Orkney sheep sale! Photos from Orkney Auction Mart in Kirkwall
Posted: Saturday, 06 October 2007 |
Sheep sale at the mart yippee! I'm so farm chic - I bounded out of bed this morning as thrilled as any kid on Christmas morning. We headed out at aboot 10ish and took a good look at all of the sheeps on offer.
I knew nothing last year when we bought sheep and this year I knew a wee bit more, but not much. However, the only way ya learn is to dive in and give it a go! So under the heavy scrutiny of sheepie folk who were far more in the know then myself, I dove into two pens of Texel gimmers and checked their condition and their teeth and their hooves. I felt like a total dork as I bumbled around and I'll admit: running leaping sheep scare me! They are heavy powerful critters! In the end I only aquired three hoof-shaped bruises on my foot and the lingering stench of sheep dip. Here is a pictoral tour of the sheep sales. Allons!
Laissez les bon temps roulet! (Dat Cajun for Let the good times roll! Sheep sales are soooo fun!)
A sea of woolly Cheviot gimmers greets us as we walk into the auction mart byre and begin our ogle fest.
Erlend oggles endless pens of yow (ewe) lambs in an attempt to choose which cross breed would work best on our farm.
Who dat??
Mule yow lambs
I don't know what it is about me - I always get intriqued by strange things like this photo of bulging sheep wool. While the busy world buzzes around me, I'm squatting in the isle studying this odd kind of stuff and chuffed to bits! So, here is one of several studies of "Bulging Wool" for you to enjoy! Hopefully as much as I did...
bonnie peedie Shetland yow lambs
The ears!! They kill me! I think these are Border Leicester x Cheviot yow lambs.
When I saw this bulge of wool I was absolutely thrilled to bits! While Erlend was in a sheep pen acctually doing something, I was once again squatting in the isle with my back against a pen and eyeballing this scene. What can I say? I'm easily amused...
colorful horned Jacob yows
Another comfortable sheep. Maybe it's the contrast between the soft wool and the hard metal and concrete that catches my eye? Hmm. It's a mystery!
These sheep are Jacob x Texel yows and their color really caught my eye. I think I'm a texture person hahahaha!
Erlend studies the teeth of a Texel x Blue Faced Leicester/ Sheltand yow lamb.
Watching the world go by...(I think these are Border Leicester yow lambs...)
A gathering of hooves.
The auction ring doing brisk business...
A whole bunch of yow lambs! The bidding was fierce...
The bidding was tough! Erlend lost out quite a few times as he locked horns with other farmers with the same sheep in mind. In the end we bought a batch of Cheviot x Texel yow lambs and those Texel x Blue Faced Leicester x Sheltand yow lamb.
We bought 64 yow lambs. Why 64 and not 65? Because one lot of yow lambs contained 19 of the wee woolly beasties. The twentieth was either AWOL or that's just how it worked out hehe! Right now Erlend is readying a pen for the yow lambs in the "sloping floor" byre so we can get them bucket trained. We've spoken with some friends who are going to try and help us find a semi-retired sheep dog that knows the ropes (because we don't) and wouldn't mind helping us out with our flock of 100+ cheeps. ("Cheeps" is so much easier to yell into the wind then "Sheeps" !!) UPDATE: Ooooo! Good news! We were bidding on a pure Texel gimmer and we thought we lost the bid - but wouldn't you know it, Madam Gimmer was amongst the yow lambs! So I have one more cheep to add to my own small private flock of Texels YIPEEEE!
I knew nothing last year when we bought sheep and this year I knew a wee bit more, but not much. However, the only way ya learn is to dive in and give it a go! So under the heavy scrutiny of sheepie folk who were far more in the know then myself, I dove into two pens of Texel gimmers and checked their condition and their teeth and their hooves. I felt like a total dork as I bumbled around and I'll admit: running leaping sheep scare me! They are heavy powerful critters! In the end I only aquired three hoof-shaped bruises on my foot and the lingering stench of sheep dip. Here is a pictoral tour of the sheep sales. Allons!
Laissez les bon temps roulet! (Dat Cajun for Let the good times roll! Sheep sales are soooo fun!)
