Birthing babies

The last several days have been busy.  Two calves born, and lots of baby lambs.  In fact, the triplets we had are now being bottle fed.  So, if I have not been posting, you now know why.   Ill be out taking photographs today now that the sun is out and it looks to be a beautiful day.   The weather has been just awful of late.  The sheep are looking forward to the pasture.

We still have lots of lambing yet to come, but Im going to let them lamb on pasture now, and get them out of the barn.  The mommas can come into the barn with their babies if I think they need some time alone, but the weather looks really nice for the next couple of weeks.

The baby bunnies are starting to wean themselves off of mom.  They are eating food and hay and drinking from the waterer now.  Not much longer until we have ourselves a nice fricasee!

The baby chicks that we found in the barn are doing well.  Its also time to get our broiler birds out onto pasture.  Lots to do this weekend.  Lots!

Clarice...the lambs...

Well, two ewes down, two more to go. I walked into the barn to check on the ewes and there was a spotted lamb, brown and white, dried off and hopping around. And two momma ewes bleating. Uh oh. Where is the other lamb. The other lamb was behind one of the posts and both ewes were licking and making noises at the babies. But whose was whose? I sat and watched them for a while before realizing that the bigger ewe was just starting to deliver her twins, and the other ewe had already had hers. I put the mom and twins into a lambing jug and set out to watch the next birth. Emily and Kevin came running and we all watched the next mom push out twin ewe lambs. First the feet, then a nose, then sploosh, done. Emily was grossed out by the amniotic fluid in the bag as it was haning there from the mom. Kevin didnt care. We named the first one Baaaabara. We are still deciding on the second one but Im pushing for Clarice. The second lamb presented backwards, normal for sheep, but since I was there and the mom seemed to be going a whole lot slower with the second lamb, when the feet were 6 or 8 inches out, I helped with a slow quarter turn and a steady pull as the ewe pushed. Easy as pie. Lamb Number 4 slid right out. Clarice, I should say. The ewe lambs are much smaller than the first two ram lambs. I put jackets on the ewe lambs. The rams were too big for the jackets I had. The moms are doing fine. Both are eating and the babies are nursing. Ill have to get up the gumption this weekend to do the castrating with the elastrator band. Another first. Its always much easier the second time.

Plus, Im a guy.

Blue Heron, better get your barf bag out

Cuteness that will make you heave.

Waggin the lamb is doing ok.  She seems to be nursing fine, she is pooping and peeing a lot.  She was 8.5 pounds yesterday morning.  I will weigh her tonight to see how she is doing.  The only thing wrong that I can tell is that her right front knee seems to be a bit swollen, perhaps she was stepped on.  She is walking around fine, no limp, so I dont know.  Ill watch her to see if there are any other changes.  I suppose that eating and peeing and pooping are what I need to see.  Ill take her temp in a few minutes to see how that is going.  

This lambing thing could get addictive.