We’ve been preparing for lambs over the last few days. Ever-rounder ewes have warned us that it’s time to plan. These are some of our most ostentatiously pregnant ewes: We started by placing our order from Premier 1 Supplies. We bought fresh new bottles and nipples for the inevitable bottle lambs, smore syringes and needles,Continue reading “Lambs Arrive”
Tag Archives: lambs
Waiting for Grass
Everyone on the farm is waiting for grass right now. Every time we step outside, a sheep in the barnyard notices and starts to baa. Soon, a resounding chorus of baaing joins her, and I endure a jeering crowd as I walk to the garden. They can see that the grass has emerged and thatContinue reading “Waiting for Grass”
Lambing Open House
Even as the economy and some degree of social order collapse around us, there is still time for admiring playful lambs. We had our lamb open house last weekend. My friend Betsy and her spouse came up to just to help as a steady stream of visitors came to enjoy our 68 little lambs andContinue reading “Lambing Open House”
Off the Rails
Yesterday, lambing really went off the rails. A few days ago, we noticed that ewe 1417 had developed a hernia-like lump on her side. Heartbroken, we had to acknowledge that she ruptured her prepubertal tendon. Uncomfortable and vulnerable to pushing and shoving from other sheep, we placed her in her own space so she couldContinue reading “Off the Rails”
Getting Through Lambing
Twenty of our thirty-three ewes have lambed so far at Cloverworks Farm. Thirty eight lambs have been born, with thirty six surviving. One loss was a little BFL ewe lamb who failed to nurse overnight with her mother. Another was 1627’s lamb, whom we had indoors and who just faded away, likely from pneumonia. ThoughContinue reading “Getting Through Lambing”
The Groaning Time
I feed the sheep at 6:15 each morning before I leave for work. Though the dawn encroaches at that time of day, I still must turn on my truck headlights each morning to illuminate the barn. Groggy sheep blink back at me. Now, when I reach the barn in the smokey pre-dawn light, the firstContinue reading “The Groaning Time”
Pregnancy Scanning
I was on the fence about having the vet come out to ultrasound the ewes to check for pregnancy. It’s a significant expense, and I’m already needing to buy extra hay. It also was tricky to schedule a time when I could be home, given that I just got a paycheck for 120 hours overContinue reading “Pregnancy Scanning”
End of the Summer
The ram lambs left on the 12th of the month, so the flock is down to the girls all dining in the Donkey Pasture, and the boys, banished to mow the lawn and subsist on shrubs in the periphery of the fields. The guys were quite large when they left, and I’m lookingContinue reading “End of the Summer”
Lamb Updates
How are our fuzzy friends progressing? Overall, I’d say that they’re all benefiting from a having their mothers’ milk all to themselves, as they’re mostly growing like weeds. BadHorse and Todd are approaching weaning weight already and will be separated by early May. Crazy. BadHorse is incredibly handsome guy. I am in love with hisContinue reading “Lamb Updates”
Several Lambs Later
My usual pattern is to write a little lamb story, and then maybe a post about shearing. I’ve done that before, so I’ll give you a brief synopsis of each: The sheep were shorn on February 21st, which is about a month and a half early relative to normal shearing times. We’ve had mostlyContinue reading “Several Lambs Later”