Thursday, March 24, 2011
(Almost) the last of the lambs...
I got in at 11:15 pm last night after a fun night of laughter, food and spinning/knitting. Thank you ladies!! I needed a night off!
I couldn't sleep, so I read email and wandered to bed about midnight. Max (the dog cat) started acting 'stupid', so I turned the baby monitor back on. There was no sense in listening to snoring sheep when no one was close. I heard nothing unusual so I went to bed. 12:30ish I heard something that seemed off, so on go the clothes, to the kitchen for the flashlight and coat. Get out in the barn and something doesn't look quite right. I notice Lillian's butt looks like it has blood on it, and I need to get in to see what is going on. We didn't expect anything from her for at least another 2 weeks. Sure enough, I get up to her and she has herself a little ram lamb. He was dry and fed, so he must have been born while I was out spinning. Good mom! She is one of my keepers. She is out of Shauna, a tri-colored Romney, and Joshua, a chocolate Border Leicester/Romney. Put her in the lamb jug, and head back to bed for about 4 hours.
4 am, Jerry comes and wakes me up. We have another ewe in labor, but only 1 foot is showing with the nose. I make her stand back up, Jerry puts on the gloves and goes to work pushing the lamb back in to pull out the 2nd leg. We put her in the other lamb jug, he goes to work, and I go in to have a cup of coffee and wake up. I go out after my 1st cup and she had herself a white ram lamb. She is Dorset/Romney and was bred to the Horned Dorset.
Ok, it now 6 am and I am up and cleaning house (because it needs to be done) and listening for her to have a 2nd one, maybe... I hear groaning and moaning, put my coat back on and go out to look at Scarlett. Hmm. It is not her. Look in general population, and Callie has just had a ewe lamb. Ok, I grab a towel and go in to get the lamb. She follows me out and I put her in the 3rd jug.
So, now we have 3 new lambs under 3 heat lamps with 3 happy ewes.
All that is left (planned) is our boarder. Emma is a lilac, hornless Jacob. We bred her to our Romney ram. She is pregnant and is either going to have one big lamb or 2 smaller ones. This is her first know breeding. Neither the owners nor we know for sure how old she is, but she is not too old. We will just keep an eye on her.
Pictures will come later, when I find the camera and go out and shoot some. (o;
TTFN
I couldn't sleep, so I read email and wandered to bed about midnight. Max (the dog cat) started acting 'stupid', so I turned the baby monitor back on. There was no sense in listening to snoring sheep when no one was close. I heard nothing unusual so I went to bed. 12:30ish I heard something that seemed off, so on go the clothes, to the kitchen for the flashlight and coat. Get out in the barn and something doesn't look quite right. I notice Lillian's butt looks like it has blood on it, and I need to get in to see what is going on. We didn't expect anything from her for at least another 2 weeks. Sure enough, I get up to her and she has herself a little ram lamb. He was dry and fed, so he must have been born while I was out spinning. Good mom! She is one of my keepers. She is out of Shauna, a tri-colored Romney, and Joshua, a chocolate Border Leicester/Romney. Put her in the lamb jug, and head back to bed for about 4 hours.
4 am, Jerry comes and wakes me up. We have another ewe in labor, but only 1 foot is showing with the nose. I make her stand back up, Jerry puts on the gloves and goes to work pushing the lamb back in to pull out the 2nd leg. We put her in the other lamb jug, he goes to work, and I go in to have a cup of coffee and wake up. I go out after my 1st cup and she had herself a white ram lamb. She is Dorset/Romney and was bred to the Horned Dorset.
Ok, it now 6 am and I am up and cleaning house (because it needs to be done) and listening for her to have a 2nd one, maybe... I hear groaning and moaning, put my coat back on and go out to look at Scarlett. Hmm. It is not her. Look in general population, and Callie has just had a ewe lamb. Ok, I grab a towel and go in to get the lamb. She follows me out and I put her in the 3rd jug.
