Sunday, April 13, 2014

Wacky Weekend of Lambs

It's been a long weekend of lambs, but it all started last Monday when Bel birthed twin four-pound ewes prematurely. I say prematurely because she was so tiny and barely had an udder. The moorit ewe didn't make it, but the grey ewe is holding on just fine. 

We had to wait until Friday morning before any more lambs arrived. Claire had twin moorit lambs - one ram, one ewe. They each have one prominent white mark, the ram's on his forehead and the ewe's in the corner of her eye. These two are very fine-boned.

Friday afternoon Maggie had a standing ewe and a just-born ram she was cleaning off when I got home from work. The ram is fawn and the ewe is moorit. Maggie's lambs are solid little lambs with stockier builds and are very square.

Just as Maggie was cleaning off her ram Clover was in early active labor. By five o'clock three lambs were born and cleaned.  The two katmogets had horn buds so I assumed they were rams. The moorit was clearly a ewe. Upon closer inspection the runt seemed to have no male anatomy and not quite familiar female anatomy either. I suspect this little one is a hermaphrodite. 












Saturday afternoon temperatures reached the mid-50s, and once again Wynona decided to lamb outside in the paddock. I had to rescue the little ewe from the dangers of the big girls whose unwelcoming head-butts were at very least frightening for her.








And before bed another ewe was in early labor. Tail-head raised, Edna stood star-gazing chewing her cud. I shut off the barn lights, closed the doors, and much like a little kid at Christmas, fell asleep anxious for the morning's surprise. And what a SURPRISE!
Edna seemed to have lambed the ultimate variety pack: an almost solid grey ewe with a few small white spots, a musket speckled ram, and a yuglet ilget grey ewe. All three are doing quite well.

So far this brings our tally to:
14 lambs out of 6 ewes
4 rams and 10 ewes 
6 lambs sired by Winston and 8 by Nelson

We still have three more girls to lamb. My guess is Madeleine will triple first, Ella will twin second, and Annie will twin last. I'm hoping for seven rams!



Wednesday, April 2, 2014

One week until lambing...

One week until the ewes are officially due. Here are the ladies as they appeared a week ago. Udders are definitely larger this week.


Wynona - Is she pregnant? Maybe she'll single.


Edna - She must have at least two.

Bel - She's definitely bred but there may be only one in there.

Madeleine - She tripled last year and was smaller. Maybe she'll triple full-term this year?

Clover - Two or three. She's wider than she's been in the past.
Ella - I'd say one but both her sister and mother have consistently had triplets.
Claire - Small twins.

Maggie - A safe set of twins.