The Canny Crofter

The Canny Crofter Living the dream on a small farm in Barriere British Columbia! I’ve currently got sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, 1 rabbit, and 2 cows!

I was lucky enough to grow up in this town and while I did move away for school and work… we always come back!

Wendy & Dela Spring Update 🌱🐄Wendy and Dela have been soaking up these beautiful spring days and making the most of the ...
04/05/2026

Wendy & Dela Spring Update 🌱🐄

Wendy and Dela have been soaking up these beautiful spring days and making the most of the sunshine.
They’ve been enjoying the fresh air, warm breezes, and carefully inspecting the pasture… still waiting (very impatiently) for the grass to grow!

Wendy is really starting to look all grown up now — it’s hard to believe how much she’s changed already. Dela, of course, is keeping a close eye on everything and making sure the pasture meets her standards.

One thing is for sure… unlike the sheep, these two would absolutely NOT be caught wearing bunny ears for Easter. Not a chance. Not even a little bit. 🐰🚫

They’ll stick to looking majestic and waiting for grass, thank you very much.

Reason #329 why my animals question my life choices… 🐑🐰Bought bunny ears.Put them on the sheep.Sheep were not impressed...
04/04/2026

Reason #329 why my animals question my life choices… 🐑🐰

Bought bunny ears.
Put them on the sheep.
Sheep were not impressed.
Regrets were had (mostly by the sheep).

Thumper and the gang still want to wish everyone a Happy Easter and hope your weekend is full of sunshine, chocolate, and a little farm chaos!

And that’s a wrap on lambing 2026! 🐑🌸Freya added a beautiful lamb to round out our lamb crop to 41 total… and yes… it’s ...
04/02/2026

And that’s a wrap on lambing 2026! 🐑🌸

Freya added a beautiful lamb to round out our lamb crop to 41 total… and yes… it’s a boy! 💙

That means the final scoreboard is in:
23 boys 💙
18 girls 💗

The boys took the win this year, but wow — what a stunning group of ewe lambs the girls gave us! Strong, beautiful, and full of personality. We couldn’t be happier with this year’s lamb crop.

A huge congratulations to all our hardworking mamas (and especially Freya for closing out the season in style). Now it’s time for warm spring days, growing lambs, and a little bit more sleep for the shepherd. 🌿☀️

Scoreboard Update! 🐑📊Lily Lamb had a lovely set of twins — one girl and one boy — and boy oh boy did she nail it! These ...
03/30/2026

Scoreboard Update! 🐑📊

Lily Lamb had a lovely set of twins — one girl and one boy — and boy oh boy did she nail it! These two are absolutely beautiful and Lily is doing an amazing job with them already.

There’s nothing quite like walking into the field and seeing a ewe having just given birth! She was a bit uncertain but is now absolutely in love with them! She’s tucked safely inside out of the wind for the next day or so! Moments like this make all the late nights and early mornings worth it. ❤️

The lambing season keeps rolling along, and we’re so proud of these mamas and their little ones.

Bottle Baby Update 🍼🐑A little update on the 3 Ts and Jojo!Thumper, Tigger, Trevor, and Jojo are all doing very well and ...
03/30/2026

Bottle Baby Update 🍼🐑

A little update on the 3 Ts and Jojo!

Thumper, Tigger, Trevor, and Jojo are all doing very well and growing like weeds.
Technically, Trevor and Jojo do have a mom who loves them very much and feeds them — sweet Louisa is doing her absolute best. Unfortunately, the other two boys also decided that Louisa runs an all-you-can-eat milk bar… and she just doesn’t have enough to go around.

To make sure Trevor and Jojo don’t fall behind, they get bottle top-ups as well. Team effort around here!

And Trevor — oh my goodness — he has grown so much. He’s almost as big as Thumper now, which feels impossible considering how tiny he started. Watching these little ones catch up and thrive is one of the best parts of lambing season. ❤️

Bottle babies may take a little extra work, but they sure give a lot of extra love in return.

Happy National Ag Day! 🌾🐑Today we celebrate the farmers, ranchers, growers, and caretakers who work every single day to ...
03/25/2026

Happy National Ag Day! 🌾🐑

Today we celebrate the farmers, ranchers, growers, and caretakers who work every single day to feed the world and care for the land and animals entrusted to them.

