First Lambs
/The first lambing due date is today, February 27, but I’ve been checking the barn at night for a week. Last night I went out at 11:30 and the first thing I saw was a chicken roosting on the bucket wagon and another on a feeder.
I let the chickens out of their house on days when I know that I won’t have to worry about Maggie eating one, and yesterday I taught a class all day. Evidently two of the four chickens didn’t figure out how to make it back to their house through the lake that has formed between the chicken house and the barn. I put them to bed and then went to look at the sheep.
A ewe was in labor. I moved her to the lambing area and while I waited I did other things—filling the navel dipper with iodine, hanging the paper towels, widening the ditch to try to drain water away from the barn (rain was coming down in buckets). One chore was to clean off the lambing board from last year.
After about a half hour Pam had the first lamb. This is one of the “rescue” sheep that I got last summer. She is one of the nuttiest sheep here but maternal hormones had kicked in and she let me get in close and check her udder.
A second lamb came not long after the first was up and about and they were both up and looking for a teat within a half hour of the first being born. Hardy lambs—both nicely marked ewes at 8 lbs and 6.8 lbs. There is a video on the home page. Eventually I will change that video to another and then you can find it on YouTube.
Starting out the year. (“Mask” is so I can remember which is which when I finally get my new ear tags that are on order.)
Here is what the barn looked like when I went out about 6:30 a.m. The barn floor is just above the water.
Amaryllis and the goats are not quite high, but so far they are dry if they stay in the shed and I keep adding straw.
This 4.1” is in addition to yesterday’s 1.3”.
Last night’s lambs were dry, but Mom gave me the evil eye when I came in to take a photo. When I reached over to touch them she tried to bash me—back to her normal personality.
