# Roving's 2017 Lambing Thread



## Roving Jacobs (Mar 24, 2017)

This year's lambing started out a little rough. One of my romeldales went first and had a lovely pair of ram/ewe twins. A white ewe and a nicely patterned ram. Unfortunately within about 12 hours I noticed the ram straining to poop and when I went to give him an enema to move things along I found out there wasn't anything there. He had something called atersia ani, where the animal just never develops an anus. The vet explained that surgery to correct the problem has a high failure rate and they often have other abnormalities as well so the best thing to do was to have him euthanized. The vet said it was a rare issue and we are very unlikely to ever see it again and I sure hope so.

The ewe lamb is perfectly fine and growing like a weed as a single now. She is wild and crazy and tears around the pasture with all the adults like it's no big deal.




The jacobs started lambing this morning and so far it has been much less eventful. Two sets of twins born early this morning, a pair of ewes and a pair of rams.

One of the boys, this one has a big O on both sides of him.








The other boy, who keeps wandering off in search of adventure.












I really like this girl, she's so cute! Her sister was crashed out in a pile of hay and I didn't want to risk waking her up for pictures.


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## mysunwolf (Mar 24, 2017)

So sorry about the lamb without an anus  I keep hearing about that and it breaks my heart. But so glad the others are doing well. I love those little spotted lambs so much!


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## norseofcourse (Mar 24, 2017)

Oh wow, sorry about the ram.  I've heard about that condition but never seen it.

Nice patterns on the Jacobs!


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## samssimonsays (Mar 24, 2017)

Congrats on all the healthy babies but very sorry about the issue with the ram lamb. 

That last Ewe is to die for!


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## Latestarter (Mar 25, 2017)

Grats on the healthy lambs, sorry for the one lost. They sure are cute!


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## promiseacres (Mar 25, 2017)

ALL So CUTE!  Sorry about the 1st ram.


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## Roving Jacobs (Mar 25, 2017)

I'm procrastinating on a giant paper about agrobiodiversity and also cleaning my house so have pictures of today's babies, a set of ram/ewe twins.

Ewe lamb








Ram lamb


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## norseofcourse (Mar 26, 2017)

I love the markings on that last ewe lamb!

Good luck on the paper


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## Roving Jacobs (Apr 1, 2017)

Paper got done, time for some more lamb pictures. I'm up to 11 lambs with 5-8 ewes left to go. I'm excited about how nice my little jacobs are turning out because I'm going to the Jacob Sheep Breeders Association annual general meeting this year and I'm hoping to bring some sheep to show and sell. My favorite ewes haven't even lambed yet!

Twin rams




Twin ewes








Ram/ewe twins




A big single ram to a first timer. Another first timer had a single ewe but she didn't want to pose for me.




Another ewe had a normal sized stillborn lamb and a little 2.5 lb premie that I was pretty sure I was going to lose. Jacobs are fighters though and she has gained a whole pound and seems to be developing normally at this point. Still not out of the woods but doing well.




And this morning we had a big single cvm romeldale ewe lamb born. The dam has developed some dental problems and it's hard work to keep weight on her so I'm glad A. she only had a single to feed and B. it was a girl to replace her.


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## soarwitheagles (Apr 1, 2017)

Are you absolutely sure these are sheep? 

I feel as if I am watching 101 Dalmatians all over again!


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## Roving Jacobs (Apr 1, 2017)

People usually think they're goats 

My dog has been mistaken for a dalmatian before, an 80 lb tailless, sable dalmatian. Everything has spots around here.


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## Sheepshape (Apr 2, 2017)

Beautiful lambs.......lovely markings.


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## LocoYokel (Apr 15, 2017)

...and I thought I was in love with norseofcourse's Icelandics!  I can't wait for the next installment of spots!


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## Roving Jacobs (Apr 15, 2017)

Well if you insist. All the jacobs are done now, I'm just waiting for a latecomer cormo that's due on the 24th. I'm contemplating breeding a couple of the romeldales for fall lambs and syncing everyone in the fall so they lamb during my spring break. This month long lambing really wears on me, especially since I have a bunch of people to shear for, farm events happening, and so many big school projects to finish in the spring.

Daisy's boy. He has an overbite so he looks kind of dorky.








Juniper's boy. He's super cute! I've had a bunch of blue eyes pop up this year.












Jewel's boy. He was the only survivor out of a set of triplets and is still catching up a bit.




Bramble's little premie. She's normal lamb size now! Not as big as the lambs her age but a good size for a baby.




Reba's ewe. Her ram didn't cooperate but the ewe kept showing up.








This little girl's pajamas are starting to fit right.




Nap time


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## Southern by choice (Apr 15, 2017)

My favorites from page 1!


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## Southern by choice (Apr 15, 2017)

My favs from page 2!

So... Reba's ewe 
and this little ram lamb!


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## norseofcourse (Apr 18, 2017)

LocoYokel said:


> ...and I thought I was in love with norseofcourse's Icelandics!  I can't wait for the next installment of spots!


Guess I need to post more pictures!


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## animalmom (Apr 18, 2017)

Yeah, more pictures!  Please and thank you.


