy in the upcoming months.
Plus, the never ending task of home improvements. A view of our creek. It's been a strange winter season. The creek is usually frozen by now, and we are skating.

We had a lovely visit from the girls from Mainely Ewes Farm in Maine. I'm so in awe of them! What determination, what vision, do they ever sleep? I don't think so. I want to live life with such joy and reckless abandon. Isn't that what it's all about?

Kudos to the girls at Mainely Ewes Farm!

Happy New Years!

2009-12-31T17:15:00.000-08:00

Knitting socks, watching bowl games and having a little vino,

a perfect New Years Eve for me!

An Old Fashioned Christmas

2009-12-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

Family arrived from Nebraska, along with more wintry weather - a combination of snow, sleet, and rain. Branches iced up, lights flickered, and the power went out. This is a common occurrence around here, so we were well prepared. A kerosene heater and lanterns, lots of candles everywhere, a gas stove to cook, plenty of great food and wine on hand, and we were set. Games came out, books to read, wool to spin, how could anyone be bored? As the evening settled upon us, we were entertained by music in the parlor, which included piano, guitar, violin, french horn, baritone, and lots of singing. I don't think the kids even missed their video games or TV.Day two, with the house getting chillier, we decided it was time to bring out the generator. It won't run the whole house, so we switched back and forth between the furnace, refrigerators, and freezers. We even lit up the Christmas tree. Christmas morning, and we were back to full power, which was certainly nice. The novelty wears off in a hurry when you're in need of a showerSeveral more inches of snow on Christmas Day, and it was a wintry wonderland. Belle & I took a little walk on the road.

The ewes come up to the fence to greet us,

hoping for an afternoon snack.

Beautiful Emily in her full fleece.

Happy Holidays from Red Brick Road Farm!

Seed Catalogues

2009-12-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

If you haven't received your Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalogue for 2010, go online and order it right away! It's free, but there's a very limited supply. The cover doesn't look like much, but just wait until you look inside. Gorgeous photos (bursting with flavor) and such a wonderful selection of seeds. I order from them every year.

The comfort of sheep

2009-12-15T20:39:00.000-08:00

I love the holidays -cooking, decorating, yet, no matter what the situation, it is always a stressful time of year. There are so many expectations, mostly unrealistic. It's times like this when I especially love venturing out to the barn after dinner. Even though the temp is near zero, I can't resist the allure of a cozy barnful of sheep. I don my coveralls, hat, mits, and head out. Belle, our great pyr is always the first to greet me, my demanding polar bear of a girl. The ewes are all well fed, snug, and for the most part, settled in for the night. I find a comfy spot to sit, and it's the yearling ewes that come up first for a visit. My loveliest F girl, Fionna settles in at my side, tail a-wagging, and along comes several others of the same "rank". Ewe lambs, the G girls hang back, waiting their turn. My older girls, secure in their position, don't always seek me out, though Charlotte always comes up for a pet. Comfort & Joy, this is it.

Ready or not...

2009-12-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

Winter is here!! Our first storm of the season blew through this week, bringing us freezing rain, sleet, heavy snow, and wind chills of 20 below zero! My Shetland sheepdogs long to go out and romp in it.

They are in and out, in and out throughout the day. The windows in our old farmhouse, each a frosty masterpiece.Rams and ewes have been separated, which will make winter chores much easier. We had 6 separate pens, and we're down to three. These little rammies will be going to the butcher soon.

I hate the thought of that,

but just how many rams does a person need?

Two year old Elodie and her daughter Fionna,

two of my most easy going girls.Handsome FableHappy Deidra Fuzzy Belle

It's amazing how well the outdoor animals adapt to such weather swings. As long as there is plenty to eat and drink, and a warm bed of straw, everyone is content and settled in

for the long winter ahead.

Boys will be boys...

2009-12-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

Breeding groups were put together in mid October. We used 4 different rams this year. The one thing they all have in common, is that they are very mild mannered around people, no matter what time of year. They get along amongst themselves most of the time too. Icelandic sheep are seasonal breeders. The hormones get fired up in the fall, ewes start cycling, and the rams are ready to fight for dominance! Grady is the only ram lamb we are using from this year's crop. His breeding group was penned next to Finn's, who is a yearling. Neither are full grown, so they don't do a lot of damage to the fencing/gates yet. They did some head butting through the fence at first. Now, they just ignore each other for the most part. Echo has a group next to Finn as well. At the start, hey did some ramming through the fence. Two year old Echo has more weight and experience, so he never did end up with battle scars like Finn. Echo is a gentleman, and eats peacefully with his girls. They all seem to be settled, now, so he spends a lot of time pacing the fenceline. He knows there is a non-breeding group of ewe lambs in the barnyard! Fable is the fourth ram with ewes. He had just a small group for a short time. It would be nice to have some more mouflons in our flock.Finn's battle scars are healing up well, and his girls seem settled. We weren't planning on breeding any ewe lambs this year. Grady had other ideas. He broke out twice into the barnyard. Dates are recorded, and I'll have to keep a close eye on those naughty little girls!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

Today is the day we look back on the year, giving thanks for the bountiful harvest, friends, family, animals, a wonderful home and a busy life doing the things we love. We are truly blessed. Happy Thanksgiving!

Ouch!!!

