UPDATE As The Farm Turns Some More

Ewe did it

The lambing is now complete, and the dust has settled. In order of birth:

Lulu - Oliver and Willow
Licorice - Bandit
Belle - Bo Skeeter and Cricket
Grace - Shane and Brooklyn

4 ewes blessed the world (and our little farm) with 7 lambs. Sheep math tells me that's 11 total, with 4 boys (who will be sold, except for Bandit) and 3 girls (which we will likely keep). Why, you ask?


Sheriff says.....

There are only a few rules the Sheriff tries to uphold around here: 1) No cats inside. *Since we have a sick barn cat, she gets a 'pass' to live in the house until we can get her more stable, 2) No roosters. *Since we do happen to have a silkie rooster, we agreed that would be the only rooster and would use him to breed silkie chickens. He would not be allowed to roam amongst the hens, who lay the eggs that we sell, 3) No long-term rams (male sheep). Once we "use" a ram to impregnate our ewes, we sell him. Otherwise, the rams will literally ram us, and this becomes a dangerous situation to be in the pasture. No bueno. *The exception for this rule will be Bandit, who will be fixed and become our first sheep wether, 4) No biting and/or spitting animals. *Okay, we have a biting animal. I'll explain that later.

As you can tell, the * reflects the exceptions to the Sheriff's rules. We probably have other informal rules, and many of the rules are really just guidelines we try to follow. They go something like this:

If you crow, you gotta go.
If there's a scrotum, you've gotta load'em.
If you're X and Y, you gotta fly.

You get the idea. The fact is (for us, anyway) that female farm animals are easier to care for than males. Rude. So yes, we tend to have a predominantly female population, with the males being an exception only occasionally. I could expound on this no-males-on-the-farm-thing more, but will sum it up by saying things get ugly when I  forget to keep my mouth shut. There, I did it. Mouth shut.


Where were we?

We were talking sheep and lambs, and who we'll keep, and who we will sell. Our Keep Stack looks to be: Belle (always and forever), Lulu, Willow, Cricket (Lamb Dad's true child), Bandit (to be wethered) and of course Little Brooklyn. Our Sell Stack will likely be: Bo-Skeeter (who seems to be full grown already), Shane, Oliver and maybe, just maybe will may sell Grace. This is all tentative at this point. We will see as time unfolds, as nobody is really weaned until closer to 3 months old.


Wait, where Licorice's name in all this

It's with deep sadness that Licorice has passed away. From the day she had sweet Bandit, something was wrong with her physically. She would not pass her placenta, she was lethargic, and generally did not feel well. With at least 3 Vet visits, medications and uterine lavage, Licorice was not able to survive despite all the efforts to save her. The one legacy Licorice leaves behind is Bandit. Although never feeling well, she fed and nurtured him for almost 7 days. It was on that 7th day that Bandit had to be taken away from Licorice, so she could try and make it - and give him a chance at life as well. Turns out, her milk had started drying up (either that or she had mastitis) and Bandit was becoming vocal with his hunger. We knew we had to take him, and place him with Cricket to be bottle fed. He took to the bottle right away, as he was so very hungry. Within 24 hours, Licorice was gone. She was laying out under a tree by the pond, and peacefully left this earth. It was heartbreaking. Her kind and docile nature will be so very missed. She was truly one of a kind. It was as if she knew her name, and would run to us when we called her. In our sadness, we have embraced her black, silkie-smooth haired, and ever-so-kind Bandit boy. He's her mini-her in boy form. He will be the first boy lamb we keep long term on the farm. The Vet says if we "fix him" at around 3 months, he will be a pet sheep that will mingle with the other ewes. Bandit is the exception to the rule around here.

These two

How's that working out?

With 2 bottle baby lambs now (Cricket and Bandit), it's like having 2 toddlers living outside wreaking havoc. Granted, they are very sweet and gentle, just very needy. They want to be held, loved and nurtured as each of their mama's would have done for them. Instead, this all comes from us. David and I are all-in for this endeavor. Actually, we love it!

There's a feeding schedule on the counter in the kitchen, bottles to me made, and formula to be mixed. The decision was made to keep Cricket and Bandit outside in a place of their own. Therefore, we moved Cricket out of the house, and the two bottle babies became bunk mates.

These two sweet thangs are loving their new life. They have bonded beyond belief. They do run with the whole lamb crew several times a day in the pasture, but then also prefer to be in their own space inside the "front yard" near the house.

Even in the pasture,
they stay close to
one another.

As the lambs grow, we are realistic knowing that since there's 2 to feed, we will need to implement something in place to help automate this process.

