Then. We actually SLEPT through an entire night! Paid for that last night....
Hubby sheared the 5 yearlings yesterday afternoon. They are all black brown and hard to photograph. But, I got a few pictures and lightened them up with my photo program. Fleeces are all skirted and in the greenhouse. I will most likely wash these and send them to Zeilinger's Wool Co. to process into top. They are all Dorset/Romney, heavy on the Dorset side with an extra fine crimp, but with that nice Romney length. The problem with that is the hay seed trapped in the crimp. They are just enough shorter than the adults, and with the adults eating hay over them.... So, when it stops snowing, I will wash them and bring them to NH Sheep & Wool in May.
Oh, and I got a gorgeous pure white Dorset/Romney fleece washed in between shearing and skirting and lamb checks. It is now drying in my living room in bread trays stacked up near the wood stove.
Yes, that is a picker on the cabinet in the kitchen
sitting in front of the microwave.
That is what happens when there are
spinning classes on the farm.
Wheels, a carder, a 6 skein skein-winder, a swift
and a ball winder in the living room.
And, totes of yarn waiting for their lables
and prices for the next Sheep & Wool festival.
I LOVE our Dorset/Romney sheep!
Had friends over for dinner last night, and of course, that was late going in the oven. First Crispy, Christopher (Horned Dorset) and Poppy (Romney) daughter, had a lamb. Pen her up. Get dinner going, hear another voice go out and sure enough Keira, a Dorset/Romney FINALLY decides to have her twins. Her water was dribbling off and on since 9 am. Got her set up in a lambing jug. Dinner and the company was great. Got things picked up, hubby went to bed while I vegged in front of the TV for an hour. That was a mistake! Another little voice heard from the barn. Go out and Ebony, another Dorset/Romney had a single girl. Looks like her lamb from last year, Socks, except this girl has socks only on the back legs. Get her in a make shift jug, as now we are out of gates... The llama can reach into to this jug at her leisure and sniff the lamb all she wants.
He heads back to bed, and I am too wound to sleep....Head back out at 11:30 to a very feeble cry. Crispy little lamb does not look good. Come back in the house, make her a bottle with colostrum and milk replacer. Bring it out and she sucks 4 oz. right down. Apparently she's not nursing well on mom. Will have hubby check when he gets home for sharp teeth and file them down if needed. It could also be because mom has HUGE nipples/teats. Made her another bottle (1/2) this morning which she sucked down, and then as mom is eating her hay I milked her into the bottle. Filled it almost 1/2 full which the little lamb sucked down. I need to get her on mom today as I have to work a long shift tomorrow.
It is now 10:30 am and the lambs born earlier than yesterday are out playing in the snow. Below will be random pictures from Saturday and Sunday. I am going to go take a nap....
Katie
Cassidy
4 of the 5 that were sheared Sunday.
Yes, we did have laundry hanging out as well.
Crispy with the little ewe I've bottle fed.
Keira, getting ready to deliver #2.
I turned around to help hubby and
missed it with the camera...
Keira's #2
Shearing one of the yearlings while Keira delivers.
These 2 girls are full sisters to Condalista and Mae.
They are Victoria's grand daughters.
I might keep them.
Right where Jerry is shearing (minus the trash can)
in the hallway is where ewe #5 is penned.
No pictures of that one yet. Maybe after my nap.
We are at 23 lambs. 9 twins and 5 singles.
13 ewes and 10 rams.
13 white and 10 black or black and white.
14 ewes lambed, 2 definite to lamb soon,
3 (if they are pregnant) that won't lamb until
the end of the cycle on April 16th...
We started lambing March 8th this year, so this
is 15 days worth of lambing and virtually no sleep.
Nap time!
TTFN.
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