Cormorant's Lambs

We're still waiting on one ewe to lamb--Molly.  She's Cormorant's mother, so we bred her to Hawk rather than Cormorant. 

All the lambs so far are Cormorant's. I'm thrilled with Cormorant's results.  Not only are they are a good-looking bunch, with a lot of variety in coloring, we didn't need to assist with any of their births--amazing, considering that every last one was overdue!

Molly with her grandchildren.

Chai

Champagne

Cider (less white) & Ale (more white)

Dr. Pepper

Gingerale

Gingerale again

Pistachio is a trampoline for her girls.

Meanwhile, last year's lambs enjoy their dirt pile.

More surprises: Pawlonia

Early Friday morning, I could tell that Pawlonia would lamb sometime during the day.  It was a bit of a surprise because her belly nor her udders were that large, and she was over a week past her due date.

We did our morning routine in the barn quickly as to not bother her.  We hurried out to the garden to plant some seeds, because we were expecting rain in addition to lambs.  When we returned to the barn, Pawlonia had delivered two lambs--definitely not what I expected!

Pawlonia was busily licking a black lamb, and a brown lamb was a few feet away, baaing.  I delivered her to Pawlonia.  While I was doing this, I saw that Dr. Pepper was stuck in Beryl's hay feeder (he was safely removed) and Pina Colada was running around in the drop pen--not in the jug with her mother (she was safely replaced).  It was a crazy morning (and we needed to be at church by noon!). 

Both of Pawlonia's lambs are ewes.  I called the brown ewe Squirt as I was moving her, and the name has stuck.  She is already started to lighten and will look like her mom.  The black ewe is Pepsi.  She most likely will not lighten.

These are the last of Cormorant's lambs.  We're waiting on Molly.  She's Cormorant's mom, so we bred to her Hawk.  She is absolutely enormous--and very cranky about being in the drop pen!

Twin Surprises: Marble and Dove

I felt like I knew whether most of the ewes were carrying singles or twins. When I looked at Marble, though, I couldn't tell.  Thursday around lunchtime, we headed to the barn right as Marble delivered lamb number one.  I could see the hooves of lamb number two, but Marble was excitedly licking her first lamb and would not lay down to push.  Instead, she squatted.  (It's normal for ewes to labor like this, but only a few of ours do so.)   It took a little longer than it might have otherwise taken.  All the other animals (chickens, sheep, llama, and human children) were in the barn, and some of them were annoying. 

Marble is happy with her lambs

Marble's first lamb is a ewe.  She's the spitting image of her mom!  We've named her Margarita.  She's beginning to lighten already.

Mojito is the second twin.  He's a black ram with similar markings to his mom and sister. He will likely lighten as well.

Mojito is laying by the fence--where a lot of ewes licked him!

While all of this was going on, I saw Dove acting like a ewe in the beginning of labor.  I told my oldest son we'd be heading back to the barn soon, and in about an hour, we were.  We arrived at the barn while Dove was still pushing because several of the chickens were harassing her. 

Dove dug a huge hole and delivered a white under-all-that-dirt ewe lamb.  We named her Daiquiri. 

Dove started digging another hole, and I knew that another lamb was on the way.  This was a surprise, even though there were clues (Dove's HUGE udders!).  Dove is a first time mom --they are less likely to twin--and she wasn't nearly as large as her twin sister Swan. 

Dove quickly delivered a tiny white ewe lamb.  The pictures end here (for a while) because Dove didn't know she delivered another lamb (likely because she was so tiny) and because I'm not used to seeing such a small lamb (although we had plenty in 2015--Myrtle, Mimosa, and Willow). 

We've named the second of Dove's lambs Pina Colada.  Dove, Daiquiri, and Pina Colada are all doing great.  Dove had them up and nursing in record time, and she's a great mom, even with her surprise lamb.

Pistachio always wins

Pistachio lambed Tuesday afternoon.  She's a calm, efficient, and all around great mother.  Not only that-- she lambed during the day, and she also had twin ewes--and they are gorgeous!  The brown ewe with white spots is Chai (it appears she will lighten) and the white and black spotty ewe is Champagne. 

The ewes gave me the day off from lambing on Wednesday but were back at it on Thursday....

This time it was planned: Adelie and Swan

Monday around lunchtime, Adelie lambed.  Once again, she was LOUD.  This time, she was very fast as well.   Her lamb is a single ram lamb.  He looks just like grandpa Cypress.  His name is Iced Tea.  It's hard to get a picture of him because of this:

Adelie thinks I want a pic of her.  Or that the camera is edible.

Adelie & Iced Tea

Iced Tea playing with Gingerale. 

Swan lambed a couple of hours later.  We arrived at the barn immediately after lamb number one was delivered (after five years of doing this, I'm finally starting to time it just right).  We've named this white ewe lamb Sprite, because she was running around all over the drop pen while Swan was delivering lamb number two.  Her second lamb is a white ram lamb with a brown back leg and a few other small spots.  His name is Seltzer. 

Sprite

Seltzer

 Seltzer tried to lay in a bowl just like every other lamb we've ever had, but he couldn't quite figure it out.

Seltzer hugs the bowl.

He's not quite in the bowl yet.

A Mommy-Daughter Event: Cashew & Myrtle

Cashew lambed Sunday morning at 3:30.  By the time we made it to the barn, she had delivered a lamb.   We thought a twin might be on the way, and it was.  Slowly.  (But maybe it only seemed that way because I was exhausted at this point?)


Cashew's first lamb is another black ram with spots on his head and face.  He will lighten.  Cashew's second lamb is our first ewe lamb of the year.  She's black with a white spot on the top of her head. We've named them Ale (ram) and Cider (ewe). 

Cider & Ale

We headed back to bed, and I turned the sound off on the monitor. When we went back to the barn in the morning, we discover that Myrtle (Cashew's daughter, born in 2015) had lambed in the hour or so we were sleeping.  Her lamb is a single ewe.  She's brown with white marks on her face and head.  I don't think she will lighten, but I can't be sure.

Two more ewes lambed yesterday, but that's a blog post for another day. 

Beryl: My New Favorite Sheep

Beryl was the first ewe to lamb this year.  (She was also first in 2016.)   Just when I was beginning to think I was way off on all the due dates, I woke up to see Beryl licking a lamb on the video monitor.  (It was at 3:30 AM Saturday, so when one of the ewes lambs during the daylight hours, she will replace Beryl as my new favorite!)

By the time we made it to the barn, Beryl had delivered a second lamb.  They are both ram lambs (just like 2016), and they are both black.  Earl Grey has more sports on his head and face, and he will lighten up.  Dr. Pepper only has a few spots on the top of his head, and it appears he will stay solid black. 

Dr. Pepper

Earl Grey

Earl Grey (in back) with Dr. Pepper (front)

The following morning at 3:30 AM, Cashew lambed followed shortly by her daughter Myrtle.  I don't have any pictures yet, and it might be a day or two before I post any.   We have a lot going on tomorrow and Tuesday...and that's not including any lambs that may arrive! 

Up next

Waiting for Lambs

We expected our first lambs over a week ago.  We're still waiting, and we could be waiting another two weeks or more. 

More ewes should be due soon, so we expanded the drop pen and added more lambing jugs.

Meanwhile, we rooed Fahrenheit.  (Some primitive breeds--like Shetlands--will shed their fleeces.  We helped Fahrenheit along by pulling off chunks of his wool.)

During

After

Not surprisingly, Barack O'Llama was very interested in all  the proceedings.

Barack's bottom (he was that close to me!) & Cashew