Stories from the Farm

I love lambs at a couple weeks old. 

I find myself getting wrapped up in watching them and spending a LOT of time in the barn.  Watching the moms and their different mothering styles is almost as engaging.  There is the ultra protective mama that will take on anybody that looks at her lamb(s) wrong.  There is the mother that feeds her lambs, but really doesn’t want to be bothered with anything more than that.  Her lambs are VERY independent and tend to be the trouble makers 🙂  There is the very strict mother, I have seen her scold her lambs something fierce for not staying where she told them to while she was eating. 

She is very methodical about putting her lambs in a certain spot when she eats and when she is done she calls to them to come get their dinner.  There are the babysitters that have lamb duties during the days, these seem to be the same sheep.  I wonder what the other ewes have to pay them to watch their kids?  “I’ll give you my ration of alfalfa if you will take my kids tomorrow.”  There are the screamers – no matter where their lambs are they stand and scream for them.  Their lambs will answer, but they won’t go find them, they continue to stand there and scream.  And my favorite is the ewe that always knows where her lamb(s) are, is very gentle with them and the other lambs, and doesn’t cause problems with the other ewes. 

We are finally back to normal Oregon winter weather – mild and rainy – and the sheep are delighted to be grazing their pasture again!