Spring Lambs!

I'd meant to go visit my neighbors' new crop of lambs for a few weeks but had been delayed. One day, though, I finally stopped by and took a tour:

The sheep were divided into numerous pens, some with many sheep and some with only a few. Old ewes, new mothers and handicapped mothers were usually put into small pens. Mothers with twins were often sectioned off so they could easily tend to and bond with their tiny babies:

The biggest, healthiest lambs in the large pens were having the most fun:

A blind ewe and an elderly ewe were given special consideration:

And all the animals were given exacting and merciful care:

The lambs, of course, were adorable. Some seemed afraid of me and some seemed to regard me with great curiosity:

There were two rams in the two biggest pens. One was dangerous and I was not allowed in that pen, but the elderly ram in the other big pen was used to people and oblivious to visitors:

The farmer went in to check on the sheep in one pen:

The ewes didn't mind her, but the lambs bounced around playfully:

There was much activity:

She told me that she had 48 lambs, only two of which needed to be bottle fed this year. One of the bottle babies had been rejected by its mother and put in with a ewe so old that she didn't do much of anything anymore. She had no milk to feed the baby, but served as a warm mommy substitute for the little one. The two of them had their own pen but the photo I took of them was not usable:

We chatted and watched the lambs. I said hello to Doug, her friendly horse, and then I took my leave:

A Visit With My Sister - Part 3

Despite the bad weather during my sister's visit, we had a lot of fun. While passing through Malone, New York, we noticed that Bokie's 1950s chrome and pink drive-in diner was open for the season. Of course we stopped and ate lunch there. Bokie's is always fun and we always have a hearty meal:

We also visited my neighbors' sheep farm, less than a day after the first lambs were born:

Twin births mean tiny lambs, so the farmer puts mother and babies in a small pen to protect the little ones from being trampled by the flock and to help the ewe and lambs stay close while they bond:

We didn't dare enter the pen with the young, dangerous ram, but this pen had an old man of a ram who was content to ignore us as we visited. That's him lying down. He never even turned his head to see who was entering his pen:

On the other side of the barn was another group, this one without any rams, and all of the ewes were ready to give birth at any moment:

Doug, the friendly Morgan Horse, was loose and accompanied us wherever we walked. He likes people, sheep, dogs, cats - and nearly everybody. He likes company:

This mother had two lambs, though one was behind her when I took the photo:

Another pen of ewes. The colorful markings, like the red blotches, are used when giving medications so the farmers know who has been dosed already. Imagine trying to keep track without marking the animals!

If you remember a couple of earlier photos of two lambs born ahead of the others, they had by this time grown rapidly to an amazing size. We stopped and said hello to them before we left:

Spring Chores

Our weather is finally improving although we just had snow again yesterday. The little hens are laying eggs again:

 The Barred Rock bantams are getting too old to lay very many eggs and there are only three Easter Egger bantams left, so I'm not getting the flood of eggs I used to get, at least not yet:

 I stopped in at the neighbor's sheep farm and watched as they put out a new hay bale for this group. The old ewe is blind, so they separate her when she first lambs to help her bond with and identify her lamb:

 A woman at church wanted Pussy Willows, so I went down to where I knew I had some growing, and indeed they were just beginning to open:

 They looked like they're going to have a good year:

 A closeup:

 I vacuumed up all the dead cluster flies and Asian beetles in the back room, then filled my 144 seed cups with potting soil. It's still too early to plant seeds, but I'm ready:

 The Rugosa Roses had grown so tall and spindly that I decided they needed to be cut back severely:

 I sharpened my chainsaw and began cutting. Alas, the canes had so many small, sharp spines that they were painful to even get near:

 The small spines stuck in any exposed skin and even pushed through thick, lined gloves:

 But I got the job almost done and was planning to tackle another chainsaw job when the chain accidentally hit the steel wire fence and was ruined. That ended everything for the day:

 But I had a big pile of thorny rose canes to dispose of. I carefully put baling twine around them and then dragged them off to the side, for disposal later in the year. I don't know if I helped or hurt the Rugosa Roses, but I believe they will burst forth with much new growth this spring:

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: