My Yearly "Cute Lamb Fix" - Part 2

I was taking my yearly spring tour of the neighbors' sheep farm (see also Part 1, posted yesterday), with a special emphasis on the cute lambs:

Most were white, but there were also black and spotted ewes and lambs:

The lambs hopped about and played. Those who are receiving supplemental milk feedings from a bottle were especially friendly:

It was a pleasure to watch the flock as they went about their lives. It was too wet outside for them to go out on the pasture, and I was amazed at how clean their bedding was:

Some of the ewes had been hand fed babies, and they were still friendly to people, coming up for a bit of attention:

The owner went and got a bottle for the little lamb who'd been begging for it earlier. He was only allowed a half a bottle because too much at once can make him sick, then she gave the other half to a different lamb:

This was the other lamb who got a half of the bottle. Sadie, the Sheepdog with a brand new haircut, came over for attention while her mom was holding still:

This ewe was blind, so she and her lamb were in a small pen of their own. They'll be allowed back out with the others when the lamb gets a little older and more bonded with his mother:

All in all, it was a peaceful scene although I knew all too well how much work it entailed:

These sheep were munching on hay, but my favorite part of the photo was the two faces watching us from the other pen across the aisle:

Just as it came time for me leave, Doug (the horse) returned for his nightly care and a bit more attention. I thanked my hosts and returned to my own animals:

My Yearly "Cute Lamb Fix" - Part 1

I was late getting over to the neighbors' sheep farm this spring, and the lambs had all been born and were on their feet and looking pretty healthy by the time I came for my yearly tour:

Some ewes were getting grain and some babies had interesting color patterns:

Most babies were white. I was told that they were all "hair sheep," breeds without real wool (though it looks like wool to me). They were a mix of Katahdin and Dorper breeds, and they kept a ram of each breed to keep the mix healthy:

Though I have kept livestock, including goats and a few sheep, I was still pretty much reduced (as I am every year) to "Gee, they sure are cute:"

The lambs nursed and frolicked, but they also came right over to look at me curiously:

A colorful mother with an even more colorful lamb:

Just as we were checking out the many pens full of sheep, their old horse came trotting into the barn to get some attention and be part of the action. His name was Doug and he had a personality much like Remy's - playful, intelligent and curious. He got bored soon and trotted back outdoors:

This black ewe had two black lambs but sadly, this was the best photo I got of them. The ewe in the foreground wanted her head scratched - and I obliged. The ewe in the back with the green stripe on her back was too skinny, so she had just had an extra worming. The green stripe was to mark her as "just wormed:"

This little lamb was very friendly and kept running up to my neighbor. She told me that she gives him supplemental feedings of milk from a bottle because his mother didn't have enough milk. That's Sadie, the just groomed sheep dog, watching us from the other side of the gate:

Not only is the grass greener on the other side of the fence, the hay is tastier on the other side of the gate:

These lambs looked older and they sure were active:

This group was in the opposite corner from the group in the above photo. But there was still more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

A Visit To The Neighbors' Sheep Farm

I stopped by to say hello to my neighbors and, knowing that I like to take pictures for the blog, they invited me out to the pasture to see their sheep:

They raise Katahdin sheep mixes, which are mostly used for meat. They come in a variety of colors:

There had been 44 lambs which survived this spring and were by then happily living outdoors with the flock:

The sheep didn't seem afraid of me but still wanted to keep tightly packed together. There is safety in numbers:

The neighbors and I talked about hay, tractors, predators, dogs and ridding haylofts of wild pigeons:

I walked closer to the flock for a few more photos:

The colored lambs were my favorite:

I don't know much about sheep, but I do know that the golden face and legs are indicative of some Tunis genes in this ewe's background:

Their horse was pleased to have company, even at a distance, and pranced back and forth behind the fence, apparently hoping we'd see him and come visit:

"Sadie the wonder dog" grew weary of our chatting and struck out on her own to interact with the sheep:

She didn't herd them, though I was told she can. Instead, she hung out with them, climbing up on their backs and licking their ears. The sheep seemed happy with that. I guess they know her pretty well:

But I had a lot of work to do, so I thanked my neighbors, bid them farewell and headed home to work on my to-do list for the day:

Spring Lambing At A Neighbors' Farm

I stopped in at the neighbors' barn one morning because I knew it was lambing season and they had a barn full of sheep:

I've heard of a "dog in a manger," but never before a "cat in a manger:"

Both the husband and wife were out in the barn when I arrived, and they were excited. I could tell a crisis was in progress:

The crisis was that two ewes had given birth to twins. One lamb had died already and this pair was struggling to survive. The lamb on the left was too weak to nurse, so their owner had milked out some colostrum from the ewe and fed it to the lamb. Its feeble cries were getting weaker and it didn't appear able to stand up. It was not expected to live:


 The rest of the sheep, however, were happy and healthy:

The sheep on this farm were mostly of mixed origins, largely Katahdin and Dorper, both primarily meat breeds:

The little pied lamb on the left was particularly appealing:

They'd just received their morning's hay and everyone was busy eating:

This is Mary, named for the nursery rhyme, "Mary Had a Little Lamb." She was a bottle fed baby and has remained tame all her life. Mary is old now, and is the main attraction when folks come to see the sheep. She's always friendly:

This ewe with the golden face was the mother of the pied lamb a couple of photos up:

And of course there were barn cats:

The owner fetched some stale bread and we fed the ewes. Well, actually she fed the ewes because they weren't interested in taking any bread from me, a person they didn't know. I helped the husband move a big round hay bale, thanked the couple and took my leave:

It's Lambing Time! - Part 1

I was working outdoors one day when a neighbor stopped by with her dog to say hello. She told me that her sheep were expected to give birth pretty much all at once during the following week, and invited me to stop by. So I waited a week and paid her a visit. She walked me out to the barn, wondering aloud if there had been any new births in the hour since she'd been there last. I pointed to this little lamb and and she said, "Yep, that's a new one:"

The little thing was less than an hour old and still covered with afterbirth. It would be difficult to find an animal any cuter:

There was another, smaller pen with several ewes and several lambs:

And I got to hold a black lamb:

The barn cat was comfortable on a pile of hay and could barely be bothered to look up as we walked around:

She said that most of her sheep were Katahdins, a "hair sheep" which does not bear wool. Instead, they shed their coats yearly, requiring no shearing. She also had Tunis and some other wool breeds, though, and those required shearing:

We stopped in at a larger pen, filled with adult sheep but no lambs. Most of the ewes, however, were pregnant and lambs were expected at any time:

In fact, one mama and her baby were in a small pen, sectioned off from the rest of the flock:

Many of the shorter haired Katahdin sheep looked like goats to me. The Tunis sheep had white wool on their bodies, but golden colored, short haired heads with floppy ears. You can see one in this photo:

The sheep were indoors because the outdoor areas were so very muddy:

There was a variety of colors and patterns. This one, I noticed, had polka dotted ears. But there was still more to see, so I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: