#61 Andrea and Esther

Above, Andrea.  First time mom delivered this very fine wooled ewe lamb and white to boot.

One of my goals has been to produce some fine "white" wooled shetlands and

I think this year I have met my goal.  So excited to have several white ewes

to add to the flock and several white rams to watch grow and determine if 

they are have the qualities I want to keep in my ram flock.

Above, Esther.  She has been consistent with having tripletts each year.

I happened to be up at 2am so I decided to go out and check on her

as I knew she was about ready to deliver her babies...by the way she

was acting yesterday, oh...yeah, she was the lamb snatcher yesterday.

She delivered 2 ewes and 1 ram.  Esther was bred to a new

ram that I got this past summer, a Border Cheviot.

He is not much bigger that my adult rams, he has a longer loin and 

carries a little more muscle, yet has a small head and narrow in the 

front shoulders, this is normal for this breed and actually makes 

for a great crossbreeding with the shetlands.

In this photo it is really hard to see the difference between these lambs 

and the shetlands.  But the Cheviot breed has very distinctive erect ears which 

are not easily seen in this photo.  I have three more ewes bred to the Border

Cheviot that should be delivering soon, so I will try for better pics.

We have approximately 11 more ewes to lamb.  

Approximate because I have a couple that I question being bred due to using

another ram lamb.

Time will tell...

 

#107 Regina and #53 Oreo

 We have so many things going on right now it is crazy!

Add to the mix two ewes that delivered today.

Above Regina, a grey katmoget and first time mom.  

Delivered these gorgeous white ewe lambs this morning.

While she was busy cleaning off her second lamb another ewe

that hasn't delivered yet stole her first lamb and coaxed her out of the barn with her.

That was the view I had from the house first thing this morning.

Rushing outside to reunite mom with babies and hoping that she would take them.

Being the awesome mom that she is, she did accept her baby, but was a little short 

on milk right off the bat, so I had to run off to the farm supply store to 

get some colostrum.  Once the belly had been filled with a few ounces of that 

precious liquid all was good.  A few more servings yet today and hopefully

mom's milk supply will be in full flow.

Oreo delivered these twin ewes today also.  She was bred to Barqs.
Sweet babies and she is such a good mom.  Of course that same ewe
that stole the lamb earlier today is lurking on the other side of the gate. 
She wants babies so bad. Hopefully she will deliver soon and be content.

Galaxy

Galaxy delivered these interesting twin ram lambs this morning.

I bred her to ram #95, Tigard a polled grey katmoget.

Galaxy is an interesting ewe as her pattern changes through the year.

Right now her face has a somewhat katmoget look, as we go into summer her legs

will get lighter, like her face.  Come August her legs and whole head will be black

with grey wooly poll.

Galaxy is also the dam of my white ram Royal.

We will have to watch and see what happens with the patterns on these guys.

#129 Willow

 Willow delivered this white ram lamb Saturday (3/25) morning.

We have had plans for some time to go to the Black Swamp market day 

and fiber fair to pick up and drop off fiber with Zeilinger's woolen mill.

The problem is this event is a three hour drive one way.  Normally it 

wouldn't be an issue because we wouldn't be lambing yet.

I was mostly worried about this particular ewe lambing, hoping she would deliver

when I was home.  You see, Willow is a lamb herself.  When we had the 

breeding groups together in November, my white ram, Royal busted out 

of his breeding group to seek and find who was in heat within the lamb group.

Well, a few weeks ago I would tell Willow was going to deliver and 

was concerned as she won't be a year old until April 4th and 

I've learned that many times a lamb under 13 months old "just 

doesn't get it" to be a mom and care for her babies.

So I was quite happy when I went out to the barn at 5:30am to find

Willow laying down with this sweet little ram lamb at her side.

We didn't get back home until 3pm, but all is well with everyone in the barn.

entertainment value...

First video won't load...too large for blogger...
 it is a short clip of a 2 day old

ram lamb that has the "instinct" to be a ram.

Love his color...but don't know how long he will be here

with this attitude!

Above, a first time mom who wants to protect her

baby from those "other" pesky lambs who want to 

frolic and play.

#49 Lucy

Lucy delivered twins today, a katmoget ram in the front and 

a moorit ewe.  Both doing very well by the time I came home today.

Lucy was bred to Mateo, a scurred katmoget ram.

Had to post a pic. with "Red" our English Shepherd.  He just loves

the babies.  This pen is the closest that he has access to, 

just by design.   He wouldn't hurt those babies for anything, 

he truly loves them and would lick them all over if their 

mother would allow...which wouldn't go over well with her!

