It is lambing season!

I knew they were getting close to lambing, so I have been watching them every day for weeks. "Jane", daughter of K8's ewe "Booboo", was the first to deliver this year.

She is a first-time Momma, but gave us twins, both rams. Unfortunately, the little guy in front caused me to worry.

One twin seemed stronger and had more robust lungs.

This is the weak one. As you can see from the gathering clouds, we had bad weather coming.

I asked the boys to move all of the ewes into the corral so they would have shelter from the coming storm. Unfortunately, this weak ram would not survive the cold, snowy night. Sad, but sometimes a fact of life on a farm. Breeding for hardy stock means survival of the fittest - if "Jane" gives us any more weak lambs, she will go in the freezer or to market...

The ewe on the right looks ready to pop, and she did the next day!

We have had a total of four sets of twins this week, mostly ewes, with two more Mommas still to lamb, so we will double the size of our flock. I feed the Mommas a little grain every other day to give them extra calories because it is below freezing most nights. It also helped them get used to me again after spending the past few months outside their regular paddocks and along the "wild" stream. 

They followed me into the "wild" flock's chicken coop, because they know that's where I keep a barrel of grain. Notice the flat tire on the tractor's front? You get extra points if you noticed the ball cap full of eggs sitting on top of the back tire.

The maternity ward this morning (Saturday). Seven little lambs - two rams and five ewes. The rest of the flock is on far side of shed. I am leaving the hay shed open because there are only a few poor bales of hay left in it, and the nursing Mommas could use the shelter if we get any more snow or ice storms within next month. Plus I want them near the house for protection from coyotes, and in order for me to handle the lambs every day so they get used to humans. The boys will band all the young rams within three weeks.

It is difficult arranging a family group picture, but you can see the proud pappa, "Mutt", on the other side of the fence. This is his last batch of lambs. I am currently shopping for a registered St Croix ram to become our new flock sire along with three registered ewes. We already have one registered ewe, "QT", so we'll have two flocks next year - one registered and one commercial, but both very parasite resistant. Once I buy new ram, Mutt will go into the freezer as 90 pounds of burger meat. I plan on keeping most of our new baby lambs, so we'll have a huge flock next Spring from the new "Pappa".

I was amazed to see this little bantam chase off two full size roosters from the "wild" flock this afternoon. He arrived with them during the summer, but he and another bantam rooster soon joined the "tame" flock in the dairy shed. He has kept a low profile and avoids problems with Randy the Rooster, but he went after these two big guys - and they fled!