The ewes’ lambing chores are done for another year, and their job now is to regain strength and condition. It has still been pretty hot and muggy for them so they spend much of the day under the trees. They come out for brief periods of the day but do most of their eating at night and in the early morning. We are feeding them about a bale of hay a day, as the pasture is still growing slowly even after the recent storms. The shepherdess/s’ job is to keep an eye on them to make sure they are all recovering from the big job of raising their lambs, and that everyone is drying up without complications.
The lambs are already becoming much more independent. They have been moved to the cleanest and greenest pasture on the farm. Hay was made here in early June and nothing has been on it since late March. The lambs are now scattered all over the field in small groups when grazing, but are quickly learning to come when they hear the call “C’mon sheep!” We scored them again on Saturday, and all but three’s scores were satisfactory. Those three were marked with chalk on their rears so that we can easily spot them in the field and keep an eye on them. It is very rewarding observing the lambs growing and developing their unique personalities. It’s lamb watching time, once again.
