Lillyanna Farm

12/20/2025

As history has shown us, usually the coldest, windiest and most miserable weather will push our Ewes to give birth. Chris went out for morning checks today and discovered Susan had twin girls!! Susan is a champion Mama who makes us so proud to see her maternal instincts kick in! They had free time out early but the the rain came and the lambs cannot regulate their body temp just yet so the rain and wind made it dangerous for them. We moved the girls and Mama into the grey sheep house for shelter until the rain is gone for good. There are 9 more Ewes ready to go at any time! Despite the awful weather- this is one of our favorite times of the year on the farm.

12/14/2025

Too cold for us, but there are 2 that are loving this beautiful winter wonderland!

12/11/2025

Well the owl house is up. 🤞🏻We get a resident owl. Supposedly, they will be looking soon for spring nesting. Some of what I read said that Gus and Fiona may help their babies survival rates. The dogs will keep their main threats, raccoons away from the tree. Additionally, when the babies are first learning to fly, they spend two weeks on the ground near the nest where the parents will feed him and there’s been many documented cases of the dogs protecting them from threats. Interestingly enough, the chickens will be away during the owls main feeding times so they should not pose a threat which then the dogs don’t consider them a danger.

11/13/2025

Happy Birthday, Gus!! 3 has never looked so BIG!! Gus is a great guardian and loves working nights. He has a hard time letting go- so once he smells or hear a threat, his boisterous bark will echo in the night for quite some time. He is so snuggly, timid with us, loves ALL food, drinks by dunking half his face in the trough, is a little bit smelly and just the best gentle giant we could have ever asked for! Life on the farm is complete with our big goofy boy. We love you Gus!!

10/16/2025

Well Fiona earned her keep last night. When I went out this morning to do the farm chores, she was acting a little weird. Then I noticed she had some blood on her muzzle.

After I was done, I took a walk around the pasture to see what was going on. She took off to the back wanting me to follow her. When I got back there I saw the fox on the wrong side of the fence and clearly picked the wrong farm. We did feel bad, but the dogs mark along the fence often to mark their territory. They also bark to warn predators to stay away. Unfortunately, it looked like the fox realized its error but was too late. He tried to get back under the fence but Fiona pulled him back in by evidence at the fence.

Amazing part, when I went back to look around the turkey followed me. When they went to examine the fox, Fiona pushed them back and laid down to keep them away from the obviously dead fox. Oddly, Gus would not get close to it either. I believe because she is the alpha and much like their food, they don’t mess with each others stuff.

It truly amazes me how this is all from thousands of years of genetics and zero training. Especially considering how many thousands of hours I put into Arrow’s training. We are truly blessed 🇺🇸

10/15/2025

Some pics from the past few weeks

10/13/2025

Last flowers of this growing season before the storm hit.

10/12/2025

The sheepdogs have been working hard lately. I pulled our game cameras from the woods behind the pasture recently. Out of 20 pictures, only 2 were deer! Two coyotes, a few groups of raccoons and a ton of fox going back and forth near the fence all night long. Gus is primarily “night shift “ and Fiona takes days watching over the chickens and turkey from mostly hawks. They do get some family time in the house with us sometimes.

10/12/2025

08/28/2025

Here are some interesting facts about Gus and Fiona our Maremma Sheepdog 🐾🐑

* **Ancient Guardians**: The Maremma Sheepdog (also called *Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog*) has been guarding flocks in Italy for over **2,000 years**. Romans described dogs very similar to them in old writings.

* **White for a Reason**: Their fluffy white coats aren’t just beautiful — shepherds bred them this way so they could blend in with sheep and stand out against wolves or predators at night.

* **Independent Thinkers**: Unlike many breeds that wait for commands, Maremmas are bred to make **decisions on their own** while protecting livestock. That’s why they can be a bit stubborn with training.

* **Family Protectors**: While loyal to their flock, they’re also **gentle giants** with their families — especially protective around children.

* **Not Just Sheep**: In Australia, some Maremma dogs were famously used to protect a colony of **little penguins** on Middle Island. Their guarding instincts saved the population from fox attacks.

* **Big & Fluffy**: They are large dogs, weighing **65- 180 lbs**, with a thick double coat that helps them handle cold mountain weather.

* **Quiet but Alert**: They don’t bark unnecessarily — but if they sense a threat, they’ll sound the alarm quickly and fearlessly stand their ground.

08/23/2025

The guilty look on their faces when the got caught in the hay feeder while I was refilling!

08/23/2025

Unfortunately our yard hydrant died so we have to use the hose from the house to top off the water troughs. I guess the cows drank too much before we topped off so all the chickens were waiting!