growing lambs

 Center of this pic. shows one of the first lambs born here, with his

Dam at his side.  He is six weeks old today and is almost as tall 

as his Dam.  He carries spots and is scurred.  He has a very 

gentle personality.  Anyone looking for a new ram?

 This little spotted ewe will be staying here.  She and her twin were

the last lambs born here.  She is now three weeks old.  I'm sure that

she will lose all of her body spotting, but her face and legs spotting 

will stay.

 This little spotted ram lamb with his Dam.  He is about 3 1/2 weeks old.

I think I may have to hold onto this guy and see what happens with

his spots.  He will be horned.

 Below, a short clip of how these lambs get their exercise every day,

morning and night.

 Below, another cute little black ewe, 5 1/2 weeks old that will be staying here.

Those fine black fleeces sell....must keep another one.

Above, I had to share the pink moon that we had last evening.

Although you cannot tell the color here, it was quite beautiful

and appeared quite early in the evening.

Skirting fleeces

 I have been skirting fleeces off and on as time permits since we have

shorn the sheep.  A couple of weeks ago we had warmer weather and

roo-ed a few.  The grey fleece shown today is one of those.

This is a grey lamb fleece, very fine and very clean.

This is one of fifteen that I have selected to take to the 

Great Lakes Fiber Show

 Each fleece I skirt I check to make sure that it is a healthy fleece. 

Taking a lock of wool from the side and tugging on it to check it's strength.  

I am still amazed at the lock length and fineness.

Above shows a relaxed lock length of 4 inches.

 Stretching out the staple length show it at just over 6 inches.

What elasticity!!

With lots of grey color variation.  Most enjoyed with processing 

it yourself, getting to separate the colors to see the variation

in your yarn.  ...or having a woolen mill process it, 

(one that can handle processing fine wool)

blending all the various coloration to make one color of grey.

I don't see having time to show you here all the fleeces 

that I will be taking to the show to sell but....

What will I have available at the 

Great Lakes Fiber Show??

1 - Black 

1 - Mioget

2 - White

3 - Fawn

4 - Musket 

4 - Grey

I have already sent out much wool to be made into combed top.

I plan to have some beautiful fawn top 

and white top available for sale

 in the Guild (Algonquin Spinners & Weavers) booth at

the Great Lakes Fiber Shows,

located next to the Information booth.

Hope to see you there!

 

 

#51 Audrey & #60 Zoe

 This morning Audrey had delivered her lambs. A ewe and ram

The ewe lamb did not survive, but the ram lamb is doing well

 These pics. were taken in the evening and this little guy has found 

the most comfortable place to lay.

Zoe, above seemed to have been in labor since this morning.

When I came home this evening she had made no progress so I 

wasn't going to wait any longer.  After tending to everyone's needs

I moved a couple of ewes out of this pen and slipped Zoe in.

Going back into the house to scrub up, I was determined that 

I was going to help her along.  With assistance we were able

to get ahold of the little spotted ewes legs and guild her 

out while Mom did her part.

When she was ready to deliver the second lamb, a moorit ram

again I kept constant tension on his little legs so she could 

do her part and deliver him.

I've had a few issues with deliveries this year I believe that I have overfed my ewes

causing their body condition to be a little too plump therefore some of the births have been distressing on the ewes and lambs.  I definitely need to be more mindful

when it comes to giving anything more than good hay.

   

This ends our Spring Lambing for 2018.

We might have some summer deliveries but 

we are not going to get too excited about this just yet.

#135 Carmen & #59 Mia

 Above Carmen, first time mom had delivered this ewe lamb

before I went out to the barn this morning, tending to her quite nicely.

She was bred to the border cheviot ram.

Mia also delivered this ewe lamb today.  She was pawing at the 

ground early this morning.  I had my hubby check in on her 

later in the morning and she had delivered her by then.

This is also a border cheviot lamb.