So, now we have 3 new lambs under 3 heat lamps with 3 happy ewes.
All that is left (planned) is our boarder. Emma is a lilac, hornless Jacob. We bred her to our Romney ram. She is pregnant and is either going to have one big lamb or 2 smaller ones. This is her first know breeding. Neither the owners nor we know for sure how old she is, but she is not too old. We will just keep an eye on her.
Pictures will come later, when I find the camera and go out and shoot some. (o;
TTFN
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Spring must be here!
The Canada geese came in this past Tuesday, the robins are around the area (too much snow here yet...), and the MUD is showing up everywhere!
We are still awaiting 4 mothers to be. Hopefully they will be shorn this afternoon to see how close they are. I think they are going to wait until the 26th when I am headed for school....
Happy spring all!!
We are still awaiting 4 mothers to be. Hopefully they will be shorn this afternoon to see how close they are. I think they are going to wait until the 26th when I am headed for school....
Happy spring all!!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tuesday drive
This was taken at high noon in Croydon.
The trees looked like they had Christmas lights on them.
It was an incredible blessing to be delivering mail at that time.
As my daughter says
It is 4 wheel drive, not 4 wheel stop.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
This was a first for us
I managed to get to bed by 8 pm Friday night and to sleep pretty quick, only to be awakened at 10:30 by a screaming lamb. Thoroughly annoyed I got up to put the lost lamb back with its mother, (they keep rolling under the gate) only to find out that Cassidy had a 2nd lamb 7 hours after the first. Well, there went my sleep for the rest of the night... I now know why I could not get one of the nipples open. At least the little ram was able to get some much needed colostrum. But, I still could not fall asleep wondering if he was going to make it.
And, yes, we are positive it is hers as she was in the lambing pen all by herself!
Went to a lambing clinic Saturday. No matter how long one has been at this, there is always something new to learn. Or in our case, share. But we did learn about dystocia up close. This site has good some great pictures, but the good and the bad...
Sunday we planned on going to church, our monthly spinning meeting and then dinner with friends. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans... God has other plans for us. Ewenice presented us with twins. But, we did not know who the lambs belonged to because they were in general population when we got out to feed and with everyone yelling for food at once, no one was paying attention to the pair. But, once fed we figured it out. The rest of the day was not the way it was meant to go either, but that is ok.
Now, just for the last 7 ewes to wait until after daylight to lamb or Thursday...
TTFN and here is to hoping and praying for a sleep-filled night!!
And, yes, we are positive it is hers as she was in the lambing pen all by herself!
Went to a lambing clinic Saturday. No matter how long one has been at this, there is always something new to learn. Or in our case, share. But we did learn about dystocia up close. This site has good some great pictures, but the good and the bad...
Sunday we planned on going to church, our monthly spinning meeting and then dinner with friends. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans... God has other plans for us. Ewenice presented us with twins. But, we did not know who the lambs belonged to because they were in general population when we got out to feed and with everyone yelling for food at once, no one was paying attention to the pair. But, once fed we figured it out. The rest of the day was not the way it was meant to go either, but that is ok.
Now, just for the last 7 ewes to wait until after daylight to lamb or Thursday...
TTFN and here is to hoping and praying for a sleep-filled night!!
Friday, March 04, 2011
Today we had our 20th lamb born. There are still 8 ewes to go. I just pray they don't decided to go all at once...
Tomorrow we head to a lambing clinic. Do we need it? Probably not, but there is always something to be learned in any kind of farming. And it is nice to be able to comiserate with our shepherds at this time of the year.
The camera battery is charging. Hopefully I will remember to take pictures. And then to try to get them all uploaded.
One thing at a time. (o;
TTFN
Tomorrow we head to a lambing clinic. Do we need it? Probably not, but there is always something to be learned in any kind of farming. And it is nice to be able to comiserate with our shepherds at this time of the year.
The camera battery is charging. Hopefully I will remember to take pictures. And then to try to get them all uploaded.
One thing at a time. (o;
TTFN
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