She was pregnant when we left for church and when we got back there were two little lambs at the top of the mountain.
Grey lambed today, it looks like twin girls.
So our final lambing tally is 8 rams and 5 ewes. We will know for certain when we catch and wether half the rams, roughly.
Pictures later today or tomorrow.
The sandy place up the mountain where many of these pictures was taken we’re calling the maternity ward, since all the ewes are hiding out far away from us and the rams to give birth.
The rams are completely avoiding them and hanging out about as far away as they can get.
She is showing great mothering instincts, very protective and birthing in a safe, cool clearing. She didn’t show signs of having a second lamb, but gotta make sure with those first time mothers. Getting pictures off my phone is a challenge since I switched away from Windows Phone, but it looks like everything will be able to be posted tomorrow.
Five lambs from three ewes so far, four more mature ewes to go and 1-4 one winter ewes due in August or September.
Goldie gave us two chocolate moorits in the morning and Badgerface gave us one chocolate spotted and one brown/white spotted a few minutes ago. So we’re at 4 lambs right now.
Goldie’s are probably boy/girl and I could not get close enough to sex Badgerface’s or get pictures of her night twins. I’ll have some up tomorrow though.
Here’s some lamb pics from earlier this week.
Clockwise from center, Dottie, Grey, Azula, Clovis and Brunhilde. Ripley is on the edge of the frame.
Better shot of both Dottie and Brunhilde.
In this picture are Dottie, Badgerface, Black N Tan, Zuko II, Brunhilde, Clovis and Katara. Goldie’s head is just out of the frame.
This picture is here because Lisa is. Usually hard to get shots of her.
Better angle to see the ram lambs.
Azula and Sokka before we got him separated out. His fleece was recovering well enough to throw us off.
One of the few shots I could get of Ripley’s amazing frosted fleece. She is hiding behind her momma Grey as she often do.
Sokka and his sister Toph.
This one is here because it’s another view of Ripley. That coloration is combined with a fluffy softness.
One of the rare head on shots of Ripley. She is massive. If I wanted to take a chance on a one winter breeding, she’s definitely the one.
Black N Tan: Brunhilde and Clovis (ewe and ram respectively)
Grey: Ripley (ewe)
Badgerface: Sokka and Toph (ram and ewe respectively)
Goldie: Zuko II and Katara (ram and ewe)
Brunhilde is the black one and Clovis is the moorit mouflon.
Grey did have a living lamb, also black moorit, walking around and hanging out as lambs do. Best guess is that this lamb is also about 8-9lbs. Grey is being a little nervy, so I am going out now every half hour to monitor. The perils of pasture lambing.
This is probably a ram, couldn’t get close enough to see.
Goldie and her lambs came by to greet the new arrival.
EDITED 5pm: The survivor is a little 9lb ewe. We call her Ripley. She is nursing great and mom’s chilled out and is relaxed and grazing.
Zuko II up front, Katara in the back next to Goldie.
Just Katara
One more of these little newborn lambs.
We haven’t had a chance to weigh them, but they are on the smaller side. She went over on her side with the girl after delivering the boy easily, but rallied and now both are walking and nursing properly.
ETA 1:30pm: The girl is named Katara and weighs 6lbs, and the boy is Zuko II and weighs 8lbs.
The boy
boy’s on the left, girl’s on the right
Food, Farming and Faith in Snohomish County 