Daydreaming while waiting impatiently!

tortoise

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Wow that’s a fair amount! Yay so many lambs coming! I have 6, but only 4 are bred this year. Ones a yearling and they usually single their first time, so I likely expect 7 lambs. A lot less than you I guess! Lol
I don't have any first timers this year. My ewes that have usually produced quads gave us produced trips or twins last year. Some years they lamb spread out over weeks. Last year all but one got if done in a couple days. I never know what to expect!
 

tortoise

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Exciting! I forgot you have some that have multiples. Are they part Finn? I thought about Finns but decided I wasn’t interested in multiple births. Shetlands reliably twin, rarely have triplets, that’s better for me but not as many lambs to sell for sure.
yep, there's a little Finn in the ewes that produce quads. I don't recommend multiples, they don't grow out on schedule and are not as profitable. They might be fine in a climate with a longer growing season or for a farm the raises on dry lot. Doesn't work for raising grassfed lamb in WI
 

flowerbug

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I don't have any first timers this year. My ewes that have usually produced quads gave us produced trips or twins last year. Some years they lamb spread out over weeks. Last year all but one got if done in a couple days. I never know what to expect!

quads! wow! that's some serious increase in mouths to feed and take care of. ah, now i see your other followup with more details. yep. i'd be wanting some others with not so many multiples instead. not that i'm going to...
 

tortoise

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Boi seems to be over some of his issues from last fall. I took him to 2 training classes with a different trainer. She didn't manage her classes well and it caused a lot of reactivity and anxiety for Boi. He had some before, but her classes brought out his worst. By the end of her classes, he has associated training with feeling anxious and eye contact with training. He wouldn't take treats - he would shut down at the sight of treats. He couldn't do eye contact. He could only manage one repetition of a behavior - he would shut down on the second rep.

I worked on dumbbell retrieve during that time. No eye contact. Totally new behavior. One repetition. Rewarded with a rawhide roll.

I had also started him on anti anxiety medication due to his reaction to the classes, and he had malaise side effect, which definitely wasn't helping his response to training.

He is off the med, onto scheduled feeding, and have been working on training sessions. (and communication buttons!). He's finally "back" with semi-reliable responses to training sessions, able to make eye contact, etc. It's a relief. I don't know how far he can go, but at least we can get back to trying!
 

tortoise

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No news on communication buttons. I'm modeling 4x per day. He likes them, he might get excited and paw at his button board or stand on them. I think he doesn't have buttons for the things he would want to say. I catch him at the button board when he's hungry. OR I model "want?" button and he looks at the dog food bin. I can't justify the cost of adding more buttons when he's not responding well. I have too many other hobbies to fund.
 

tortoise

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I'm at my busy week of the months, getting ready for in-person 4-H dog project meetings. We have a seminar and our regular monthly meeting a few days apart. Sandwiched between them is the deadline for my writing contract and my 4-H leader certification training that has to get done so I can lead group classes alone or supervise other volunteers. 4-H stuff is more fun, so it's almost done. Can't say the same for my writing contract. 😬
 

frustratedearthmother

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I'm at my busy week of the months, getting ready for in-person 4-H dog project meetings. We have a seminar and our regular monthly meeting a few days apart. Sandwiched between them is the deadline for my writing contract and my 4-H leader certification training that has to get done so I can lead group classes alone or supervise other volunteers. 4-H stuff is more fun, so it's almost done. Can't say the same for my writing contract.
I dunno how you do it all!
 

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