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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Who Needs the Gym When You Have Sheep?



I am so tired of waiting for Shetlands to lamb. I've worn a path to their barn with only 4 lambs to show for all my walks.This morning I walked out to find a ewe presenting 2 heads and 2 legs! Never had this one before. It was Selah, one of my less friendly sheep too. Of couse after catching Selah, I discovered that 1 leg went with each lamb! Double great! It was one big log jam. I could just hear the lambs bickering about who would go first while pushing the other out of the way. Both lambs were breathing and looking at me so pushing one back in was not an option. I tipped Selah up and poured in a bottle of OB lube and tried pulling one lamb.... nothing. Panic was close. Trying the other leg and head got the results I wanted. Out pulled one lamb. The second shot out right behind landing about 3 feet across the pen. As I tried to get Selah on her feet she took off like a shot right through the gate I had left open (@#$&*@) accross the yard and down the road in traffic! She ran and I ran faster, trying to get ahead of her to open a pasture gate to at least get her off the road. Success! Selah munched grass with no intentions of going back to her lambs. I put the lambs in the sun and took Lillian to school hoping Selah would reconsider and go back to motherhood. Wrong. The lambs were alone and crying when I got home. Selah was 2 pastures away with the flock, so I hearded the whole flock back to the barn. When Selah heard the lambs something clicked. It wasn't immediate recognition but for some reason she began to answer the lambs. First quiet bleats then loud baahs. Suddenly she bolted back into the barn and began licking her lambs as though the last 90 minutes had just been a small temporary insanity that a few blades of grass remedied. Both lambs are nursing and Selah is a wonderful first time mother and I need a cup of coffee and a nap!

3 comments:

Ebonwald Cardigans said...

oh lord I'm so sorry about the commottion! At least it was an Oh NO and Oh MY rendition! So very glad to hear that Selah is being a good momma. Her sister and mother were/are very good mommas.

Are they ewes or rams? Hopefully Ruben gives you some girls to hang on to!

Selah looks FANTASTIC!

Michelle said...

Oh my, I'm sure glad all I had to do was READ about it! I had two try to come at once one year, but managed to push one back. Nothing so exciting, thank goodness.

Potosi Sheep Farm said...

There is a ram and ewe. They will be getting OH NO type names too!

The first moorit ram I got from Ruben is beautiful. He stands as tho he knows it too. Think I will name him Adonis!