#15 Eve (again!) and #175 gulmoget ewe

I've been doing this for a few years now, about eleven and sometimes

when you get so busy you tend to "forget" things and sometimes think

that you are losing your mind.  Writing yourself notes or in this case

recording and tagging and taking pictures helps to keep yourself straight.

This ewe Eve gave birth 4/4/17 (i have pictures to prove it).

Unfortunately, the next evening she lost her lamb due to soffocation,

in this case the lamb had wedged itself into a downward sloped corner

of the pen face first and I'm sure that if it even tried to get up it just

pushed itself further downward eventually not being able to breathe.

The next day I moved Eve out of the lambing jug, back with the main

flock.    

Upon going out to check on everyone last evening 4/7/17  I seen 

a new lamb laying stretched out and a second one with a ewe.

Going into the pen to see who had delivered I see Eve caring for a 

new born lamb and another lamb that lay lifeless next to her.

I begin to search and look over all the other ewes that might have 

delivered these lambs....no one.

I go back and look over Eve again and yes Eve did deliver these lambs!

By appearances I can only figure that this third little lamb that 

survived was not in the same birth sack as the previous two lambs.

Eve was bred to the Border Cheviot ram.

 The above ewe, #175 with the gulmoget pattern delivered this 

single ram lambs this morning 4/8/17.

This was not part of our planned breeding.  This ewe squeezed into

one of the pens I had a breeding group in.

The ram is Bian1107.

#175 is just over one year old and is proving to be a very good

attentive mother.  I haven't named this ewe yet or even registered

her, because I wasn't sure if I was going to keep or sell her.

So there is a possibility that she will be available this summer.

So to go along with my first paragraph of this post, about 

keeping things straight.  In a previous post I had mentioned

a number of yet expectant ewes.  Well it is best to 

keep track and reference your written list rather than

try and take a count out in the barnyard...because you always miss someone.

So...as of now I have four ewes yet to give birth. Before I 

consider this lambing season over.

But...I did put a few ewes in with rams in January, February and March

I don't know that any of them did breed or get bred but we will 

have to just watch and find out.  If so we could be expecting 

lambs in June, July and possibly August.  We will 

just have to wait and see...

#32 Butter Cup & #1113 Oregon

 Butter Cup delivered these twins last evening (4/6).  I went out

to check one last time before I went to bed and glad I did.

She was just beginning  to have the first lamb and I noticed...no feet! 

So glad I was home to be able to assists her.  The front legs of each lamb

were bent back.  Had I not been here I don't know that she would

have been able to push them out on her own.  

Butter Cup delivered twins, one ram, one ewe, both doing well..

so is MaMa.

 Last evening while I was helping Butter Cup, Oregon just wasn't 

there yet, as far as being ready to give birth.  So I did

come back out about 1:30am to check on her again and still

nothing happening!!  When I went out this morning she had 

already delivered this single ewe lamb.  I think she was a bit

worn out so I gave her a few squirts of nutri drench to give

her a quick "pick me up".

The little ewe is doing just fine.

#128 Guiselle

 Guiselle, a first time mom delivered this flashy little ram today.

I expected something nice from her since she has super fine wool.

But the spots are a BONUS!!

I just hope they stay.

This lamb's sire is my black shetland ram, Bian1107.

 Had to get pics. showing all sides of him.

We have two more ewes in labor tonight, we'll keep you posted...

#53 Oreo & #134 Sunniva

 Above, Oreo delivered twins, one ram, one ewe this morning.

She was bred to the border cheviot ram and is being a great mom.

Now she can be happy with what she has and not try and steal 

anybody else's babies.

Sunniva (ha! I caught my error, in a previous post I mistakenly 

posted Indi for Sunniva, but I've fixed it.)

delivered this single ram lamb this morning also.  She

was bred to the border cheviot.

All is well!! We have eight to go!

