Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Mainely Ewes Farm’s First Lamb

Welcome and celebrate with us.  We had an unexpected arrival last evening.  We didn’t expect any lambs until after April 1st.  We noticed that one of our sheep was missing yesterday afternoon.  Even though we feed a bale of hay in the morning, the sheep act like they are always missing a meal. We were taking an additional bale out in the afternoon.   All we have to do is open the barn door and baaaa, baaa and they all come running.  They’re  not pushy like the goats. But you really get their attention. Oh, I digress.  Well, Esther just wasn’t in the stampede.  We looked behind the hay feeder and there was Esther and her little ram lamb.

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Look at those horns!  He is perfectly formed.  His sire is Truffles our borrowed ram.  Truffles  will be going back to his previous farm. Long story. Best for both parties. Word of wisdom. Don’t buy a ram from a teenager.

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We, like so much of the east coast are having torrential rains this week.  We moved both mom and lamb into the lambing jug in the barn.  We gave him his Bo-Se shot for vit E and selenium.  This is the same vaccination that we gave the goats. It prevents the White Muscle Disease, aids in preventing periodontal disease, low wool yields and reproductive problems.  We then dipped the umbilical cord in 7% iodine to prevent tetanus.  This practice is used with any newborn that will be on a farm. 

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Both mom and ram lamb are doing well. Esther is proving herself to be an excellent mother.  So far no bottle lambs or kids.  All of the moms are excellent.

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Welcome little ram lamb. This morning he tried to escape through the door when Ted went into the stall.  Lambs seem to be more active than kids. At least this is the assessment we have made on our farm.  He won’t be alone long.  We have 5 bred ewes due any day now.  Thank you for visiting and sharing this most momentous moment with us.

To Tracy’s mom in Washington State, she told us you were having trouble commenting on our blog. I think you have to start a Google account. We are looking forward to your visit in the fall.  We want to have you and Tracy over for a good Southern meal. Fuzzy says hello to her grandllamamama.

Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.  We hope that everyone is safe and dry.

Kelly

6 comments:

Peggy said...

He is adorable! No lambs or kids here sadly but we do have baby piglets with more on the way any minute as Ms. Scarlett is in labor. If I stay I want to get at least 2 goats which hopefully will be one of Diva's and one of Sammi's but we will see.

taylorgirl6 said...

Congratulations! That little ram is very cute. I'm hoping the rest of your lambing season goes just as easily.

LindaSue said...

and a great big chorus of AWWWWWW - but it looks a tad painful the ram lamb is born with horns - aargh.

Lili said...

Oh what a gorgeous little ram. I can only imagine how exciting it was to lay eye on this newborn creature for the first time. Congrats! What a sweet little sight. ~Lili

Terri said...

Congratulations on your first little lamby boy! He is so cute! I'm glad your ewe delivered with no problems. As a single, he should do really well. We do name all of our ram lambs, you never know which ones might be keepers in the end. Just remember, no matter what happens, he will have a happy life on your farm, wether it's a short life, or long, it's better than being a feedlot lamb! He will receive a lot of love and care, and give you many memories.

Bee Haven Bev said...

OMG, that is just the cutest ever! Thanks for sharing...great way to start my day. Happy Spring!!!