N-Ewes from Hopeful Shetlands

Thursday, June 11, 2009

More Baby Shots






I am almost at the end of lambing for the season and I must say that I will be glad when it is all over. I have been busier than ever this year as a midwife. The BFL cross lambs certainly are small enough for their mom's to be able to birth them, but their legs are so long, that a few have had knees bent or a leg back, so all we see is a ewe walking around with a head sticking out. Usually all I have to do is find a leg and then out they pop, but it makes for some tense moments. We haven't lost any lambs, but I certainly won't breed for so many crosses next year. I am off to the spinning conference in Kingston, tomorrow and Saturday and am looking forward to a little holiday. We won't be gone long as we have 8 more ewes ready to pop. I have included some photos of my shetland lambs and BFL crosses, and my favourite little lamb, Avery and her mother. Enjoy!

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Lamb Shots






Finally we are having a bright, warm and sunny day for a change. Lush green pastures are all the good obtained after day after gloomy day of rain. The shetland lambs are growing well and are fat and playful. I love watching them all play in the evening running up and down the field and to the top of the manure pile and back. The BFL cross lambs are tiny but very active. I am really pleased with the quality of their fleeces: tightly crimped and lusterous. I would just like a few more of them to be ewes. Speckles had her first lambs yesterday, a ram and ewe, and their fleeces are the most "shetland like".. By this I mean longer and more loose, than the other BFL crosses. Maggie, a 50/50 shetland romney cross ewe had a couple fo white BFL cross lambs. The ram has a short tail and the ewe has a long tail. They both have fuzzy coated legs and then a nice tightly crimped coat. Enjoy the pics.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Chicks Arrive




Today Gil and I picked up our broiler chicks from the farm store. Cheeps, our chick from last year, was very curious to see what was making all the noise in the barn. Little does she know that they are all roosters and won't be around for too long. They are so cute when they are small and I love to watch them. We've had several more bfl cross lambs born and finally one was a girl. Maggie, my romney shetland cross had two cute white lambs. One of each sex and they have long tails and fuzzy socks otherwise they look just like a BFL. The ewe also has a little topknot. I will have photos soon.