The Shepherd

There is something deeply satisfying in the ancient profession of shepherding. I can feel that I have done this before, maybe in past times. It's not surprising. My mother's family came from the Persia-Iraq region where sheep were first domesticated more than 10,000 years ago. My father's mother was born in Scotland, not far from where the Vikings left their primitive sheep on the Shetland Islands. 

The teamwork of the shepherd and the guardian dog and their love of the sheep creates a sense of pleasure.

And for the sheep there is the comfort of security and safety. From that comes the rich fibers for the shepherd.

Yes, I have been here many times before. It feels good to be back.

From Fleur Creek Farm.

Honey Harvest

After all the challenges we had with our bees this year we sure didn't expect to have any honey. Literally all six of our hives were new; one was purchased this year, one was a swarm capture this year, and the other four swarmed. Of the hives that swarmed three had to produce new queens and one was re-hived into a failing hive. We couldn't imagine that any of the hives would have the time to produce any excess honey. 

As summer transitions into fall beekeepers start preparing their hives for winter. Among other tasks, the beekeeper will remove any honey supers (those are the hive boxes where bees can store excess honey) and start concentrating the colony down into the lower hive boxes. The "beek" will check the hive's resources to make sure they have plenty of stored honey and pollen to feed themselves during the winter months and either add frames of resources or make plans to provide food in the form of sugar and pollen patties. 

Don was stunned to discover that the two newest hives had not only filled their main resource hive boxes but had also filled their honey supers. We knew it had been a very good summer for pollen and nectar because of the amazing wildflower season but we didn't realize just how good. 

Last week we started the exciting and very sticky job of harvesting the honey. The old cabin became the "honey house", another of her many uses. When we were done we had six gallons of the beautiful golden stuff. 

Ready, set, go!

Removing the wax caps from the honey cells

Loading the un-capped frames into
the extractor

And out flows the raw honey

Putting the extracted frames out
for the bees to cleanup

Pantry full of six gallons of honey!

The cabin is cleaned up and ready for the next project - wool processing! (Yes, I know - I said I was going to send it out but changed my mind.)

From Fleur Creek Farm

Bees are Buzzing

Don would be the first to admit that after three years of beekeeping the most important thing he's learned is that he has a whole lot more to learn. The apiary came out of winter with three strong hives and one that looked kind of weak. In mid-March he started feeding them a concentrated sugar syrup to help them start building back up. This year Don added a new supplement containing essential oils and kelp (Hive Alive) to their sugar syrup. Hive Alive's components are proven to strengthen a hive and help them resist disease and parasites. 

The plan for this year was to add two more hives, one purchased as a package and hopefully one caught as a swarm. We picked up the package in early May and Don installed it in Hive #5. Then in mid-June we got a call from a neighbor that they had a swarm in an old apple tree. We loaded up the swarm capture supplies and headed over to find that the swarm was in almost the exact same spot as one we collected in 2015. The new swarm capture went well and Don installed it in Hive #6. All was well in beeville.....until it wasn't. 

By early July it was obvious that Hive #3 was definitely failing and the bee numbers were dropping quickly. And then in mid-July the event that beekeepers dread happened - three hives swarmed. Bee hives swarm when they sense that their conditions are too crowded. The existing queen takes half the colony's bees and departs, seeking a new home. The remaining bees make a new queen (hopefully) and continue on in the existing hive. 

The positive effects of the Hive Alive and our lack of knowledge lead to the over-crowded hives. An experienced beekeeper would have noticed the problem and provided more space in the hive by adding empty frames or another box but we did neither and off went they went. Hive #1 swarmed first and Don was able to capture them. Several hours later Hive #2 swarmed and again Don was successful in capturing them. Since he was pretty sure that Hive #3's queen had failed he installed the swarm from Hive #2 in with the remaining bees from Hive #3. With no extra hive boxes available he gave the swarm from Hive #1 to another beekeeper. Then two days later Hive #4 swarmed and departed before Don could collect them.

