Stories from the Farm

Lamb races are the highlight of lambing season.  They are especially fun to watch when you have a bunch of lambs.  The only rule is – there are NO RULES 🙂  There is usually a leader but we seem to have several leaders this year, which makes it even more fun to watch.  Lamb races can be viewed at feeding time.  Once the ewes are fed the lambs sneek out of the barn and race up and down the pasture.  A couple of the first time mamas would frantically chase after them, screaming at their lambs, but they have succombed to the fact that the older lambs have corrupted their precious babies.

We haven’t seen the sun very much, in fact, it feels like months since I have felt it on my face!  It felt like Spring today – it was so nice and rejuvenating.  I’m sorry to those of you that still have snow on the ground. 

Infiniti enjoyed sunning herself.

Rainier soaked it in.

Solstice was batting her lashes at the camera and flirting with the boys.

I know there will be more rain and cold weather, but I love these warm February Spring like days. 

I am really lucky to have such a good little barn helper…

These are a couple Jacob x Blueface Leicester cross lambs.  Their mom doesn’t have enough milk, so we are supplementing them.  This has become Theron’s job and he is really good at it.  If one of them doesn’t finish, he trys to hold onto them and put the bottle back in their mouth 🙂  He loves the fact that they will let him pet and cuddle them.

This is Peanut, he is my other barn helper, but not the helpful kind!  He likes to follow me and chew on my pant legs as I am feeding.  This morning I almost fell flat on my face due to him crawling between my legs as I was walking.

Here Theron is feeding our other supplemental, bottle lamb – yep, it’s Peanut.  His mama only has half a bag due to an old shearing injury.  I tried supplementing Peanut’s brother as well, but he wanted nothing to do with it and I was having to chase him down.  Peanut was very happy to get the extra food, in fact he doesn’t even hang out with his mom and brother anymore.  Unfortunately this has meant that I have to feed him more…

but he is so cute 🙂

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!