Sheep scanning already!!

It doesnt seem like 5 minutes since we were scanning sheep last winter in the snow and the freezing cold. I usually do this job with at least 2 jumpers on, plus a vest, tights, ski socks jeans overall, coat and gloves its a wonder I can move really!!! Yesterday couldnt have been more different. It was a gloriously sunny warm autumnal day as John Barnes scanned the first 130 ewes.
These Mule ewes , and a few Blue Faced Leicesters, are due in the first couple of weeks of February (Chris decided it would be a good idea to have some early lambs!!!)
The scan went well and with 70 having twins and thirty odd having triplets it looks like it could be a busy week or so!
The local cows must have thought they were missing something as they all had to come and watch over the wall. So nosey!!

Great Yorkshire Show - The Wilsons of Blubberhouses

This week the Great Yorkshire Show took place in Harrogate. Its a
fantastic show, held over 3 days, and this year attracted amazingly large crowds.
The special guests on Wednesday were Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
My friend Daphne, Hearts and Flowers Florists, was commisioned to do a presentation bouquet for the Duchess, Yorkshire White Roses of course, and buttonholes. Quite an honour.

Daphnes husband Kevin, and son James, were busy in the sheep lines showing both Mule lambs and Dalesbred sheep. Chris helped Kevin with his lambs but unfortunately they didnt get placed.
However a very different story in the Dalesbred lines as Kevin won the Championship with his homebred Gimmer Shearling (a female sheep born last year, sheared once!). A tremendous acheivment, well done Kevin!!
James spent his afternoon in the Sheep Shearing competition. James is an accomplished shearer, has even spent winters in New Zealand shearing, and this year, not for the first time, he won the competition. Well done James. We are just hoping his prices arent going up on the strength of this!!
All in all a tremendous day for the Wilson family. I always knew I had talented friends, but now it seems they are famous too as all this got a mention in yesterdays Yorkshire Post!!

New Arrivals May 19th

Its been a busy old day today for additions to the Ryder family farm!!
Our first excitement was the birth of our first Belted Galloway calf. Chris went up the fields this morning and there it was safely arrived.
A little heifer calf which I have called May. Its sooo cute and tonight when we went up to take pics its so sprightly and she and her Mother wandered away up the hill, her little legs wobbling along but going at a fair pace all the same. Luckily Chris got it tagged this morning before it got to know how fast it could run!!
Our last Mule Hogg lambed at lunchtime so we have our last lamb of the season. It looked so so small compared to those born last month and even back up to the end of Feb, they seem so big now!
And the last arrivals were some Holstein heifers which are here for summer hols. I call them Club 18-30 holiday makers as they all end up going home pregnant from here, thanks to the AI Man. Say no more!!.
All in all a very lovely day of new creatures here at Scaife Hall Farm!

Mule Sheep Society

Its taken a while to get round to doing this post. Lifes been really busy of late, which is good, but theres not a lot of time left for blogging!!
Last Sunday the Skipton branch of the Mule Sheep Association held an open day at the home of Ken and Lynne Throup. The sun shone down,it was a beauitiful day up on Silsden Moor and Kens sheep were a credit to him, as were his spotlessly clean buildings courtesy of Lynne and the pressure washer ( we wives have our uses!!). There was a good turn out of Mule sheep breeders there and over numerous cups of tea and mountains of cake the world was put to rights. Theres much anticipation of the forth coming lamb sales as trade is very buoyant at the moment, long may it continue!!!
The pictures show a pen of Mule Gimmer ( female) lambs . one of several classes put out to judge. Even I had a go!!. There were classes for 4 lambs, 4pens of 4 lambs, Mule ewes, Swaledale ewes and fat lambs. Incredibly I managed 50 out of 50 in the fat lamb class and ended up with an overall score of 221 points. It was way short of the winner but I was quite pleased! The top picture is Mr David Brown from Agglethorpe who acted as Master Judge for the event and Jeff Throup Chairman of the Skipton branch.
Today Chris has mown grass to make some hay, the forecast is good and hopefully it will bale in a few days.