Friends,
Many of you have met our small flock of sheep. They are great creatures. They keep the weeds down, they amuse us, they are companions to the horse and yes, they feed our family. The sheep teach us important lessons about God's creation and stewardship. On Saturday, we were blessed with a new set of triplets!
This is Patty, she is our proud mother. She is very maternalistic and therefore quite attentive to her lambs. She is ordinarily our friendliest ewe but for the time being she stamps her feet when we get too close to her brood, warning us to keep our distance. Don't worry, her bleat is worse than her bite; we are not intimidated by her sheepish threats. You might be surprised to learn that not all ewes are good mothers. A lesser mom would abandon one of the three babies, but Patty cares for all of them. That does not guarantee that all three will survive.
A good rule of thumb for any new born lamb is to stay near the cafeteria.
We have sequestered Patty's new family for the first few days. This keeps Patty from becoming distracted by the lure of the pasture (her cafeteria) and it prevents the possibility of the babies being trampled by the other sheep. Maternalisim is not a communal trait in the barnyard. Patty is enjoying a diet of alfalfa, water and sheep salt. It won't take long for the lambs to become agile enough to avoid their father and aunts. Then we will let them rejoin the flock.
LUNCHTIME!!! As they grow we will have to supplement their diet with a bottle because Patty won't be able to produce enough milk for three hungry mouths. Interestingly, we have to begin bottle feeding them now. If we wait we won't be able to catch them so as to introduce them to the bottle (see the preceding paragraph).
We have a dear friend that has a thing for clouds. This photo, taken shortly after the lambs were born, is for her.
You will be glad to know that Ben got his oil changed and Anthony is at rest.
be safe,
Hec @ 19
10 comments:
*sigh* What beautiful clouds! I saw several dark ones on Saturday, but it's been a long time since I've seen some like those! Now that I've had my cloud fix for the week, I shall be perfectly happy to carry on with the rest of this week! :D
Looking at the lambs reminds me of our two little guys. They are so fun when they're that size. Once they begin eating tulips, it's a totally different story.
*laughs* I hope Anton doesn't suffer from back problems after that!
Miss y'all! <3
Sadly, lambs have lost much of their original allure and cuteness in my eyes. They say that familiarity breeds contempt, and I am not immune to the truth of that adage.
Still, what I lack in fondness, I make up for in selfishness. Hopefully they do all survive in the months to come, and meet with a timely end, resulting in a date with my palate. Believe me, they will be cherished to their full potential on that occasion, and until then, I shall lend my aid in their upbringing.
Later,
BFH
I absolutely love it when the lambs are born. Patty is a wonderful mother and takes good care of her babies. We'll see if the others do as well. Last year's batch needed a great deal of care and not all survived - which meant less food on the table!
Yes, I don't like it when they eat my flowers either. Fence time DH!
The clouds were the prettiest out of all those pictures. I recommend the names Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner again.
TJH
A couple of us yesterday were talking about a field trip up to the Hector home, maybe we should come up soon! :o)
Mrs. Reynolds :o)
*high pitched squeak* Awwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!! They're so cute!!!! *end of high pitched squeak*
We need to come visit y'all soon. Is there still water in your pond? I miss y'all! Tell Sara I said hi!
We had a ewe with only half an udder (long story, ask us about it sometime) and she successfully raised twins...twice! It helped, I think, that we had other lambs born within a few days. Her lambs were often seen sneaking snacks at other "cafeterias" until the attending lunch lady caught them and head-butted them away!
Great post Father, I have to admit that when sheep are young they are really cute animals.
The clouds are so beautiful, and sometimes they are so eye catching that they do not seem real.
Anton
Hi Hector family!
I used to read Ben's blog, but have been out of the blogging world for a while. I'm trying to let all my friends know that I'm "starting fresh" on my new blog at http://dreamsthatmovethemountains.blogspot.com
God bless!
Ashley
Triplets! Wow!
I love sheep, but don't know that I would want to raise them.
The clouds are beautiful - I love that kind....
Thanks for sharing.
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