It's going to get chilly tonight, down into the teens!  But warmer weather 

is right behind it.

#113 Olivia

Olivia, my mioget ewe delivered her first lamb this morning.

This little moorit ewe was all dried off and lying with her mom 

when I entered the barn this morning.

She was bred to Apollo, I was hoping for more of the modified gene...

hoping for another mioget.  We'll see.

That's all for today....but there are more coming...

#111 Estelle

Estelle is a first time mom and delivered on her own two beautiful 

little lambs.  She was bred to my white ram Royal

The white lamb is a ram and the moorit based musket is a ewe.

Both lambs have very crimpy fleeces.

#125 Paula & #110 Elise

 Paula above a spotted katmoget ewe and first time mom delivered this

katmoget ewe lamb.  She was bred to Royal my white ram.

Elise a first time mom also, delivered these fine fleeced twins.

The white lamb is a ram and the katmoget a ewe.
Elise was bred to my white ram, Royal.

Both tiny but doing well.  Elise is being a very good

attentive mom.  Just what I want to see in a ewe.

#1113 Whistle stop ewe (Oregon)

 The weather has finally broke to a more tolerable temperature.

Mid-30's is fine by me and a re-leaf to the sheep.

My Whistlestop ewe delivered these two fine lambs this morning.

The black lamb is a ram and the grey katmoget is a ewe.

This ewe was bred to my black ram, Bian1107. 

This little guy is definitely going to have horns.

 You can feel and see where his horn is, click to enlarge the photo.

Above his eye on his tiny little head is the growth bed for the horn

and it is quite obvious.

#35 Sweet Pea

Sweet Pea came through today.  I thought she would deliver yesterday but she surprised us today.

We have a new set of katmoget twins on the property!

The moorit katmoget on the left is a ram and he already has horn buds.

On the right, a grey katmoget  ewe lamb.  Hopefully she will be like her mom

who has a beautiful grey fleece that always sells quickly.
Sweet Pea was bred to my black ram, Bian1107.
 

Some of my yearlings are looking like they will go next,

we will see what tomorrow brings...

#103 Olympia

Olympia is a first time mom.  She delivered this nice size katmoget ram lamb

all by herself today.  I came home from work, quickly changed into my "barn clothes"

and headed out, hoping that everyone was good.

We are having a cold spell right now, around 20 degrees this afternoon

and the sheep are feeling it without there wool coats.

 Olympia is a full Whistlestop daughter, I bred the WS ram I had with the WS ewe I have.

Olympia was bred to Mateo, a scurred Katmoget ram.

...more to come.

First lambs of the season

#70 Laurel delivered her first lamb, a little black ewe lamb.  She 

was bred to Bian 1107, our black ram.  

This morning when I went out to the barn Laurel was just lying down and 

didn't bother to get up when I went in to put hay in the feeders...and 

she always gets up, afraid I might get to close to her or something.

Somewhat of a scared-y cat.

When I finished with the hay I left the pen and just watched from the outside.

Soon after I left she began to push and I could see little hoofs.

I went back to the house, came back out about an hour later and

the lamb was up and had already nursed.  She had a milk mustache.

I penned them up so they could bond and went off to work.

 When I came home from work Autum had delivered this set of twins.

She was bred to Apollo.

The one on the right with spotting is a ram.  The one on the left

is a moorit ewe.  Right now she is very dark, but you can tell around 

her eyes the brown color shows.   We will get a better look at her tomorrow

after she has had more time with her mom.

Many more look like they are ready to go, we'll see what tomorrow brings....

Shearing...sheared...shorn

What a pace we set this year.  We sheared our flock on Monday, March 6th.
46 sheep shorn in approximately 2 hours.  Of course three shearer kept us hopping.

  
 We shear all the boys first and put them back into their pen.  Keeping them in close quarters until they have the chance to snif and smell and re-establish their pecking order.  Shearing always causes some ruffled fleeces feathers with the boys.  Above is a new addition to our ram flock.

 

The above ram was roo-ed.  When we trimmed hoofs a week ago his fleece was loose and came right off.

Above ewes awaiting their turn.

Two shorn lambs and a yearling in the back.  The ewe lamb in the foreground was also new to our flock this past fall.  She has lots of spots, we hope to work with her and develop the cape flecket pattern within our flock.

 Closer view of the spotting on this ewe.  She looks like a Dalmatian.

  
More ewes, another spotted ewe in the center of the pic. and many pregnant girls that are really showing and hopefully will be delivering soon.  I will be posting pictures regularly as lambs are born.
...doesn't everyone love baby pictures?