Lamb time

[altivo]

This year's lamb (I say this because I think he will be the only one) arrived this morning. When Gary put the sheep out, he noticed that Jetta was lagging a bit, standing in a corner and making what he calls the "mama sound" that a ewe calls her lamb with. It's a sort of soft "Ba'a'a'a'a" noise. But she seemed willing enough to go out in the sun and went on out after the others. Fortunately he checked on her an hour later, after I was at work. Sure enough, she had a little black ram lamb, still wet, and she was licking it.

So he ran the other sheep back into the barn, and of course this time she didn't follow but stayed with the lamb. He went ahead and prepared the "lambing jug," a small pen to isolate new moms with their babies for a couple of days so they get bonded tightly before rejoining the flock. Then he went and picked up the lamb and carried it to the pen before letting Jetta into the barn. He showed her a dish of sheep chow and put it into the pen with the lamb and she went right in, no fuss. It's always been an ordeal in the past getting her in there, but I guess she remembered this time that she got all the choice food to herself during her time in the small pen.

I was sure she was going to have twins, but apparently not. I was over at The Fold this afternoon for a spinning study group and I asked Toni. She says sometimes twin lambs are born hours or even days apart, but it's fairly unusual for that to happen. She just thinks mom is fat, which is quite possible. She also has a nice coat of wool on at the moment.

This is the second time that Jetta has had her lamb at mid-morning while outdoors. All our other lambs have been born at night, during the dark hours, and were already up and hopping around when we found them She was an orphan and didn't quite get it the first time around, but has been an excellent mother ever since. This little guy is her fifth. We don't really need any more sheep, and I'd gladly give a few away if anyone wanted them. But most people who are interested in sheep are interested in lamb chops and prefer the large breeds. All of ours are "miniatures", ideal for a spinner's flock and easy to manage, but not much meat on them. They do have nice soft wool, though, and Jetta's is a lovely charcoal gray now.

More snow is still on the forecast for tonight. They are saying 2 to 4 inches overnight, with rising temperatures. That's the sort of forecast that can turn out to be a foot, or turn out to be ice or rain instead of white stuff. Have to wait and see. There's something out there to the west, though, and it looks so big on the radar that I don't think it will miss us no matter what it turns into.

Comments

[songdogmi.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on being a grandpa again! :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Photos this weekend, probably. Lambs are just too cute.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

I went to the Yorkshire Sculpture park last year and almost got mobbed by a load of lambs (they have free roaming Suffolks at the park) while I was eating my sandwich. :)

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Well, congrats on the new arrival. :)

I just came across a website that allows you to adopt or buy Icelandic sheep yesterday, too - not available in English yet, unfortunately, but it looks interesting. ^^

Wambs

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Daww, wambs.

I have a new one too. TSC after Christmas sale, another Hugfun plushie very cute and very soft with a collar and a bell and great hooves (you'll see). Was probably left for the sale because of not enough stuffing but I kinda like him/her very floppy. Great for cuddling and the bell is not annoying it is kinda dull sounding more like a cowbell sound. Same basic pose, shape and size as the grey Hugfun donkey I got you but softer and, well, woolier. ;)

Imperator

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Awww little lambs, I don't know how you manage to work full time and look after all these creatures.

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Because he is kinda like Jud Fry in Oklahoma.

Curly (Spoken):
He loved the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. He loved the mice and the vermin in the barns, and he treated
the rats like equals, which was right. And he loved little children. He loved everybody and everything in the whole world!
Only he never let on, so nobody ever knowed it.

I see our great friend, the Clydesdale Librarian, like that.

Imp who honors his Rider in spite he pokes fun at him all the time.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Now that seems odd to me. What was IN that sandwich?

I suppose those lambs may be accustomed to being given handouts by people, so they go looking for them. Certainly works with other species. However, I've had difficulty tempting any of my sheep with what you'd think would be treats, such as carrot chunks or apple slices. They'll follow you anywhere for a handful of hay, though. ;p

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Icelandic and Shetland sheep are indeed interesting. I dunno about adopting one, but I do like their wool.

Re: Wambs

[altivo.livejournal.com]

A widow wuzzy-fuzzy wamb?

Speaking of plushies, my big black pony migrated during the night so that he was lying across the top of my pillow. I have no idea how he got there, I swear.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I have a standard answer to all those "How do you find time for..." questions. We don't watch television. Ever. At all. Compared to the average US adult, I think that frees up something like a whole 40 additional hours each week for other uses.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's been so long since I saw Oklahoma that I have only the vaguest recollection of that speech. Was it at a funeral or something?

If so, I hasten to borrow Granny Weatherwax's famous words:

I AITN'T DEAD

Still, it's sweet that you think of me that way. Really. *slips you a chocolate bar behind his back so no one else will see*

[schnee.livejournal.com]

If you adopt one, you'll get the wool sent to you (for a nominal fee that I imagine covers postage costs and the like). :) I'm not sure if that's the raw shorn wool, spun wool or end products like sweaters, but I'm sure you could ask for the raw wool in any case.

If you buy a sheep, you also get to choose her name and the rams she'll get bred with, and if you want to, you can have lamb meat and lambskin products and the like sent to you every year (although I'm not sure the meat can be sent internationally - the USA in particular seems to be quite strict when it comes to importing meat). c.c But you don't have to do that if you'd rather see the lambs grow up, I think.

(Of course, I got all this info from http://www.icelandweatherreport.com/2008/02/adoptakindis.html ; I didn't translate the site myself. Yet. ^^)

[schnee.livejournal.com]

I think that's "I ATEN'T DEAD", actually. ^^ (Or "Ich binne nich tot", if you're reading the German version.)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I see they are planning to provide an English version of the site within the next few weeks. I'll try to remember to look at it again. You could fit the amount of Icelandic I remember into a thimble and have extra room for your fingertip.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

*noddles* That's about how I often feel, too - it's a beautiful language, and it's not like I'm making no progress, but still... it's amazingly difficult to really get a grip on it.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

That's right, use headology on me will you?

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'm not good at that. *earsplays*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Neither am I, or at least not all the time. Once in a while I can make it work.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

But I don't watch tv at all either O.o Must be all that napping.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Jud who? ;)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't work on cars either. ;p

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

I don't do it that often.