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It is one of the things I really enjoy about being retired, I can take the time to enjoy those quiet moments. 2024 has been very busy and exciting, we are looking forward to 2025!

LOL! The feeders actually do not tip over. I had turned them over when we were moving sheep. I really like these, very durable. Happy New Year!

You are correct and I didn't say the river was underground. The water falls you see are underground. The water channels follow the tunnels created by the lava flows from the volcano eruptions in Iceland. As the glacier ice melts it goes underground and exits into the river through a series of waterfalls exiting the side of the cliffs.

Thanks, it has worked well. This coming year we have access to property at a vineyard nearby. They want 10 acres of woods cleared and also have 3-4 acres of grass for grazing. We will be taking the goats and the guardian llama over there for most of the summer.

I don't think they were in the pen, our dogs are very good at keeping them away. We have heard them 2 or 3 times at night this past week. Our dogs always alert so I think they are doing a great job!

Thanks, we never know from day to day what we will be dealing with. Fortunately, none of the rams were seriously injured (or killed). We lost a ram last year from a fight, don't want any repeats of that! We are looking forward to lambing (in about 4 weeks) but we are not liking the weather forecast....colder than normal temperatures starting the second week of January. We will be prepared. Thankfully this year we are living at the farm, not a half hour car drive away!

@ yes I remember that you lost one last year. Can’t believe they were even able to get out. Of their pen. Yes I have heard that it is supposed to get very cold the second week in January. It is great that you don’t have that travel anymore!

Thank you. The pups will be a year old in a month! They have grown, and are doing very well.

The goats are Kiko goats

We're glad you like the video!👍

We got this hay from a dairy farmer near West Bend. Really nice quality, 4th cutting alfalfa.

Thanks, it was beautiful view!

@@KarenSmith-f9t Thanks, hope your holidays are special!

You as well!

There is something beautiful about the first snow of the season!

@ yes there is until you have to shovel 8 inches!!

He is an adolescent (teenager) now and has developed the bad habit of chasing and playing with the sheep. The first incident I thought the ewe lamb was dead when I found her. As it turned out, she was exhausted from being chased. He had pulled the wool off her rear legs in 2 locations. She made a full recovery, with treatment. That is when we put the 20' drag chain on. This worked for about a week and then he learned how to run while dragging the chain and he chased a different ewe lamb. Roger found her stuck on her back, next to a compost pile. She was not injured, just rolled onto her back, unable to right herself. she also had wool pulled from the top of her back and Callum was laying nearby, chewing on the wool. We put him back in with the rams and the billy goat. This is a dangerous behavior for him to develop. The "dangle board" is an 18" long piece of 2"x4" attached to a chain hanging from his collar so that the board is about 2 to 3" from the ground. So, he can walk, get around but if he goes to run and chase the sheep it will interfere with his movement so he cannot run/chase the sheep. It is not painful; it just stops this bad behavior. Hopefully this will break him of this bad behavior.

@ very interesting. Thank you for the explanation.

It takes 8 trips to fill all the feeders. Total time is about 30 to 45 minutes.

Go for it! We started ours 2 years ago, our retirement dream. I'm 72 and my partner is 65. Live each day to the fullest. Good luck to you!

@ that’s amazing to hear man, best of luck

Yes, one of our Billys. Our older one is billy "Joel" and this is our new one, billy "Idol"

It sure is a lot easier to work when it's not freezing cold! Thanks for watching, we appreciate it.

We get our Ile de France stock from Hasbargen Land and Cattle Company in Wheaton, Minnesota. We are very pleased with how they have performed for us. As for price, you would have to ask the supplier where you get them. Some of ours were purchased through an on-line auction and the last group were purchased directly from them. A general range for purchase prices for breeding stock can be from hundreds of dollars to thousands. It depends on the quality of the stock and the demand/competition for those animals. Thank you for your questions.

Oh so true!!!

She was normal the next day. I think she likely sprained a toe.

Yes, it is great to be in before the severely cold weather and snow. Makes caring for the livestock much easier. We still have a lot to put away, find places for but we are getting there.

We did, and we hope you did too! Thanks for watching and for your comment.

You are right, 6 fit comfortably but 7 will be able to eat. I will provide additional feeders so they all have ample space. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

@@norwalfarm Happy Thanksgiving to you both! Enjoy your day celebrating in your lovely new home!

Mucking out that area is a lot of work. Glad you got it done before winter hits.

Sheep and dogs are my favorite animals as well. I always loved raising sheep as a kid and I told myself, "When I retire, I want to have a sheep farm." Well, I retired 2 years ago and here we are today, building our sheep and goat farm from the ground up. We are so glad you enjoy our channel and derive pleasure joining us on our adventure. Thanks so much for your comment.

