Eight is enough

Thanks for the title inspiration, Debbie!

After keeping me on watch with increasing concern for two days, Bernadette lambed last night. Around 8:00 I went down to the barn to give Bauble a bottle (more on that later), and saw a big bubble of fluid protruding from Bernadette. On closer inspection, I could see a lamb head and one front foot in that bubble, but Bernie did not seem to be pushing. So I broke the water bag and proceeded to pull out a flashy black ram lamb with one leg back. Bernie got busy licking him off; I spread some fresh straw, shut them into a protected corner, and proceeded with chores.

When Rick got home, I enlisted his help so I could check to see if there was another lamb; Bernadette didn't look settled. Sure enough, when I gloved up and reached in, I could feel another head and one leg – a back leg. Arghh; did she have TWO more in there??? Feeling around for front feet that went with the head, I was sure I felt a second head, and tried to push it back. Things were tight;  I finally found a front leg, but try as I might, it was just too tight to fish around for the other front foot, nor could I get a good grip behind the head. I struggled and Bernadette strained for what seemed like way too long; I was fighting panic and Rick was saying the lamb had to come out, one way or another. The thought of sacrificing the lamb was sickening; I prayed for help over and over to get it out alive. God answered "Yes" this time; when I finally managed with great effort to pull her out, the flashy moorit ewe lamb was still alive. Hallelujah and thank you! Reaching in again, I was a bit surprised to feel an empty womb; I was sure I felt a second head. Maybe it was the knee of the front leg I couldn't locate? Oh well; eight is plenty!

not a great photo, but the best I got of both lambs last night

By the time I got sister out, brother was ready to eat and latched on lustily. The ewe lamb was still recovering and it was getting late, so Rick tube-fed her some colostrum to get her through the night. Then I moved Bernadette and her twins into the corner pen under the heat lamp while Rick hustled Bette and her twins out to where Bernie gave birth. I was cold, wet, and smelly from my obstetric work, so I took a hot shower and then fell gratefully into bed.

This morning everyone is doing great, and I took the time to get better photos. Meet Bench (ram) and Bailiff (ewe)!

Cute little white tails!

Since Bette's black beauties were right 'next door,' I took a couple of photos of them, too. Bonnie, on the right in the second photo, is much bolder than Bitta.

Yesterday morning our farrier came to trim the horses' hooves. He and his wife have a flock of Texels and Border Leicesters, so I shared my concerns about Blaise's and Bree's milk supply. Their lambs are doing okay but I wasn't convinced they were thriving; Bauble often looks hunched and subdued to me. Troy agreed that I needed to supplement her. I mentioned that I had an as-yet unopened bag  of milk replacer; he suggested I return it and buy some from his wife, because they've had better success with the Premier 1 brand and she had a BIG bag. He also suggested feeding the mamas alfalfa hay to help with their milk supply. So I set aside my to-do list, wrote down all the other things I could accomplish in a run to town and beyond, and eventually returned home with different milk replacer, and a bale of alfalfa hay in my trunk!

As a testament to their hunger, poor babies, both Bauble and Bijou took readily and eagerly to a bottle. That's not usually the case with lambs who have been nursing. So now I am supplementing them at least three times a day, and Bauble is already looking brighter and more energetic. Some photos of the lambs in the nursery pen taken today:

three-lamb pile in the corner with Blaise looking on

Bridger in the 'alfalfa pan'

and tucked behind his mom Bridget

Our spring weather is still being erratic, running about 10 degrees below average whether it be sunny or snowing (we had vigorous flurries again Monday morning). We are running low on seasoned firewood but crave the cozy heat the wood-burner kicks out, especially after being outside. Nothing warms like sitting or standing (or laying) on the hearth in front of the fire!

screenshot from this morning

Last Sabbath started wet, but the sun unexpectedly came out in the afternoon so I turned ALL the ewes and lambs out on pasture for the first time. Bette was not comfortable about having her lambs in the great outdoors with the riff-raff other lambs and ewes, but I was able to get some pretty pictures of everyone before I let her take her girls back into the Sheep Sheraton.

VERY pregnant Bernadette in the middle

Bauble showing the hunched attitude that concerned me

Blackjack behind his dam Bree

Bridger and Bridget

Bette, too watchful and tense to graze

With lambing season over, it's time to announce the winner of the lambing guessing game! None of you got any correct answers (don't feel bad; I only got ONE!), but Marlane came closest. Her guess on who would lamb first (Bree) was the closest (Bree was the second to lamb), as was her guess on the date of the first lambing (March 26, one day off from Blaise's lambing date of March 25). For the record, there are eight lambs total, four boys and four girls, 87.5% (7 out of 8) of them black.

So Marlane, tell me your prize preference: a handknit headband or Fair Isle hat, a set of sheep photo notecards, or handspun yarn. We can discuss the particulars via email (mmcmillen AT macnet DOT com).

That's it for lambing season 2023 at . . .

The shepherdess' guesses

Now that entries are closed for my lambing contest, I'll give you my best guesses, along with reasons based on my daily interactions and history with the ladies in waiting.

1. Who will lamb first? Blaise, because she has the most udder development and vulva changes.

2. What will be the date of that first lambing? March 28, because Blaise's udder and vulva do not yet indicate imminent lambing.

3. When the dust settles, how many lambs will I have? Nine. I think Bree will have a single and everyone else will twin.

4. Will there be more boys or girls? I'm going to say girls, but as blessed as I was by ewe lambs last year, this may well be a ram lamb year.

