Sleepy Shepherd Farm

06/18/2026

The Tamworth Gilts ( 1 year old females) and the 2 year old sisters moved our to their summer job, plowing through the smooth bedbstraw that has taken over one of our fields.

It's a win win, the girls get lots of exercise and fun snacks doing what the low, rooting. I don't have to spend hours on the tractor plowing. Then come fall I'll run the disk over it, and then again in the spring. And then we will reseed a bit, adding alfalfa and chickory, but mostly the seed bank in the soil will do the work and establish grasses and clover The sows will have the second part of the field next year.

By turning it over and keeping the field fallow for one season the pigs kill off the annual smooth bedbstraw seeds. It's worked better than the 100's of hours I spent fixing our hay field with the tractor. Unfortunately non of the methods deal with the smooth bedstraw along the fence line. I think ill have to pull that by hand.

Hate that stuff so much.

Anybody have a method of dealing with it along fence lines?

06/18/2026

Icelandic's with lambs and the weaned ewes have been out on pasture for a few weeks now. It's so much nicer seeing them on the grass. Some of the weaned Finn ewes are up there as well and we are way Hong to see how they do recovering just with pasture.

But the shade trailer, love it. Technically Canadian standards of care do not require shade, the sheep would be fine in the tall grass. But it makes me feel better that the sheep have somewhere to go in the sun. Don't get me wrong they do use it, but they will use trees of they are available.

I was not on a honey locust for silvapastures rabbit hole recently.

Now I need to find honey locust.

Side note : I do find the dark Icelandic's are more affected by the +25C days then the lighter coloured ones. I have not noticed the black Finn's having the same reaction with the sun and heat. I wonder if it's the dual coat thing. The Oxfords struggle with the heat the most. Not sure why, maybe their tube like body? They do best with fans on them. On a positive the cool rain is making all the sheep much happier then that oppressive heat with had last week.

06/18/2026

Shhhh
Don't tell the Icelandic people, but the Finn lamb is very similar tasting. I am slowly being won over by the Finn's.

I am also still terrible at photographing food.
We are not fans of ground lamb, so for us I get all the lamb in cuts, and we generally keep all the cuts others never ask for, so tried neck slices today.

New favourite, delicious and tender like shank but in steak form.

combined a few recipes, 100% writing this so I remember.

Set oven at 320
In a Dutch oven, add and salt and pepper the lamb neck slices, then brown on butter
1 onion, 2 carrots chopped, brown
1 big can of tomatoes
1 can of coconut milk
1 TBS Thyme
2 Anise
1 TBS Cinnamon

Cook for 2-3h, lid on

04/29/2026

She is so cute!

Lilith calved on Friday. With the price of beef calves right now, this is not what I wanted ( 9 months ago someone AI her with the wrong semen)

S9 now we have a registrable MSH heifer calf. Of course everyone has decided we're keeping her but can't agree on a name. This year it's a P letter year ( Naming convention in Canada).

Pied Piper was the first suggestion. I feel like we're setting ourselves up for a brutal heifer yearling year. All I need is for her to be breaking out and leading the Icelandic's on a merry chase because that is exactly what would happen. I need a lazy, chill P name.

We will see if by the time she is a yearling the boys will still want to keep her when she's a brat like all the heifers seem to be. Even innocent sweet Lilith was a terror as a yearling.

All this means we're back to milking Lilith, because this tiny thing cannot drink her body weight in milk, which seem to be what Lil is making.

04/29/2026

Even Mut litter of 11 piglets are starting solids and will be weaned in a week or 2. Earlier than usual This group is the first ones to have found the pasture and hay field by the sheep area. I do not need them rooting through all of it just before we start pasturing thank you very much you group of hooligans.

04/15/2026

Lloyd passed away this weekend
He was 10.
It's was time, he was in pain.

Lloyd was stoic, he was tough as nails but also one of the most sensitive kind hearted dogs I've ever had. I never worried about leaving the boys with him, even when he was almost a head taller then them with all 4 feet on the ground. He stood watch when Star died, and Ducky. He was there when the sheep lambed, broke up goose fights, and wisely just avoided the sows, but would let the piglets cuddle up to him, the lambs jump all over, and freaken Dash push him around.

