Gotland Sheep - Breeding Stock Available

Back in 2017, we began our Gotland sheep adventure, and since that time we've learned so much about this amazing breed but also have so much more to learn.  We began this adventure with 3 ewes and 1 ram and this last spring we produced 12 lambs.  Out of those 12 lambs, 9 of those are ewes, and that is pretty amazing!  Fall of 2020 we purchased a new ram from Carol Ronan out in Oregan.  This ram is Halvard the first place yearling ram at the OFFF show in OR (the largest Gotland sheep show in the USA) Halvard is a high percentage Gotland with a long line of Swedish genetics.  He made the long journey across the US and decided he was ready to meet the girls as soon as he pulled in the driveway.  Our plan was to give him a week of rest after his long travel and allow him to adjust to his new surroundings.  But Halvard had other ideas, he jumped the fence and went straight for the girls.  He has since learned what a hotwire fence is for.  Halvard produced some lovely, healthy, fast-growing lambs.  Pictured above is one of his beautiful silver ewe lambs from this spring.

Gotlands are a multi-purpose breed, growing very quickly they can reach ideal slaughter weight at 5-7 months of age.  Their fast-growing fleeces can grow up to 12 inches of fleece per year and are perfect for felting.

Don't forget they also make the most beautiful pelts I've ever seen!  This amazing multi-purpose breed creates very mild meat (tastes nothing like the junk you can purchase in the store) lots of lovely fleece.  And soft, shiny, curly pelts.  Oh and don't forget the ewe's almost always produce twin lambs and can produce triplets and quads.

Last year I sent 2 fleeces off to be milled and made into yarn and roving.  It took almost a year to get it back, so it is a long process but I was super happy with the results.  We used Round Barn Fiber Mill in Durand IL.  They're super helpful, prompt at answering all questions, reasonable prices, and produce a nice yarn that I can now sell in my Etsy shop and website or hoard it all for myself.

Since each sheep is a different color they can produce some beautiful shades of grey.  You can also have the yarn-dyed any color you would like.  We just had our fall shearing so I have lots of fleece needing milled.  If you're interested in purchasing a raw fleece drop me an email.  You can also find raw fleeces, yarn, and pelts (when we have them) listed in my Etsy shop ChickenScratchStore

Does the current state of our nation have you concerned or thinking about a need for becoming more self-sufficient?  I can tell you from the phone calls I receive from customers you are not alone.  People are moving quickly in a direction to becoming more self-sustainable.  Why are sheep a good meat choice?  Gotland ewes are easy to lamb (I haven't had a ewe need my help and I've had them 5 years).  They almost always have twins.  The lambs grow quickly on pasture only.  Gotlands are smaller and easy to handle than most meat sheep.  So if you might have been thinking, "honey we should get some cattle so we'll have a meat source" did you know it can take 2 years to grow out a calf?  Plus they need much more pasture and grain.  It might be a good idea to consider Ovine instead of Bovine.

Although Gotlands do love a little grain from time to time.  If you give them a little they'll follow you to the ends of the earth if you just shake the bucket with a little grain in the bottom.

look at her shine!  If you're interested in a small starter flock, drop me an email or give me a call.  

Have a Blessed day!

Angie

F2 Olive Egger - Color Scheme Of Green

 A couple of years ago we decided to go the next step with our Olive eggers and produce the F2 Olive.  Waaaaay back 13 or 14 years ago we produced the first Olive eggers way before the big hatcheries ever dreamed of producing a green egg.  We began selling Olive Eggers from our website and at that time we told our breeding strategies.  Now fast forward to 2021 and every hatchery big and small in the US has now copied our recipe.   We have always produced the 1st generation due to barn space and to be honest I was always really satisfied with the 1st generation so I went no further.  A couple of years ago I decided to give it a try and started off small with a couple of well-chosen hens. 

The cross doesn't always produce wonderful puffy cheeks but when it does it makes me happy.  what I have also discovered is that not all of the F2 will lay the green, some do revert back to the brown egg.  I've not yet figured out the percent that will lay the green egg.  So when purchasing the F2 Olive it might be best to purchase a good amount of the chicks so that you have a better chance of getting that nice bronzy green egg.  

