Enjoying the Sun

An unusually warm day for March got us all out enjoying the sun. Wonderful first day of Spring! While the lambs slept I got the barnyard cleaned out with the Bobcat, which started right up for me. Be still my heart. It must have wanted to be out of the barn too after a long inactive winter.Operating that little bobcat makes me feel happy because I get so much accomplished. Today, I not only got the manure out but I also got a post on the forebay lifted into place. WhooHoo. I'll apply to MIT for fall semester. I totally understand why men love their tractors.

In spite of the full moon last night I came out to find NO NEW Lambs in the Shetland pen. Come on girls, this is getting ridiculous.

Shetland Babies Arriving!

Lillian and I discovered these ram twins in one of the craters in the Shetland pen this morning. After picking up heavy BFL babies all week these little guys are like poofs. We sang "picking up paw paws put 'em in you pocket" as we carried them to the lambing pens. Actually I sang while Lillian rolled her eyes. Another Shetland mom to be stood in the pen and protested our taking the lambs as if we were taking HER lambs. Guess she will have hers pretty soon since her maternal instinct has kicked in.

The Wait is Over!

In October I had 6 ewes artificially inseminated with new genetics from the UK. Unfortunately due to the Murphy's Law that haunts my life, most of the ewes rejected the procedure.Waiting for everything to go right over the winter was stressful but today I got twin rams from the Mossvale Masterplan aka Scotty semen. Right now they are wet and very newborn looking but in the next few days I hope they start looking like their "dear old dad." BELIEVE as my sister-in-law always tells me, and it will happen. The other ewe that also conceived with the Scotty semen is due any time now too. Maybe a girl or two this time? BELIEVE

2011 Bluefaced Leicester Lambs

2011 lambs for sale

I'm really happy with this year's lambs. My goal of straighter legs and wider chests is achieved in a lot of these little guys.

Time Away

Poor Tim is shepherd in charge while I travel to North Carolina with Molly for Grad school interviews. All the BFL ewes were supposed to be lambed by now (except the AI girls)... they're NOT. Tim not only has to feed but is on lamb patrol.

Since the Shetlands are sheared they are digging their individual craters in the bedding at night to keep warm. I warned Tim about walking through these holes (some quite deep) while feeding since I have taken a few falls only to be trampled by the starving masses, too impatient to wait for me to get up! Tim fed this AM very early and in the dark. He couldn't find the light switch in the second pen so he thought he'd just carefully walk through the sleeping flock. Wellll...these are Shetlands remember so with each step another panicked ewe shot into the air until he felt like he was in the midst of whack a mole with ewes popping up all around him. He likened it to walking through exploding land mines. He called to say thanks for the warning while laughing. Tim likes my Shetlands so they can do no wrong.

Down here in North Carolina it's so much warmer than home and I have seen some flowering shrubs. Spring really is coming and it feels oh so good.

29 Lambs

The lambs are coming slowly but I couldn't be happier with how they look. 7 natural colored ewe lambs. I really looks funny to see so many dark sheep running in the lamb races at night. They charge in a line through the barnyard, out around the tree in the pasture then run back to check in with mom. Watching them never gets old. Molly and I watched for a long time the other night just laughing. It's good to have her home to help me.