Comments on: Mountain Lore and Sheep http://www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog/2005/09/23/mountain-lore-and-sheep/ The thoughts and journal of a Christian farm family. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:08:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Northern Farmer http://www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog/2005/09/23/mountain-lore-and-sheep/comment-page-1/#comment-208 Northern Farmer Mon, 26 Sep 2005 18:08:00 +0000 http://www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog/?p=65#comment-208 WJG, That's one of the main reasons I went out of sheep. Another is I was making the mistake of raising competing animals. Beef cows and sheep. They compete for the same acreage and foods. So I decided to cut back and just raise the cattle. And also to be very truthful, because of the modern sheep's low immunities to everything, it was getting to the point where I couldn't handle working the sheep so often, and no one else did either around here. Talk about sore back and legs, WOW! WJG, That’s one of the main reasons I went out of sheep. Another is I was making the mistake of raising competing animals. Beef cows and sheep. They compete for the same acreage and foods. So I decided to cut back and just raise the cattle. And also to be very truthful, because of the modern sheep’s low immunities to everything, it was getting to the point where I couldn’t handle working the sheep so often, and no one else did either around here. Talk about sore back and legs, WOW!

]]> By: wjg http://www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog/2005/09/23/mountain-lore-and-sheep/comment-page-1/#comment-207 wjg Mon, 26 Sep 2005 17:16:00 +0000 http://www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog/?p=65#comment-207 NF, Why did you give up on sheep in 2001? A relative who is a farmer in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia told me he gave up on them because they have "no fight". In his experience they were too fragile and gave up too quickly resulting in a high mortality rate. The reason for this may be the very thing you point to - that they have been hybridized/cloned or selectively bred such that a lot of unintended consequences (typical with Man's wisdom) have resulted. NF,

Why did you give up on sheep in 2001? A relative who is a farmer in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia told me he gave up on them because they have “no fight”. In his experience they were too fragile and gave up too quickly resulting in a high mortality rate. The reason for this may be the very thing you point to - that they have been hybridized/cloned or selectively bred such that a lot of unintended consequences (typical with Man’s wisdom) have resulted.

]]> By: Northern Farmer http://www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog/2005/09/23/mountain-lore-and-sheep/comment-page-1/#comment-206 Northern Farmer Sun, 25 Sep 2005 01:39:00 +0000 http://www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog/?p=65#comment-206 I'll bring it up again soon about the "signs". Your dead right about cloning. The resistance goes down almost to nothing. By the way, I love your website, good job to all!! I’ll bring it up again soon about the “signs”. Your dead right about cloning. The resistance goes down almost to nothing. By the way, I love your website, good job to all!!

]]> By: KSmilkmaid http://www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog/2005/09/23/mountain-lore-and-sheep/comment-page-1/#comment-205 KSmilkmaid Sat, 24 Sep 2005 04:15:00 +0000 http://www.scepaniakfarms.com/blog/?p=65#comment-205 The full moon thing, seemed a bit hoaky to me until recently. A customer of Native American decent explained some of it to me. There is actually reason to it. She told me there was going to be a late frost this year because the full moon had a ring around it. She explained the ring was the sun reflecting ice crystals. By jiggers, there was a late frost and it really made sense. She also talked about harvesting herbs on the full moon. The reason is the gravitational pull draws a lot of nutrients up in the leaves so you get the maximum benefit from the plant. I wonder if the nutrients are pulled to the top soil on the full moon plantings too. We have lost alot of the reasoning behind some of these techniques. I am fascinated to find out the why's. It isn't so hoaky after all. Next year we are going to plant by the moon...I think. We do pay for our interference with livestock. I read once that cloning livestock actually produces an inferior animal as well. It is gets disease much soon and dies earlier. Good post! The full moon thing, seemed a bit hoaky to me until recently. A customer of Native American decent explained some of it to me. There is actually reason to it. She told me there was going to be a late frost this year because the full moon had a ring around it. She explained the ring was the sun reflecting ice crystals. By jiggers, there was a late frost and it really made sense. She also talked about harvesting herbs on the full moon. The reason is the gravitational pull draws a lot of nutrients up in the leaves so you get the maximum benefit from the plant. I wonder if the nutrients are pulled to the top soil on the full moon plantings too. We have lost alot of the reasoning behind some of these techniques. I am fascinated to find out the why’s. It isn’t so hoaky after all. Next year we are going to plant by the moon…I think.

We do pay for our interference with livestock. I read once that cloning livestock actually produces an inferior animal as well. It is gets disease much soon and dies earlier. Good post!

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