Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The undead - and still pregnant

Corinne recently did a hilarious post on her "undead" chickens. This morning I had a similar experience, but didn't find it one bit humorous! I went down to do chores a bit late (8:00), and as I walked towards the sheepfold, I could see a light-colored form next to the big gate. Although Rick covered it with a translucent corrugated material to keep the rain from blowing in, I could tell it was Butter, laying down with head stretched out in the straw. That she wasn't up and waiting for the morning grain and turn-out was alarming enough; that it took my calls of "Butter. Butter!" to lift her head was more so. When I got close enough to peer into the fold, ALL the sheep I could see were still laying down in the straw, even attention-hound Browning - and they stayed down instead of popping up in anticipation of their morning routine:


Eventually they got up and everyone seemed okay in spite of their unusual lethargy. The only sheep that appeared ready to meet the day after a good night's sleep were Dinah and her little sprite Bronwen:
Inky is oblivious to the fact that today is her due date. She's huge, and moving slowly, but her bag still isn't tight and she's out in the pasture eating and acting like lambing is the farthest thing from her little sheepy mind. Butter could be due as early as next Monday if Braveheart bred her during a break-out on Nov. 3, although her intentional exposure to Franjean puts her due date at April 12. I also noted on my calendar that Inky was exposed to Braveheart on Nov. 4, so I suppose if she didn't take with Franjean she may not be due until next Tuesday. I do hope both my CA girls produce gulmogets so I know for sure who the sire is - genetic testing is expensive!

That's it for now at . . .

13 comments:

Kathy said...

Strange. Maybe the weather? Anything in the feed (mold, etc.) that could cause tummy aches - other than baby-tummy aches?

Inky may just be such an old hand at lambing that she knows to eat while she can. :) Bless her little tail!

Nancy K. said...

That would REALLY freak me out too!

Dinah is SO beautiful...

MiniKat said...

It's hard to get up and moving quick when you're carrying another life around in you. The girls were probably just taking their sweet time in getting up. :-)

Crosswinds Farm said...

Why do those silly ewes make us worry so much? They absolutely make me crazy this time of year!
Congrats on little Bronwen, she is so beautiful!

Michelle said...

That's a good excuse for the girls, MiniKat, but what about the ram and wether? They were acting the exact same way!

white_lilly said...

Gee! they must be really really close. I remember that happening with a few of our ewes it does give you a scare. I suppose they need mornings of staying in bed a little longer as well :)

Tina T-P said...

The waiting game is the worst, isn't it. Luna is as big as a house and eating like a horse, like you said - having lambs was the furtherest thing from her mind.... good luck with the rest. T.

Kara said...

Michelle,

I think it is more to do with keeping their naked bellies snug in their night time nest until breakfast was served! Was is a cold morning? My girls have done the same to me on chilly mornings. It is the horses sunbathing flat out that really made my heart skip a beat the other day. My dogs barked at them until they gave up their nap. My dogs don't like it when one of our animals is down and are town criers until I notice.

Juliann said...

I wonder if the wind and the rain just made them want to hunker down.
That's what it makes me want to do...crawl back into bed.
I can't WAIT to see what Inky throws!

Jenny Holden said...

They're pretty good at getting us to panic aren't they. Mine did similar the other day. Even Rosie (ex pet lamb) didn't get up as I walked down and by the time I got to the field I think my heart was racing! All fine though. Congrats on little lambie :o)

country girl said...

I don't raise sheep or chickens but I just love reading blogs where there are pictures of both. Hope your sheep angst is eased soon.

Delphine said...

Sheep aren't sill, they know what's good for them haha. I love their little jackets, is that to keep them warm? I have never seen sheep with coats on before? hell from France , this is my first visit to your interesting post.I used to have a pet ram called Charlie and posted on him earlier in this month.

Michelle said...

Welcome Delphine from France! The coats are mostly to keep their wool cleaner (less hay and debris), which makes it more marketable. But it does provide a bit of insulation right after shearing, too. Both my wether and my ram were sheared Monday, so they might be appreciating their coats!