Friday, March 19, 2010

On birth and dyeing - its March 19th


It happened again this year. The first lamb of the season was born on March 19th. It has been the case for many years. Strangely, because while we intend to lamb about the same time every year, (hoping for better weather), it doesn't seem to matter what day we turn the Bucks out, because the first lamb always seems to be born on the 19th.

This year, we'll blame the spring snow. Hopefully, what will be the last of the season. The long awaited preview of spring was short lived - 2 days - and, as predicted, the sky turned gray late yesterday afternoon, the wind turned cold and damp this morning, and sleet and snow followed shortly after. The first lamb hit the ground about the same time.

A nice buck lamb. A single, but we'll keep him. Not one of the hoped for candidates to be colored. And not the predicted first birth either. There surely will be more soon. Several of the girls have had that miserable look about them the last few days. And maybe thats why we had to play a rousing game of 'Who's the Mama?'. the little guy appeared to have nursed, and there were at least 4 ewes playing midwife, and had him cleaned up nicely. One insisted he belonged to her, but I've been at this long enough to know better. It took a few rounds through the bellowing throng before I spotted her. The real mother had to be 782. I finally managed to sort her off, and she was mildly interested in the baby. But he had already taken to the ewe who had offered him lunch. This may take an adjustment.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Rhonda, he is a nice ram lamb. You are lucky that you are just started lambing I have been lambing since Late December and I think I'm on my third and final round we have 10 more ewes to go!When we saw you at the Nebraska Sheep and Goat Conference we had about 20 well we grew to now over 50. Talk to you later Jody at Yanez Farms Ansley NE

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