Replying to Avatar rev.hodl

**A fresh set of twin lambs born on the homestead**

Just when we thought the window had closed for more early lambs to be born this winter, the last ewe we had our eyes on gave birth to twins.

The were both in need of immediate attention, so we took them inside, warmed them up with the Bitcoin mining clothes dryer, fed them colostrum we had frozen from last spring's lambing, and made some coats for them.

These are the first lambs this ewe has birthed but she is a very good mother. She bonded with the lambs immediately so even after taking them away to warm them up she didn't reject them once we brought them back. She holds still to let them nurse too.

The other two early lambs are doing well too, we setup heat lamps in their stalls to help keep them warm while the get hardy enough to handle the cold winter weather. This event has shown us that we are prepared and have the experience, techniques, and supplies on hand to successfully save distressed lambs even in extreme conditions. Having little baby lambs running around in the winter has definitely put some fresh spirit in our hearts when winter time tends to be a more depressive season.

#permaculture #permies #homesteading #meshtadel #lamb #sheep

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rev.hodl 7mo ago

The katahdin hair sheep have completed their second grazing loop of the pastures at the homestead. This video goes over why to rotational graze and how the sheep are managed.

https://v.nostr.build/PMCNquZIq1Lcj53M.mp4

The sheep are moved every 2-4 days to a fresh paddock to help evenly distribute their impact and fertility as well as break the parasite cycle. Once the paddocks are grazed they are given 30-45 days rest to recover and regrow. Generally the flock is able to graze each paddock 5 times throughout the season. We raise the lamb for our own consumption and to sell for Bitcoin through p2p interactions with Bitcoiners at meetups all across Michigan and surrounding areas.

#permies #permaculture #homesteading #meshtadel #rotationalgrazing #pasturemanagement #sheep #katahdin #lamb #carnivore #meat #vlog

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Discussion

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Parallel Structures 7mo ago

How many acres?

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rev.hodl 7mo ago

10acres of pasture

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Brisket 7mo ago

How long have you been rotationally grazing sheep on your pasture?

I'm assuming this is the 2nd rotation this season & not the second rotation ever.

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rev.hodl 7mo ago

You got it, they are on the second loop for the season. We have been grazing the pastures for years.

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Brisket 7mo ago

Your sheep look really healthy & super chill around humans.

I'm surprised as sheep are generally pretty skittish & dumb.

Has the pasture improved dramatically since moving to rotational grazing?

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rev.hodl 6mo ago

Moving the sheep flock into the woods for a few days. Learn about how the paddocks are setup, and how the fences are energized.

https://v.nostr.build/s1BneudH48i4CHGl.mp4

The katahdin hair sheep are grazing the woodland paddock for the first time this season. On the first two grazing loops it was skipped to give it more time to grow. They might stay in the woods for 3 days but more likely just 2. Last season was the first time the sheep were able to completely graze around the pond. This season they will continue to clear the wooded side converting more of it to grass and increasing accessibility. Given the right job, sheep can do really great work and we get paid in lamb meat for thier labor!

#permies #permaculture #homesteading #meshtadel #sheep #rotationalgrazing #pasturemanagement #silvopasture #lamb

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Peachy🍑 4mo ago

This is the vlog style I want to see 👏👏

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rev.hodl 4mo ago

**The sheep at the homestead are on the 5th grazing of the pastures, looking good!**

This is the best the pastures have looked at this point in the season since increasing the stocking density to push the limits of what it can sustain. There are a couple changes which lead to the improvement in pasture quality late in the season, even with the unfavorable weather this year.

First some fellow permies with a goat dairy, lent out their roller crimper for about a month, so after each paddock was grazed the roller crimper followed behind working the stemmy unpalatable grasses and weeds into the ground. This allowed the grass to recover shockingly well, even in droughty conditions.

https://v.nostr.build/dkGBMlFzoroLxYWg.mp4

The other large contributing factor to the success of the late season pasture was the new approach to selling the lambs. The focus was on selling feeders and breeding stock rather than selling whole lambs for butcher. After selling 5 feeder lambs, a katahdin ram lamb for breeding, and a East Friesian dairy ewe lamb, the number of sheep in the flock was greatly reduced allowing for more available food in the pasture for the rest of the flock and more time for the pasture to recover.

#permaculture #homesteading #permies #sheep #rotationalgrazing #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #lamb #carnivore #pasturemanagement

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