Little Sugar River Farm

Little Sugar River Farm A micro-farm of Icelandic sheep, Hungarian Mangalitsa pigs & heritage poultry plus heirloom gardens.

05/01/2026

Sága, the rogue frosted mouflon, goes where others won’t—belly-deep in pond water, savoring the tender tips of swamp grass.

Come on—does size really matter?Should dudes with big hands really be shepherds?Here’s what went down. I had a wild, pre...
04/20/2026

Come on—does size really matter?

Should dudes with big hands really be shepherds?

Here’s what went down. I had a wild, pregnant ewe struggling to deliver. I could see a nose and tongue. After a bit of a rodeo, I got her into a lambing pen and went in with confidence. Found the head. Great. But… where are the feet?

So I push the head back in, find the feet, and line all three up. Easy, right? Not so much. The head wouldn’t follow. One hand holding the legs, the other trying—delicately—to find the head again. Nope.

In I go farther, fishing around while the ewe is loudly voicing her opinion. Sorry, girl.

After a while, things aren’t going our way. Frustration sets in. I call a friend—no luck over the phone. Try to reset by pushing the legs back in. Still no go.

At that point, I’m done. She’s done. And, sadly, the lamb is done.

I call the vet.

Thirty minutes later she arrives, sleeves up, and gets to work. In she goes—pushes the legs back, finds the head, slips on a lambing snare, and pulls out a 9-pound ewe lamb. No heartbeat.

Then back in she goes for the second. Score—another ewe lamb, alive. No third. The vet figures the second one was tucked away, unfazed, in a separate uterine horn. Turns out sheep have a bicornuate uterus. Learn something new every day.

Now I’m bracing for rejection after all that intrusion—but no. The ewe accepts the lamb. Strong maternal line.

The vet tells me I did everything right. Lambs have long floppy heads that can go far back in the opposite direction. Must’ve been my big hands versus her smaller ones… plus, you know, a veterinary degree.

Aww. Sweet. Comforting.

…right up until she hands me the Sunday emergency bill.

Bartender—make it a double.

04/17/2026

We're half way done in 8 days with lambing with 21! Now the second half might take weeks. What does one do with 40+ lambs . . . don't know but the lamb races will start up soon! 🤣

During the lambing window, this shepherd HATES leaving the farm. Events, however, occur that make it necessary. Before h...
04/15/2026

During the lambing window, this shepherd HATES leaving the farm. Events, however, occur that make it necessary. Before heading out, I do a full walk-around—checking the ewes and giving strict instructions that nothing is to happen for the next four hours.

Thankfully, everyone was obedient. When I returned, however, Long Rifle Farm Cinna gave me that look—it was time.

We settled in the pasture by the pond, listening to the frogs. She stretched while I replayed conversations from the outing. Suddenly, Cinna over-rotated and got stuck on her back with that big baby belly. Sheep can die from this. I jumped up and gave her a solid push. She rolled back over—crisis averted.

With all the excitement, I figured the birthing process would take a bit, so I left to clean the lambing pens. About 90 minutes later, I checked back. Yep—she needed help. One foot and a nose were present. I began to assist and quickly concluded the lamb’s head looked large, so I assumed a ram lamb. Nope—just a big girl. A little assistance and a lot of tissue stretching, and out she came.

After wiping down the lamb a bit and saw that mom had everything under control, I went back to prepping the pen so I could bring them in for the night. After an hour with no more contractions, I assumed Cinna had a single—common for a first-timer, though not typical for my farm. I picked up the lamb and slowly coerced mom into the shed to get them out of the wind and rain.

I noticed Cinna’s udder was GINORMOUS. With only one lamb, I tried grafting an unwanted lamb. Not a chance—she wasn’t having it, despite a couple tricks up my sleeve.

So I got her some power punch tea, hay, and went to feed the rest of the animals.

Two hours later, I checked again—and there mom was, cleaning up a newborn ram lamb. An unassisted second birth.

Wow. I did a happy dance… then left her alone to enjoy motherhood.

04/08/2026

Rue and sire Rory start out the farm's lambing 2026 season with two black mouflon ram lambs! Unassisted births starting at 9pm and both all cleaned up and nursing by 10:30. Nice!