So now we had bees in Hives #1, #2 and #4 without queens because they had left. It can take three to four weeks for a new queen to be created, to go out on her maiden flights, get mated, return to the hive and then start producing brood for the next generation. Don breathed a sign of relief when he found evidence that all three hives had new successful queens and that Hive #3 (with the captured swarm from Hive #2) was also successful. And the new Hives #5 and #6 were in full production. 

The bees have several more weeks before preparations for the fall and winter begin. Somehow we got lucky and our plan for an apiary of six bee hives with a nice diversity of genetics is on track.

From Fleur Creek Farm

Meet Rose and Yeti

Having a small sheep flock is supposed to be simple. They can graze around the house to keep things mowed and otherwise pretty much take care of themselves. Then it seemed like a nice safe barn and pen would be a good idea in addition to a well-fenced pasture. When I discovered coyote and bobcat tracks in the snow of their pasture last winter I realized we needed another layer of protection (so much for simple). 

We read up on all the options from llamas and donkeys to dogs but in the end realized that only livestock guardian dogs could handle our bigger predators - lions and bears. 

The livestock guardian breeds were developed and used for thousands of years throughout the lands from the western Iberian Peninsula and Pyrenees mountains, into western Europe, Turkey and central Asia, all the way to the Himalayas. Each area developed a breed that was well suited to the locale and the predators found there. 

Our research into livestock guardian dogs (LGD) identified several breeds that would be well suited to our situation and needs and in the end we decided on a Maremma and Karakachan team. 

The Maremma Sheepdog traces its heritage back to the dogs of shepherds in central Italy who protected the flocks from wolves and bears. They are independent thinkers who bond very closely to their flock so they tend to stay close to home and are dominant yet accepting of non-threatening people. They were first imported to the U.S. in the 1970s for the first extensive studies on the use and effectiveness of LGDs. Maremmas proved to be one of the most successful breeds in those studies.

The Karakachan Dog of Bulgaria was developed by an ancient group of nomadic people who traveled over the region with their herds of sheep and horses. This traditional way of life continued into the early twentieth century. The breed is not well know in the U.S. as importation did not occur until the mid-2000s. They are one of the smaller breeds of LGDs but their fearlessness is legendary. Cat Urbigkit in her book, Brave and Loyal, calls the Karakachan the "bear brawlers of the Balkans" and in Bulgaria those are brown bears! 

We were very fortunate to find a very knowledgeable breeder in Iowa with a litter of each and in early March our pups, at three months of age, arrived by livestock transport. Rose is a female Karakachan and Yeti is a male Maremma.

Rose, Yeti and Cody (who went on to a farm north of Denver).

Both pups were born in a barn in the dead of winter surrounded by sheep and goats. The perfect start for future LGDs. It can take up to two years for LGDs to be fully mature and capable of 24/7 protection of the flock especially against our bigger predators. In the meantime our pups spend a good part of their day with our small flock but everyone is locked up in safe surroundings for the night.

So meet Rose and Yeti, two adorable goofballs who have enriched our lives so much!

Rose

Yeti

Ian (black pile at the bottom of the tree) with Yeti and Rose

From Fleur Creek Farm

From Fleece to Yarn

It's hard to get on a professional sheep shearer's schedule when you actually need them if you only have four sheep so this was our first year to try shearing the sheep ourselves. You can read everything out there and watch a bunch of videos on YouTube but at some point you just have to go for it. 

We started with Hershey, our smallest Shetland, and over the course of a week worked through the flock. The professionals can shear a sheep in 4 - 5 minutes. It took us 45 minutes each for the first three. Ian, the last one, was a real pill and we had to do a section at a time over a three day period. He looked pretty ridiculous during this adventure. 

Etta, Mac, Ian and Hershey minus their winter coats

The next step is to skirt each fleece (remove the nasty parts) and then bag them up. Then it's off to the wool mill to be turned into yarn.