#113 Olivia, #15 Eve, #107 Regina & #50 Bianca

 Above, Olivia a very sweet Mioget ewe delivered this little 

katmoget ram lamb last evening (4/3).  She was bred to ram #26, 

Gwynevar Du Roy.  When I went out in the late in the

evening she had already delivered him, so I set them up in a pen

and all was good.

When I went out this morning there was nothing new ...

 When I came home from work I quickly changed clothes and went 

straight out to the barn to find three ewes had delivered their lambs.

Above, Eve delivered this single ewe lamb.  

She was bred to the border cheviot ram.

(Eve was not shorn, we are planning to roo her)

 #107 Regina, a first time mom delivered this single ewe lamb

she was also bred to the border cheviot ram.

She has taken quite well to being a good mom.

#50 Bianca delivered twin ram lambs, she was also bred to the 

border cheviot ram.  (we are planning to roo Bianca also).

I believe we have 10 to go....

#131 crossbred ewe & #130 Indi

Monday evening (4/2) I strolled out to the barn, one last look  to 

see what was going on before I went to bed and my other crossbred

ewe (shetland / cormo) had delivered one lamb.  I moved her into 

a waiting pen then waited a short while as the second lamb was about

to be born.  She gave us some nice twins, a ewe and ram.

She was bred to the Border Cheviot ram.  

(so we did get at least one ram lamb out of  my crossbred 

girls....hopefully he will have a future as a breeding ram 

from an inquiry last year)

 #130 Indi a first time mom gave birth to twins, a ram and ewe.

I bred her to the Border Cheviot ram and she did quite well

delivering these two all by herself.

I went out this morning and she had already had them.  I just had to 

move her into a jug so they could get some bonding time.

I had to add this photo...for a couple of reasons.

1. The ewe, who's nose you can see in the gate behind the lamb has 

been trying to steal this lamb all day.  Causing confusion for this little lamb.

Mom wants her, but the "other mom" keeps talking to her and convincing her

to try and escape away with her. (which caused me to move the intruder

into a pen across the barn away from this momma and baby so they

can have some bonding time)

2)   My English Shepherd, Red.  Way back in the center of the photo 

at the other side of the barn.  He just loves the babies and doesn't miss a

trip out to the barn to see what is going on.  He is at full attention

when it comes to babies.

We will see what comes tonight, both with lambs and weather,

six inches of snow yesterday morning, 60 degrees today with rain

 and serious storms rolling in tonight. 

#137 Marni, #132 Xbred ewe & lambs

 Marni delivered these twin ewes this morning.  She was bred to Gordon,

he is one of our new rams who has a cape flecket pattern.

I bred him to one of my white ewes.  This morning when I put them 

in a jug they were still wet and could tell that the white lamb had 

some interesting coloring but I really didn't have time to admire her...

as I only have so much time in the morning to feed everyone and 

get off to work (day job).  So this evening I was able to inspect her a little more.

 I think she is very interesting.  Earlier this morning I just thought "white".

But now that she is all dried off she has a red cast to her birth coat 

which I believe is the tan gene that is common with some white sheep,

as her mother has on her legs.  But this little girls legs are darker.

Kind of like a katmoget but not really and her face hair is light 

in color, but appears darker further down the hair shaft.

Very interest....as least I think so!

The other lamb is solid black with some white spotting on her face.

(i can always use another good black!)

 This Dam is one of two of the crossbred ewes that I have.  She is 

3/4 shetland and 1/4 cormo, although she looks more cormo than shetland.

I bred her to my border cheviot ram.  This is her first delivery and

I was really hoping for a ram out of her BUT we got a ewe lamb.

Very nice ewe lamb and she really favors the cormo more than the

border cheviot or shetland.  This lamb will be available to a new home

once she has been weaned....sometime in June.

 Sunday evening I released all of the ewes and lambs that I had penned.

It was time, most of the lambs are old enough to start eating their own feed.

So I set up the creep feed gate where they had been penned, put in

some medicated lambs pellet and a little cracked corn and they are 

all over it.

They are happy, bouncing around and familiar with the whole 

barn.