I'm going to miss his calm presence, massive bark and his es**rt on the walks. Right beside me shoulders right where my hands could rest on him. His big soft eyes looking up at me and then BAM 150lbs suddenly leaning into me then melting to the ground for belly rubs, almost taking me out at my knees, every time. I'm going to miss that so much. He has been an amazing dog and family member, so much more than his job, which he took seriously but still meant so much more to us.

Michu is his daughter, his female copy, stoic she is not yet, but hopefully he lives on in her.
She has big paws to fill.

04/06/2026

6-year-old Armenian Gampr requiring a rehome.

Has always been a family pet, not a LGD. From another breeder who has left the country. I am just trying to help out I have not met the dog l. I rescued the mother and 3 sisters four years ago.

From the owners who are trying to responsibly rehome due to no fault of the dogs.

"This is an incredibly loyal, intelligent, and devoted male dog who forms deep bonds with his people. He is wonderful with humans — calm, confident, and very protective of his home and family.

As a true guardian breed, he thrives in a stable environment with an experienced owner who understands strong, independent dogs. He would do best in a home without other dogs, as he is not comfortable around them.

He is not neutered and is in good health. This is not an easy decision for us, we must find him a new, loving home where he can continue to be cherished.

Ideal home:
• Experienced dog owner
• No other dogs
• ⁠Cats friendly
• House with a secure yard
• Someone who appreciates guardian breeds

We are looking for the right person or family who will give him the love, structure, and respect he deserves.

04/05/2026

That freaken tail! So cute.

Technically Astrid kicked off the Icelandic's lambing with 2 crossbred Oxford lambs, who are growing like crazy. I'm amazed, we might repeat that breeding, for some of the Icelandic's. She lambed super early for an Icy, March 15th. We're experimenting with the Icelandic's as maternal breeders to see if we could use them as part of the commercial flock. I'll post some of the crazy udders. Comparable to the Finn's which is shocking.

Yesterday Banzir gave the cutest spotted lambs, Vpanzir with a set of morrit and spotted twins, Maya with spotted twins, and Aeowin with a set of badgerfaced triplets.

The day before Lily had a set of white and morrit twins, Vatano triplet badgerfaced, and Spitfire set of white twins. Head Scratcher the mama Finn who is the sweetest, at 9 has a set of triplets. She also needed no help, but not an Icelandic. The Finn's are not actually needy with lambing, but the lambs come out small so if it's cold they don't have amuch brown fat reserves and need heat or jackets ( my favourite) if it's below 0C or really if it's below -5C.

03/29/2026

If anyone has heard anything. Neither boy is known to wander.

In Lanark area

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18FD1hFA2E/

LOST DOGS - / , ON - March 28, 2026
From: Melanie Moore Brooks / Lynne Stead Dillon (owner)

Update: Roku the white & brown Dog came home - Zuko the young black & white dog is still missing.

Two large Guardian Dogs are missing since the evening of Mar 28 from their Farm between Middleville and Hopetown on Wolf Grove Road near Machan Road.
Both are Armenian Gamprs.
Roku has white long hair with brown and beige face and patches. He is nervous and will bark at strangers but friendly.
Zuko is younger with black and white short fur. He is very friendly.
They are always nearby watching their livestock and poultry returning to the house regularly and for the evening. They did not return last night.
They were wearing their collars.
The owners have searched their property extensively and are very worried so reached out for me to post their photo and description.
If you know where Roku and Zuko are located or see them please contact me as soon as possible. Thank you!

ORIGINAL POST:
via PM

03/21/2026

Totally chickened out and after watching to many videos decided to have someone out to trim the apple trees.

10 years of being ignored and one tree hitting a large moving truck incident ( Alex...splitting a side branch and part of the trunk.) I though maybe this is something I just don't need to learn to do. So happy Hugh did it, he repaired that split tree and we will see how it recovers. Both look so much better and more airy now. 100% I would have over trimmed but not cut enough of the larger branches.

Thanks to Hugh, maybe we will be able to collect applea this year since the trees won't be so dense. I totally recommend having someone do it for you.

www.naturaide.ca