Looking Forward to 2021 with Lambs

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Here is one thing to look forward to…in 2-1/2 months. Believe it or not that photo below shows lambs!

I have never learned to read an ultrasound. Maybe next year when we do this I’ll make sure that I have a lesson. I was preoccupied this time with catching sheep so that we kept the flow moving. But the biggest problem was wearing glasses with a mask on a cold morning. My glasses fogged up so much that I had to take them off. Then I couldn’t make out anything on the screen.

Three UC Davis veterinarians were here to ultrasound all the ewes.

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I haven’t done this for the whole flock before. We used to ultrasound those ewes that we bred out of season to lamb at the State Fair Nursery. That program was managed by UC Davis so they provided this service. The Nursery was discontinued a few years ago and I haven’t had ultrasounds since then.

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This is Belle, my granddaughter Kirby’s sheep and I will take every opportunity I get to share this all-time favorite photo.

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This is Belle’s and Kirby’s debut at the State Fair last year. Kirby was so excited to get a PINK ribbon. Who needs blue when you can get pink?

This is a photo of Belle’s twins. Wouldn’t it be great to think that Kirby could show these lambs at the 2021 State Fair? I’m afraid that may be wishful thinking. But maybe she can at least come from Texas to see them.

I kept taking photos even though I really couldn’t identify what I was seeing.

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Here are the ewes lined up for their turns.

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This is afterwards. Remember the green marks on their rears that indicated breeding? Now the green marks on their faces were our marks that they had been checked and were confirmed pregnant.

The results? Fifty ewes are pregnant. Of those, at least 38 are carrying twins. Three of the six ewe lambs that I put with the rams are pregnant. Fortunately they all have single lambs. It’s hard on those young ewes who are lambing as yearlings to carry twins—they are still growing themselves. By doing ultrasounds I know which ewe lambs to monitor. In January I will start bringing them in for a little extra food and the upside of that will be that I will end up with more friendly sheep!