A sea of woolly Cheviot gimmers greets us as we walk into the auction mart byre and begin our ogle fest.
Erlend oggles endless pens of yow (ewe) lambs in an attempt to choose which cross breed would work best on our farm.
Who dat??
Mule yow lambs
I don't know what it is about me - I always get intriqued by strange things like this photo of bulging sheep wool. While the busy world buzzes around me, I'm squatting in the isle studying this odd kind of stuff and chuffed to bits! So, here is one of several studies of "Bulging Wool" for you to enjoy! Hopefully as much as I did...
bonnie peedie Shetland yow lambs
The ears!! They kill me! I think these are Border Leicester x Cheviot yow lambs.
When I saw this bulge of wool I was absolutely thrilled to bits! While Erlend was in a sheep pen acctually doing something, I was once again squatting in the isle with my back against a pen and eyeballing this scene. What can I say? I'm easily amused...
colorful horned Jacob yows
Another comfortable sheep. Maybe it's the contrast between the soft wool and the hard metal and concrete that catches my eye? Hmm. It's a mystery!
These sheep are Jacob x Texel yows and their color really caught my eye. I think I'm a texture person hahahaha!
Erlend studies the teeth of a Texel x Blue Faced Leicester/ Sheltand yow lamb.
Watching the world go by...(I think these are Border Leicester yow lambs...)
A gathering of hooves.
The auction ring doing brisk business...
A whole bunch of yow lambs! The bidding was fierce...
The bidding was tough! Erlend lost out quite a few times as he locked horns with other farmers with the same sheep in mind. In the end we bought a batch of Cheviot x Texel yow lambs and those Texel x Blue Faced Leicester x Sheltand yow lamb.
We bought 64 yow lambs. Why 64 and not 65? Because one lot of yow lambs contained 19 of the wee woolly beasties. The twentieth was either AWOL or that's just how it worked out hehe! Right now Erlend is readying a pen for the yow lambs in the "sloping floor" byre so we can get them bucket trained. We've spoken with some friends who are going to try and help us find a semi-retired sheep dog that knows the ropes (because we don't) and wouldn't mind helping us out with our flock of 100+ cheeps. ("Cheeps" is so much easier to yell into the wind then "Sheeps" !!) UPDATE: Ooooo! Good news! We were bidding on a pure Texel gimmer and we thought we lost the bid - but wouldn't you know it, Madam Gimmer was amongst the yow lambs! So I have one more cheep to add to my own small private flock of Texels YIPEEEE!
Comments
The coloured ones were nice. I'm glad you are still able to sell and move your livestock - they are having problems doon sooth, with sheep not being able to be moved to winter quarters and no one knowing what to do with them.
alix from west midlands
Alix, that's dreadful! I think we are restricted in that we cannot ship sheep from the sooth. But I'm not exactly sure how restricted we are...
Michelle Therese from Things Go Moo...and Baah too!
I think its in the Surrey area but the ban probably spreads more widely. I think farmers in the UK have a really hard time.
alix from west midlands
I once read a book about Jacob sheep but had never seen a photo with so many in it! They are beautiful! [I used to have pet lambs as a child ... bottle fed, and terribly spoilt]. The photo of the 'gathering of hooves' brings to mind a talent show ... spot the best ankles!! Hope your spell of writer's block has unblocked.
Plaid from who loves to knit
I love all the pictures Michelle. It looks like you're keeping busy on the farm. That is a HUGE flock of sheep!
Liz from USA
We are going organic and need sheep for weed control so the flock just might get even bigger!
Michelle Therese from Moooo!
Absolutely fascinating and I love the bulging wool and the gathering of hooves! Keep it up!
Jean Grant Aloe from Stamford CT USA
after stressfull few days inhectic city and subway was nice to see the lovely patient sheep with dark gentle eyes and know there is aless hectic way of life , an ex VALeman DUMDARTONSHIRE
duncan mooney from newyork cityusa
So...I traded my quiet cabin in the Alaskan woods for the howling winds of Orkney and life on a farm. 
RSS Feed