Current lamb count: 11. Ewe lambs: 9. (Just what is going on here?)
© 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the nearly all girl foodie farm blog where this snow white Katahdin hair sheep lamb (no shearing required!) is making the rest of our mostly Suffolk 'white' flock look a little dingy.
She is seriously cute. The farm down the road is lambing right now. This morning there were triplets following a ewe across the pasture. Completely reminds me of home and all the lambs we had as a kid.
ReplyDeleteSo jealous of your time with them. Enjoy!
I was out taking pictures of brand new baby lambs today for my blog..it struck me how very tender and precious they really are. I think you must be a good shepherd!
ReplyDeletethese 'hairy' lambs are so very very adorable!! congrats on all the babies! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for Farm Boy and all the estrogen - ha!
ReplyDeleteGlad tbe season is going ok so far. How is the little rejected lamb doing?
You're making me want sheep now! I love the soot covered looking ones the best *^_^*
ReplyDelete"Current lamb count: 11. Ewe lambs: 9. (Just what is going on here?)"
ReplyDeleteNo idea. But I'm sure you're happy it's not going the other way, right? How many more pregnant ewes to go? Maybe your luck will hold. I know many farmers would love to have a streak like that.
all the best,
Kate
I have a question - Are twins the norm in a flock?
ReplyDeleteT
Ahh! Too cute! Look at those sweet little pink lips.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all the ¨daily dose of cute¨photos. Love to visit the blog and appreciate so much the time you take to share.
Love the lambs and the critters Take care and have a great day Mary
Is it just me (and my untrained suburban eyes) or do the baby Katahdin's look like baby goats? They are adorable.
ReplyDeleteAaaaand this is why I can't eat lamb.
ReplyDeleteNo way, no how.
Ohmahgah...
ReplyDeleteCuddle, cuddle, cuddle.
I agree with cookiecrumb.
ReplyDeletethank you for posting the lamb of the day. I hope they never stop but I am sure do!
Just too adorable!
ReplyDeleteI added you to my blogroll...
Loving the lamb photos, the only thing better would be in person. Your captions are as adorable as the pix. Great names and cute observations on the flock. I do love your blog and admire the effort you put in. Happy lambing :)
ReplyDeleteOh she is TOO cute!!! Look at that tiny little tounge! :D
ReplyDeleteHow can they all look so adorable? Never mind. It's enough that they do.
ReplyDelete"No shearing required" has got to be the sweetest-sounding phrase ever.
ReplyDeleteWe still have to shear our big Merino and our ram. It will not be fun.
So, tell me more about those Katahdins . . .
Oh My! Every photo seems more precious and adorable than the last - so sweet! Thank you for sharing all of these babies with us! Obviously, you are very busy with so much going on!
ReplyDeleteOoooh my. Soooo cute. Can't stand it. So much cuteness! I love it!
ReplyDeleteHi Everybody,
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments. You know I always love to read them.
Hi Anne,
The little rejected lamb is doing pretty well, though I'm bottle feeding her around the clock. I'm hoping to have an update on what's going on with her soon. : )
Hi Kate,
Actually, unless we're trying to build up the flock, we prefer to have more ram lambs than ewe lambs. We sell the majority of our lambs directly to 'eaters' at market size and want them as big as possible - the boys grow up bigger and faster than the girls.
This new Katahdin ram is throwing so many girls we may consider our plans to use him again next year. That said, Joe wants to keep a bunch of these 'half breeds' (half Suffolk wool sheep, half Katahdin hair sheep) to build up the flock. Of course I'm always up for keeping more sheep, even though we've been trying to scale back. ; )
Hi T,
It depends on the breed of sheep, but in general twins are fairly common. And they're what most people want because essentially you're getting twice the return on the same 'investment:' two sheep for the price of one, if you will.
There are some breeds of sheep that are known for having triplets and quadruplets, but that's not something we're after. It's a lot more work and worry - and is very hard on the mothers. We've been lucky with the few sets of triplets we've had, but it's definitely not something we strive for. That said, the very first ewe I had give birth (back in 1996) was a Suffolk who had quadruplets! One was stillborn, one died right after being born, and the other two - Big Chip and Skinny Chip - I still have! You can read more about these two beloved pet wethers here.
Hi Bean,
The hair sheep do look a little like goats! : )
Hi City Girl,
If it's any consolation, they're not nearly as cute once they reach eating size. ; )
Hi Daisy,
We excel in cute around here. It's our specialty!
Hi Kristin,
This is our first year with the Katahdins, but so far so good. We're really excited about the parasite resistance they're bringing to the flock (since it's our biggest problem), and I think these 'half breeds' may just catch on. E-mail me and we can chat more about them.
Adorable!
ReplyDeleteI just love the tongue sticking out!
ReplyDeleteWe just had twins born...come see...www.lessthansimple.com
ReplyDelete