The Collie Farm Blog

The old dog potty yard, in 2007, with a lot of fallen-down-barn wood and construction debris in the background.

In 2006, when the house was being moved and rebuilt, it was necessary to move the dogs from my old house in town out to the farm. I needed to get the old house ready to sell, and not have four Border Collies greet potential buyers at the door! With many things going on and lots of money being spent, I had to make a lot of quick choices on getting things done efficiently and cheaply, rather than well. The dogs’ potty yard was one of those things. (more…)

I ordered two more rolls of Electronet from Premier. Now I have four 164′ sections of netting. Now, I can give the sheep a pretty big rectangle, and not have to move it so often. It also gives them a more comfortable grazing section, that’s not so cramped. I like for them to be able to do a bit of walking each day.

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Late last night I heard a radical thudding on the front porch, and went to check it out. It was our clumsy cat, and she had caught this giant moth after leaping about after it.

But, typical of Mrs. Pete, she got distracted and let it go a moment later. Then it landed and I was able to coax it onto my hand.

It’s rare to see such large moths here, we mostly have little, plain brown ones. This one was as big as my hand!

Our brave livestock guardian dog.

I spoke with a neighbor this weekend who said she is having a terrible time with domestic dogs chasing and/or killing her livestock. So, she’s been shooting them (this is entirely legal, btw). I don’t blame her, this kind of predation is perhaps the most frustrating of all, because it doesn’t need to happen. These dogs have kibble at home, they aren’t trying to make a living like a wild predator, they are just out having a good time! (more…)

Youngest lambs with their mama.

This weekend I caught all the lambs individually. I wanted to trim their hooves and weigh them. (more…)