Some of the F2 Olive eggs are a wonderful grey tone but under that wonderful grey bloom is an amazing Army drab green.  You military folks will know the color I'm talking about.

By choosing my darkest green egg layers and those with the certain characteristics that I like to see in an Olive Egger Hen, sacrificing the barn space has paid off.  It can take a good couple of years to know if you're heading in the right direction.  Probably one of the biggest problems that I have is, I don't hold back enough of the stock that I produced to see what the majority of the egg production will look like.     

Although what I've seen I like!  And I like it a lot!!

Check out that chocolate chip coating.  Is that not lovely?  Chickens can create some amazing shells with their coloring capabilities. 

The photos here in the snow are F1 Olives in the front and F2 Olives in the back.  No enhancements or filters on any of myphotos.  Did you know that you can't trust anyone's photos anymore?  It seems no one can share a true un enhanced photo.  If they're product must be enhanced is truly worth having?  I honestly can not say that every chicken is going to produce exactly what we want, we're manipulating and crossing them in hopes of getting something wonderful.

  

This is not a very good photo, I'm trying the capture the bronziness of the F2 Olives compared to the F1 Olives.  The F1 is the bottom row of eggs.

Have a wonderful blessed day and bottoms up!!

Angie The Chicken Tender

Sour Crop Prevention And Treatment

I received a message from a very concerned friend today.  He had purchased pullets a few weeks ago and noticed this morning that his Lavender Orpington was not acting normal.  She was a bit sluggish and just sitting around.  Upon further investigation he picked her up and noticed that her crop was swollen, gurgling and squishy.   He inquired as to what I thought might be wrong with her.  My first question was, have you fed her a lot of grass lately?  He said funny you ask that, I mowed the yard and  spread a bunch of grass clippings in their run, I thought they would enjoy that.  I knew instantly what was wrong with his little hen, Sour Crop!  When you pick grass for your hens or throw a bunch of clippings into their pen, they can over eat on the grass. When you pick or cut the grass for them they eat pieces that are much bigger than if they were nipping it off themselves, it can cause impacted crop or Sour Crop from the grass making gases and fermentation.  I've heard from several people over the years who say what's wrong with my hen, she won't eat and her crop is full.  Come to find out, their kids love to pick grass to feed her.  I know it's fun for kids but it can cause much discomfort for your poultry and in sever cases even death.
Allowing your poultry to free range and pick and nip their own pieces of grass is not a problem and it's good for them.  The problem happens when we pick large handfuls of long grass that is tough and fibrous or dump a huge amount in the chicken run when they don't normally have free access to grass.

(you can click on the highlighted links to purchase the products from Amazon that we use on our farm)

So your chicken has Sour Crop now what??  It's a good idea to separate her or him from the flock for a couple of days, take away the food for a day.  In one gallon of water put 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar With Mother.

This procedure is also a good preventive for Sour Crop.  Put 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider vinegar in your water everyday.  Sour crop occurs when there is a disruption in the normal microflora in the crop, usually because of a change in the PH of the digestive system.  Offering them an overload of grass clippings when they don't normally have access to free ranging can mess up those delicate PH levels.

Another product that I use and recommend to help prevent Sour Crop is UltraCruz Poultry Probiotic.  It comes in a large pail and lasts a long time.   It's also great to use if  you've administered an antibiotic, it has live natural occurring microorganisms.  It not only has probiotics but also prebiotics to help maintain a healthy digestive system in your poultry.  This product is added to the water.  If your using this product in your water don't add the Apple Cider Vinegar.  It's probably not a good idea to do both at the same time. 

Yes, that is a lovely grey egg in the photo, courtesy of my F2 Olive egger :)

If you have a chicken with Sour Crop and you don't see improvement after two days it's a good idea to seek your vets advise he/she my need to prescribe Nystatin or fluconazole for antimicrobial therapy.  Use your best judgment, sometimes it's best to start with the Veterinarian first.

Hope your having a fabulous summer and don't pick grass for your chickens let them pick it themselves :)  I hope this is blog is helpful.

Blessings!

From the Chicken Tender of Chicken Scratch Poultry.

Angie