Around here, agriculture looks like early mornings, muddy boots, full hay feeders, and tiny lambs finding the most comfortable place in the world to nap — usually on mom.

It’s long days, late nights, and a whole lot of heart… but moments like this remind us exactly why we do it. ❤️

Thank you to everyone who supports local agriculture, local farmers, and the next generation growing up surrounded by animals, land, and hard work.

Happy National Ag Day from our farm to yours! 🌿

Starina said, “Just a casual late-night delivery over here…” 🌙🐑This proud mama welcomed a beautiful ram lamb last night,...
03/21/2026

Starina said, “Just a casual late-night delivery over here…” 🌙🐑

This proud mama welcomed a beautiful ram lamb last night, and just like that—the boys are back in the lead by 4! 💙

Starina is extra special around here. Last year she battled a nasty case of fly strike and was in rough shape for weeks… but through it all, she never missed a beat taking care of her lambs. Absolute warrior. 💪

Seeing her now—healthy, strong, and raising another little man—feels like a full circle moment.

Next up: spa day ✂️ (aka shearing time) depending on what Mother Nature decides this weekend!

🚨 Scoreboard Update! 🚨Geri came in clutch in the early hours of this morning with a beautiful ewe lamb 💕🐑And just like t...
03/21/2026

🚨 Scoreboard Update! 🚨

Geri came in clutch in the early hours of this morning with a beautiful ewe lamb 💕🐑

And just like that… the girls are making their spring comeback 🌸

The boys might’ve had the lead, but the ladies are not backing down without a fight 😏

The first day of spring… and the lambs are already making the most of it ☀️🐑Longer days, a little more sunshine, and fre...
03/21/2026

The first day of spring… and the lambs are already making the most of it ☀️🐑

Longer days, a little more sunshine, and fresh life hitting the ground—it doesn’t get much better than this.

After a winter that felt like it might never end (and maybe made a comeback just to keep us humble 😅), this right here is the reminder of why we do it.

Luna the Icelandic… had a bit of a learning curve 🐑Saturday morning, Luna lambed a beautiful little ram lamb…The only pr...
03/17/2026

Luna the Icelandic… had a bit of a learning curve 🐑

Saturday morning, Luna lambed a beautiful little ram lamb…
The only problem?

She didn’t seem to realize she had.

She wasn’t mean to him — just… completely uninterested.
No licking, no encouragement, and definitely no standing still for him to nurse.

To make things more interesting, her udder and teats were still quite small, so to make sure this little guy got what he needed, I borrowed some colostrum from another ewe (thank you to the overachievers of the group 🙌).

From there it was a bit of a back-and-forth battle…
• Me: holding Luna so he could latch
• Him: trying to figure it out
• Luna: still not convinced this was her job

Saturday night and all day Sunday we worked at it.
I topped him up with a bottle so he didn’t fall behind, and every time I went out I could hear him calling — very loudly — to let me know he was still hungry.

But then…

Monday morning — something finally clicked.

Instead of coming to me for the bottle, he went straight to Luna and started nursing like he’d been doing it all along.

And just like that… no more bottle.

Lots of hard work, a bit of frustration, and one very vocal little lamb… but we got there in the end ❤️

Also… I can’t be the only one who thinks he looks like a tiny Falkor (the luck dragon) 😅
Honestly just waiting for him to start flying around the barn.

Scoreboard Update! 🐑The lamb tally keeps climbing here at The Canny Crofter!We’ve welcomed three more lambs over the las...
03/17/2026

Scoreboard Update! 🐑

The lamb tally keeps climbing here at The Canny Crofter!

We’ve welcomed three more lambs over the last couple of days — a single ram lamb Saturday morning around 7:00, and then a set of twins right at noon on Monday.

That means the scoreboard now sits at:

🐏 20 Boys
🐑 16 Girls

The boys are holding a pretty solid lead right now, but there are still a few ewes left to lamb… so the girls may yet stage a comeback!

At this point I’ve learned that counting sheep doesn’t actually help you fall asleep… it just means you wake up and there are more of them.

Address

4220 Yellowhead Highway
Barrière, BC
V0E1E0

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+1 250-319-1640

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