Lamb Storm

~ Cedar Pond's Tilda with her newborn blue-eyed lambs. ~

 What is that verse about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb ? My March has come in with a lamb storm. In the first three days of March , 7 of my ewes ( female sheep ) gave birth to 9 lambs. I have never had so many sheep give birth at the same time. I did not have enough lambing pens set up for so much action.

A lambing pen, or jug, is a small pen set up to contain a mama and her lamb(s) for at least a day, sometimes 2 or 3 days depending on the sheep. This enables the mama and lamb to bond while giving the shepherd the time to make sure all is well with them, band the lamb's tail, worm the mama. I usually give the new mama warm water with molasses or other nutritional supplements in her water and extra alfalfa. I also make sure she has expelled her afterbirth.

 ~ Cedar Pond's Tovah cleaning her newly born lamb.~

On March 2 I went outdoors in the morning and discovered Tilda had already had twins and had them cleaned and nursing. Great ! I had a clean pen ready for her and her lambs and after spraying the lambs' umbilical cords with iodine I moved them and their mama to the pen with a small bucket of fresh water and alfalfa hay. Tilda's blue-eyed lambs were up and nursing her so I knew everything was fine. I went indoors to get some housework done.

 

45 minutes later I went outdoors to check on Tilda and discovered Gudrid was having lambs. She'd already had one lamb and cleaned it off and another was on the way. Oh no, I had two small pens set up and they had mamas with twins in them and now I had another set of twins, where was I going to put them ? Thinking quickly I ran out to the storage shed and carted a large dog kennel panel to Tilda's pen and tied it in the middle as a divider, making 2 pens out of the one. Then I gathered the lambs (with Gudrid trying to gore me for taking her lambs) and settled them into their new pen with their mama. Whew , I was so sore from the hard physical work this had become. But the lambs were healthy and I now had 3 mamas , counting Buttercup and her twins born earlier, all settled. Now I knew I could take a break, maybe finish my cup of cold coffee.

 

I went to the feed store shortly after getting the mama and lambs settled , came home about an hour later and getting out of the car I heard a sheep bawling and screaming. Oh no, there was Sassafras in the sheep stall with 2 little lamb's feet sticking out of her  and she couldn't push he lamb out. So I had to catch her ( because what sheep wants to be handled when she is in pain ? ) and pin her against the stall wall and hang onto her with one hand, whilst I put my other hand inside her to assess the situation. Sure enough, it was a big lamb who's head was trying to exit Sassafras the same time as the front feet. That was NOT going to happen. I had to slip my hand past the lamb's head , push it back a little and then pull the slippery lamb's feet out far enough to then grip the legs and pull hard. I don't know how I managed this , but I did. The lamb slid out and Sassafras immediately began cleaning her little girl lamb off. Now where was I going to put her ?

~ Cedar Pond's Tasha and ewe lamb.~

 I got creative with kennel panels and baling twine and had everyone housed and then... you guessed it, within the next 36 hours it was bam, bam, bam...lambs! I have been so sore in the evenings from all the physical work required I have been going to bed early ( for me ) after already snoozing on the sofa after dinner. Good grief, I must be getting older.

I am thankful to say thus far all my ewes have recovered nicely from giving birth to healthy and very cute lambs. Today my husband helped me band the tails of the last two lambs born, and the mamas with lambs have been released from their small lambing pens to mingle with each other while the lambs are bouncing, and leaping with the joy of new life. Now only two more ewes to give birth , what bounty for me this year. March came in like a lamb, and a lamb, and a lamb...

Random Happenings Around Cedar Pond

 It's that time of year I spend a lot of time watching and evaluating my Jacob sheep. This is Gudrid. Her four horns are a bit wonky but I like them, and I like her. I also like her fleece. I have a new ram and am hoping Cedar Pond's Gudrid and  Puddleduck Jonas will produce some amazing lambs for me. I am excited about spring 2016 lambs already.

 My husband was painting the second story of our house front, directly over the skylights in the sunroom. The cats were fascinated and watched him the whole time he was up there.

 Blizzard ...

 ... and Miss Marple.

 I finished my chicken embroidery on a piece of linen. I am still not sure what I am going to do with it. Add words ? Make a pillow or tea cozy with it ? Put it away in a drawer and forget about it ?

I carry a small bag of embroidery projects with embroidery floss, scissors and extra needles for those times I find myself waiting somewhere away from home. The doctor's office, the auto shop, or while visiting people. If I have some stitchery to do it keeps my hands busy and my mind free to concentrate on conversation or prayer. 

We now know why our fountain is losing water more rapidly than it should. Just glad Ella and Fella can't actually get into the fountain to splash and swim ! ( You know that is what they're contemplating.)

 

We finally got some rain this past weekend, along with a windstorm that knocked out our power and kept us without electricity over night. We survived , but many in our area sustained a lot of damage to their homes and the winds whooshed their way over the mountains to eastern Washington without much rain fanning the flames and spreading the already devastating wildfires there.

 

September is here and I am so happy about this. It has been a very hot , dry, and busy summer , but my favorite season is almost here and along with September cooler weather has come. Yay !!!!

Spring & Loving All the Joy It Brings

 Last night a new lamb was born here on Cedar Pond, making the total thus far ~ one ram ( boy ) lamb and 4 ewe ( girl) lambs. This is last night's newborn, a lilac ewe from Cedar Pond's Brigida and Shadow Mountain's Landon-Tonkin. I am holding her just before my husband banded her tail to shorten it. I am also hopeful I will love her horn-set. She was a very healthy little ewe lamb, up and looking for her mama's milk within the hour of her birth. This is what I love about my Jacob Sheep, they are an old breed , a primitive breed, a survivor breed !

 Ella has laid 9 eggs thus far and seems to be ready to settle down and sit on her eggs. Jim fixed a gate on the goose pen and we will fence off the small goose-yard for the duration of Ella's incubation of her eggs. Fella has already begun to protect the nest site , a good sign things are going according to God's design and plan for making more baby geese. ( The green were laid by the ducks Ella & Fella hatched last year and raised as their own lil' babes.)

 Hellebores, one of our first blooming plants here, and loved ( bee-loved ) by our bees. The hellebores are covered with our honeybees seeking nectar and pollen at a time of the year both are scarce.

Lambs, new lambs. Something I never tire of, a joy and sight that brings me to tears for the joy. I know the day is coming soon I will not be breeding sheep but I put off that thought because the joy of keeping sheep, the joy of new lambs...well, it brings me joy that cannot be described except that the joy makes me cry. ( Happy crying, so don't worry. ) This is Gudrid and her new lamb, a lilac Jacob Sheep ewe. Gudrid is shown here nursing her lamb .Yes, the Gudrid mentioned in my last post.  Gudrid is a first-time mama and I love everything about her breeding. She is the daughter of Bide-a-wee Buttercup and Cedar Pond's Goth. She looks in physical appearance very much like Goth's mama , Cedar Pond's Tiara. I am so happy with the lambs from both parents and their amazing heritage I am planning on keeping this little lilac ewe lamb no matter what. Besides, a first time mama who tends her lamb so well will pass on this exceptional quality to her daughters.

March is here, spring is here, new lambs are here, new baby chicks are here, joy is here !