We will incorporate this new feeder to help assist with the feedings. Weaning for all the lambs will occur by the age of (approx) 3 months. We have a buyer for our sheep already, so will make that call when the time comes.


Change is in the air

There are times we (I) ignore the rules and things go poorly. Case in point? Diego.

Diego - Beautiful boy

If he were a man, his dating profile would go something like this:

"Handsome, social guy with hair that girls are jealous of, looking for someone who loves nibbles and nudges. Slim and trim with a shiny sheen, who looks to enjoy the company of a companion that enjoys close talking. Pearly teeth with surprise biting that keeps things exciting. Accidental love bites may happen, with particular fondness for fingers and ears. Does not do well with children. Call me."

Diego is the first one to come say Hi. He's the first one to make you think he's going to be friendly. He's the first one to bite you, and take a finger straight off your hand. He'll try it right through the fence. No one is safe in regards to this. We've even tried providing toys for him to play with, teething things, attention, and a myriad of other suggestions given to us regarding his problem. No resolution.

As you can imagine, with the number of children - and people in general - who visit us, this is not acceptable. We've made the decision to sell Diego. We will keep his mama, Dora, as well as Hope and Faith. Only Diego, the one and only male of the group, is heading out. It could be a control or dominance thing, but either way, Diego will be needing to find another home as we feel it's too dangerous for us to keep him. I have to be able to admit I'm not able to handle this situation, and make a change to it.

I fixed him all up (brushed him, haltered him) and had him ready for the trip to the auction.

It's our first time to attend a livestock auction. We have a friend (or two) who sells their farm animals there. And now, we will attempt this with Diego. So, on a hot and sunny Friday afternoon, David and Ed (family friend) loaded him up in a trailer and drove him there in preparation for the Saturday sale. As I type this, I actually have a lump in my throat. It's a visceral reaction to this whole process. I know I need to do this, yet it's not what I want to do.

UPDATE: It was Friday afternoon at 2 pm that David and friend, Ed loaded Diego into a horse trailer (thank you, Ed!). They drove 1 1/2 hour to Emory to drop Diego off for the Saturday auction. David said it was a drive-through drop off. A man with barley recognizable questions rolls through his quiz: Stud, gelding? Rider? David said there were some questions he did not understand, and when asked to have it repeated, it was again not understood. Nonetheless, David persevered. As soon as it started, it was over. Diego was in a stall and would await his next home. The auction was asking spectators to not attend due to COVID, and only serious buyers should attend. Therefore, we did not end up going back on Saturday to attend the auction, as we were unlikely to be buying.

Now you ask, how much did he sell for? Good question! We will not know until we get a check in the mail. Hard to say. We all had our guesses. I'll keep you posted. I'll miss him, but I can now feed the horses without incident. It's a first for me, and my 3 mares are reaping the benefits of more attention.


Less of a mess now

With my 3 (mare) mini horses, I will now focus on working with them, without the surprise biting incidents (it wasn't always a surprise, actually). I need to work with my two rescue girls Hope and Faith in a calm and serene place. Dora loves it nice and calm, too. I'm going to try and provide a relaxing environment for 3 girls who deserve to be safe and secure, esp after a life of abuse for Hope and Faith. I'll continue to work on showing them people aren't so bad after all. It's going to take time.

Faith

Hope

Dora

Let's unpack this

Change is the mainstay around here, esp when we are talking birthing lambs, having chicks and rightsizing a farm that accommodates regular visitors. We are busy cultivating love, hope, life lessons and doing everything at times.....but farming. I've learned that that's okay. I heard a term recently that said it all: Lifesteading. That's exactly what we are doing. Lifesteading on our Homestead.



How's the chicks, man

Good question!

The silkie chicks have hatched, and we have an abundance of silkie love around here.

So tiny

And additional gift we received was 1 little lavender splash chick. 1 out of 12 chicks. And of course, her name is Blossom, again. This time around we have the privilege of seeing her grow up, and as usual, we cherish her uniqueness. They are all gifts from God, and we adore them. Having a silkie farm is 1) a surprise, and 2) an adjustment. We will need to sell some of the chicks, as the silkie breed appears to be very prolific around here. Here's hoping Blossom is a girl!

Blossom, Chompchi (mama) and
Post (daddy, in background)

Every little thing will be okay

It will. We are fortunate our 3 goats are happy and healthy, our guard dogs are strong, our barn cats keep the mice and snakes away, our chickens lay lots of eggs for the world to enjoy, and we get to be the conductor of this fabulous orchestra. It's not all smooth sailing, but I wouldn't trade any of these experiences. They always prepare me for what's next.

As Lamb Dad and the sheep raise their lambs, as the chicks grow, as the donkeys find contentment in the back pasture close to us, as we encourage Hope and Faith to find trust again, as a barn cat tries to heal, as we assist Dora with a cough, as we sit on the front porch and listen..............we find peace and understanding. Sometimes I pray aloud on the front porch. We do not walk through this alone. We would not be able to do this on our own. It's by God's grace.

We've had loss lately, and immense amounts of love. This is not always easy. As we move through our lives, carrying our own burdens, we call to Him to walk and carry these things with us. Any storms brewing will pass, and dark days do turn to light. Just ask Hope and Faith. There is always light.

Stay strong, my friends,

Cyndi

Serendipity

Once upon a time

There was a once-red-headed man whose wish was to simply lie in a field of little lambs pouncing and playing all around him. As fate would have it, he would see that day arrive.

There is no better Lamb Dad.
The shirt is accurate.

On this day

It all started on a Friday night not that long ago. One of the first of 4 ewes, all pregnant with lamb(s) went into labor. Her name is Lulu, and her birthing place of choice was in the barn up by the pond. Quiet and exclusively hers, she would birth her babies there. Lulu is the daughter of Belle, and this would be Lulu's first time to give birth. Lulu brilliantly had twins, in a expedient and normal fashion. She had a girl, Willow, who has tiny, curly hair as if someone had given her a perm invitro. Then, she surprised us and had a little boy lamb, Oliver, with white as snow, thick, straight hair.

1 day old

We were instantly in love with the idea that the first lamb(s) born would be twins. The only thing that trumped that was the fact that Lulu accepted them both and begin feeding them both, right away. Side note: Often times ewes will "kick off" one of their twins, as they can be finicky about only accepting and feeding one lamb. Not Lulu! She is a wonderful mama ewe who cradled her twins and instantly made sure they were safe - and fed.

Ewe a tired mama after all that
Friday night excitement.

2 days old and Sugar-Approved

But then one day

Fast forward to Monday morning, 6 am sharp, Licorice has decided it's her turn. The 2nd out of 4 pregnant ewes was ready to deliver. Standing in the middle of the pasture, she has her mini-me little boy lamb, Bandit. What a great way to start the week off!

Licorice and Bandit

After moving Licorice and Bandit to the barn to bond, she begin accepting visitors.

With a strong bond in place, mama and baby boy begin their day in the world. It would be a trecherious start for Licorice. A manic Monday for her we'll say. As the morning moved on and the sun rose high in the sky, Licorice would not be able to pass her placenta. It would require an emergent Vet visit to the farm to conclude that 1) there was not another baby in her belly, and 2) she was retaining a portion of her placenta which would put her at risk for infection. She was given several medications and antibiotics to assist with this situation. Still, the placenta remained hanging from her, with her uterus holding on tightly to it. Another Vet visit was required, as Licorice was not looking good. More antibiotics, more medications and finally we were able to see her slowly turn a corner. There was one night that David and I wondered if she would see it through. After each vet visit, the Vet would leave me with syringes of medication to give at particular times and in particular ways. One would be inter-muscular, one was subcutaneous, and another was to be given orally. This went on for days, but it would save Licorice's life. She's a fighter, and even when she felt her lowest, her very worst, she still fed her baby. Inspiring. We are so grateful she overcame this unusual event. It's not common for this to happen in sheep, from what we were told.

Bandit is one handsome lamb.

I have a question
So I'll pause here a minute and answer your question: Will you keep the boys?

Good question! We have considered "fixing" them and keeping them, but if we are true to how we do things around here, the boys will probably be sold. Luckily, we have more time to mull this over because the Vet recommended if we keep the boys as pets, that they are "fixed" around 3 months old. So we have time.

Now, Lamb Dad is fired up and super excited that the lambs are arriving!



With 2 ewes and 3 lambs later, we are quickly doubling our flock. If Lamb Dad had his way, we would have sheep everywhere, including in the house. Which ironically, is a wish come true. Spoiler alert.


What happens next is

Okay, it's now Wednesday at 4 pm and Lamb Dad looks out the window from his desk/office at home and sees Belle in labor. This is our 3rd ewe, out of 4, to deliver. He promptly runs out, and essentially assists with her delivery. So not only is he a Lamb Dad, but he's a Mid-Lamb-Wife. He gets the towels out there to dry the baby lamb, trying to film the live birth, texting me (as I'm still at work) and panicking all while staying calm. As Belle births her lamb, David is giving a play by play and sending me videos that are illegal on the internet. Graphic lamb videos that should have a censored label on them. He's there for the whole shebang with sweet Belle. Just after he is texting me that "it's all over, and mama and baby are doing well", does another lamb start to arrive. This next lamb is not in the same position as expected as she enters this world, but Belle is able to birth lamb #2 without issue and now Lamb Dad is drying it, and attempting to move Belle and her twins into the barn to give them some bonding time. All the while, I am watching the updates on my phone, and soon head home after work to see the new baby lambs. Once again, the twins are a boy and girl, Cricket and Bo.

