Some footage of Thalia’s triplets at play.
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Sharing a few moments from last night's barn check. I arrived in time for  "last call". Enjoy.
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Thalia's triplets are still the only three lambs in the barn, so they're getting all kinds of attention. Thalia deserves a gold star for taking excellent care of her little ones, who are all alert, on their feet, nursing, and checking out the rest of the flock through the slats in their lambing jug. I'm hoping Thalia's milk supply will be adequate to feed them all without bottle intervention. Although bottle lambs are cute – they're also a ton of work. It's much easier and healthier to supplement momma's diet and let her do the work. We're checking their weight
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Our very first lamb arrived right after dinner tonight. At evening feeding I noticed Thalia was in labor, though it didn't affect her appetite one bit. I went to the studio to change my sweater and by the time I returned to the barn she had delivered a sweet little ewe! Who was then followed by her brother. And a bit later, to my surprise,  a sister! I've not had many sets of Cormo triplets and I certainly wasn't trying for them. So I'm pretty stunned. Thalia's showering them all with attention. She had them cleaned up fast. Wouldn't you
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When I was expecting my first (and only) child, my girlfriends and co-workers had a baby pool. There was a chalk board in the break room at work where everyone took a shot at guessing the baby's arrival date, estimated time of arrival, gender, and birth weight. There was a pot, winner take all,  and you tossed in a buck for each guess. It was fun and a good diversion for me during the last long weeks of pregnancy, though I couldn't help but feel just a little pressure. When it comes to lambing, your guess is as good as
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If you're wondering what I've been up to the past few days,  it hasn't been delivering lambs. The mysterious lack of action in the birthing barn has me double checking the calendar. We're well within the window, but the lamb count remains zippo. What I do have is a barn full of restless ewes. I'm keeping close watch on developments. Several of the ewes are really bagging up. If I were to bet on who'll go first, I'd say its Thalia, whose udder is the size of a bowling ball. Poor girl is having trouble walking. Ordinarily mellow, she was
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Today I wrap up the naming of our new CVM/Romeldale lambs – who will arrive in less than four weeks. For ewe lamb #6 we've chosen the name "Kona" suggested by Madeline, who explained that Kona is a type of coffee, a rich brown color. Since Kona is Java's sister, this name works really well. I thought long and hard about naming ram lamb #7, the rose-gray lamb. Since this ram will be the cornerstone of my new flock, the right name is especially important. Cindy's suggestion "Red" reminded me of a name I saw on a list of colors
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I've spent the last two days catching up on projects in the studio and preparing for lambing. The expectant mommas are looking larger by the minute and I know the lambs can come at almost anytime. With the cold and blustery days we've had so far this week, I'm glad I haven't had to deal with newborns in the birthing barn. Not yet. Despite the winds, Caitlyn and company were lounging in the yard when I arrived this morning. The sun must have felt warm enough, though I can't imagine it was pleasant being out in the open. I know
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Names for ewe lambs #4 and #5 have been chosen: The very dark brown lamb #4 is "Cinder" a name suggested by Kris. Lamb #5 is aptly named "Biscuit" by Valerie. Thanks Kris, Valerie and everybody – my brain's on overload this week with so much happening here, and it's nice to have so many thoughtful names to choose from (without having to think of them myself). Holly and I were heading to a Fiber Twist meeting in Greenfield today and I totally zoned out and got on the interstate heading south instead. Had to drive all the way to
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This morning's "to do" list included relocating 2 cormo rams and nine wethers from their winter quarters in the carriage barn to their summer digs – the paddock at the top of Patten Hill. The maneuver entails coaxing them into the horse trailer and a 3 mile trek uphill on town roads, since our farm road is still impassable from last winter's ice storm. The boys were surprisingly cooperative. After corralling them into the rig, we loaded water buckets, grain pails, a manger and mineral feeder into the back of the truck and off we went. Buster offered to be
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