Notes From Zone 4

Kaytla started separating herself from the rest of the pen yesterday morning, though she did come out when the grain actually hit the feeder. We knew then, though, that she was probably going to lamb that day, as she never hides her leadersheep self, big bossy lady that she is. I must have done twenty lamb checks under the guise of checking for eggs in the coop, but she waited until early evening.

When I went out there, I thought she had just delivered one and was cleaning off one. Then I noticed that there was two of them walking around, and that poor little one in the front wasn’t moving at all. Stillborn. Wouldn’t you know that the stillborn one was a girl, and the two others are boys. Still, triplets!

I didn’t jug her and her crew. She’d be insulted. I did let Maria and her little one out, and poor Kaytla thought “aha! there’s my other baby!” and keeps calling to him, convinced it is her lost triplet. They all seem to have figured it out now, though, and I’m just amazed at the size of her lambs — all three were the same size as Maria’s one. What a mama.

I keep having to go out again today, plugging all the holes that the lambs keep finding. I knew that was going to be the case, as the panels have the small openings at the bottom to keep the lambs in, but those openings are buried in a winter’s worth of hay. So far, though, they are finding small openings between pens, and are just going back and forth. Leaves upset mamas, though, so I’m plugging them as they are discovered.

Alright, ladies. I’d like to have some baby girls now, please.

Tags

Ewes, Farm Life, Lambs, Sheep