{this moment}
a Friday ritual… a single photo… no words
capturing a moment from the week
(participating with the Soule Mama blog)
Tag: lambs
Lambing Moments
Experiencing… the joy of discovering who you belong to… in a field full of strangers
Busy with lambing
The barn is a very active place right now, all 10 lambing jugs are full and a makeshift pen is waiting in the wings.
Total lamb count so far is 21, with many unexpected twins to first-timers!
Some are nearing ready to be turned out to the pasture to open up jugs for new lambs, and some have already been released to enjoy the sunshine of the great outdoors. 
We are enjoying the sounds of mommas calling to lambs, and the little baas of the lambs answering. We are also enjoying the peacefulness of them resting calmly together.
It is a very tiring but rewarding time of year. Everyone is anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first colored lambs as the first 21 have all been white.
Two more lambs to share
Wednesday afternoon Princess delivered a beautiful little ewe which we are excited about. Her lambs are always the fastest growers, and this is her first ewe so we shall see if she grows as well as her ram lambs did. She is still damp in this picture so it is not the best:
Then, early this morn, around 1 a.m., we got our first purebred border leicester… a ram lamb from Kelly:
A rather handsome little fellow who will hopefully be a great stud ram for someone’s fiber farm.
Our First Lamb of 2010 has Arrived
Our first lamb was born last night: a robust little 9 lb 12 oz ram lamb who is three-quarters border leicester and has the sweetest little face and quiet Baaaa!
After the challenging winter and amidst our healing…how fitting is it that our first lamb #1001 is the son of #801 Patience, and grandson of #21 Hope?
We may have to break our “Do Not Name the Rams” rule for this little guy.
Anyone have name suggestions?
Late Bloomers… err.. Lambers
We love looking at the pictures of the new Pygora kids at Painted Shadow Farm, and although it is quite pleasurable to watch the early lambers… such as Leyden Glen Farm and Romney Ridge Farm…
we are quite content for the time being to sit on the sidelines and observe… living vicariously through their tales of vaginal prolapses and bottle babies, and of course rejoicing with them in their triumphs over adversity.
And really never, have we been ever so grateful for our decision to be among the late lambers as we have been this winter. The thought of dealing with all this snow and lambing is just intolerable. It makes the thought of bringing newborn lambs and mama up over the hill… well after midnight… in the pouring rain… seem almost pleasant.
We are truly looking forward to days like these…
Aaahhh… sunshine… and baby lambs… anticipation… allowing us to somewhat ignore the 3-day winter storm watch once again coming our way.
Stranded
Saul’s group stranded at the bottom of the hill, luckily at the end of an old logging road
10-month old lambs stranded at the bottom of the graveyard field
Samson stranded at the middle shelter (note the perimeter fencing in the foreground)
Liam’s group stranded in a small circle at the top of the hill
Remaining sheep stranded in a small area, but luckily at the barn… the two goats are also stranded in this area… this is pleasant for no one
(to be continued…)
Weekend Wrap-Up, Day 1
Saturday was to have been sheep moving day, but by feeding time the wind chill had only risen to -9 degrees and our 30% chance of snow looked like this.
So… following the best laid plans of mice and men adage, we moved into the fiber room and skirted a few of the remaining lambs’ fleeces and watched some naturally-dyed logwood purple yarn dry.
Lamb Crop 2009
We have a beautiful crop of lambs this fall! As you can see from the pictures taken last week before shearing, they have produced long, lovely fleeces; perfect for handspinners. Skirting to begin soon…
Since shearing, it seems that literally a huge weight has been lifted from them. That combined with the cooler temperatures has given them a renewed sense of fun. They are having a grand time running through the fields, jumping and kicking up their heels. (Yes, they really do kick up their heels.) It is so pleasant watching them behave like little lambs, once again.
Shearing Day
Just a few of the wonderful fleeces from our lamb crop are pictured above. Many, many thanks to Joe who did a fantastic job, as usual! Thanks also to Mom, Darinda and our little helper, Harley, for lending a hand.
Let the skirting begin…