Evidence of Spring 2009

In past years, we watched for our first lamb all through February & March - one of our evidences of Spring's arrival at our mini-farm. When we fed the sheep, we would check to see if any bags were forming on the ewes. We also noted if one of the ewes separated herself from the flock & failed to come for the meal of hay or oats. Our ram was limping with old age arthritis before we sent him to the cull market in the Fall. He wasn't frisky with the ewes earlier in the Fall, so we assumed we would have no lambs this year. Well, guess again.

During today's morning feeding, the four ewes all came & ate as normal. A skiff of snow still blanketed the ground from the flurries late yesterday, so the chickens stepped gingerly as I let them out of their coop. March came in mildly this year, so we expected these off & on snow storms at the end of the month. You know, "in like a lamb & out like a lion". I left for some shopping in Stevensville & Hamilton. Mom House invited me to share a toasted cheese sandwich lunch, when I stopped for a short visit before leaving Hamilton. Around 1:30 p.m. I turned the Yukon into our driveway gate, noticing that one of the ewes was by herself up along the side of our garage/barn. Upon a second look, I spied our first lamb of the season, who had been born during the three hours I had been gone. Our mare, Beauty, was sniffing up to the ewe out of curiosity. The ewe, in turn, was attempting to shield the lamb from Beauty & so had not totally licked off the lamb yet. I ran to get the ewe some water & checked both her & the lamb. Then I snapped the first photo above.