N-Ewes from Hopeful Shetlands

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Look How They Grow



I can't believe how quickly my BFL/Shetland cross lambs are growing.  They have doubled in size and are eating hay and creep already.  One guy unfortunately  has split his ear and lost his tag, but doesn't seemed to be bothered by it at all.  I only had one shetland ewe lamb born this year and she is a stunner.  It is nice that she ended up a bottle lamb as she will be very friendly.  My last lamb  is also a bottle baby, but only part-time.  His mom has decided that she likes him  after all and allows him to nurse.  However she is a little short of milk from not nursing for so long, that he needs a supplement.  It has been raining so much here that our fields are flooded and I haven't been able to let anyone out yet.  Hopefully the field will be almost worm free by the time the girls do get out.  A new load of hay came on the weekend, so they are set for a while.  Enjoy the pics.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Last Lamb Today

I went out this morning to find that my last shetland lamb had been born, a ram, and that he had been stolen by another ewe.  Gil hadn't  told me until an hour after and that a white ewe was nursing a lamb.  I said don't you mean grey?  He said maybe.  I should have gone out then because it was the grey one who lambed.  Oh well, he is in with his mom and will nurse from her with me holding her, so I will give them today to bond, if not it is the bottle.  I don't have any photos of him yet but I do of my last shetland ram lamb and my twin bfl cross lambs.  Only three ewe lambs this year, the rest boys.  All the boys are for sale and are nice and healthy, so contact me if you're interested.  Enjoy the pics.  I will be at the conferece, Back to Woodstock this Friday and Saturday and the vendors' room is open to the public on Saturday, so pop on by if you have time.  Gil will have his socks and some rovings at the Gathering in Port Hope this Saturday, so stop in if you are near.  It runs from 10-3.

Friday, April 01, 2011

First Shetland Lambs

March 31st my first purebred shetland lambs were born a lovely black gulmoget ram and a dark brown gulmoget ewe.  I put them and mom in a jug and went off to work.  When I returned home at one I was missing a lamb.  The little ewe had somehow gotten out of the jug and was laying half frozen between a couple of hay bales.  Needless to say, I now have a bottle lamb and thankfully it is a ewe.  Mom took her back no problem so she will stay with her family, but she just can't figured out the whole nursing thing.  Mom is older and a bit on the thin side so it will all work out for the best anyway.  I have 9 more ewes to lamb and so far all have twinned.  However the boys are ahead of the girls.  I don't care if they are rams for my crosses but I hope the rest of my shetlands are ewes.  Enjoy the photos.