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## samssimonsays (Apr 18, 2017)

LOVE your lambs!


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## LocoYokel (Apr 19, 2017)

I think Daisy's boy looks like a "Perciville" with that adorable overbite.  
Do you ship? Where can I find out more about shipping livestock safely? He would be an only child just until norse's lamb gets here... (that is the other half of my fantasy!).  Norse, I can't even begin to pick, who needs a Me Mom? Two pet quality weathers, or weather and ewe lambs for now and then when I get the acreage I raise the heritage breeds... ahhh, now there is a dream! 
 (Now to sell my DH on it...)
Thanks for sharing your babies with me, you have created a monster...  I am in North Idaho, if you have any contacts with Jacob breeders or tips on how to find some in my area I sure would appreciate it! (Same for Norse's Icelandics.)


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## animalmom (Apr 19, 2017)

Sell?  Sell?  What is this "sell"?   Really what is there to sell?  

"Honey, we need to go to the airport?"

"Huh?"

"Yes, we need to go to the airport and pick up something."

"Why can't you order through Amazon like everyone else?  How come you have to order for airport pickup?"

"Well, really, there are some things that Amazon doesn't carry!  Now grab the car keys and let's go!"

See?  Easy Peasy!

disclaimer I am not an enabler, I am not an enabler, the heck I'm not!


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## Roving Jacobs (Apr 23, 2017)

I guess all of us sheeple are updating today? I'm finally done lambing for the spring!

We had an event on the farm on Saturday and I spent all day telling people Eclair the cormo looked like she was due any moment but was actually due on the 24th-26th. Of course as soon as the last guest pulled out of the driveway I noticed her water broke. It was the most ridiculous birth I've been around for in a while. As soon as her water broke she decided it was time to fight and went around butting people for a while until she got distracted and started grazing. She started having more contractions then and started following her yearling lamb around making baby noises clearly very confused about the whole experience. Eventually I got her into a pen expecting her to get to business once she was penned up and quiet but no such luck. I ended up having to give her a dose of oxytocin and going in. The lamb was trying to come out face first with his front legs braced against her pelvis so I rearranged things and ended up just pulling him as soon as she started contracting again. He then wasn't sure he actually wanted to be alive but some vigorous rubbing and suctioning all the goop out of his mouth and nose got him going. After all that he's totally fine now! Good thing no visitors were around to see me all up the back side of a sheep.

He's pretty cute at least.




I took some other baby pictures too!

Lucky Charm








Lil' Poopers aka Hi-Jinx




Anise and her girl who barely fits under there anymore.




One of Aster's girls




Thistle's girlie




Daisy's boy who she spends all day and night yelling about. No one cares, Daisy!




I'm all done with lambs for the spring now! Of course I have lost my mind and am thinking of experimenting with fall lambs so there may be more in 5-6 months.


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## Latestarter (Apr 23, 2017)

Beautiful animals!   Thanks for sharing all the pics! Grats on a successful end to lambing for the year.


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## Roving Jacobs (May 8, 2017)

Finally a sunny day! I spent it sitting in the grass enjoying being with my lambs. I ended up all spitty but it was worth it.

Romeldales being goobers.








Cormo boy still hasn't grown into his pajamas.








This little ram is like 15-20 lbs tops but has huge attitude. He's getting halter trained as soon as his horns are in a little better to learn some respect. He's not mean or aggressive, just bold and confident.








His brother is much more easy going.




I'm crazy about this ram, he's a really striking guy. I'm hoping someone will be in the market for a super handsome 2 horned, blue eyed ram and wants him. He's built so nicely I'd keep him if he wasn't related to everyone here.




Reba's girl, I always get her confused with Anise's girl so I'm going to have to be careful when I do vaccines and ear tags soon. Usually I can tell all of them apart so I don't bother ear tagging right away but I've been so busy this lambing season I'm not as good as I usually am.


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## Roving Jacobs (May 18, 2017)

Ear tagging day! The jacobs have such tiny ears that I usually wait until their first shots to tag them and I can usually tell them all apart, no problem. This year for some reason I've been really struggling to tell some of them apart so I had to make myself a cheat sheet. Luckily their spots don't change and I had pictures of all of them from birth.






They are all very suspicious of me now but with 3 people it went very fast and smooth and I really like the size of the new ear tags I got.




















Is anyone else going to be at Great Lakes next weekend in Wooster? @norseofcourse ? I've got some fleeces in the show and I'm planning on listening to the judging on Friday this year, then I'll probably be helping with my farm's booth on Saturday or Sunday.


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## Southern by choice (May 18, 2017)

Roving Jacobs said:


> I had to make myself a cheat sheet. Luckily their spots don't change and I had pictures of all of them from birth.


Brilliant! 

love the last line... spots don't change


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## norseofcourse (May 19, 2017)

Love the lamb cheat sheet!  Yes I'll be at Wooster, looking forward to it.  Good luck in the wool judging!  I'm not entering this year, but will again next year.


