Sorry to keep you all in suspense, but things went much slower than expected yesterday. In the end, it was worth the wait. Zuni delivered a healthy ram and ewe lamb last night. Meet our newest flock members, Coral and Slate.

 

The little family is in a bonding pen, to give them space away from the robust, nosey crowd of lambs. I had to drape Zuni's pen with rugs and blankets for privacy as many little curious onlookers came by to check out the newest arrivals.

Zuni is not wanting visitors. She's a "stomper" – assertively stamping her hoof on the floor anytime anyone gets near her pen. Her way of saying, "back off!". Which is ok, I don't want her job. She's mothering her lambs quite nicely.

It's funny, we've had quite a few stompers in this year's group of new mothers. I can trace this behavioral trait back to Pansy, the "stompiest" ewe of all time. Just try touching her lambs, she'll take your head off. Most of her daughters take after her. 

Buttercup's daughters are "lickers": Thalia, Tupelo, Pheonix. It's easy to work with the "lickers".  They like our help getting the lambs to nurse, licking our hands and arms and faces as we help guide the lambs onto their feet and toward the udder. The lickers lick just about every surface in the pen. They just lurve us.

Last night's arrivals means we're lambed out at last, with 27 new arrivals total (14 ewe-lings, 13 ram-sters). I slept with the baby monitor off last night for the first time in over 5 weeks. But I did fall asleep watching the lambcam.

I took the above photo, a raft of sleeping ewes and lambs as I left the barn an hour ago. I'm in haste, as I prepare for this weekend's New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival. Just wanted to post a quick update that all is well with Zuni and her lambs.