Tag: lambs

Luckily we have had a great lambing season. Tim had his first opportunity to assist in lambing, I had a run in with our ram, but all in all it has been good. The entire flock is out and about on grass for the first week. Our eldest lamb, Friday, is just about weaned, but still enjoys an occasional suckle form his Mum, Hermoine. Friday seems to be getting the shove from Mum Izzy, as when he tries to suckle he is pushed away most of the time. Our youngest boy, Dick, is still faithfully going up to Mum Ewenice for a drink. Ewenice is such an attentive Mum, as she always lets him.

We have an abundance of wool that will be processed over the summer. It is amazing how much wool comes off of one animal. What is even more amazing is that the wool grows so fast. In only a couple of months the adults have visible wool growth.

The one down side of lambing is that we can't keep them all. Friday is already sold and will be going to his new home in the next couple of weeks. Wednesday has a new home as well. Dick is the odd man out so to speak. Really we don't want to keep him except for breeding, but we don't have enough room for two rams. We may sell him on as well. Dick is a unique little guy. His shetland/babydoll southdown/horned dorset breeding brings some very interesting genetics into a flock.

Here are pictures of our lambs.

Wednesday the lamb. Izzy is his Mum.

Dick making a funny face.

Friday doing his best cute pose.

First minute of the ram lamb's life. Izzy is cleaning him.

Spring is the season for babies. First it was kids, now it is lambs. Izzy had two lambs a couple of weeks ago. The boy and girl are both are black with a bit of white. Izzy's bundles of wool arrived at around 12pm on March 29.   were done in the morning Izzy appeared to be in labour. She was pawing at the ground and not eating. She didn't even eat her grain, which for Izzy is unheard of. I put her in the barn and shut her in. I did chores and kept an eye n her hoping that she would have the lamb soon. I needed to go out.

At around ten to 12 I went down to check on her. The baby was showing. From what I could see it looked like a normal birth. I ran up to the house to get some warm water and by the time I returned Izzy had given birth to a little boy. I then cleaned out his mouth and gave him back to her. Wih a huge sign of relief I then went off to mt internship.

Lambs at a week and a half old. They are testing a branch.

When I arrived home I found another baby with Izzy. She had had another while I was out. Luckily there were no complications and the little family was just fine. Izzy is a good mother, and an easy birther. I was amazed at the speed which which the babies literally popped out.

At two weeks old they are all doing well and the babies are out and running around. So far they don't have names. The ram lamb is well on his way to become a whether and the ewe lamb will either be kept or sold on.

Now we are waiting on Itchy!