Good morning. Many farms do not dock. 2 reasons I recommend it 1) The anal area can get saturated with urine and feces and, in summer, this puts them at higher risk for "fly strike" (maggots) which at the least, is painful and at the worst, can kill them. 2) Heavily wooled ewes may not conceive as well due to a large amount of wool blocking access to the vulva by the ram during mating. We have 2 long tailed Jacob ewes that when we purchased them were 3 and 5 years old and had never lambed for the previous owner. We "crutched" them ( trimmed the wool very short off the tail and around the vulva and they both delivered twins for us the first year (last year). So, crutching is an alternative to docking. This being said, if you dock, I recommend rubber banding them at 2 to 3 days of age. The pain receptors are less developed at this age and it is less painful for the lambs. Yes, they do show some initial duscomfort but it only lasts 10 minutes or so. I hope this helps. I would love to hear other peoples thoughts as well.

Actually, we just finished the last boxes tonight (kind of😉) We have one or two that we left items in until we get a storage cabinet for the garage. We still have a lot to find places for and, much of it will be stored in our storage areas. It's nice to be able to see the living room floor finally LOL!

Thanks Cindy, it has been a fun journey and we are enjoying it as we continue. So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for leaving us a comment, we appreciate it.

The interaction between the species is very interesting. I found it very interesting to see Heidi, our llama, checking out the new goats. She stays with, and is the guardian of, the goats. Champagne wants to be with the goats too but, Heidi chases her off. Very interesting animal behavior.

Thanks so much, we are really enjoying working with the animals on the farm!

Thank you, we enjoy sharing our experiences on our farm. Thank you for your comment!

Yes, the ground isn't frozen yet so, the moisture should soak in. We are really behind on moisture this fall. The surface moisture in the soil is good but the subsoil moisture is still lacking. We analyze all our hay and baleage for nutritional value. The lower protein hay is good for maintenance for the adult animals and those in early pregnancy. For young animals, and the females in the last 1/3 of pregnancy, we feed a higher protein diet and increased carbohydrates (grain) to maximize growth in the young animals and to reduce the stress on the female when her young are rapidly growing the last 1/3 of pregnancy. Hopefully, it all works out!

Yes, it's really great living here at the house, so much more convenient. Our first lambs are due around January 26, 2025. Then we have lambs in February, goat kids in early March, lambs again in late March and early to mid-April and then the last group will lamb in May. It will be a very busy lambing season, to say the least. Next year we plan to lamb in February, May, and September and have kids in March and September. We had several smaller groups this fall to breed but we will be combining some together to make 3 groups next year.

Thanks, they have settled into Norwal Farm very well. We had some nice lambs from them last year and have kept some daughters from both. Both Kracker and Lamborghini are real pets, they come up to us in the field to have a chin scratch and have not shown any signs of aggressiveness. Fingers crossed they stay that way.

They had access to a small area outside however, they were with the lambs that were being fed/fitted for NAILE (North American International Livestock Exposition) in Louisville, KY. We removed the topsoil from the paddock area and filled it in with crushed stone, so it doesn't get so mucky and drains better. This may be part of it but, they are "modern sheep" for sure and have to learn to be regular sheep LOL! Thay are progressing well and eating baleage very well.

Thanks for the update. It sounds like you have things almost wrapped up before winter hits. Your first full year and great progress.

Yes, getting settled for the most part. The animals are doing well, and we feel like we are getting into a rhythm with them. It won't be long and we will have baby lambs again!

That sounds like a good plan. We will plant some trees as a wind break down by the run-in shed to give them shelter although, it is below the main hill where our house sits, and it is somewhat protected from the winds. Thanks for watching and for your comment!

We do get our steps in every day, for sure! It was a nice autumn day to get the water lines blown out before it freezes. We so like living here now, it saves time by eliminating the travel time to and from the farm (not to mention the gas expense). We are still unpacking and sorting where everything goes but, we are making good progress.

@@kat9731 We moved in Friday, now the unpacking has begun. Ugh!!!

Thanks Louise, hope Andrew had a good bowling game today. We are wading through the boxes, pacing ourselves. It is so nice to be here at the farm, do chores, and then be able to be in the house right away. No more 30-minute drives! I didn't even start my vehicle today. Usually, I drive a minimum of 60 miles every day. I won't miss that for sure!!

It's only gonna get better as the weeks and months fly by. Happy your in before winter sets in. You'll really appreciate it all when it cold and snowy.

We have made a good dent in the unpacking but, still a lot to go. It will be great when we are finally settled in. We are finding a few construction items that need to be touched up, but that is normal. Our general contractor did a FANTASTIC job!!

Happy to hear that start to finish the general contractor has been so good. Not always the case so you made great choices.

Thanks Melinda. There is a lot to unpack, we are in an ocean of boxes lol! Once we are settled, you and Jim will have to come up for a visit for sure!

Thanks Karen, once we are settled, we will definitely have you and Mike over again. It won't be too long.

Yes, it is happening! We are only about 45 minutes from the Milwaukee airport so we can meet your plane...just let us know!

We move in less than 2 days! Lots to do (and learn in the new house!)

Good luck on the move. Sounds like the weather will be good .

@@KarenSmith-f9t the mover is here packing as I type this. There is a lot to do for the next several days. The mover will come tomorrow to load and move us. He has 3 stops, my mother-in-law for a leather couch, my sister-in-law for some stored furniture and then our house for the balance. Then we move it and then the REAL work begins, settling into the new house and figuring out where everything goes (and remembering where we put it once we are there LOL). 😏

We are so glad you like it! We hope the sheep help you relax.