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## Roving Jacobs (May 31, 2017)

Everyone is sheared finally!  I don't know what to do with all the free time but posting pictures will do for now. I'm also working on my sales list which is a bummer because I want everyone to stay here but I currently have 60 sheep and that's too many sheep for my property.

Valkyrie the romeldale, who is staying and might be bred for fall lambs. She likes to hang around and get hugs every night after I feed them all.








I think Goliath needs a new flock this year, he's too closely related to everyone here even though I love the big squish. He was my first romeldale ram born here. 




I'm planning on cutting back on goats as well. I'll be keeping some favorites but some need to find new herds. They're just so much more high maintenance than my sheep








Babies still have a month or two to grow out before I make final decisions on them. Most will be sold though.
























Mr. Handsomeface aka Sinatra's horns better stay nice! I'm hoping to bring him to the jacob sheep AGM this year.


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## goatgurl (May 31, 2017)

been catching up with your lambing thread and all I can say is that those are some of the cutest lambs I've ever seen.  I had some speckled babies born this year too and I just look at them and wonder if I really want to tan a hide.  congrats on all the babies, they are adorable.


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## Roving Jacobs (Jun 1, 2017)

I send pelts off to Stern tanning in WI and the product I get back is fantastic. I'm actually all sold out now and need to send in another batch I have salted and sitting around in my basement. I just have one left in the freezer that I need to power wash and dry but that one might have to wait for the next round. I'm sitting on a big fluffy pelt from a problem ram right now!


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## goatgurl (Jun 3, 2017)

lol, that's the best thing to do with a problem ram.  thanks for the info, i'll look them up.


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## Roving Jacobs (Jun 18, 2017)

Ok so I know I said I was downsizing but I have a bunch of sheep who are basically sold and just waiting for AGM next month and I got a really good deal so meet the new guys.





They're all 3/4 cotswold crosses. The big wether in the back is mixed with teeswater and the twin ram and ewe in the front are mixed with leicester longwool. I'm hoping to cut back on stupid goat shenanigans and replace them with longwool sheep so these guys are my test run.  The teeswater came with the name George, which I was going to change because I already have George the guinea pig, but he's from Virginia and his ear tag is #1 so he can stay George Washington. The twins will probably be Eliza and Philip. So far they're super cute and the fleece is gorgeous but they came from some very hands off people and need some maintenance before they come out of quarantine.  

Tomorrow the cvms are getting blood drawn for pregnancy tests and I'm weaning the lambs that are getting sold at AGM. Someone asked me recently if summer was my easy time of year and I just laughed at them.


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## Baymule (Jun 18, 2017)

Your lambs are so huggable and cute! Love them! haha! Selling some is always a reason and justification for buying more!! The new sheep are pretty too. Do you spin the wool?


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## Hillaire (Jun 19, 2017)

they are super cute... I was thinking about sheep but decided on oberhasli goats... katahdin were in the running for sure though... I love that someone thought summer time was the easy part of the year... pffttt winter is the closest slow time we have here lol


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## Roving Jacobs (Jul 17, 2017)

It was a big spotty sheep weekend for me! Friday I threw a couple of my ram lambs in the car and drove 6 hours to exciting Cooperstown, NY for the jacob sheep breeders association annual general meeting. I have never seen so many jacob sheep together in my life. It was just a wave of spots and horns. I have never shown an animal in my life and while I'm pretty fond of my sheep there were some big name breeders there with really nice animals so I didn't expect to do much in the show. I ended up only showing handsome Mr. Sinatra but he got 3rd in a massive class of baby ram lambs! I was very happy and it meant that I could put him away and just enjoy the show for the rest of the day.







Jacob sheep people are super nice and it was great to put faces to names I see on pedigrees all the time. I also brought home a little something extra. Montgomery (see him peaking?) is actually 5 days older than Sinatra but probably half the size. He was a triplet though and his mom has been winning fleece competitions left and right. The farm he came from wasn't feeding him up to show either. He's so teeny and cute I just want to stick him in my pocket!






Sinatra ended up staying in NY despite me trying my hardest not to let anyone know he was for sale. He'll have ladies there though and he's related to too many of mine here. Glen and little Buckeye also went to new homes today. Glen is going all the way to NC and Buckeye is just moving 3 hours south to help start a brand new flock. Neither were thrilled with my transportation solution and Glen was perfectly happy to get out of there and onto the trailer south. His headgear only just barely fit.






Of course I can't just sell sheep so I ended up trading Glen for a pair of ewes. I've been looking for some new bloodlines and they were perfect. Their fleece is just spectacular too, I can't wait to get it off of them in the spring. It ended up being a pretty crazy weekend with all the sheep comings and goings but I already had my quarantine pen set up so it was nice to get everything done with at once. The big ewe is Quaint and the little one is Katelyn. I had a huge paper I had to write today but hopefully I'll get better pictures of all the new folks this week.


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## Baymule (Jul 17, 2017)

Don't cha' have to love a vehicle you can abuse like that?   Love the new sheep!


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## Latestarter (Jul 17, 2017)

Awesome and grats on the 3rd place as well as the sales and acquisitions   You sound like a very happy Sheeple right now


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