Sheep

Two pit bulls killed several sheep at a Funkstown-area farm over the weekend, Maryland State Police said. The dogs are believed to be family owned and not strays, according to a state police news release. Police were called to the farm at 116 Old National Pike shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday after the farm’s owner, Joseph Frey, arrived to tend to the farm and was confronted by two large pit bulls, which chased him into a barn, police said. Frey was able to shut the barn door and keep the dogs from entering, but discovered several sheep in the barn who had been attacked and mauled during the night, police said.

Mercersburg police were seeking information Monday about a theft reported from the nativity scene at Trinity United Church of Christ at 129 E. Seminary St. Between Dec. 5 and Jan. 5, someone stole a sheep statue that was about 10 inches tall and 20 inches long, police said in a news release. Anyone with information may call police at 717-328-2221 or Franklin County (Pa.) Crime Solvers at 717-263-3000. The same church reported that someone threw eggs at its east wall on Jan. 8, police said.

A pit bull involved in an a vicious May attack on sheep at a Funkstown farm should be euthanized, the Washington County Animal Control Authority ruled Thursday night. The dog, Isabella, was one of two pit bulls witnesses said they saw at Joseph Frey’s farm at 116 Old National Pike the morning of May 15, when Frey found six of his sheep dead and 14 others injured. Eight of the wounded sheep had to be euthanized because of the extent of their injuries, and the remaining six are recovering, Frey said Thursday.

Sheep and goat producers alike find there can be problems when it comes to the lambing and kidding process. A full-day workshop is planned to help address issues about caring for pregnant ewes and does before and during the birthing process, administering injections and medications, lamb and kid care and processing, producing better sheep and goats through record keeping and performance testing, as well as the opportunity to participate in...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass is warning West Virginia sheep and cattle farmers to be on the lookout for signs of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), which has been observed in cattle in Ohio and West Virginia, although confirmatory testing is not yet complete. It can also be contracted by sheep, and has been observed in deer in numerous states, according to a news release from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. The agency said the disease is spread by the bite of blood-feeding midges - a gnat-like fly - not by animal-to-animal transmission.

You can hardly pick up a newspaper or watch a news show without reading something about the environment or the ominous question: How are we going to feed 9 billion people? You will hear such buzzwords as greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration or green energy. Then there is the seeming contradiction that is the solar “farm” that is springing up along Roxbury Road and Sharpsburg Pike. Am I against solar energy? Not at all. I think it has its place, but certainly not taking up cropland or when it is so one-dimensional.

HAGERSTOWN -- Two Washington County Sheriff's deputies and a local farmer on Wednesday morning attempted to corral two sheep that got loose Monday afternoon when the farmer tried to deliver them to Four States Livestock Auction on East First Street in Hagerstown. By Wednesday morning, the sheep were in the area of Weiss Bros. of Hagerstown Inc. on Oak Ridge Drive. Two deputies, one on either side of the Weiss Bros. driveway, tried to catch the animals but one of the sheep tried to kick one of the deputies in the face before both sheep ran off into a field behind the business, Michael Weiss said in a telephone interview from his office.

By LISA GRAYBEAL Staff Writer, Chambersburg McCONNELLSBURG, Pa. - Ray Koontz considers bagging a legendary Montana grizzly bear, which weighed more than 600 pounds and possessed seven-inch claws, one of the highlights of his hunting experiences. Still, killing "Giefer" in April 1977, known for pilfering cabins and defying several attempts on his life, didn't pose much of a challenge to the now 81-year-old hunter. Neither did a mountain lion, a bobcat, an arctic wolf, five other bears, several deer, two moose, an ibex and a variety of other animals, birds and fish that he has brought back as trophies and has stored as mounts in his McConnellsburg office and home.

By KATE COLEMAN / Staff Writer photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer Nanci Koerting will be baa-ck at Boonesborough Days this weekend after an absence of a few years. She'll be at Shafer Park showing her sheep as a community service. People seem to enjoy seeing them, even if they don't know much about them. "Oh, look at the poodle," she heard a woman say one year. [cont. from lifestyle ] Koerting will be accompanied by Lexi, a "bottle lamb," born in February on Koerting's farm outside Boonsboro.

At least three from the area have entered livestock in the 32nd annual North American International Livestock Exposition, which is being held in Louisville, Ky., from Saturday through Nov. 18. Participants include: Linda Jordan, of Waynesboro, Pa., who has entered seven head of Southdown in the sheep division; Kornerstone Farms, of Boonsboro, which has entered one beefer; Allen M. Hess, of Smithsburg, who has entered...