2009-10-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

I put Charlotte in with her breeding group yesterday. Since she had triplets this spring, I was thinking about giving her a year off. Well, maybe not. She produces such nice lambs. Needless to say, she was NOT PLEASED about the situation! Can you see her glaring at me? She is one of those ewes who is very particular about their ram, and she wasn't thrilled with young Grady! they immediately began bashing heads, but he quickly put her in her place, though she easily outweighed him by 75 pounds or more! She's a big ewe. She didn't like the ram I chose for her for 2007 lambs, and she remained open. This morning when I went out to feed, she came right up to me to show me there was a problem. She somehow managed to rip out her eartag! Was she that desperate to get out of that pen? She knew I had the camera, so kept pestering me. "Look at my poor ear! I'm in so much pain! Please let me go back with the ewe lambs in the barn! I don't like Grady!"

Charlotte, I think you'll be fine...

Promoting your farm

2009-10-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have been giving presentations about our farm/sheep for the last few years. We've had many groups out to our place to visit, and I've gone to several schools, nursing homes, etc. to talk about our wonderful Icelandic sheep. When I was contacted to do a presentation for a Chicago spinning guild retreat, I decided it was time to do something a little more professional. So, these past two weeks I've been engulfed in putting together my Icelandic Sheep PowerPoint presentation. I also designed new labels for our products. It has been great fun. I love putting together brochures, business cards, etc. Graphic design was my profession, well, before children and sheep! Thank you to Gretl for the invite, and to the Fox Valley Knitters Guild for being such a wonderful, laid back, and gracious group of knitters! You nearly bought me out! Thank you, thank you! and of course to my faithful and tolerant husband, for his technical support and enduring trust. I'm sure he had no idea what was in store for him when he bought me my first Icelandic sheep for my 40Th birthday seven years ago! It's been quite a trip!

The Compleat Squash

2009-10-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

We devote a large section of our garden to winter squash every year. They truly are, one of the most beautiful and useful things in the garden. "The Compleat Squash" is a must have book for any pumpkin or squash devotee. Gorgeous photos and recipes, too. I spend many a cold winters eve paging through the book, making my wish list for summer planting.
What other vegetable has such a variety of color,

sizes and shapes?
When a hard frost is expected, we go out and load the pickup with squash. The less mature ones get tossed in to the sheep paddock. The sheep adore them, and the seeds are said to be a natural dewormer. The chickens love them too, and they get their fair share. We set a few around the doorsteps, and the rest go into the basement .
With proper storage, some will keep for over a year!

During the winter, we enjoy pies, breads, muffins, souffles. I occasionally toss a few out to the sheep for a mid-winters treat. Can you tell, we love squash?

Shearing Day!

2009-10-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

The autumn wool harvest is one of the most anticipated events on the farm. The October wool clip tells the story of a years hard work. Icelandic sheep are typically shorn twice per year, with the fall shearing being the most valuable. Days spent grazing on lush pastures keeps the wool clean and fresh, compared to winters spent at the manger eating hay. The sheep are breathtakingly beautiful in the fall. I take as many photos as I can. I almost wish I didn't have to shear them. I make frequent stops at the grocery store, picking up boxes for the fleeces.

The sheep go into the barn the night before, off feed and water. With the Icelandic's huge rumen, shearing on a full stomach makes them incredibly uncomfortable (think about bending over to tie your shoes after a huge Thanksgiving meal). The shearing station remains clean as well. Our shearer David Kier arrived, followed by a number of friends, some who helped and others that watched. We had 12 people here, so it was a great help, and shearing went so smoothly. Two friends captured the reluctant sheep, Randy my husband brought them out to David, who sheared. He is so calm and gentle with the sheep. He takes his time with our small flock, yet each sheep is finished in under 3 minutes.

The sheep barely realize what has happened. David skirts out the belly wool as he shears. I scoop up the warm fleeces as he finishes,as another friend shoos the sheep out of the barn, and another sweeps the board clean, and the whole process begins again. As he shears, I quickly lay out the previous fleece on a skirting table. The wool is fragrant, full of lanolin and life. I love the smell. Second cuts fall out, I pull out any contaminated parts, then push each beautiful fleece into a separate box, labeled with the date and the name of the sheep. These fleeces go into the Wool House, and will be fully skirted this winter. Then I'm ready for the next fleece. The day goes by too quickly.

We are finished! I prepared a big meal for post shearing. I made the mousaka recipe from the October issue of Saveur. It was everything I hoped for. Also some fresh bread, corn from the garden, and a nice Syrah. Then, apple pie with apples from our orchard and coffee. It was a fun and relaxing meal, full of laughter and sheep talk. David has has many years of sheep experience, which he graciously (and modestly) shares. I so enjoy him, his grace and vast wisdom. A good shearer is priceless!

Ride Bikes, Save the Earth

2009-09-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

A young couple, Becky and Darren, contacted us earlier this summer. They were riding their bikes across the U.S., stopping at small family farms along the way, wondering if they could visit us. They had a website and blog, and guess what? They were acrobats for Cirque de Soleil!!!! I wondered what they would think of our little farm. They finally arrived on Saturday afternoon. What a fascinating couple, and some of the best house guests one could ask for. We wandered around, looking at the old farm buildings, gardens and animals. Even though they had traveled the world, they were more interested in talking and learning about us! They filmed their visit, and may do some sort of documentary. After a dinner on the deck of lamb stew, Becky was eager to learn to spin. We started out with spindles, then moved to spinning on the wheel. We all laughed and talked late into the evening. They were up early Sunday morning, ready for the day.

I didn't envy them at all, and their ride through Chicago.

You can read their "mission statement" here.

Here's what they looked like in costume

when they performed in the Cirque de Soleil KA show: