After having a frigid and dark weekend off, with bitter cold strong wind, accumulating snow, dreary skies, and a temporary halt to lambing, Monday has started off with a MUCH nicer turn of events!
First, it was a positively BALMY 42 degrees at 6 am this morning. The birds are very happy...the ones still surviving...and the spring peeper frogs were singing away from distant low spots on land nearby. Nothing brings in the sound of spring like the frogs! On that first, early barn check, excitement! TWO little black lambies were running around near Gracelyn, except one was on the wrong side of the fence!!!!! That's never happened before! Always something new with lambing!
It was easy to see that Gracelyn handled her second lambing effortlessly, and had everything under control, except containing the friskies! All the other ewes were away, somewhere else. The lambs were already hopping about with full tummies. And Gracie was content, calm, and proud! I love Shetlands!!!!!!
On my last barn check last night, Gracie showed no signs. I'm pretty good at picking up on early signs, such as Rainbow's nearly flattened ears, or teeth grinding, or a hidden nest somewhere. Mona has had a nest picked out, and under guard for several days now. But Gracie was just fine...chewing her cud, content, relaxed, in her favorite sleeping spot. It was obvious she would twin, for she was huge!
After some careful thinking, I managed to get them in the prepared jug. They don't really seem to need it, but I wanted to get them on good clean ground, dip their navel cords, and give Gracie her post lambing smorgasbord (a nice flake of hay, really...but one she can enjoy without competition). Besides, it gives me a chance to sit right down in the jug with them, and meet our new little sheep! And they are sure sweet! Their names will be Wheely Wooly Gansey and Wheely Wooly Peerie. We also have Lil' Rainbow's lambs, Wheely Wooly Rapport and Wheely Wooly Rapunzel. Lacey's lamb is named Wheely Wooly Lark, for he was the first little lamb born and brought much happiness and surprise...two days before the lambing window opened, yet vigorous and ready to rock-hop! What a lark! :) And Maewyn's lamb, as you know, is Wheely Wooly Maggie Mae, the one with the teddy bear ears. Fun!
So that makes seven little lambies so far...two rams and five ewes, with one not being out of our flock but rather, a bottle lamb we've adopted. We still have several ewes to go, but they will be spread out. I was really hoping we could do some pasture lambing this year, so maybe that might still come true! In the meantime, our barn is a hoppin' place with lots of mischief!
Have I mentioned how much I love Shetlands? :)
PS...the first barn swallow of the season was spotted resting on a beam in the barn this morning...very quiet, still and tired looking! I think it was a rough journey!
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