Lamb races and another ram lamb

These photos were taken last week before the snow returned over the weekend - it's gone again now. You can see the grass is starting to grow again. Just in the nick of time, we're down to our last two big squares!


Around noon today, Dot delivered this cute little white 3/4 Shetland ram lamb. He is sired by Kimberwood Harrison, a black gulmoget Shetland. So I wonder what genetics are hidden under the white? Being a crossbreed, we'll probably never know. It was nice to see small ears again.
He's got a very curly soft fleece and a cute shetland face. A little mioget (phaeo?) patch over one eye and on one shoulder.

Dot didn't lick him off much, so I toweled him off and left them alone while I watched on the barn cam. I could see him up looking for the teat, but I wasn't sure if he actually did nurse. I tried giving him a supplement because he was shivering and he looks so skinny compared the big lambs we've had here this year. He didn't want the bottle and he started bouncing/jumping around, so he must have nursed. I'm keeping an eye on him.

Last night we banded tails on the seven BFL sired lambs. Our three Shetland mule ram lambs were castrated by banding too. We left the two 3/4 BFL ram lambs intact in case a spinner flock wants to use them for breeding.

We always wait until dusk to do banding. That way the lambs can lay down with mom and rest. In the morning they are good as new. For a short while, we had seven lambs moaning and groaning and flopping around! And their moms were wondering what was the matter. I especially noticed Lanora, our BFL ewe, was very concerned with Cocoa's ram lamb. It's so cool to watch the other breeds and their mothering styles.

I'm afraid my video clip may have given people the idea that our gulmoget ewe lamb is being harrassed by the big boys. She gets along just fine, running in the lamb races and playing with the big fellas. Her mother is very protective and she has grown a lot in this first week. I was surprised at how tall she is already. Doesn't she look like a graceful little deer?