This was a live action shot, so not the best pic.
Literally seconds after giving birth to Lamb #2.

Belle, just like her daughter Lulu did with her own twins, allowed both her twins to nurse and take the valuable colostrum needed for lambs to gain nutrients and immunities. This first 24 hours is critical in the life of a lamb.


Lamb Math

As Lulu cares for Willow and Oliver, Licorice is also doing her best to care for Bandit all while fighting what appears to be a uterine infection. Belle now has twins of her own, Cricket and Bo to nurture and feed, bringing our lamb total to 5. Lamb math is a lot more straight forward than chicken math. 4 + 5 = 9 and consider the flock doubled.


Now we wait

Grace is holding strong, with those babies
protruding from her sides.

There's plenty to do while we wait. That's because that very next morning, we find Belle has "kicked off" one of her twins. The girl, Cricket is no longer being fed by Belle. I could try to explain why Belle is refusing to nurse Cricket after 12 hours, and I could make several guesses - some of which could be our fault, the universe's fault, and maybe even Belle's fault. But it's nobody's fault. The bottom line was obvious: Belle is refusing to feed and nurse one of her twins, and now it's up to us to keep this lamb alive.

You might remember we bottle fed Belle, and we also bottle fed Grace - both of whom had mamas that refused to feed them. It happens in the animal world. Now, it's Cricket's turn to learn to drink from a bottle after 12 hours of being nursed by Belle. That's the tricky part, is the transition. Add to it, that Cricket still needs 12 more hours of colostrum.


But do you have these things

Between Tractor Supply and The Dollar Store, they have everything you need to feed a 1/2 day old baby lamb. Since we knew the sheep were going to lamb soon, we had already bought bottles, nipples, colostrum and lamb formula. And don't forget the diapers, because a lamb inside the house will poop and pee at the most unexpected times. Since all this was already at the house, the bottle making started. It's like riding a bike, you don't forget how to do this. The desire to keep a baby animal alive is intense. Welcome, Cricket to the house where dogs are your sisters now, the bottle of formula will sustain you, and the bonding will be with people - and not sheep. Specifically, Lamb Dad.



Cricket allows anyone to feed her, which is a wonderful thing. Lauren gets some practice in giving a bottle, and has 4 more months until she gets to do this all the time. David gets his fair-share of bottle feeding!


And so it begins

While all the lambs are with their mamas, Cricket is with her Lamb Dad. Since David works from home, he's the primary caretaker of Cricket. Those two are connected with a tiny string from his heart to hers. They call for each other, and have become one. His eyes are little hearts, and he'll never be the same. They are gifts to each other, filling voids, generating love, and shining their light on one another. They are inseparable.

He is her person

If Lamb Dad goes to shower,
she waits near his work chair.

After all, she is included in his conference calls......diaper and all.

She contributes very little to the work flow - except for a heaping amount of cuteness.

Her entire life is based around finding and being with Lamb Dad.

Until finally......


Grace decides it's her turn. 4th of 4 ewes. Last one to the party. Finally going to let those baby lambs out. And Grace does so in the middle of the pasture at 6 am on Monday morning.

Bonding time this morning,
just after giving birth.

What a great way to start the week - deja vu. Grace, like Lulu, does an emaculate job at cleaning her lambs, and allowing both to nurse. She's the finale, the last hooray in these lambing events. And she put on a spectacular show!

Now, the circle is complete. Within a little more than a week, all ewes have delivered their lambs.


And they live happily ever after

Lulu, Oliver and Willow 

Licorice and Bandit

Belle and Bo

Grace and her twins
(names forthcoming)

Lamb Dad and Cricket

And ever since then

4 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 =  11 sheep/lambs

4 boys and 3 girl lambs

Our flock has grown, and this makes The Shepherd a very happy Lamb Dad. He can now lay in the field, amongst all the lambs who frolic and play. And, he has one of his very own. Dreams do come true.


The End



Now, boys and girls, that's our story for today. But stay tuned, as there's more stories to come. We'll need to see what it's like to live in a house with a lamb.....

Do others share well?

Are trash cans knocked over?

Does she sleep all night? Does she always wear a diaper? Does she get to go outside and play with her friends? Does she chase chickens? Does Lamb Dad ever get any sleep?


To be continued.......

Cyndi