With 24 pregnant ewes, we're entering our sixth lambing season here at Little Sugar River Farm come Easter. Skål to thos...
04/01/2026

With 24 pregnant ewes, we're entering our sixth lambing season here at Little Sugar River Farm come Easter. Skål to those who gave me the experience I now carry—confidence and excitement, tempered with a healthy dose of anxiety. :-)

Due to circumstances beyond my control, the flock has yet to be shorn. In 2024, I had a hard lesson while out feeding hay one morning. Two weeks before lambing, with wool too long to properly watch for signs, I found my old, faithful moorit ewe Valla (Grandma) dead—bloody nose and a lamb partially delivered. That moment stuck with me. I promised myself I’d never be in that position again, and going forward I aim to shear at least four weeks before lambing. Still, here we are being unshorn this year.

To my expecting ewes: I’ll be watching closely for every sign. I’ll do my best by you—I’ve got this, and I’ve got you.

For malpositioned lambs—moms, I know it’s not easy. I’ll warm my hands, use plenty of l**e, glove up . . . or not, and work as quickly and carefully as possible to deliver your lambs safely.

Rita—you stay with me. Helping deliver your large, stuck breech ram lamb, with those enormous horn buds, was a difficult and lasting experience. Your loss has shaped how I manage and care for the flock today. I’ve adjusted feeding to better match each stage of pregnancy, working within the limits of available hay/alfalfa to avoid oversized lambs where possible.

In the 99 lambs born here so far, I’ve assisted with difficult deliveries, revived lambs that seemed gone, and brought back severely hypothermic newborns. Thankfully, most are born unassisted out on pasture.

The flock is stronger for it—fewer wild ewes, fewer small frame issues. We keep learning. We keep improving. Bring on the 2026 lambing season!

14 piggy teenagers on their way to freezer camp. Love using what's around to make things work. Two hoop house poles with...
03/17/2026

14 piggy teenagers on their way to freezer camp. Love using what's around to make things work. Two hoop house poles with a new purpose.

RIP dear Axel 😭 Gone too early, not even two years old. Seizures took his life with a temp on 109. A necropsy is underwa...
08/30/2025

RIP dear Axel 😭 Gone too early, not even two years old. Seizures took his life with a temp on 109. A necropsy is underway at the UW.

You followed us like a shadow, always sporting a happy-go-lucky spirit. Huge you were, like a canine pony. Saving lonely Luna, you made her a pack mama the end of Feb. '24, giving her a purpose, a companion, a mate. She lays were you left us.

We brace ourselves as we exit the house, knowing you'll soon give us a goose - once irritating now reminisced. Eight-pound kitty even still looks for you and your heavy-ass club of a paw that greeted her as she darted out the door into the world. What a huge hole you leave.

Predators you kept at bay with your loud roar will soon learn of your absence. Luna will do her best to defend the 20 acres remembering how you two would take turns. Comfort is had knowing you will greet her in doggie heaven one day with kisses galore.

Some like it uncut, thick and long, but be soft. Others prefer a thinner, contoured leather with shorter fiber but coars...
07/29/2025

Some like it uncut, thick and long, but be soft. Others prefer a thinner, contoured leather with shorter fiber but coarse. I thought I had my preferences . . . but I'm finding it's situational.

I just got back my second batch of tanned hides from Driftless Tannery and it did not disappoint, from a guy with "high standards" . . . so I've been told. I don't know, I don't see it.

With too many hides to post at one time, here are top three. Be it from the hides of first rams, beloved rams, sheer beauty, or d) all of the above!

Lambing season seems so long ago . . . yet we're still feeding two wee ones a bottle a day, albeit slowly weaning like ...
07/08/2025

Lambing season seems so long ago . . . yet we're still feeding two wee ones a bottle a day, albeit slowly weaning like many of the ewes are doing.

This is the first year all the lambs are so healthy which the dogs and cat are not happy about! I do have a couple on the thin side because their moms obviously not from a dairy line thus tend to dry off much sooner.

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N5929 Schneeberger Road
Albany, WI
53502

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