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2008 PHOTOS (Click to view 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 , 2007 photos) |
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Photo
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March 5,
2008 This cutie has
just enjoyed a morning snack. Romney-Montadale
ewe Isabelle and her white twins lounge in the
sun. SkyLines
lambing season apprentice Addie Rose enjoys a
moment Virginia and
her look-alike ram lamb. These lambs
enjoy relaxing in a soft bed of hay.
March 1,
2008 Participants
in this year's Lambing School started the day . . . and some
more cuddling . . . Then we moved
on to hands-on experience with inserting ear
tags and banding tails. Vera the Great
Pyrenees guardian dog graciously allowed us to
spend the morning Later in the
day the shepherdess prepares to demonstrate February
22, 2008 Last night,
a first-time ewe delivered a pair of slightly
premature twin lambs and then promptly forgot about
them. We found the black and white twins in the
barn cold, wet, and in dire need of mothering.
So into the house
they came, for a bath, a hot meal, and a night
beside the wood stove . . . Great Pyrenees
Angus (the only one of the Pyr dogs ever
allowed in the house) isn't much for mothering
lambs, but he certainly enjoys their
attentions. Farmcollie
Dixie, on the other hand, loves the opportunity
to play surrogate mom. Here she meticulously cleans
each lamb, which removes the birth fluids and also
helps stimulate the lamb's nervous system.
After cleaning,
each lamb will be bottle fed 4 ounces of warm
colostrum. This is the ewe's rich first milk,
loaded with nutrients and the all-important
antibodies that protect the lambs in their first
few weeks of life. After a little
shepherdess cuddle time, the lambs will spend the
night in a big cardboard box next to the wood
stove. The cushy life is only temporary though.
Lest they grow up thinking they're house pets,
these kids will go back out to the barn as soon as
possible, probably within a day or so. The next
morning, clean, warm, dry and rested, the lambs
get another drink from apprentice Addie Rose in
their temporary home, the barricaded kitchen. Dixie
supervises to make sure "her kids" are well fed . .
.
February
19, 2008 Mary
Jane is one of the first ewes to deliver a lamb
this year. Her 3-day-old lamb isn't venturing too
far from mom for now, but that'll change
soon! February
2, 2008 Professional
shearers Martin Dibble (foreground) and his son
Arman (background) shear the white sheep first,
then the natural-colored sheep. Though we always
sweep the shearing platform after each sheep is
shorn, this is just extra insurance that little
bits of stray white wool don't contaminate the
natural-colored fleeces, and vice-versa. Here,
a white ewe lamb isn't too happy about getting her
first haircut. (It gets easier, dear, next year
will be much better!) Some
of the freshly shorn ewes relax in the
holding area as another group takes their turn in
the shearing pen. These girls aren't in a big hurry
to get outside. We're still in serious winter mode
and it's not even 30 degrees today. For a
newly-naked sheep that's pretty cold! To
help the freshly shorn sheep deal with the cold
weather, I give them free access to the warm,
well-bedded barn 24/7. I also supplement their
daily hay and barley ration with rolled corn for a
few weeks. They don't receive corn any other time
of year but corn is an excellent source of calories
and helps keep the ewes toasty warm after shearing.
Then,
and this always amazes me . . . within just a
couple of weeks of shearing the sheep have regrown
1/2" or so of wool and, with winter coats on again,
they're perfectly comfortable being outside. The
shearing crew came well-dressed for the cold,
and were glad they did! We were short-handed this
year due to major snow and terrible road
conditions, but these intrepid folks made their way
out to the farm for shearing day anyhow. Good job,
folks, and thanks again for your hard work!
Left
to right, back: Shearers Arman and Martin, Dragger
Lon, front: Skirters Karen, Mary Frances, Addie,
and Greg. (Not shown is skirter Andrea).
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