FAQs. Well at least AQs.

I get lots and lots of questions via email and in the comments on blog posting so I thought I would answer some of them today. 

Why do the lambs have long tails and the adult sheep have short tails?

It will come as no surprise to long-time readers of the blog that this question came from the ever-observant Sedress. Most sheep farmers dock their lambs tails much the same way that some breeds of dogs tails are docked. We purchased most of our sheep after their tails had been docked. We have chosen not to dock our lambs tails for a couple of reasons.

When we purchased Lincoln as a day-old bottle baby we really weren't looking to buy a lamb. We were at a friends farm to pick up an angora goat bottle baby and Lincoln was in the same playpen looking cute, so we took him too. His tail had already been docked, and I don't know if it had been cut to short or what, but it got terribly infected and was sort of always covered with poop. He survived and is fine, but it was a pretty harrowing experience. So there's that.

We also lamb much later than most farms in the Northeast. By the time our lambs are born the flies have already hatched. Any open wounds, which is what is left when a tail is docked, is vulnerable to fly strike. Now, some shepherds will tell you that long tails can lead to a build up of manure which can also lead to fly strike. And that's true. But an open would is about a million times more likely to be a target. We keep a close eye on the lambs backsides so that manure doesn't have a chance to build up and it has never ever happened. 

On balance, I think our approach is the right one for us.

What deciding factors go into choosing a mill for your fiber?

This one is from Jen at The Sachem Farmhouse, a B&B I would like to visit someday.

Choosing a mill is so difficult! Basically, I am looking for a mill with a reputation for doing good work that can handle the kind of volume we have AND offer customer service that isn't terrible. It doesn't have to be great customer service, just a step above appalling is fine. The quality of the end product matters to me infinitely more.

By the time we send fiber to the mill we have invested tens of thousands of dollars in growing it, not to mention thousands of hours. Turning it over to someone else is a huge leap of faith. I have heard horror stories about fleeces being destroyed by processing, or shorted (not all the fiber given to the mill is returned). In one case that I know of a mill went into bankruptcy while they had hundreds of a friend's fleeces. She actually had to pay to have her fleeces shipped back to her in the exact same state she had shipped them in!

I can't wait to get the Spring 08 fiber back from the new mill that we are using. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will be the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

What kind of dogs do you have and what do they do?

This is probably the question I get asked the most. Our dogs are an Italian breed called Maremma. They are a livestock guardian breed- they do not herd, although Cini thinks he can sometimes. 

All three of our dogs were born on working sheep farms and instinctively understand that guarding the flock is their job. There is very little training involved with them as far as guarding goes, but all dogs go through their annoying teen years when they have an excess of energy and are super-playful. This requires a bit of reminding that they are not allowed to chase, chew on, harass or otherwise vex the sheep and goats.

We have three Maremma:

Biscotti, (or Biscuit) is our oldest dog. She was six weeks old when she came to live on our farm.

Biscotti at three months old. I HATE this picture of me, but B looks so darn cute I'm posting it anyway.

This was taken last week.

I love this picture of B with her puppies.

She is very lighthearted and playful. She weighs about 70 pounds give or take and is on the small side for the breed.

Fettucini is our male. He is a constant worrier and is never off-duty. Cini eyes farm visitors warily, although he usually wags his tail at the same time. He weighs about 110 pounds.

Cini as a puppy with Logan, Patrick's younger son.

Cini giving Buster and Cosmo some love.

Harry and Logan think this picture of Cini is the funniest thing ever.

Sabine is Biscotti and Fettucini's pup. It's too early to know what kind of guard Sabine will be but she and Cini are best best friends.

We had one litter of three puppies before having Biscuit spayed. The puppies were born in a whelping box lined with sheep fleece so they would be aware of the sheep even before their eyes and ears opened.  Having puppies was awesome and I totally understand how it can be kind of addictive. Having said that though, I am really concerned about pet overpopulation. 

Although this breed is very affectionate and loving they are not house pets. I think I should repeat that. These dogs make terrible house pets! They are working dogs and are very uncomfortable anytime they are away from their flock. Believe it or not, although this breed has only been in the U.S. for around 20 years, there are Maremma rescues. I recently heard of a rescue receiving a Maremma from a family that bought it as a puppy in a pet store in the mall. 

What kind of camera do you use? 

I have a mad crush on my camera, a Nikon D40. It is hands down the best camera I've ever owned. It's super-intuitive, lighting fast (which really matters when you are taking pictures of animals that are forever moving) and an affordable (around $450) introduction to a digital SLR. 

I have two lens. I bought my camera body in a kit with the 18-55 lens. It's fine if you can get up close to your subject but there are times when I want the capture the animals without their reacting to what I'm doing. For those times I use my 55-200 lens. You can purchase one lens that goes from 18-200 but it is absurdly expensive. It would be nice not to have to change lens all the time, but not $1000 nice.

The D40 takes great photos. Of course, I am now coveting the D80 or even the D300. 

Do you use Photoshop on your photos?

No. I am considering getting Photoshop Elements, a truncated version of the full program that should be able to do everything I could need it to. For me, it's really a time issue, cause I have know idea when I am going to learn how to use it.

Is your fiber organic?

Nope. Unfortunately one of the realities of raising Angora goats is that they get lice. Not the kind of lice that runs rampant in elementary schools. It's a species specific parasite that doesn't even affect the sheep. Left untreated, the lice will drive the poor animals crazy with the itching. When the goats scratch at it with their horns and hooves their fleeces are ruined. 

We use a nasty petroleum-based chemical to treat the lice, which is why the goats look so dirty as their fleeces grow in. Patrick is really wary of using toxic chemicals and dons a plastic bubble before we delouse. I am much more casual about the whole thing and Patrick assures me that I am going to pay for my nonchalance with liver cancer 30 years from now. 

We have just started experimenting with a new herbal dewormer that we hope will help with the lice problem as well. If it works by smelling god-awful it should be mighty effective. 

Got any questions you'd like answered? Email me at susangibbs1 at mac dot com. Also, if you purchased your share through etsy you might want to know that they are changing their feedback policy. As of July 1st, you won't be able to leave feedback for anything you bought more than 90 days ago. So, if you want to leave feedback for you purchase now is the time. 

Now, for this week's giveaway

I have no recollection of buying this beautiful yarn but I do remember thinking I would use it to make a baby blanket with lots of tiny squares.  The yarn is 100% alpaca, 50 grams/130 yards.  There are four colors so I will be choosing four winners. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post that includes your name. Anonymous comments won't be considered cause I won't be able to get in touch with you to tell you you've won. You don't have to register with blogger, just include some kind of identifier in the body of your comment. And just for fun, tell us what's on your needles right now.

I will be choosing the winners at random on Tuesday, June 24 at 7 p.m. Check back here to find out if you won. You don't have to be a shareholder to win. 

If you are not a shareholder and would like to receive notification when I put up a new blog post of giveaway shoot me an email at susangibbs1 at mac dot com. Your email address will never be used for any kind of solicitation, nor will it be sold, lent, given or in any way transferred to anyone else. I hate spam too. :)