Yarn drying

Here is a picture of some of the yarn I've been spinning. This yarn is all single ply and I sell it at the WI State Fair. Some is Shetland/mohair, some Romney/mohair and 2 skeins are Polypay.

Wool for dinner!?!

I work at Hidden Valley Woolen Mill and a customer bought 1# of washed wool. He works at a flavor factory and they are planning to use a blend of ( veg.) oils and the wool to make a chicken flavoring! They heat the oils to 1300 degrees Fahrenheit with whatever else, in this case wool, to get flavorings (the wool would completely disappear at such high temps.) The reason they are using wool is it is a source of carotene and they could not find a different source. The factory also makes liquid smoke as well as other flavors. Oh on environment he said that when they are running the factory only steam comes off-no smoke, and no oils escape!

Holiday Open House

Hidden Valley Farm & Woolen Mill
14804 Newton Rd., Valders, WI 54245 (920)-273-1849
http://www.hiddenvalleyfarmwoolenmill.com/index.html


Is hosting a "Gifts from Nature" Holiday Open House
November 20-22 Fri. 1-7, Sat. 9-6, Sun.11-4

"Please join us for our holiday open house. Many finished products will be offered for sale; from beautifully hand-carved wooden ornaments and glass bead and buttons to wearable by local artisans. Demonstrations will take place throughout the event. The fiber enthusiast will find an exquisite rainbow of dyed roving, yarn, naturally colored raw fleeces, batts and llama clouds. Our farm and woolen mill is nestled in the gently rolling hills of north-eastern Wisconsin, just minutes from I-43. Please make your holiday gift a gift from nature-Paul and Carol Wagner"

I will be selling dyed Shetland/mohair roving, handspun yarn and possibly some finished products. I will only be selling on Fri. and Sat.

Sick of breeding season???

I am!

One of my Shetland rams, Drummond, who was in a pasture far far away from the Coopworth's group came up and picked a fight with the Coopworth-Cooper. Poor Cooper's head is all red. I can't catch him to see if his skull is cracked, but he is not feeling to good right now. I just hope he'll be ok! (I did have a horned dairy buck kid who got in a fight with an adult ram and busted one of his horns off at the base. He acted sick for a while, but was ok. )

Update:

The Coopworth-Cooper is acting a lot better. He is eating again and is interested in ewes again. Thank goodness!

WI Spin In

I meant to post this earlier (but got busy getting my breeding groups together and got busy will other things.) WI Spin In a convention for spinners and knitters/crocheters and any one interested in wool is on tonight, Sat and Sun.

I have a vendor booth this year and have dyed and natural colored roving, mohair locks, lock yarn, and a few Shetland fleeces. I do not believe in selling on Sundays so will only be selling on Friday and Saturday. I will have a "display only" on Sun. Hours are 5-8 on Fri., 9-5 on Sat. and Sun. For more info go to http://www.wispinin.org

Sheds and sheep

I've been really busy-again! I have finished shearing my market lambs. I built two sheds-one for goats and one for my market lambs (I can also use it for my ewe lambs in the spring after they are shorn.)







These three and a half sided sheds are each made from four cattle panels. Three panels curve to make the roof and sides and are held in place by eight t-posts. Two thirds of the fourth panel make the back and one third makes the front. A post holds the front in place as sheep would rub and knock it out of place. I got heavy duty tarps-the only problem is I could not find the right sizes-a little on the large side. Baling twin and zip ties work wonders along with a few bungee cords.
I decided to get a Coopworth ram for crossbreeding. I will compare the growth rates, fleeces weights, hardiness, fleece quality, ect. on the Corriedale/Shetlands and Coopworth/Shetland. Both crosses will be treated like mules and be bred to a terminal sire. This ram has a very lustrous locky fleece. Coopworths (a New Zealand breed bred from crossing Romney and Border Leicester and culling very hard for production and other traits) actually get FAT on grass too. If I like both crosses I will keep doing both-more wool types to sell and play with!

I put my goat breeding group together yesterday as one of the does was in heat and bawling and the bucks were getting restless-didn't want any accident kids from the wrong sire jumping out-so I stuck the white Texas buck in. He has already gotten to breed three of the five does! I didn't have the goats with a teaser either! I can't wait to see the kids' fleeces! (Or the lambs either!)

Shorn goats

I finally got my Angora goats shorn. (This year is late because my blades needed sharpening and took it long time.) I still have to shear my red buck and market/cull lambs.
Turkeys like trampolines!
Another sunrise.

Today it snowed! Well it was more flurries, but still-too early for me. We had a HARD frost on th 31'st or 1'st-so hard the hose froze and the sheep water had ice in it. The funny thing is that 15 min. driving time from here had no frost as they are closer to Lake Michigan.