Monday, February 28, 2011

Midnight Lamb Rescue

On the midnight shift, I was doing "rounds", and found Beryllium in a corner of the barn licking her freshly born Jacob ewe lamb. I moved her and the lamb into a jug. Decided to name the lamb, "Balalaika" and waited to see if mom would birth another one.

As I waited, I thought heard a distant lamb cry. So I went outside with my flashlight to check on the pregnant ewes. Most were quietly snoring. A few were munching on hay. I turned to leave and then heard a loud, wail, “Maaah ! Maaah ! Baaah, Baaah !”  

Momma BERYLLIUM
BALALAIKA


Turning my flashlight toward the pitiful sound, I saw a little lamb stuck in a pasture crevice behind a fence where it couldn't get out. I crawled on hands and knees under the fence and grabbed it--a sturdy boy with lots of pretty black spots. He was dripping wet and shivering. I took him over to the ewes and set him down. He wobbled towards them, looking for milk, but none of them claimed .

BANJO
SInce I had a new mother inside the barn, I scooped the babe up and took him in to see if it might be hers, or at least maybe I could convince her to accept him, so I wouldn't end up having a bottle lamb.  This must be done cautiously. If it isn't hers, she will know by smell and will butt him away.

I held the little ram lamb up to Beryllium’s nose and watched hopefully. She took one sniff and started licking him... Yes ! Balalaika has a twin brother.  Apparently Momma Beryllium left him outside, went to the barn to have her 2nd lamb and then forgot about him. But she's accepts him like he's never been missing and and lets him nurse, which he does eagerly--his little tail wagging with happiness to be where he belongs. I named him "Banjo".  Linda Dee


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

News from the Barn


Just in from the barn where I snapped this photo of a lamb being born. Laying under mom on the hay is her sister, born just 15 minutes before. Here's the scene... I arrive for an afternoon "barn check" and find mom, Rose (Rozay, like the wine) licking her first black babe, a big bouncy girl. I pick up the newborn and use it to lead Rose into a "jug" which is a birthing pen we set up for new mothers to have private space and bond with their lambs. I'm aware that Rose is still in labor and soon, this 2nd lamb, also a girl (ewe) pops out. I'm surprised & delighted to see both of these girls are black as their parentage is 75% Tunis. It remains to be seen if they will keep their black color or if it will change, like the red coats of purebred Tunis lambs.

In the next photo, Rose is eating the afterbirth while lamb is hunting for milk.

What shall we name these lambs? Naming is both serious and fun for us... Serious because the names give us instant data about the animal, including age and parentage. And fun because each year has a theme which must be broad enough to allow for choices for 60-90 names. Our oldest ewes are YinChen and WuSong from 2000 when the theme was Chinese. Other themes have included Trees, Rivers, State Capitols, Singers, Elements, Beverages, Movie Stars and for 2011: Music.
I'm naming these black girls: "Reggae" (rhymes with mother's name, Rose) and "Rhumba".

Here's a photo of our first lambs of 2011, another set of twins from a breed called Jacob. This is also a rare heritage breed... known for their black and white spotted fleeces, and 2-4 horns on both ewes and rams. "Piccolo" (girl) is in the lead, followed by her twin brother, "Percussion". They don't stand still for photos, so this is the best I could do.

And that's todays Barn News,  Baa Baa









 

Monday, February 21, 2011

Here goes... first post from Hillspring Farm.... we just started Lambing time here. These 4 Tunis cuties were actually born 3 years ago, but it's not every day I take a camera to the barn. You're looking at 3 girls and a boy... can you tell which one he is?  Wrong !  The little boy (Lead) has darker face and his twin sister Lutitium is "on top".

These lambs are born with the red coloring all over. Their fleece turns creamy white as they age, while their faces and legs remain red, giving the Tunis breed, it's nickname, "the Red Heads".

Here's one of our Tunis ewe lambs in September after her fleece changed color. First time I laid eyes on a Tunis, I fell in love with their large ears. Tunis are mellow, sweet sheep... easy to handle, a medium size with many traits that organic farmers, like us appreciate such as being good thrifty grazers. They are also prized by chefs and "slow food folks", being on the Ark of Taste. They are the oldest American land race of sheep, dating from the first "couple" to arrive from Tunisia in 1799.

Hillspring sheep not only provide quality meat, but also lovely wool for spinning and knitting.
Lambing is not all that's happening at Hillspring Farm... seed packets are arriving and garden log books from previous years are being consulted... when to start the first bedding plants ? Last year, I started celery & thyme on April 7th and noted that it was perfect... so for all you folks who start seeds in February... good luck with keeping them from getting leggy. I've done this and always regretted it. I like sturdy, fat plants, rather on the small side to eliminate transplant shock. Early April starting for the slower germinating, slower growing plants works best for me... and not until mid-April for peppers, tomatoes, brassicas and flowers. And that's my gardening tip for today. May all your seeds be blessed and abundant,  Linda Dee