Charlotte & Her Baby Girl
Our sheep are mostly Suffolk, a breed distinguished by their black legs and heads. Their lambs are often born covered in spots or are even entirely black, but the colors quickly fade in the sunlight. For example, Cary (who is doing great by the way) was all black as a baby. Our only black lambs that remain black (or brown or grey) are those that are related to the ewes in my original flock, which were bred to a black Border Leicester ram. I have a soft spot in my heart for the true black sheep, and I absolutely love the Suffolk spots, which I enjoy while they last!
© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan share stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres - and baby lambs are irresistible, even if they're spotless.
Charlotte & Her Baby Girl, Age One Day, Enjoying Brunch
When the vet was here last Wednesday night tending to Cary (who is doing fine by the way), I mentioned that she was our first ewe of the year to go into labor, and I hoped this wasn't a sign that we were in for a difficult lambing season. "Oh, I doubt it," he said assuredly.
"I mean, no offense, but I hope I never see you again."
"I understand completely."
With at least two dozen more pregnant sheep still to go, there's no telling how things will turn out this year, but ewe number two certainly went a whole lot easier than ewe number one. Late Saturday morning two-year-old Charlotte was making signs that she might be getting close to going into labor: hanging back in the barn, bleating, and being extra intolerant of the dogs. It's not uncommon for a ewe to be in labor for several hours, especially a first time mother.
But when I returned to the barn less than an hour later, she was already busy cleaning up her newborn baby girl. When I hiked back up to The Shack and reported to Joe that Charlotte's lamb was up and nursing, he said, "First time mother and she had it all by herself that fast with no problems?"
"Yep."
Then he pumped his fist in the air and shouted, "Yes!"
Now this is how things are supposed to be.
And we have lots more to come.
In the meantime, I desperately need to do some catching up. A lot has been going on. There are several cute new faces on the farm you haven't met yet, and I have a pile of recipes to share, including some cold weather comfort food favorites I'd really like to post before the cold weather is over. Think cozy soups and slow cooked Dutch oven dinners.
I still need to pick the winners from January's contests, and I have more fun books to give away. I'm also incredibly behind answering questions and replying to comments (thanks for your patience). And of course every day there are new stories and photos. It's shaping up to be a very busy spring around the farm, and I'm looking forward to sharing it all with you - hopefully soon!
Need A Bigger Cute Fix?
Lambing Season 2006 Photos
Lambing Season 2007 Photos
More Sheep Stories & Photos
Farm Stories & Farm Life Tidbits
© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where the only thing cuter than a bouncing baby lamb is a couple dozen of them - which makes the nightly 2 a.m. trips to the barn this time of year worth every groggy step.
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