Lambing is pretty much done

I am so glad to report that our lambing is pretty much finished here at River Oaks! We've got just one moorit Shetland yearling left to go and I think it will be a month or so before she delivers.

I can finally go to bed at night without a quick run out to the barn and wake up without feeling the need to run out there again. I exposed 12 ewes to rams last fall, including nine first timers: four yearlings, and three 2-year-olds and two 3-year-olds; 11 were bred. We've had 15 lambs born so far. Five sets of twins and five singles. We'll probably will get a single out of ewe #11.
We had a total of 6 rams/9 ewes. I was surprised to get a majority of ewe lambs again this year. I know I'll pay for this later. :-)

Freya and her twin ewe lambs



Heddy's ewe lamb, so cute and pretty friendly.



Heddy's ewe lamb again...



Camille and Darla's ewe lambs, notice the difference in their birth coats.



Darla and her moorit ewe lamb

We lost one Shetland/BFL cross ram lamb to the elements in March - remind me to never lamb in March again!  It's just too cold and fresh green grass is just too far away.

Of the seven BFL lambs, we have 3 rams/4 ewes; three are natural colored and four are white. I really need more white BFLs and more ewes, so I am happy with this ratio.

Yearling Rhisa wrapped up the BFL lambing on April 15th while I was out of town at an arts conference. I raced home as fast as I could when Stan called saying he found a BFL lamb with no mom to claim it. I supplemented the baby and we held Rhisa twice before she got the drift of things during the night. I was so happy to find him nursing like an old pro the next morning. Good going Rhisa!


Our only Shetland ram lamb so far, he's out of Cleo, a shaela gulmoget.

Of the Shetlands, we have six lambs, 1 ram/5 ewes.  All are gulmogets, three black factored and three moorit factored (all out of black factored ewes). The sire is Sommarang Hansel, he's a very interesting silver/pewter grey color, BB/Bb.  It will be interesting to see what the last moorit ewe produces.  Depending on when she lambs, there is a possibility that she could be bred to the BFL or the Dorset cross ram.  Yikes!

I just have to share this photo of Rhyn and her daughters.  Amazingly, they all lined up and looked at the camera for me one day. :-)

Rhyn and her four natural colored daughters: the 2011 twins on the left, Rhisa (2010) behind her and Rhaya (2008) near the pole barn door.  Rhyn also had a natural colored ram lamb in 2009.