It's spring!! I read it on the internet so it has to be true!
When I went to bed about 9pm the wind was howling, and I thought maybe the weather would be nasty when I went to do the lamb check, but no, it wasn't as windy, no precipitation of any kind coming down, and there was bright moonlight. I walked out to the field with the flashlight and looked at the sheep, one ewe had mucous showing and she was "talking" as they often do, maybe encouraging those lambs to come on out and see the world. Possibly she thinks maybe she already had them. Sheep don't do time all that well. Basically, for a sheep, either it's mealtime or it isn't.
I went back through the alleyway, opening the gates wide at both ends, then opened the barn doors wide, moved the 4 wheeler and lambmobile out of the way, and placed a flake of alfalfa near the door inside the barn where they could see it and be tempted. Now all I need is the sheep who have moved to the far end of the pasture. The ewe with the mucous is a nervous type and has the rest of them stirred up. They respond quite well to my voice and the flashlight as I move them slowly toward the alley.
The gate into it is the same one we normally use, but instead of turning left immediately and going through the back corral we now have to go straight down the alley. It is about the same width as the alley in a city and has one big corral on the left side with the weanling calves all lined up and curious, which the sheep think are boogey men, and two smaller corrals and a small pen on the right. The last corral on the right is where the future guard dog stays, and he is barking because something is different. We have to go between the boogie men calves and the boogie man dog. To top it all off there is a big puddle at the end, and the moonlight is making it look very shiney.
Now if you are a sheep, all of this is very dangerous since the only defense you have is to run and you are carrying about 40 extra pounds of lambs and fluids which causes you to waddle everywhere and feel very vunerable. There is a preditor behind you with a flashlight and you are only slightly more comfortable in the middle of the bunch. However, the bunch is only about a dozen animals and the middle is very small and not too secure. The sheep on the edges also want to be in the middle and you find yourself on the edge again, next to the curious boogey men calves, or next to the barking boogie man dog! Forward seems the only way to go.
I got them through the alley, closing the gates behind me as we went. At the far end of the alley, beyond the scarry puddle, the barn lights made a light patch on the ground, something else to be avoided! The whole bunch turned right and went out into a small lot that has several pieces of miscellaneous farm equipment, a pile of lumber, a big shiney metal grainery, and a lot of dark places where something might be lurking. They went to a far corner and discovered a bit of green grass to nibble. I let them relax before trying to move them toward the barn.
Hmmm, it's an inviting looking place, and they see other sheep in pens and there is the sweet smell of alfalfa. It's been a while since dinner, but somebody needs to be brave and lead them inside. The dog is now on their left, still barking, and there is a fence on the right. The preditor with the flashlight is behind them, lurking. I wait and talk to them, they move left, I shine the flashlight that way and wiggle it, they go right, and the flashlight stops them before they get to the fence. I let them stand there and think about it for a couple of minutes. There is nowhere to go except forward. Ok, somebody gets brave and goes through the door and suddenly they all have to be there, RIGHT NOW! it's like a dam bursting.
I wait for them to relax and get a few mouthfulls of hay while I stand near the door and locate the ewe I want to keep inside. They have spread out and are in two smaller bunches, The ewe I want is in the bunch on the right, so I walk toward them and some of them join the group on the left who now feel trapped and see a way around me to get out of the barn. Ok, now there are about 7 left and I step back toward the door to let the rest of them spread out a bit while I locate the ewe again. A few of them go to the right, she says where she is and I step to my left and let most of them escape around my right side.
Only three left, and now I wonder if I can get two out and keep the right one in. One ewe goes off to one side and I move around to let her escape. The remaining two are stuck together like glue. I decide that if I try to separate them I might loose them both and have to start over. Besides, a nervous ewe could use some company so I decide the mission is accomplished and close the barn doors.
The ewe will likely be a mother by the time the owner checks the sheep in about 2 more hours, and since there is nothing else happening or about to happen, I can go back home to my warm bed.
When the ewes and their lambs are moved from the barn to the pasture we have to take them across the county road which runs right through the ranch. The ewe on the right is sniffing at two different lambs, the one with blue paint is hers, she only has one, and the other one with red paint belongs to one of the other ewes who would also have a red number, indicating that she has twins.
The cans on the wire all have a few pebbles in them, and when it is shaken it helps direct the sheep. The shepherd's crook also helps and can catch a lamb by the neck without hurting it. The ewes and lambs keep circling around and zig zagging to find each other so our funny little parade is slow and confusing. Occasionally a neighbor will drive through and we have to get all the lambs out of the way, or he just has to wait a minute. All farmers are used to waiting.
They were going to a little pasture with the big tree and the old house in it. Later they go out into a larger pasture when they are older, stronger and have more practice finding mom and dinner in a bigger world.
The few remaining ladies in waiting are put into the barn at night now, and the owner checks them at midnight and daylight, so I am off lamb duty and theoretically able to sleep a whole night without getting up in the middle of it. I say theoretically because I wake up several times, tell myself I don't have to get up, and go back to sleep for another hour or two.
I'll try to take more pictures from time to time as the lambs grow, so that all of you won't suffer from lamb withdrawals.
The lambs are growing fast. Here are some pictures of them now that they are about a month old. I took a walk with my camera one day last week and got some exercise and a few pictures.
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