mysunwolf - four acres and some sheep

[mysunwolf]

I adore the animals and LOVE the quality of the pics! What kind of camera do you have?

Thank you! I love taking pictures. Right now I have a pretty old Nikon D50. It's not as old as some of the cameras I used to use, but in this digital age where a new smartphone or computer comes out every year, 2005 seems a long time ago. These types of early, high-quality digital cameras were once very $$ items... now iphones seem to have cameras almost as good that cost a lot less! But there's definitely something nice about a digital camera that thinks it's a traditional film SLR I used to be quite the photography nerd but have forgotten most of it.

 

[samssimonsays]

I think it takes amazing photos lol. I am no pro, only an amateur but I do love to take photos lol. Your little lambs are adorable. All of the animals look spectacular.

 

[Latestarter]

Thanks for sharing all the pics. You have a great group of critters! I'm waiting patiently to get to a point where I can do likewise. Sorry to hear about the mastitis, but glad it's clearing up. The little black lambs are so cute! You have some nice looking sheep. I think Cow's coloring is awesome!

 

[mysunwolf]

I think it takes amazing photos lol. I am no pro, only an amateur but I do love to take photos lol. Your little lambs are adorable. All of the animals look spectacular.

Hahaha, that's all it takes! Love to take photos enough and you too can spend all your money on photography equipment Or goaties maybe, since we get to choose our money pits. For me, it's now sheep.

Thanks for sharing all the pics. You have a great group of critters! I'm waiting patiently to get to a point where I can do likewise. Sorry to hear about the mastitis, but glad it's clearing up. The little black lambs are so cute! You have some nice looking sheep. I think Cow's coloring is awesome!

I hope you get to have some more critters soon, they can be a headache but so rewarding. Cow is my only hair sheep left, kept because she is mostly a pet and just so cuddly. I really love my sheep and can't wait to have more

 

[norseofcourse]

Congrats on the lambs, all that hard work getting them to nurse and working on the mastitis sure paid off, they look great! I hope spring comes soon for nicer weather for the rest of the lambing.

 

[Southern by choice]

I think Charcoal is one of the prettiest lambs I have ever seen.
Just BEAUTIFUL!


Chickens- I love chickens they are such a hoot!
We have some feral chickens that originally were from our flock but cross bred and were brooded in the woods... hatched... next generation same thing- over and over... we thin them out but wow... they multiply back there fast! Not human friendly at all and amazingingly hardy... sleep in trees and live off of what is in the deep woods... rain, ice, sleet, snow- they don't care. Funny thing is they are a mix modern games (bantam)- Cochin (bantam) and either penedesenca or EE 's.

Our "real" girls don't mind the snow either- you'd think NC chickens would be winter weather wimps. Not so Turkeys will walk around with ice on their backs- they will NOT go for shelter and freak out if you try to pen them.

I like your Pencilled Rocks!

 

[mysunwolf]

We are almost done with this whole lambing thing! Only kept 5 ewes this winter and lambing still seems to have taken forever.

This is Stud, the sire to all but the two black lambs.

Louise decided to lamb last weekend while we were home. Thanks goodness she did because she really needed help. The lambs were extremely tiny, but she was still having trouble with delivery. I heard her moaning from 300+ ft away while I was working in the garden. Basically she was just a little too small to be able to push the babies out on her own. Not ringwom, but certainly a very tight fit. She is a first time mom but she is 1.5 years old so I was hoping she would have an easier time. Ah, dashed hopes. I gloved and lubed up and gently helped her deliver her tiny twins. The first one was positioned perfectly but was difficult to get the head to crest. The second one had a leg back and boy did it take me a long time to find that leg. Turns out he was upside down! They are the smallest lambs we've ever had. I estimated close to 5lbs but the scale told me they were 6-7lbs. They are doing well and we will be keeping the ewe lamb for sure.

Then yesterday before work I went to check the barn and Cow had birthed twins! I helped her clean them and get them nursing, and she laid down and went into labor again. The third lamb presented breech, but as I gloved up to help she gave one more push and pushed the lamb's entire back end out, at which time I pulled and then swung the lamb to clear the fluids. I now have a bulb thingy for clearing nasal passages and the mouth and I LOVE it, I am convinced it has saved some of my lambs.

Meanwhile the mommas and the two black lambs are doing good.

The mastitis test came back for Dora as Streptococcus agalactiae... what the heck? Apparently extremely rare in sheep and hard to control. The Penicillin hurt it but didn't kill it, so my vet recommended switching to an LA 200 type and seeing if that does it. I have also ordered the "Today" treatment, should be here next week, for this and/or future cases. Dora's baby is still growing well so I know that she is still producing enough milk for Mocha.

4 ewes and 7 lambs and only one more ewe left to lamb. So excited.

 

[Latestarter]

Great results so far! Grats on 2 more successful deliveries!

 

[norseofcourse]

Wow, congratulations! Glad you were there for both deliveries to help.

I have four ewes and my lambing season is still a month away. Sure helps seeing cute lambs while I'm waiting!

 

[mysunwolf]

As predicted, had to help Thelma lamb as well since her and Louise come from the same genetics. I could probably have let both of them do it on their own, but was pretty concerned about losing either the lambs or the moms if I did that. And not 100% sure they would have been successful. I jumped in sooner on Thelma's birth and it showed in lambs that were more vigorous and not as yellow (I know this part normal to wool people but certainly never had yellowed fluids in the hair sheep). Not sure yet whether or not I will be giving antibiotics to these two to prevent infection from my assistance.

Thelma had twins, one ewe and one ram, just like Louise Only Thelma's are a little bigger and stronger. Pics to come!