Etta, Mac, Ian with Hershey in the front

Etta and Ian each had 2.9 pounds while Mac had 1.85 pounds and Hershey had 1.5 pounds which all together will probably yield around 4.5 pounds of yarn or 5000 yards. Over next winter I'll turn that yarn into a variety of projects on my simple loom. I can hardly wait!

From Fleur Creek Farm

Protecting the Harvest

I've finally given up trying to write an all encompassing blog of everything that is going on and decided to break it down into small stories. I just might be able to keep up with this format - maybe...

Several days ago, while moving the irrigation water around, Don discovered that the cherries were starting to ripen and it wouldn't be long before the birds noticed it too. So one of today's tasks was to put up the tree nets. This is no simple task since the trees are 8 to 15 feet tall. Several years ago we devised a primitive method of lifting the 30 x 30 foot nets up in the air and over the trees using 10 foot pieces of conduit. With one of us on each side of the tree this almost works. Of course the nets get tangled on everything possible but the thought of a glass of wine later this afternoon (and cherry desserts this winter) keeps me from hurling the conduit like a javelin. 

Mission accomplished and on to the next task. 

From Fleur Creek Farm

Even Sheep Have Jobs on the Homestead

Hilda, Mac, Etta and Ian

Our sheep have three main jobs on the homestead. First and foremost they are here to perform fire mitigation by keeping the grasses under control.  The West is known for its cycles of drought, fire and flood and we are definitely moving into another drought cycle. In the 23+ years we have lived in this high elevation valley the mountain range that defines the valley’s western border has had four forest fires. Three of those fires, in 1993, 2011 and 2016, have come knocking on our door. 

Forest fires are a part of the ecology of western forests but their nature is changing due in part to the changing climate and to past fire suppression which completely altered the dynamics of the forest. In the past the fires would rarely burn more than 500 acres; this summer’s fire consumed nearly 18,000 acres in the blink of an eye.

For now our sheep will be grazing in the areas where we don’t want cattle – around the house, in close up pasture areas, along roadways, and in riparian zones. By rotating through these areas their impacts are limited to light grazing, minimal soil disturbance, and natural fertilizing.

Hilda, I see you!

Our sheepie’s second job goes hand in hand with their grazing – helping us build healthy soils. Grazing, light soil disturbance and manure pellets are the keys to recycling nutrients back into the soil to feed the microorganisms that nourish the soil and feed the plants. While some people consider purchased hay as an expensive input, we see it as additional nutrients that are recycled through the sheep and spread on the pastures.

Etta's 2016 fleece

And their third job – well that’s the beautiful wool they produce which when spun into yarn will feed my desire to be creative. For years I’ve wanted to learn to weave. Now I have the wool makers.

Beautiful Shetland yarn from OK Acres, WI

From Fleur Creek Farm

Sheep Join the Homestead

Ian, Hilda, Etta, and Mac

Depending on how you look at it, 2016 was either the year we started a new livestock adventure or lost our minds. Adding sheep to our homestead was not a decision we made lightly. We spent years researching breeds, handling requirements, pros and cons, and anything else we could find. In April we finally took the plunge and brought home two ewes and their lambs in the back of our 26 year old Toyota truck. 

After information overload from the internet and talking with other sheep people, we decided on the Shetland breed. Shetlands are small (about half the size of standard sheep) so handling would be a little easier. They are very hardy having been developed on the Shetland Islands north of Scotland and probably bred from sheep left on the islands by the Vikings. Shetlands are also known for the beautiful and very fine wool so they have excellent economic value. And they are incredibly cute. 

Our two ewes, Etta the whiteish one and Hilda the black one, are registered Shetlands. Their lambs are crossbreds. Did I mention that Shetlands are naughty (the breeders' term for their disposition)? Etta's lamb, Mac (named for my Scottish grandmother's family name - MacGinnis), is the result of an unintended breeding to a Soay ram, another very hardy, primitive breed. Hilda's lamb, Ian, is the result of a secret breeding to a Black Welsh Mountain ram. 

