SA Farm's journal

[SA Farm]

Literally just a few hours ago, Woolfie decided to prove that I was right about the cold snap bringing lambs…just a bit later than I was expecting 😂 Good since it’s already warming up again!

Nice big single ram lamb ❤️

 

[Baymule]

Congratulations on the new lamb! It is so much fun to get new lambs!

 

[SA Farm]

Starting to catch up on journals a little. Baby is out galavanting with his dad and cousins, so I have some time to relax and read 😊 As well as update here.

I milked Woolfie after she lambed to have some colostrum on hand. Just been milking her twice a day without pulling her lamb at all and without stripping, just letting off the pressure to keep her production up. Today should be the last day with colostrum, so I could start using it….BUT! Instead, I have been and will be milking her and throwing it in a bottle to supplement Foxy’s triplets! ❤️🥰❤️
Two boys and a girl born late last night!

This is the biggest boy and already a sassy little dude:

I was thinking she would twin based on her size, so it was a bit of a surprise. So grateful Woolfie had a single and milks like a champ! Seriously, she just stands there demolishing her grain while I milk her. It’s so easy. No ties, barely any kicking! What a boss ❤️

This is from her first milking - one side!

And another pic of her little guy ❤ Actually big guy - especially compared to the trio!

Now just waiting for the other two ewes to lamb. I still have some colostrum in the freezer, so I’m prepared just in case I need it. Though I would, of course, be thrilled if I don’t 🤗

In other news, I’m finally down to just my breeding quad of turkeys. The newly crowned King is strutting his stuff and my young Cochin rooster is finally crowing!
I just need it to dry up a little back there so I can get the deep litter cleaned out! I think I’m also going to move the ducks into the turkey pen since it’s much bigger 🤔👍

 

[farmerjan]

That's wonderful about being able to milk the ewe... and now to supplement the trips... do you sheep ever "co-parent"? I have several cows that will have 1-3 calves on them at a time... and only 1 is their own. DS's sheep seldom have more than 2 so don't see it with them. My sows would often lay down and do their grunts and pigs would come running and I know that they weren't always their own either... I'd see 2 different sizes on them when I had 2-4 farrowing at a time. Especially a littler runt would steal when he could.

 

[SA Farm]

do you sheep ever "co-parent"?

I have no idea if they would or not. I jug them so they don’t lamb in a group situation. I imagine with the right ewes they might.
Sometimes ewes will steal other ewe’s lambs, but I don’t know if they’ll willingly take back a lamb that’s been bonded to another mama - if the lamb would even allow it. Sometimes lambs will steal milk from a mama that isn’t theirs, but that’s usually only if their mama has decided to wean them or has a problem - like mastitis. (Info from research/other’s experience, not personal experience.)

My sheep experience is fairly limited as this is only my second lambing ever. I grew up with milk cows, had a somewhat bad experience with sheep, got goats once I was old enough to, then sheep just 3 years ago. So far the only assisted birthing has been way back when I helped my Dad pull calves, so despite my many years with livestock, I often feel very inexperienced.

Not that I’m complaining! Very grateful my animals have been so self-sufficient! ❤️

 

[Mini Horses]

Congrats on the lambs!! All adorable. Every year I save colostrum and a few days first milk from my goats....in case!! I've used it and shared it with others in need. It's golden! Insurance for sure. Hug that ewe whose donating. 🤗

 

[Baymule]

Triplets! Congratulations on 3 healthy lambs. Awesome on milking Wolfie, she is doing great.

 

[SA Farm]

Today was a beautiful, balmy 21°! So, naturally I overdid it 😂
I had to move the sheep around since the pen I had Foxy in is a little on the small side for her and three growing lambs. I also needed to get Kit and Coy into jugs to prepare for their lambing. I’m thinking there’s a bit of time left before I see lambs from them, so good time to get them settled in. Their bags are there, but aren’t full, still have a bit of wool on them, and Coy, at least, has definitely not dropped. Still looks like she swallowed a beach ball or three 😋

Anyway, I moved Woolfie and her little into the shed near the house so I don’t have to slog all the way out back through the mud to milk her. Of course, she decided to be moronic about following me despite my carrying her lamb and GRAIN! So I had DH lock her in the barn, put the lamb into the shed and went back to halter and lead her to her new digs. And that was after setting up said new digs, milking her and feeding the trips
One down.
Cleaned her pen out, putting most of it along the mud path to make it a little nicer to walk on, then put fresh straw down and went to fetch Kit and Coy. Coy didn’t want to go through the mud, but greed for grain won her over in the end. Locked them both in and went and cleaned out their pen, again putting most of the bedding along the path. Bedded it and all that fun stuff. Foxy happily went into the pen. Good girl. Then I gave her her babies who, by the way, weigh all together about as much as Woolfie’s single!
Two down.
Then cleaned out her pen (more path fodder) and actually realized that I couldn’t do any more. Left the two girls where they were and went to the house to hydrate and rest. Once I felt like I could resume, back out I went. Finished cleaning and setting it up and went to fetch Kit. Learning from my earlier mistake, I haltered Kit right off the bat and took her to her pen.
Three down.
Coy was already pretty much done. Just needed a top up of hay and some grain.
Done.
Still had to give new bedding to the chickens and feed them, collect eggs, pull hay off the round bale for tomorrow and, later on, do evening chores, but that’s all in a day’s work.
I wonder why my thumb muscles were tired when I went to milk Woolfie later? 🤔 😂

I was too tired to take pictures the first time around, but tried to get a few later. Foxy and her bigger boy kept getting in the way 😋

“Whatcha doin’?”

 

[Baymule]

Don't you just love "helpers?" It sounds like a very productive day!

 

[SA Farm]

Sheep milk tastes weird…and not in a good way. I’m hoping it’s just because it’s early enough in Woolfie’s lactation that there’s still colostrum? She lambed Sunday and the milk was from Thursday, so I’ll probably try again in a few days/a week, see if it’s more palatable then.

Triplets are doing well. Seems the big boy and the girl aren’t too hungry when I go out, but the little boy is starting to get happy to see me with the bottle. He’s definitely getting fed from Foxy, but I don’t think he’s quite able to compete with the other two, so I’m glad I’m able to top him up twice a day. I give the girl a little too since I want her to really thrive. I won’t be keeping her, but she should be a wonderful ewe for someone else once she’s weaned 🥰
If there’s any milk leftover after they get their fill, I give it to Kitty.

The little boy is the one on the left with the somewhat floppy ears. He has a black dot on his head ❤️ The girl is beside him while the big boy is standing at the back because he’s not hungry 😋

I upped Foxy’s grain to help her provide for them all. She’s a good mama. Doesn’t stand for them long, but didn’t reject any which is fabulous.
Yeah, I almost caused her to when they were born by accident. She was loving them up and I gave them all some colostrum just so I could be sure they all got some before I went to bed and she put her ears back after sniffing them and was moving away from them! I nearly panicked for a minute, then figured it had to be the scent of the milk I’d given them, so I showed her the bottle and assured her that I was just helping and that they were, indeed, her babies.
Maybe because she was a bottle baby herself, it worked and she went back to loving and talking to them after giving the bottle a good sniff! Phew!

And just a pic of Coy and her wide load! Poor quality from cell phone in the dark, but still shows that she’s huge for her frame! Please, God, let it be twins and not a giant single 🙏

Now that they’re all settled in and I have a routine going, I’m getting antsy for her and Kit to lamb 😋