Thanks to our Sheep Shares members and your guests (more than 50 of you!) who traveled from far and wide to share a super-fun day with sheep. For those of you who could not be with us, I'm posting many images of the day (divided into two posts to make loading easier). Enjoy!
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Although the grass is very wet, it is not rip-roaring raining today. The sky is brightening for the first time in a week as I type this post. ahhh. The lambs are shoulder deep in grass and loving it. Every week we rotate them to a fresh pasture. It's their first tour of grazing. The immediate world beyond their big barn still brand new and infinitely worthy of investigation. I stopped mid chores yesterday to watch them explore the foundation of a long-gone silo at the south end of the barn. Once they had thoroughly inspected the loose stones and
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Rainy day lambs Rainy day rams Rainy day retriever I try not to whine about rain. Rain jump starts crops and makes the grass grow. It saves me time in watering new plantings and the new but yet unplanted red bud trees we acquired last week at the nursery. But it makes for soggy sheep and unpleasant sheep tending. Several slipped their coats yesterday; the fabric gets sopping wet and droopy and the whole coat slips to the side. When the leg strap dangles below the hock, a sheep steps out of that strap. Then they step out of the
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Spring is gaining slowly here. The trees are finally leafing out on the upper Patten. At the center of the farm (a drop in elevation of about 600') things are perceptibly further along. Warmer temperatures are elusive. Plenty of wind. The pastures are greening up nevertheless. I have strong feeling that cooler spring is healthy for the lambs. We put them out in pasture every morning. Although they can return to the barn at any time, they mostly stay out all day. I know because I spy on them. The moms graze lustily. The lambs nap in the warm pockets
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Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts about what makes this time of year special for you. Congrats go to RichelleCK who commented on 4/22. Richelle, you're the winner of our drawing for 4 skeins of Cormo Silk Alpaca yarn in the color "Bluebird" in celebration of our new lambs. Spring is now in full throttle here on Patten Hill. The trees are leafing at last and the pastures are greening. It's truly a welcome sight but it means we are extra busy setting up fences for grazing and hoses for watering sheep in the field. At the same time
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Yesterday brought an inch of snow and a steady patter of sleet. The sheep huddled in their sheds. The lambs and mommas stayed indoors. The finches, chickadees, juncos and sparrows fought duked it out over the feeders. Today: a glorious sunrise over the trees that haven't yet leafed but have a fuzzy red halo of new buds. The snow has vanished except for a few freckles here and there in the pasture. The sheep are content lounging in the field. It is a perfect Easter morning. I'm wishing everyone a happy holiday and sharing a video clip from earlier this
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Yesterday brought four new arrivals – and one unwelcome guest. After the exciting entrance of Donatella's twin ewe-lings, Java quietly delivered a sweet ram lamb while I was at dinner. I found him resting in the straw beside her. After ushering them into a lambing jug she delivered a second sturdy ram lamb. I don't have pics to post yet, but please join me in welcoming our new apples: Braeburn & Baldwin. While all eyes were on the barn yesterday, our bird feeders at home were attacked by a bear. Tree limbs ripped from trees. Feeders in pieces on the
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I shot this with my iPhone (that's why the image is the size of postage stamp, sorry 'bout that) shortly after my last post. Donatella did a beautiful job of birthing her first lambs – a super-cute pair of ewe-lings! Help us welcome our newest apples: Gala and Paula Red. Donatella and her lambs are doing well. For a friendly ewe she has turned into quite the fierce mother. She didn't want me or Holly anywhere near her lambs. I have a nice bruise on my hand to prove it. This video shows Gala's first words (she's actually having a
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Some action in the barn this morning. Donatella's getting ready to birth her lambs as I type this so I'll be brief. The above photos show her about an hour ago, having her first contractions. She's transitioning now to pushing mode. If you come back later I'll show you what her lamb(s) look like. Wish her luck!
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We have a new set of twins! Meet Jonathan and Pink Lady. Bailey delivered them at dinnertime last night. These are Bailey's first lambs and also the very first lambs out of our black fine-wool ram, Cinder. We had hoped for a Moorit lamb (brown like momma) out of this crossing. PInk Lady has one little spot of brown on her back, but that's it. We love her pink little nose. Bailey has a beautiful udder and (so far) gets a gold star for mothering skills. Happy Sunday to all.
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