I've been very busy shearing for everyone in the area but I finished lambing last weekend.
Indigo lambed on the 19th with a wee tiny 4 lb girl.
She's doing great as a mom but she spends 3+ hours a day screaming for food and it's driving me up a wall. She will be going elsewhere after the lamb is weaned. Baby is very cute though.
Reba wrapped things up with a set of ram/ewe twins on the 20th. The ram is a big strapping lad but the ewe was a bit dumpy.
After watching her hunch around sadly I started supplementing her with bottles for a day and she seems fine now. Just needed a bit of a boost. Reba is 10 so she's getting lots of extra nutrition to make sure she can raise these two by herself.
Also I was taking pictures today and realized a lamb was trying to send a message. He forgot to turn off caps lock though, how embarrassing.
Cute lambs, as always. I love your spotty sheep. Reba is 10 years old? What a testament of your good care. I had two runty lambs born, to FF, both ewes had twins. Neither of them have grown off very well and their moms were very attentive and gave lots of milk. They are healthy and happy, just runts. Oh well, they will make good runtburger.
My oldest ewe (the one in my profile pic) is 14 this year. I retired her from breeding after she had (and raised!) triplets when she was 10. She's still just as spry as ever but she's a favorite and I'd be crushed if I bred her and anything happened. I also have two 12 year olds, a sheep and a goat, and a number of 8 and 9 year old breeding ewes. The jacobs just keep on going!
I have a couple of favorites, it's good to know that good care will keep them around a long time. I haven't had sheep long enough to have any elderly ewes, I know I will have to cull the flock for optimum health, but I do feel a certain responsibility towards the original 3 who gifted me with a start in raising sheep.
I have a 30 year old QH gelding and 32 year old TWH mare, both retired. They gave me their best years, now they get to hang out and eat. LOL
My first lamb left for his new home yesterday. One of the cormos went to go live at Lake Metroparks FarmPark, which is like a zoo for farm animals. He's the sweetest, friendliest little boy so I think he's going to be really happy. I know the lady in charge of the sheep because she breeds jacobs too and I know she does a great job with them. The rest of the cormo lambs are for sale still, as well as a yearling.
Miss Mustache is going to a friend who is naming her Pistachio. Friend is also taking a 2 year old ewe, so she might wait to take 'Stache until the older girl gets bred this fall.
Jewel's twins, Jasmine and Jujube, are going to AGM and will hopefully get sold as breeding stock there.
Same with Aster's girl, Marion. Her fleece is amazing!
I was going to take Clem's girl to show but she broke a horn so I'll probably take someone else instead.
Indigo's girl is still teeny but I'll probably try to sell her in the fall, maybe if I go to SAFF again I'll take her.
I really like Reba's ram and wish he was going to be old enough to show at AGM but again, maybe he can make the trip to SAFF in October.
With everyone I'm selling decided, here's who I'm buying! His name is Ashe and he's coming in from MI to show at AGM then I'm taking him home. He's a lilac so it will be interesting to see which, if any, of my ewes carry lilac. I'm also picking up two mature ewes that are known lilac carriers.
What a bunch of beautiful lambs! I love your spotty lambs. That sure is a nice ram that you are buying. I can see why you are excite about bringing him home.
Got a batch of pelts back from the tannery and sold most of them which just about paid for all 3 of my new sheep plus their travel papers/transport. I love that nothing goes to waste and I make a little extra money from my little, weird sheep People love the spotty pelts.
Forgive the sales pictures, I don't feel like editing out the prices but I wanted to share what the final product looks like.
Some are from my own sheep that went to the butcher and some are from another local breeder that sells me her green hides for $5 each. I flesh and salt dry them then send them off to be tanned. They turn out gorgeous and are washable! I'm tempted to keep some for myself every time but I like buying live sheep too much