Yesterday was sunny and nearly 50 degrees in Central Virginia- perfect weather for working sheep.

We needed to worm the non-breeders in the west pasture. That group includes last year’s lambs, all the whethers (castrated males) and Jack, our in-tact Angora goat buck. It’s a small group and we knew it wouldn’t take long, so we waited until the day had really warmed up before getting started.

Once we had all the animals in the catch pen the fun began. We always start with the goats because they are a lot more work than the sheep and there are fewer of them. Martin, a whether, went first.

First we use a weight tape to double check his weight. Wormer dosing is based on weight.

Fun fact: Most wormer is labeled for sheep, not goats. Since goats have much faster metabolism you always double the sheep dosage.

Next, we move on to hooves. Goats hooves are much softer than sheep and they need trimming every six weeks of so.

Trimming isn’t hard but it takes practice.

Lucy totally wanted to help.

Cini was happy to watch from the sidelines.

Next we pour on the delouser. Angora goats get a species-specific parasite that can only be killed with a chemical delouser. The delouser is poisonous and comes in a big, heavy bottle, so Erin thoughtfully (?!?) decanted some into a water bottle. But don’t worry- she drew a skull and cross bones on it.

All angoras carry a lice load but the idea is to keep it to the bare minimum. We are really good about delousing every six weeks or so, so it’s not a big problem.

One stripe of delouser down the back will usually do. Really lousy goats are sometimes painted with the stuff over every inch of their bodies.

Once the delousing is done we release the goat and start again on the next one.

The lambs are all very curious about what’s going on.

This is also the time to check everyone’s teeth.

Once the goats are done the sheep go really fast.

The sheep get wormer and a hoof check, but rarely need too much trimming.

Alabama, our first Southdown/Cormo cross, has so much fleece you can’t see his eyes.

It’s super-soft with lots of crimp. It will be interesting to see what we get out of his mama this year.

The lambs are the easiest to work so we save them for last. We work with the lambs so much that they are pretty calm throughout the process.

Colorado actually fell asleep while we were trimming his hooves.

It was a great afternoon. We worked hard but we laughed a lot too. Paige is learning so much so quickly, it amazes me. Working hard with people you like and respect doesn’t really feel like work at all, you know?

But it was also a bittersweet afternoon for me because it will probably be the last time Erin and I work sheep together. After spending 18 months living and working on my farm, Erin has decided it’s time for her to move on, move out and start building a life for herself. We both knew it was coming and neither of us have doubted for one minute that it is the right thing and the right time.

As regular readers know, I hate change like poison, but this doesn’t feel so much like change as the natural progression of things. I remember seeing Katie Couric  interview Jerry Seinfeld the day the last episode of Seinfeld was going to air. Katie kept pressing him about how sad it was that show was over and Seinfeld said, “Why does it have to be sad? It was great and now it’s over.”  And that’s kind of how I feel about Erin leaving.

I will say this though. I couldn’t have gotten through 2009 without Erin. She was supportive and loyal and always there for me. She helped me make decisions that I was flat-out incapable of making myself. And she kept me from taking myself too seriously. Erin is the best friend anyone could ever hope to have.

Also, she’s not going very far. She’s found a house about half an hour from here with an acre and half of land. She’ll be taking Sweet William and Feenat with her.

I’m not entirely sure what we are going to do about her job. Paige had taken over the bulk of  her  work and I’m not sure that we need another full-timer right now. I’m mulling over the possibilities: a local hire to help with farm chores, taking on an apprentice or two or  hiring a live-in part timer. Our farm stays are so popular that leaning towards converting Erin’s room into another guest accommodation.

We’ll see.

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