purplequeenvt Lambing 2016

Harp? Marimba?

Last lambs were born this morning! A ewe and a ram.


For anyone who understands, is interested, or just pretends to care ( ) - these two lambs are moorit (brown) katmogets (AKA badger face, pattern where the fleece is light and the underbelly is dark and the face distinct markings) AND they are spotted. Basically it's one giant spot, the ewe in particular, that was dropped on the head. They also probably both carry the gray gene which means that some of their facial markings might fade and, if the fleece wasn't already pretty much white, the wool would turn gray.

This ewe usually has really fun colored babies. She's got some nice color genetics in her. She's 9 or 10 this year though and is going to be retired. I was afraid to breed her last fall because she lost her lamb at birth last spring for unknown reasons (didn't seem to be a health problem on her part) and I was worried that age was a factor. She carried these two full term - maybe even over- baked them a bit based on the amount of front teeth poking through - with no issues. Technically, she could be bred again and she'd be fine, but I think she deserves a retirement. I'm going to try to find her a nice pet home with one of the boys wethered as a friend. She's a sweet old lady.

We are now done until June! Unless you count the cow due in April. June has 1 cow, 1-2 goats, and 3 sheep all due within a couple weeks.

This is the first lamb born this year, Chrome. Today he is 65 days old. I weighed him this evening and he is 70 lbs. He has a .94 ADG with minimal grain. I'm impressed. It's not like he's some fancy meat sheep either. His dad was full Southdown and his mom is a 1/4 each - Border Leicester, Dorper, Friesian, Shetland. Yes, this big growthy lamb lamb is 1/8 Shetland.

For those who don't know anything about Shetlands, they are a small primitive breed. The adults average about 80lbs full grown.

Cuties!

Congratulations! Chrome is really gorgeous. He's so perfectly posed that he looks like a little stuffed animal!

Some fun numbers.....

Lambing percentages
Total: 163%
Surviving: 142%

Sebastian (Natural Colored Border Leicester)
Total: 200%
Surviving: 185%

Alfonso (White Border Leicester)
Total: 120%
Surviving: 120%

Texas (Southdown)
Total: 133%
Surviving: 100%

Geode (Shetland)
Total: 175%
Surviving: 125%

Geode's numbers will probably change some when his remaining ewes lamb in June.

We lost 4 lambs and 2 ewes this season.

I found a little surprise this afternoon....I was shearing a few of my Shetlands that will be in my show flock this summer and when I sheared my yearling ewe, Eskimo (her name is actually Viola, but no one ever calls her that), I discovered a little udder. And then I put a hand on her stomach and her baby kicked me.

I'm not entirely thrilled about her being bred, but oh well. I don't know who the dad is (all the rams broke in with the ewe lambs back in December), but it should be pretty obvious if the lamb is crossbred or if Eskimo's half brother is the dad.

Based on when I remember the rams getting (not that I can find the piece of paper that the actual date was written on), she should be due in the next 2-3 weeks. Unless she got bred later through the fence. Also a possibility, but not as likely.

Well. Lots of happenings today. First, Fern, one of our Jerseys, calved. She had a nice heifer calf (1/2 Red Angus). Tonight around 10 I ran out to check on Fern and child before heading to bed and I found Eskimo with a fresh lamb.

She had a little girl who appears to be moorit (brown) with a white face, white socks, and a little white tip on her tail.


And the new calf

Love the colour on that lamb! Congrats on the babies

Congrats!