After a short period of adjustment, we started them on their main summer job - mowing. Using electrified netting, we move them all around the house and close up pasture areas where we can't or don't want to graze cattle. They are dainty little grazers and fertilizers.

In June they lost their heavy winter fleeces. Initially we thought that might be a job we could learn but have watching numerous YouTube videos we thought better of it and hired a professional shearer. In fifteen minutes Tom had them slick and ready for the summer weather. 

Tom, Etta, and Don

Tom and Hilda

Etta's fleece

My cousin, Margaret, is a long-time spinner and weaver so I sent her the two fleeces. She's washing, carding, and spinning and will return half as ready to use yard. Next year we'll have fleeces from Mac (a beautiful rich brown) and Ian (black, black) and maybe one or two additions to the flock.

Over the summer we've learned more about their grazing preferences and what they consider barriers to movement. Initially we ran temporary fencing along the creek to keep them from crossing or floating away but we've realized that they don't like to get their feet wet so we can use the creek as a "fence" which allows even more grazing opportunities.

Their first home was more of a mobile home - the livestock trailer which provided a safe location for the evenings. From dusk to dawn they are locked in the trailer. When the sun is up they are out on grass. In June we started building their own barn and it should be ready for occupancy in September. 

We still have a lot to learn but I can say this much - the sheep are really enjoyable to have around. They can be naughty and are definitely characters, but they have filled a void I didn't realize I had. 

From Fleur Creek Farm

No. 3

We've had cattle grazing here every summer for the past 10 years or so. They've always been someone else's cattle - a neighbor down the road with cows and calves, a nearby rancher and his yearling replacement heifers, unwanted feral bucking bulls (that's another story) and so on. When we had horses, the cattle and horses grazed together. We've never had one we actually owned until last summer.

Last April the nearby rancher (and now good friend) mentioned that he had a yearling steer he couldn't sell to his normal buyer because of a couple of antibotic shots the steer received for an infection when he was a young calf. Did we want him? Over the years we've considered buying a steer to grass-finish and put in the freezer at the end of the grazing season but we've always resisted because neither of us were entirely sure if we would end up with a freezer full of homegrown beef or a 2000 pound pet oxen. We decided that 2015 was the year to give it a try.

No.3 (his ear tag number) arrived with his half-sisters in early May to graze away the summer. I always work with the cattle over the summer because I enjoy it and it makes them easier to handle. In an attempt to keep our relationship professional, I resisted the urge to scratch No.3's chin, give him a pat on the back or even eye contact, something most of the heifers enjoy. 

About a month before "the End" I started enticing No.3 and an older, barren cow into the corral to enjoy a handful of alfalfa pellets. It didn't take long before they would come in on their own for their little treat. 

In June a new butcher shop opened in town offering on farm processing - the perfect solution to a stress-free experience for everyone involved. On "the Day" we walked No.3 and his friend into the main corral to enjoy their pellets. Then I quietly moved No.3 and his pan of pellets into a smaller corral where the butcher ended his life with one rifle shot. Of course I stood on the other side of the barn. 

I like to think that No.3 enjoyed his last six months of life. He had the company of his siblings, shelter and lots of fresh grass, and then it was over. No time spent at a disgusting feedlot, fed a massive quantity of grains that cause great intestinal distress and illness; no cramped trailer ride to a slaughterhouse when the smell of fear and death permeate everything. 

When I go to the freezer I think about No.3 and thank him for his sacrifice. I also think about how fortunate we are to have meat that was raised in a healthy and humane manner and whose footsteps and manure will help improve our soil for future grazers, both domestic and wild. 

From Fleur Creek Farm

Shelter from the Storm

What makes a house become a home? I know some people use those terms interchangeably but to me they are very different. 

To me a house is just a structure where people reside but a home is something more.

A home is the place that welcomes you back and wraps its arms around you as you enter. A home is the place that shelters you from the storms, both physical and emotional. A home is the place where you feel more content than any where else. 

