All our lambs have been weaned for some time and doing quite well.
Many are needing new homes!
I will be listing those for sale on the FOR SALE tab.
I've just begun to add lambs and as time permits I will be adding more.
Check out these ram and ewe lambs on the "For Sale" tab with addition information
and pedigree links.
If you have any questions or interest, just send me an email.
We have had a flurry of activity these past thirty day.
Our social calendars have opened up, allowing us to freely interact with fellow spinners and fiber enthusiasts.
The Great Lakes Fiber Show took place the end of May and we had a great time.
There was much positive energy from all that attended and a great need to people to interact and make those special fleece purchases. We sold out of all the fleeces that we took to the event and my shelves look a little bare here at home, aside from some lovely combed top that is still available.
Another sixteen pounds or so was sent out to Zeilingers for processing into combed top, we should have this back in a few months.
Below, our Guild's June Dye Day, anyone who wanted had the opportunity to try their hand at dyeing wool, using various techniques.
I must say I do enjoy skillet dying, three of the pieces of combed top were dyed in the skillets, nice variation of colors and no two are alike.
We've wean all our lambs and our little boys are ready to go to new homes. This is just a pre-view of some of the young ram lambs that are available. I hope to have time this weekend and start posting them on the NASSA site and here with more details.
Hope to start getting more information out about these nice ram lambs. Now is the time to start planning for your fall breeding.
I've decided to wean the lambs today. We are ahead of schedule from past years. The youngest, a set of twins are a bit young, so I will pull them out of the weaning pen so they can nurse from their mom and we'll just have to watch and see how they do. But all the others are old enough to sustain themselves.
It's a bit noisy today, but most are doing well. All of them are eating a lamb grain ration and hay.
We will have ewes, yearlings and lambs available to purchase soon. Once all the lambs are weaned and have transitioned over to their grain/hay ration and the ewes have dried up from making milk they will be ready to go to new homes.
If interested, shoot me an email so we can help you find what you're looking for.
Some of these little porkers are doing quite well. Above, one of the Shetland/Border Cheviot lambs getting her fill of hay.
So I sent the "girls" out to the pasture to enjoy some adult time...no babies!
On another note,
The very day that we lost our best friend Red this extremely thin old stray dog showed up. As I was in the barn feeding the sheep that morning I had called our vet to make arrangements to take Red in to have him put down. As I walked from the barn to the house this "old guy" was standing off to the side of the house. He was so thin, I put some food out for him and left him alone.
We had so much to deal with yet in getting Red into the vet office that I figured if he ate he would be here later. I just hate it when people dump off animals!
These photo's were taken late afternoon of the same day, he did come back and we fed him again. I don't think that he would have survived much longer. He didn't react or respond to anything. He simple ate the food and started to wander off. His sense of smell works and I got his attention with a piece of cheese (which was Red's favorite treat!). We put a collar (not Red's) and leash on him.
He has been a good distraction for us, someone to care for.
These photos were taken 4/10/21.
We've taken him to the vet, he has a very bad ear infection and looks like it has never had any care or treatment. He cannot hear a thing. He was someone's pet at some point in time. He knows to sit, down and to give a paw hand shake.
He has been given a Depo-Medrol injection (steroid), Cephalexin pill (antibiotic), Mozotic ear drops, given daily for 14 days, then an ear flush to follow after the ear drops.
The ear canals are pretty much swollen shut, it's been five days and I haven't seen much improvement yet. He still can't hear a thing.
These photos taken 4/22/21. Twelve days later...
I hope to give him a bath today, although I believe he is house broken, I haven't brought him into the house yet, I am letting him stay in the garage if it's cold overnight and we have a doghouse outside for him. Until the ear treatment has finished anyway due to him shaking his head and ear gunk that may be flung out ....yuck!
He has such a great personality and friendly. I'm calling him Buddy, my husband calls him Buddy L.
Apparently Buddy L was a toy back in the 50's - 60's that my husband was reminiscent of his childhood (a bit before my time or at least I don't remember it!).
Such a loyal companion, always by my side no matter what I was doing.
He is greatly missed and our hearts ache for him.
The sweetest, tiny-ist shetland lambs I think I've every seen.
I weighed these twins, black, white ram and brown, white ewe when they were 24 hours old.
So they had already nursed well from their mother. the ewe lamb weighed 13ounces, the ram 17 ounces.
They are thriving and doing very well.
I imagine that these are what the shetland breed was all about being island sheep.
Before we, people began breeding for larger, bigger, heavier shetlands.
Our lambing was the earliest that we have ever had. Beginning March 3rd and finishing March 28th, we had 55 lambs born. Fourteen crossbred (8ewes/6rams) and 41 Shetlands (22ewes/19rams).
The oldest lambs are now a month old and eating hay and grain, becoming "teenagers" already.
The above moorit shetland ram above is already sprouting his
horns, hopefully to be a nice display.
We have been going like gang busters with lambs.
I think we have 23 ewes yet to deliver...I have to double check on one of these, she may not be bred.
Our expected last day for lambing is March 25th, so we should be busy for the next week and a half.
Early this morning Tessa delivered twins, ram and ewe. She was bred to Shamus.
Tessa and Shamus are both spotted shetlands
Both lambs are moorit and white. The marking are interesting.
#1511 Lydia also spotted was bred to Shamus to.
Having twins, a ram and ewe, these are also moorit and white.
Notice the same marking across the rump on the lamb above and below??
I find this interesting, I don't know if this is a pattern in the breed or not. It doesn't match anything that is shown on the breed associations poster for possible patterns.
#192 Thea (who is also Tessa's daughter) who is a solid black ewe was bred to Moogega, my ram lamb that is black and white, spotted. He is just considered "flecket", but his black markings are only on his withers (shoulders) and forward.
Thea, delivered this single ewe lamb today.
She also has interesting markings, around the rump also.
That's it for today, hoping we have a few more tomorrow.
