Lots of Lambs
Last week my ewes had three lambs.
14 July 2009 "Original Mum" had a girl "Snowy" (pure merino)
15 July 2009 "Pinkie" had a girl "Little Pinkie"
16 July 2009 "Big Baby" had a girl "Little Baby" (pure merino)
Sorry about the 'unique original' names but they all look the same, except "Snowy" she is very white and fluffy. "Little Pinkie" has a very distinctive pink nose just like her mum, and I haven't been able to get close enough to "Little Baby" to find something to identify her by.
So far we only have one boy - "Ebony's", who by the way I'm going to call "Ivan". I don't think many other ewes are pregnant or they are a long way off having them.














With all this good news, I also have some sad news. Russell and I buried "Cross" last weekend. I don't know the whole story because I wasn't there, but she was attacked by something. I moved the sheep down to the paddocks near the shed on Wednesday 15 July in the morning. It took a while because "Pinkie" had only had her lamb that morning but they were forecasting very cold temperatures and I didn't want to lose lambs to the cold. Even after I had them all in the Triangle Paddock Bobbie seemed to want to get out, so I twigged that something was wrong and I hadn't noticed. I counted the sheep and figured out that "Cross" was missing, so I went up to the top paddock and walked up and down and couldn't see her. Thinking she may have got through the fence and that I would find her tomorrow I had to get to work (a half hour late). Then on Thursday morning I set out again to look for her and I found her behind the tank and there were guts and wool tufts all over the place. I surely wouldn't have missed that before. So I don't know whether she was actually alive on Wednesday or not. If she had gone off to lamb by herself and as attacked, I imagine Bobbie made the decision to protect the majority and the lambs. I don't blame Bobbie, I blame myself for not finding her the day before, but she might have already been dead then. Either way, "Cross" is buried and the rest are close to the shed for the cold nights.

Another New Lamb
This morning, when I went to feed my two lonely chickens, the sheep and cows saw me and started 'calling out' to me, so I knew something was up and decided to go and say hello. As I got closer I could see what all the fuss was about - a new little white lamb. The mum was Original Mum and I think the lamb is a girl and she is white as white with fluffy wool. She is a full merino and therefore is here to stay. Ebony is also one of Original Mum's lambs, so she became a grandma and a mum in the space of a couple of weeks!
The cows were also at the top of the hill so I got to talk to them and patted Gemma and Freda.
Unfortunately, we're in for some really cold weather over the next week, so tomorrow morning I might try and bring the sheep down to the 'Triangle Paddock' with access to the shed. I was intending to move them to the next paddock or down to the 'Dam Paddock' next weekend, but I think I'll skip a few paddocks and bring them near the shed. I don't want to lose any lambs due to the cold and it will be safer from fox attack too.
I didn't bring my camera with me this morning, so I'll take photos another time.
Lambs are supposed to be born in spring! I hope their mums keep them warm tonight.