After loading up both lambs and yearlings late Friday evening, we left Saturday morning for Wisconsin to begin our deliveries. Our first stop was the delivery of just one yearling CVM ram in Belleville, Wisconsin. He, thankfully, hopped right out of the trailer, happy to see fresh grass! There were also a number of other sheep in the pasture with him, so we had no problems convincing Ignatius that this was to be his new home. Within less than an hour, we were back on the road to our second stop - right on schedule!
Happily, our second stop took us to Brodhead, which was less than an hour's drive. There were three Romeldale lambs and a yearling CVM ram to drop there as a starter flock. The lambs were easy to move out of the trailer - they are still small enough that we could carry them to the paddock where they would live (see photo on right). The yearling ram was not so simple.... It did help that his traveling buddy, Ignatius, had already left, and now most of the lambs had also been taken from the trailer. We opened the side door to his compartment, and with a little coaxing, we got Iverson to jump out of the trailer and into the paddock that will be his new home for the time being.
Sheep don't much like to be alone - they are flocking animals and feel very uncomfortable without a group around them. Iverson called and called to find other sheep, but for whatever reason, the lambs that we had just off-loaded into the adjoining paddock did not answer - they were too interested in eating the tall grass! Iverson was getting more and more nervous as he called and called to a seemingly empty field. Just as he seemed about ready to give up hope, the three lambs that we had just delivered ate through some of the vegetation between the two adjoining areas. They could see him, and he could see them! The lambs were much more comfortable with an older sheep there with them, and Iverson was no longer alone! Once the paperwork was done and all questions were answered, we hopped back into the truck for the drive to our next stop in Sheridan, Illinois - our last stop of the day.
Although it took us several hours to travel this leg of the trip, it was a good time for Rick and me to discuss all of those things we somehow never seem to have time to get around to hashing out at home. Before we knew it, we were at our last stop to deliver twin Romney ewe lambs - one black and one white. Carrying them to their new home from the trailer was easy enough at this age. We had delivered a ram lamb, Grissom, to this same farm in the summer of 2007. It was especially fun to be able to see Grissom again, as we had only seen one picture of him in the spring of 2008. It is always interesting to me to see how our breeding animals grow up because we often only see them as lambs.... Grissom has grown to be an impressive Romney ram - quite muscular and well-built, with a gorgeous gray fleece! It was hard to take my eyes off him as we stood at the fenceline - but we had to be on our way home to spend the night and to reload the trailer with lambs for Sunday's trip!
We got home late (nearly ten), so decided to load up Sunday's lambs in the morning before we left. Unfortunately, because we knew we were going to be gone much of the weekend, we had put all three dogs into the boarding kennel for the weekend - that way, we didn't have to worry about arranging for someone to let them out during the day. Well, with no dog available Sunday morning, loading the lambs we needed into the trailer became quite a project! If Coda had been home, we would have been finished in ten minutes. As it was, the loading process took us over an hour as we tried to outwit rather than outrun the lambs we needed.
Eventually, we had the five lambs rounded up (plus two extras), and we were on our way to Reinbeck, Iowa. We arrived just after lunchtime, and almost immediately unloaded the lambs. We had brought two ram lambs for a final decision on-site, and also January to keep the unchosen lamb company on the trip home, so we only had to unload five of the seven we had brought. Once the five purchased lambs were carried to their new barn and pen, Rick and I were able to sit down with the Heistads to finish paperwork and talk sheep for a bit. Buying a starter flock is a big deal, and we try to share as much information and answer as many questions as possible before we leave. If we miss anything, there is always e-mail or the phone - we try to be available as questions come up during that first year or so.
By mid-afternoon, it was obvious that they had just about hit information overload, so we said our good-byes and headed for home, knowing that all of the lambs delivered over the weekend had gone to wonderful new homes. This is always a bittersweet time of year for us: saying good-bye to the lambs that we have worked so hard for, yet knowing that, unless they go to new homes, there will not be room for any more lambs next year! So, as we made our way across Iowa, bound for home, we began our list of "K" names for the 2011 lambs. It really helps to keep looking forward.....
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