On this winter morning as I walk up the path to the front steps, I know that I am at home. And what a wonderful feeling that is.

From Fleur Creek Farm

Pygmy Rescue

A loud thump caught Don's attention several mornings ago. This sound usually means a bird has flown into one of the windows so he hustled outside to discover a tiny Northern Pygmy-Owl face down in the snow. Don gathered the little owl up to assess its condition only to be glared at by piercing bright eyes. After five minutes of calm and warmth snuggled into Don's gloved hands the little guy regained its senses and flew off.

The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny (about the size of a bluebird), but it's a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help find these unobtrusive owls.

These owls are found in forests ranging from deciduous woods along streams to high-elevation fir and spruce forests at timberline. They also live in cottonwood, aspen, and mixed-conifer forests. In winter, Northern Pygmy-Owls move to lower elevations and may come into towns to hunt songbirds at bird feeders.

Like other cavity nesters, pygmy-owls need standing dead trees as nest sites. Forest management practices that remove dead wood can reduce habitat quality for them. Pygmy-owls rely on other species to excavate holes for them which makes them indirectly dependent on populations of woodpeckers.

Most sources list the Northern Pygmy-Owl as relatively uncommon in Colorado. This is the second time we have seen one on our place. We feel pretty lucky to have enjoyed these special encounters.

From Fleur Creek Farm

Winter Solstice, Christmas Full Moon, and A Wish for You

Winter begins tonight but the days lengthen starting tomorrow. I always find that interesting. You wouldn't think that the two concepts should go together. Maybe it's to give us hope at this difficult time of year.

And then on Christmas Day we will enjoy a full moon but not again for another nineteen years. Maybe that's to remind us of the fullness of life at this moment rather than to always look ahead.

So we send our wishes to all for an inspiring Winter Solstice, a joyous Christmas, and a New Year full of happiness, prosperity, and hope. 

From Fleur Creek Farm

Harvest the Sun with Bees

2015 marked the year when we finally gave into our bee-envy and became beekeepers. Our first exposure to beekeeping came ten years ago when a local beekeeper put ten hives on our place. We quickly became fascinated with these amazing creatures - how their hives were really more like complete communities dedicated to the survival of the whole not the individual.

Last fall Don ordered all the hive components and supplies to start three hives and over the winter he worked on the construction of the hive boxes and the place where we would keep our hives. 

We decided that our challenging elevation and climate could be mitigated somewhat by creating our "bee yard" in a portion of our barn. We re-purposed our old stallion's east-facing stall (he passed away in 2011) so that the hives would enjoy early morning light and warmth. Protected from the strong winter winds, heavy snow and the hot summer sun, this spot seemed perfect. Plus it was easy to add electric fencing to keep out the bears, raccoons, skunks and anything else that thought the bees and their honey were easy food.

Now for the bees. There are multitude of ways to get bees but we thought the best way for totally inexperienced beekeepers was to purchase small colonies know as "nucs". A nuc includes a mated queen, several thousand of her young daughters, developing larvae which would produce more young daughters and several combs of pollen and honey which would serve as early food sources. 

Most of the commercial bees are produced in the south from Florida to Texas because the climate makes it easier but these bees are not always well suited for life in the mountains of the West. After some research we decided to get two nucs from Zia Queenbees from northern New Mexico. 

In early June we traveled to Taos to meet with the Zia folks and pickup our bees. The three hour drive home in our Su-bee-ru with 20,000 bees in the back seat was interesting but uneventful.

Once home we transferred the bees from their nuc boxes into their new permanent hive boxes and added a feeder box on top of each hive. Inside the feeder box was a container of sugar syrup to feed them until they could start foraging on their own.

Zia Queenbees names their "survivor" queens and tracks their life history. Our queens are both daughters of Ester (a two year old breeding queen) who is a daughter of Eclipse (a four year old breeder). Definitely impressive survivors! In keeping with the "E" names, we named our queens Emily and Erin. From this point on the hives are know as Emily's and Erin's. 

