As the wool spins. . . | Foxfire Fiber & Designs

Moving right along, an update on the fiber front:

I'm about half way through sorting the fleeces from shearing. The wool for the spring and summer Sheep Shares is in process at the mills – which means U.P.S. will begin delivering boxes of deliciously fresh yarn and fiber right around mid-lambing season. I'm immensely relieved to have yarn perking along as we await lambs.

The show fleeces are carefully wrapped like burritos in paper and tied with twine – stowed away for the first round of competitions in May. Except for Teaberry and Cilantro's fleeces which are huge and wouldn't fit on the pallet with the rest. Those two double-wide fleeces are still sitting in the back my car – well perfumed with ram-aroma.

Meanwhile, in the birthing barn:

Yesterday Holly and I divided the expectant ewes into two groups based on condition. Shearing before lambing tells so much about how the girls are faring nutritionally. Using condition scoring (examining by hand the amount of muscle and fat over the backbone in the loin region) we divided the thick from thin. I've been watching them all at the feeders this past week and clearly the big girls are using weight to their advantage.

Wide-bodied and fat rumped, a handful of ewes have stepped over the line into the category of "over conditioned" – which can lead to a host of complications I can live without (thank you very much): vaginal prolapses, ketosis, difficult deliveries due to gigantic lambs. Ouch. On the other side of the coin, smaller ewes (above) could potentially have trouble with adequate colostrum and lambs with low birth weights. I want those little mommas to handle their lambs without my assistance, as much as possible.

By dividing the group in two pens, we'll maintain the big girls while making sure the smaller ones are getting their share. Honestly, sometimes I think all I do is come up with new concerns, more ways to worry – and the lambs haven't begun to arrive. I'm a very good worrier. An expert, friends say. Maybe that's why this line of work suits me so well.