A Good Day’s Work | Foxfire Fiber & Designs

My week began with a barn check at day break. The sound of rustling straw via the audio monitor pulled me from sleep, so I decided to head on over to the barn for a peek at the ewes. It’s early April, maple syrup season is winding down and my barn, brimming with expectant mothers, is still void of lambs. It feels a little weird.

An inspection of the birthing ward revealed nothing out of the ordinary. As the sun filled the barn the girls were shuffling back and forth along the feeders, eyeing me, hoping for an early breakfast. As I shook some flakes of hay, they fanned out and voraciously attacked the feeders. Clearly their lambs are creating appetites.

We were preparing for the shearer this morning, so an early start worked well. The game plan included shearing Leicesters and a couple of fine wool who we missed on the last round.

When help arrived, we rounded up the gang and pulled off the coats that had been protecting the fleeces throughout the winter. It’s fairly easy to see which parts of the fleece have been covered.

At first the wool looks a little squished, but within a few minutes, the locks loosen and spring back to life. We were really excited to see those glossy longwool fleeces. For comparison, here Cilantro & Fennel – two fine wool boys – bashfully wait their turn on the shearing board. Their fleeces are far more dense and also heavier. Fennel resembled a giant marshmallow. Although not as long as the Leicesters, the wool is much finer and also much higher in lanolin content.

In contrast to our first shearing on a brisk day in early March, this week we were practically working in shirt sleeves. At last the weather seems to have shifted, and it was the first day that truly felt like winter has at last let go. Throughout the day we took turns sauntering over to the birthing barn to check on the ewes. The only action, however, was in the shearing shed.

Late afternoon, after stacking bags of freshly shorn wool, feeding the sheep and putting the barns back in order, it appeared that we were lamb-less yet another day.

The exertion of catching sheep all day really knocked me out that evening. However, just before midnight I heard (via the baby monitor) the unmistakable sound of a new arrival in the barn. A quick glance at the lamb cam showed a soggy little lamb getting a thorough tongue washing from his mom, Kodiak. He was followed shortly by a second ram lamb. After dipping their cords in iodine and getting the little trio settled in a bonding pen, I had a moment to grab my camera.

Meet Hugo, our first arrival, conked out in the middle of mom’s midnight snack. While his brother, Boss (below) claimed the cozy corner under the heat lamp. Shearing and first lambs, all in one day. Now, this is beginning to feel like April.

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