And now, I'd like to formally introduce you to Boulderneigh Blake:
Blake means "dark" and since I see no telltale signs of Ag (the fading or greying pattern that both his parents carry), I'm hopeful he will remain a beautiful moorit color.
Mother and son were resting comfortably when I went out to do chores this morning, to my great relief; I must admit I was braced for the worst after last night's unexpected outcome. Blake looked tiny to me then but weighed in at over six pounds this morning, so obviously its just my tired brain that has forgotten what a newborn Shetland looks like! I love how consistent his birth fleece is, and his conformation looks nice as well.
And look Ma; no horns! I can't feel any horn bumps, either; there are bare patches hidden in there. I suspect he's a half-poll; Brava's ramling Beau last year took quite awhile to start growing scurs. But if he has an even nicer fleece than Braveheart and is indeed Aa/Aa, he's definitely a possibility for a future flock sire!As for the concern, I am taking the stillborns to the Oregon State University vet school's diagnostic lab this afternoon. Rick says chlamydia is an ugly possibility, and we're hoping that can be determined at the lab. If it is chlamydia, we face an uphill battle to eradicate it from the premises, and lambing season could bring more disappointments.
That's it for now from . . .
12 comments:
I will be thinking of you and praying for the best outcome! He's a doll and his color is just beautiful!
I'll be praying likewise that it was just some stupid fluke instead of chlamydia. That would just stink. He looks to me like a pretty good size fellow, unless Brava is just a tiny girl. He looks 'something' too, unless the lighting is affecting the pictures. The fleece area has a lighter sheen to it, and with the darker legs doesn't look like 'just a moorit'. Is there a chance he is modified?
Take care and hang in there.
Tammy
OK - I pondered emailing you this and then thought maybe some other city slicker might have the same questions. So, forgive my cluelessness in advance, but do sheep get chlamydia like humans do? If so, how is that possible - I mean, you know all your sheep and who they slept with.
Blake is a handsome one. I love that color. So glad he is fine and Brava is as well.
I too hope it's just a fluke thing and not something serious. Chances are that's what it was :)
Try not to stay stressed over it and enjoy your little fellow -
I was just enjoying that sweet baby, then read the last paragraph. I certainly hope that is not the diagnosis, though no diagnosis will be happy news. I think the saying goes - information is power.
Blake's fleece looks just awesome!
I, too, hope that nothing so horrible is the cause of the lost twins.
What's that they say?...don't borrow troubles from tomorrow. Maybe things will all work out just fine. I'll be thinking of you in my own lambing prayers.
He is a very handsome boy! I'm sorry the other lambs were lost. I hope the lab can give you some answers quickly.
Tammy, I don't think either Brava or Braveheart carry modified; the lighter color you see may just be Blake's skin showing through his little curls -- or the flash of the camera.
Adrienne, chlamydia is pretty common in the environment (I got a chlamydia infection in my eyes once, and the ophthalmologist said that can happen easily if one rubs their eyes much), and can be "aerosol" (airborne) or passed through birthing fluids. Ideally, we'd strip and sterilze the whole fold just in case, but the weather is unseasonably cold and wet and I have nowhere else to put the sheep while I do that. Yesterday I put the sheep out in the rain and Brava came in shivering, and continued to shiver through most of her labor, adding to my worry.
Thanks for explaining that - I hope that they all will be OK - clearly it's very serious if they have that - like others have said, I hope it's not that and will be keeping good thoughts for all.
Wow... :-(
Keep us posted on what Rick finds. Fingers and toes crossed that it's not chlamydia.
Blake is adorable though. :-)
He is very handsome and his fleece looks incredible. Good luck and I hope it isn't a contagious agent.
It is so heart breaking to wait and wait and wait for your first lambs of the year and then have something like that happen.Look on the bright side though.....you have more babies coming yet.And the best part is,you don't know what you will end up with.Don't you love a surprises?
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