Sunday, July 11, 2010

Blog surfing, Summer lamb tending

Up late again-- having blog fun, other people's links-- I found this one:

http://mabelswish.blogspot.com/

which delighted me with old favorite music, and lots of creativity--so-- I added it to the list at right.

We finished ear tagging and vaccinating lambs yesterday, a marathon with 26  remaining lambs and 16 ewes.   We also hoof trimmed and wormed all the ewes, and called out ear tags to Kelly, the State Scrapie Vet tech who inspects the sheep every year.   I need to remember days like this when I want to keep "just one" lamb from every ewe I have. 
Sheep hoarding.  There's got to be a prescription for that-- or at least, therapy.

Tonight one of my favorite ram lambs ripped off a horn sheath-- I have no idea how, but I suspect it was only a fence accident.  I held him while Emily ran for meds and a snippers to finish the job, and he bled all over me.  Poor boy. 

Rook, after.  Horn stub on right.

Good thing I checked in on the 8 ram lambs who got separated from their moms and sisters yesterday for the first time.  Oh the crying and wailing that went on through the night, Friday night.  The same night that the power went out, so we had to keep windows open for "natural air conditioning". 

All rams, few horns.  LRO Linden's pollie, Aspen, is front and center.  Behind and right is Bluebell's Forrest.  The spotty, behind, is a Finn ram.

Poor Niav, from Sabrina's Boston Lake Farm, only had one boy, her first, her only lamb-- and she grieved all night.  Another yearling ewe, Little Red Oak Linden, was in the same boat, but was not so demonstrative.  Simon is pictured at left, here-- a nice dark brown.  Linden's boy is the pollie musket named Aspen, above.


It's the heart of summer around here.  The mosquitoes are thick and furious, pestering the flock incessantly.  The sheep lay down to keep them from biting their legs-- or is it so that their babies will quit trying to "grab a snack" off the ewes' udders?   The ewes have had about enough of it by now. . . so it's even better that the ram lambs got their own pasture and building. 

8 comments:

Nancy K. said...

Isn't it heartbreaking taking the only lamb away from a yearling ewe? It's like her only family and best friend in the whole world is suddenly gone. Dazzle is quite inconsolable. I feel like a monster.

It sounds like you guys REALLY got a lot of work done around there. It's always a good feeling to get all of that taken care of. I hope your little guy grows back a nice, correct horn!

Sabrina Wille Erickson said...

You have such a robust bunch of ram lambs, Gail. I love their cheek and poll wool.

Is Simon Niav's lamb?

Crosswinds Farm said...

Simon is handsome, is he a half-poll?

Gail V said...

Hi Corrinne,
I have to look up who his sire was -- it was either Kimberwood Leonardo, a smooth poll, or LittleRedOak March, a scurred ram out of Leo. I'm tryin' to go that way...

Gail V said...

And thank you, Nancy and Sabrina, for your kind words about my sheep-world!

Gail V said...

Sabrina, I missed your question about Simon. Yes, he is your Niav's lamb-- a great mom, a great looking boy.

Candy said...

Everyone is growing so fast. The wool is looking so good. I can hardly wait for next years fleece.

commoncents said...

Thanks for posting! I really like your blog!!

Steve
common cents
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com