Over the next few weeks we added more hive boxes to give them more room for the increasing number of bees and the food storage they were building. We continued feeding them so that all their efforts could go to developing their community.

In early July a neighbor called to report a swarm of bees in her apple tree. We gathered up our swarm catching supplies (thanks YouTube for all the swarm videos) and headed over in the pouring rain. The capture went remarkably well and we installed our new bees in the third hive box collection Don had built. 

Now for a name for the new queen and hive. We decided to honor our location by naming her with an "H". Hannah and her young hive quickly developed over the summer and we added hive boxes as needed.

The bee's forage season winds down in September and its time for the beekeeper to help them focus their winter preparations on the core part of their hive (which in these photos are the lower hive boxes decorated with a flower painted on them). This first season we chose not to collect any honey but rather give all the hive resources to the bees to improve their chances of surviving the winter. 

Don now has the bees tucked in for the winter with their hive reduced to the boxes necessary to overwinter and the hive wrapped in a reflective bubblewrap to help hold in some of their own heat.

We'll check on the bees periodically through the winter to make sure that they have plenty of food stores and if necessary we'll provide both cane sugar and pollen patties. But for the most part, they are on their own and doing what bees do. In February or March the queen will start laying new eggs which under the care of the worker bees will develop into larvae and then new bees and they will be ready for another season.

Our goal from the beginning of this project was to develop a group of bees that could handle our climate and flourish. By starting with survivor bees from Zia and adding a feral swarm with local genetics, we hope we are on track. We're looking forward to the coming years when we will also have a source of very local honey for both eating and medicinal use. But mostly we will have tried to help honeybees in general by nurturing a group of bees in a healthy location.

And we consider the bees one more way to Harvest the Sun!

If you want to learn more about Zia Queenbees, here's a great YouTube video:

Breeding Survivor Queenbees in New Mexico

From Fleur Creek Farm

Hi-tech Harvest of the Sun

Anyone who lives in a rural area usually has multiple plans to handle emergencies from extra food and goods to medical supplies and backup power. You never know when things might go "upside-down". 

We've always had a 5000 watt gas generator that would run about 6 hours on 5 gallons of fuel. It was a good solution for short-term power outages but not such a great idea if the power was out for days or longer. Plus it was noisy and smelly.

Like all other technologies, photovoltaic (solar) systems have been getting less expensive while significantly improving in output and simplicity. With the federal credits for installing a system expiring in 2016, we decided this year was the time to start.

We initially contacted several solar contractors only to be handed estimates that were grossly more power than we needed and grossly more expensive than our budget could handle. 

Finally we found a solar consultant who was perfect - Roger. Roger is a retired chemistry professor who spends his retirement years designing and helping regular people build their own PV solar system. In mid-July we started the process and two weeks ago we "flipped the switch" and started producing our own electricity. 

We did the majority of the slave labor and saved Roger's skills for the technical stuff. Actually Don did the majority of the hard work while I worked on the backup to the solar system - four cords of firewood. In the perfect juxtaposition, the brains of the solar system hang on the outside of the woodshed - the old and the new.

Rather than bore you will all the details I'll just share some photos. 

Layout of the solar panel array

Digging the holes

Setting the panel framework

Pouring concrete

Solar panels installed

Building the battery cellar

Battery cellar housing 8 - 6V batteries

Cabinet for power center

Power center with inverter

Woodshed with solar power center on right side

Our system, as configured, produces between 6 and 9 kilowatt hours per day. We designed it (ok, Roger designed it) so that we could double the output by just adding six more panels. Thus far we have the freezer and office running on 100% solar. Over the next few weeks we'll be adding another freezer and the media center - TV, sound system - plus some lights.

It still amazes me that you can produce your own electricity. And it's nice to know that when the power goes out again we'll have a little more comfort than in years past.

Watch for the next edition of Harvesting the Sun - Beekeeping

From Fleur Creek Farm