You can hardly pick up a newspaper or watch a news show without reading something about the environment or the ominous question: How are we going to feed 9 billion people? You will hear such buzzwords as greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration or green energy. Then there is the seeming contradiction that is the solar “farm” that is springing up along Roxbury Road and Sharpsburg Pike. Am I against solar energy? Not at all. I think it has its place, but certainly not taking up cropland or when it is so one-dimensional.

So this Public Works engineer is walking down a country lane and he comes across a young boy shepherding a flock of sheep across the road. The Public Works engineer steps out of his pickup and tells the kid, “I bet you one of your sheep I can tell exactly how many you have in your flock.” Kid takes the bet and the Public Works engineer calculates some angles, crunches some numbers and announces, “238 sheep.” “Wow, mister,” says the...

The 2013 Hagers-Town Town and Country Almanack is chock full of tidbits from each of the almanac's departments. Here are some of them: Design for living department: “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” This is a quote from Mark Twain. Farm and garden: If you are having trouble growing grass in less-than-ideal conditions, try these tips: Mow at a higher level than you do for sunny parts of the lawn.  Water only in the morning hours, frequently and thoroughly.  Make sure the grass is dried out before watering again.  Go easy on the fertilizer, as in this case, more is not better.  Discourage people from walking on those parts of the lawn.

Mercersburg police were seeking information Monday about a theft reported from the nativity scene at Trinity United Church of Christ at 129 E. Seminary St. Between Dec. 5 and Jan. 5, someone stole a sheep statue that was about 10 inches tall and 20 inches long, police said in a news release. Anyone with information may call police at 717-328-2221 or Franklin County (Pa.) Crime Solvers at 717-263-3000. The same church reported that someone threw eggs at its east wall on Jan. 8, police said.

Emma Patterson was leading her market lamb McDreamy on a practice run Sunday afternoon in a scene that has been reprised in Jefferson County every year since 1953. It was the first day of the 59th annual Jefferson County Fair at 2007 Old Leetown Pike. Patterson, 17, of Kearneysville, W.Va., is one of 275 exhibitors bringing their sheep, swine, beef and dairy cattle, horses, rabbits, poultry and a squiggly handful of guinea pigs to be judged this week. “He's a little hyper,” Patterson said of McDreamy, who was named after a character from television's “Grey's Anatomy.” She was trying to calm him down so he'd behave at the sheep-judging competition that begins at 10 a.m. today.

A pit bull involved in an a vicious May attack on sheep at a Funkstown farm should be euthanized, the Washington County Animal Control Authority ruled Thursday night. The dog, Isabella, was one of two pit bulls witnesses said they saw at Joseph Frey’s farm at 116 Old National Pike the morning of May 15, when Frey found six of his sheep dead and 14 others injured. Eight of the wounded sheep had to be euthanized because of the extent of their injuries, and the remaining six are recovering, Frey said Thursday.

Two pit bulls killed several sheep at a Funkstown-area farm over the weekend, Maryland State Police said. The dogs are believed to be family owned and not strays, according to a state police news release. Police were called to the farm at 116 Old National Pike shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday after the farm’s owner, Joseph Frey, arrived to tend to the farm and was confronted by two large pit bulls, which chased him into a barn, police said. Frey was able to shut the barn door and keep the dogs from entering, but discovered several sheep in the barn who had been attacked and mauled during the night, police said.

o If you like reading Tim Rowland, you'll love watching him. See what else Tim has to say Other people may think that Animals on the Loose are funny, but not me. On the realities of farming, Washington County Extension Agent Jeff Semler says, "If you have livestock, sooner or later you're going to have deadstock. " And to take it one step further, if you have livestock, sooner or later you're going to have escapedstock. Believe me, I know. So I felt for Keedysville farmers Imre and Linda Jarmy when two of their sheep bolted from the grounds of Four States Livestock Auction in Hagerstown and immediately booked tickets for Key West.

HAGERSTOWN -- Two Washington County Sheriff's deputies and a local farmer on Wednesday morning attempted to corral two sheep that got loose Monday afternoon when the farmer tried to deliver them to Four States Livestock Auction on East First Street in Hagerstown. By Wednesday morning, the sheep were in the area of Weiss Bros. of Hagerstown Inc. on Oak Ridge Drive. Two deputies, one on either side of the Weiss Bros. driveway, tried to catch the animals but one of the sheep tried to kick one of the deputies in the face before both sheep ran off into a field behind the business, Michael Weiss said in a telephone interview from his office.

4-H Dairy Goat Show Alpine Show Senior Champion -Tracey Forsythe Senior Reserve Champion - Lindsey Beckley Junior Champion - Lindsey Beckley Junior Reserve Champion - Lindsey Beckley Nubian Show Senior Champion - Zachary Faith Senior Reserve Champion - Zachary Faith Junior Champion - Daulton Beckley Junior Reserve Champion - Zachary Faith Saanen Show Senior Champion -...