5. What percentage of the lambs will be black-based? I'm going to say four out of nine, or 44.4%. That's more than Spot has sired so far, but he does have a 50/50 chance of contributing a black gene, and that's all it takes to produce a black-based lamb.

Bernadette has been waddling uncomfortably for weeks, if not months. Friday evening she laid down and I was sure I saw contractions, even though her udder and vulva didn't look promising. Stranger things have happened, though, so I got busy readying the lambing stall while thinking of "Irish" names (Blarney Stone and Baileys Irish Cream were the top contenders). Then I caught her up for a closer examination (by now she was up and eating) and decided she must have only been trying to move her lambs into more comfortable positions. She's so round and uncomfortable that I was entertaining the thought of triplets until I looked back at my 2022 posts; Bernadette was very round and waddling uncomfortably more than two months before giving birth (via c-section) last year. Another example of the benefits of blogging....

I did get one sheep sheared during last week's nice weather. Since Bridget's sheep suit was very snug and she has the woolliest tail (making lamb watch harder and lambing messier), her number was called on Friday:

She looks much rounder in real life!

Got milk? Not yet!

Tuesday looks like an auspicious day to shear another ewe. Last year I was able to roo Bette in April, so I will check her fleece first. If she's not roo-able, I may shear Bernadette. Why not Blaise, if I think she'll lamb first? She wasn't sheared until May last year, so I'd like to wait another month.

Blaise, R, with Bette, who I think will lamb second

Blaise with the very round and uncomfortable Bernadette

L-R: Bernadette, Bree, Boop, Bridget, Bette, Broadway, Bling, Blaise

Last week's spring-like weather made the purple croci out front smile brilliantly:

Oh, how I love these colors!

That's it for now from . . .

Spring towards St. Patty's Day!

Blaise

Bree in front, her daughter Bette behind

Bernadette

Bridget

Yesterday was a beautiful day, so the horses got arena turn-out and the sheep got pasture time. I walked around and took 'belly drop' photos of all the pregnant ewes and wished for a week of likewise weather so I could start shearing. It's grey, damp and cool today, but I may get my wish later this week; so hurray – and pass the Aleve. 😉

All those bellies, and slowly filling udders, mean it's time, folks; this is the official lambing contest post! You have from now through midnight Friday (St. Patrick's Day) to enter by putting your answers to the questions below in the comments to this post, or emailing them to me at mmcmillen AT macnet DOT com. (I understand the link at the right that says "Email me!" may be broken.) NOTE: QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN UPDATED as of Monday afternoon!

Yes, I've buried the lede in order to add a little weight in favor of faithful readers. And in appreciation to faithful commenters, bonus entry points will be added based on the number of prior 2023 posts commented on. At the end of lambing, the person with the most correct/closest-to-correct answers + points can choose between a handknit headband,  a Fair Isle hat, or a set of sheep photo notecards as a prize. Here goes:

1. Who will lamb first?
2. What will be the date of that first lambing?
3. When the dust settles, how many lambs will I have?
4. Will there be more boys or girls?
5. What percentage of the lambs will be black-based?

I did finish my second Da Crofter's Kep, the one I plan to keep. As a palette cleanser, I'm spinning up the last of this black merino/alpaca/Tussah; then I'm going to cast on a new Fair Isle hat that I'm not going to keep. 😉

Let the lambing countdown begin at . . .

Hats and bags

No, this is not a post about fashion; you've come to the wrong blog for that. I wear what I like and don't care much about what is in style. I don't like to wear hats and I don't change handbags to match my outfits. In fact, I get a handbag/shoulderbag I like, use it until it wears out, then get a replacement.

But I did cast on another Da Crofter's Kep  . . . and I may just have to keep this one.

I'm farther along than this now

After this one is done, I want to knit one more Fair Isle hat in the neutral colors below so I can offer "winner's choice" from three very different color schemes for the lambing contest yet to come. I'm thinking of ways to weight this contest to favor the small fraction of you who regularly comment; I appreciate you so!

I'd better keep my needles busy; the ewes are starting to bag up a little. It would be nice to have them sheared to make observation easier, but it's currently too cold for my hands to handle hours of scissor-cutting. So I just watch them and get my hands on them when I can.

The other day when I was in the fold, I got the opportunity to grab a three-generation shot of grandma Bree, daughter Bette, and granddaughter Boop. This is unusual, because Bette and Boop are two of my more skittish sheep, along with Bernadette. I think pregnancy is making Bette, at least, more friendly.

I'm letting the girls out for exercise and fresh grass as often as I can, which is when I can turn the horses out and then ride Stella. A couple neighbors in the woods have reported sitings of an immature cougar, so it's "eyes on" for safety, just in case one is around. I took this video and some stills from it a couple weeks ago and shared it on Instagram, then forgot to share it here. The three yearlings have more than enough energy to make up for the gravid ladies!

Even though the dogs and sheep get most of the focus here, Chuckie, the horses, and the hens get care and attention, too. Lance got some amendments to his stall so he doesn't electrocute himself playing with the light switch/outlet box.

Chuckie still wants to be part of the pack; I frequent scoop him up when I head out the front door to do chores and carry him down to the barn, which he loves.

The hens are doing well; they all know I am the bearer of goodies but only two are okay with handling. Splash actually seems to like it. She's one of my Whiting True Blues.

Finally, our happy little housemates:

I make our bed, then Poppy makes her nest

Rick is under there somewhere!

That's it for the menagerie for now from . . .