Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Love Is In The Air

The day has finally come to put Truffles and Baby in with the girls. Truffles is a beautiful Icelandic ram and Baby his trusty side kick. Baby is a wether. Herd animals can not be kept as a single unit. They have to have a buddy to be happy. When we brought Truffles home we brought a friend with him. They have stayed separate from the girls so we would know when they were bred. The minute the gate came open and we went into the boys pasture the girls came tearing down the hill.

We thought we would try using a harness with a yellow crayon on Truffles. Supposedly this way we would have a physical indication that he had been there and done his business.

He acted like a little girl that had to wear a bra for the first time. Eww, this is uncomfortable... I can't move...Its too tight.

However, the minute he was turned in with the girls all thoughts of his "bra" were forgotten. I could just hear him. "Hi, my name is Truff...I live over in the next pasture. I have been keeping my eye on you. You sure are cute..."

The girls aren't sure if he is a good thing or not. They are playing interested but shy. Giving him come hither looks and then running away.

Inside the barn it was time to hang up the handy dandy "buck rag". Isabella and Corina had both been bred prior to coming to live on our farm. One good way to determine if they are pregnant, when you don't have a buck around, is to hang a rag that has been rubbed on the chest and face of a buck in rut. Evidently, this makes the girls go wild if they are not settled. Isabella took her time sniffing....

Corina took her turn next....
The littles even acted a bit interested. We weren't sure if they had come in heat this season yet. We know they are still too small to breed. Bella thought the buck rag was "interesting"....

......and it was soon forgotten. Evidently the bigs are with kid and the littles are a bit too little to care. Some things, like a new hay rack just seem more important.

The pups were out in full energy mode. What do labs do when there is a puddle?

Zoom.......through them at 45mph in full lab on crack mode.
All in all it was a fun day. We are very excited about the possibility of having kids and lambs in the spring. Now it looks like that is a real possibility. Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.
Kelly

6 comments:

katiegirl said...

Yay for babies! I'm crossing my fingers for you that Truffles will be successful in his endeavors. LOL!!

Becky said...

I can't wait to see pictures of all the babies you're going to have on the farm in a few months! What a cool trick with that buck rag. Glad that the girls didn't go crazy over it.
Puppies and children are a lot alike when it comes to mud, aren't they? :)

Kelly said...

Katiegirl- Yep, we hope he is a fertile young man.

Becky-Spring should be a busy time for us and we can't wait. As far as puppies and children...at least the children bathed every day.

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. We love hearing from you.
Kelly

Peggy said...

Things are going well at Mainely Ewes Farm. Looking forward to seeing all the new babies.

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Oh good luck on lots of babies! Blessings,Kathleen

Kelly said...

Peggy- It's always good to hear from you. We are looking forward to babies too. A bit apprehensive thinking about how many there could be come spring. But very happy.

Kathleen- Thank you for the good wishes. We will need them. We are ICU nurses not L&D. We can do this.

Kelly