SheepGirl's 2013 Lambing Thread - Update - July 2013

[autumnprairie]

4 inch heels and clubbing???? Okay Missy...once in awhile is okay...but make a habit of it and I'll have to come up there and give you a talking to Actually, I'm glad you had a good time!

I had to come back to this just to enjoy those photos!!! Your little lambies are sooooo stinking CUTE!!!!!

I am glad that you go out and do other things.

 

[Ruus]

Sorry about your grass. Multigeneration farms stink sometimes, don't they? Two years ago when I was still commuting to college I came home one day and found that my mother and grandfather had GIVEN AWAY my three horses while I was gone because my grandfather kept insisting they were too much work on top of college. I'd had two of them since I was a kid and raised the third from birth. Now they wonder why I'm paranoid about my sheep!

 

[autumnprairie]

Sorry about your grass. Multigeneration farms stink sometimes, don't they? Two years ago when I was still commuting to college I came home one day and found that my mother and grandfather had GIVEN AWAY my three horses while I was gone because my grandfather kept insisting they were too much work on top of college. I'd had two of them since I was a kid and raised the third from birth. Now they wonder why I'm paranoid about my sheep!

Hugs I am so sorry that happened to you

 

[SheepGirl]

Well Edward is going to be banded. He cannot maintain his condition on pasture; he is pretty thin whereas the other lambs are pretty chunky. Granted it could be parasites but even still if he's not tolerant of them like the other lambs are then he should still be castrated. So today is cool so I might do it today. If not then I will wait for night time one of these days.

Emmett on the other hand is a little meat monster like Rosie (who is the same cross--1/2 Texel x 3/8 Babydoll Southdown x 1/8 Montadale). I will probably keep him a ram. I am actually thinking about not buying a new ram and just breeding everyone back to Hank. I am just so excited to see my lambs next year out of Ali, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga...they will produce more of those 3/8 Babydoll lambs. Hopefully I get some twins, though, instead of just one baby! It would be interesting to see if the twin born lambs are as meaty and growthy (with adj. weights) as the single born lambs.

Ciqala is gaining back her condition well. You can no longer see her ribs and her hips aren't as prominent. Then again her wool is growing back but even when you touch her you can feel a little fat around her bones now. So that's good. She'll be fat enough by October to breed again. Ali maintained her condition well on 3/4 lb of grain with a lamb gaining almost 0.7 lbs a day. She only lost maybe 1/2 a BCS point her entire lactation. So now that her lamb is weaned she's already fat lol.

Ciqala's lamb, Bella, is my new best friend. She walks up to me in the field or at the fence and I sit down and she puts her face in my face and just looks at me. So I start kissing her cute little nose and petting her face and she just stands there. And then I stroke her neck or her back and she starts falling asleep. She's the most amazing little critter. Edward comes over but then Bella gets mad I'm petting him instead of her so she butts him outta the way so I pay attention to her Poor Edward never gets any lovin'. But that's okay because I'm gonna sell him (either at auction or to someone) so I don't mind if I pay him any attention or not.

Rosie though is friendly enough that she walks up to me when the other sheep are around, but she doesn't really let me touch her. But that's okay. I know she'll come around Emmett though is scared of everything. He walks up when I feed his mom, but he won't come close to me. A little disappointing, but it's probably good since he will more than likely end up being a stud ram. I am soo excited about him because I did want Katy Perry to have a ram. And I got what I wanted! And he's a thick little guy. I need to get updated photos. I haven't taken any since he was born.

 

[SheepGirl]

I weighed three lambs today. Didn't weigh Rosie because I just weighed her last week. I have kind of started the lambs on feed, but I'm only giving them each 1/4 lb every other day. Only because it is such a battle every time I try to feed them; the ewes keep trying to get in the feed and it gets exhausting to try to keep the ewes out of the lambs feed. So I need to build a little mini corral that I can put the lambs in to feed. Or maybe I'll just put them back with Hank. Hank is getting a bit thin; he could use some grain, too.

Bella is 42.4 lbs (93 day ADG = 0.383).
Edward is 53.2 lbs (93 day ADG = 0.488).
Emmett is 25.0 lbs (24 day ADG = 0.633).

 

[SheepGirl]

I hope I'm not speaking too soon. But Emmett does not have any of those scabs on his lips like the other lambs did two months ago. So I'm thinking if it WAS soremouth, he would've developed it by now since I never did bleach/clean anything. And he would've been exposed to the virus through feed pans, water trough, the sheep shack, the environment in general, etc. So I think Dr. L (the vet I bought Hank from) was right in that what my lambs had was bacterial and not actually soremouth.

 

[autumnprairie]

 

[purplequeenvt]

Maybe it wasn't, but, in our flock of 38 lambs, only about 5 lambs got it. He could have some immunity to it.

 

[SheepGirl]

My friend came over yesterday with her cattle bander so I could castrate Edward. I couldnt really see what I was doing (it doesnt help that we were both giggling about suffocating balls ) and I ended up missing one. Poor little fella was not enjoying it! So I ended up cutting off the band. I figured now he has no chance of being sold as a pet so I will just take him to auction intact. He imo is not good enough to be a ram. Emmett on the other hand...hes 29.2 lbs at 31 days old. Not bad considering his momma's only 84 lbs.

 

[SheepGirl]

Finally got some new photos. I took these I think on Wednesday...? Can't really remember. Anyway...

Miss Ali

I <3 Edward's ears. I hope Ciqala has more babies with his big ears.

Katy Perry (~12.5 months old) and her 4 week old lamb, Emmett

Emmett

12.5 month old Katy Perry with 3 month old Edward and 1 month old Emmett

Bella, Edward, and Emmett

Rosie

My flock

Grazing with the old barn in the background

3.5 month old Rosie next to her mom

Ciqala

She really towers over her 2009 daughter, Ali, and Ali's 2013 lamb.

Bella my buddy