A little help

On March 30th Hazel ( a moorit Icelandic ewe) needed a little help. She was a first time mom and just could not get that lamb to move. I took a towel and grabbed ahold of the little hooves that were sticking out and pulled with her next contracting. I felt so sorry for Hazel. It was several more tries before the lamb finally started to come out. I thought for sure it was going to be a ram lamb with huge horn buds. NOPE! It was a huge ewe lamb! 12 pounds! After about ten minutes resting Hazel took to cleaning her up and has done excellent as a first time mom.

The goats get in on it

On March 29th I came home from work to find Cedar (a black angora doe) just delivered twins, a doeling and a buckling.

I picked up both the twins and started to put them in a jug and there was a black kid! He was completely dry and a big boy! I put the twins down after cedar came in and scooped up the buckling to figure out who mom was! Luckily he started crying and Ziva (a black angora doe) came running!

Well, shoot. Guess I deleted his baby picture. 

The next two ewes

After Ellen lambed two days later on March 26th Sage (a gray Icelandic ewe) had twin ram lambs.

She had no problems and is a fantastic mother.

Then the next day, March 27th, Hosta ( a white Icelandic ewe) had twin. A ewe lamb and a ram lamb. For a first time mom, she did wonderful. The lambs where only 3 pounds a piece but so full of it!

All done

Okay, so I was finished lambing and kidding quite a while ago.

Ellen started it all off with her two ewe lambs. It was a great way to start the season! This is her fourth lambing season and the first time she has had a ewe lamb and two of them at that!! They where born on a morning when a couple of people were coming out to help me shear a sheep or two. The most darling little girl came out and I asked her if she would like to name them. She came up with Cutie and Callie.



All total it was a wonderful season! 10 ewe lambs, 10 ram lambs, 4 doeling kids, and 4 buckling kids. So many different colors! All are very healthy and I only helped with two first time ewes that where struggling with a big single.

Ram shearing

Well, it has begun. I have started to shear the rams. WOW! Guess I really didn't  stop and think how many rams I had!
Started shearing in February. 4 Shetland rams had a date to go to freezer camp so they were sheared first. It was unseasonable warm for March here in Kansas so I wasn't too worried about them getting chilled. Should have known that would change as soon as I sheared them! 4 days after I sheared we had the lowest temperatures all winter. So they went into the horse trailer with a heat lamp on them. With plenty of hay to eat and the heat lamp, I don't think they even realized it was 5 degrees!

The next group weren't rams but my three wethers. Oh what beautiful fleeces they have! And since they are four years old this year they kinda knew the routine and stayed nice and calm.

This week the temperatures have been in the mid to upper 70's all week! So started on the young rams (born last year) Most of these are destine to freezer camp next fall, but a few will be staying and will be getting a breeding group next fall.

This is Budster, an Icelandic ram, he will be getting a breeding group next fall. He has nice fleece and a meaty conformation. And a great personality to go with it. He is out of my ewe Garnet and by Hank, the ram that broke his leg this winter. I am so pleased this young guy has turned out so nicely.

This Icelandic ram has an incredible soft fleece, dense with thel. Unfortunately I forgot to get a before picture of him I sheared him. He has a very wide horn set and a fairly calm personality.

This is Skor, an Icelandic ram, he has wonderful fleece with lots of thel. With a nice set of horns on him. And a nice personality.

There are seven other young rams that need to be sheared, along with a Merino ram, a Shetland ram and 2 older Icelandic rams. Then three Angora bucks.

So that makes a total of 24 'boys'!! 

Ok, so 4 have already gone to freezer camp, six more are going this fall, one Angora buck will be for sale this spring, and one older Icelandic ram will be returning to his home this fall. Soooo, only 12 'boys' will be remaining. And three of those are wethers. So really only 9 'boys' Oh, my, when I put it in writing like that it still looks like a lot!! Better do some more 'thinning'!!

Going to get shearing done first!