Ashley's trial

Yesterday late afternoon Ashley finally went into hard labor. We hoped she would be able to deliver herself but we had to call the vet after a difficult start. He assisted in delivering triplets, the first was hung up in the legs, the other two were breach. They weighed in today at 12#, 10# 10# respectively. What a load to have carried all these months. They are vigorous, identical jet black with a white spot on each head. Ashley has not let any milk down so we have been bottle feeding them now every 4 hours. We magic markered the white spots on their heads with a dot, an X and a square to tell them apart for feedings. Ashley is so worn out and is running a bit of a fever but we have her on a regimine of things to get her up and running again. Whether she will give milk is still unclear. But she loves them all and is being a good mama ewe otherwise. For now the peace is back in the barn, the schedule is busy but stable!

Power naps are good!

This is Jackie's ewe lamb taking a power nap under the hay rack while Mom has a snack!

On another topic, Caroline of www.fiberarts.typepad.com and the famous www.thefibercast.com has given me airtime on her latest podcast about an upcoming workshop I will be hosting at our farm in August. THANK YOU Caroline! In a week I will have further info, just go to our website www.longridgefarm.com there will be a button on the front page called Events, click that to see what festivals I will be at throughout the year as well as the workshop offerings. August 22-24 Earthues very own, Michele Whipplinger will be at our farm offering a 3 day class entitled "Dying in the European Tradition". It is bound to be an incredible experience for all who attend! So do check back for all the details!

The reward

The first 4 lambs are all up and running, spending their time outside during the day with their mamas; running jumping, nursing, sunbathing and being just plain happy! We are still waiting for Ashley and Memphis to lamb; I refuse to speculate anymore, Ashley has eluded us as to her due date but it WILL happen, that's a fact!

Jackie's lambs

Yesterday Jackie gave us twins at noon! How thoughtful to think of her shepherds! She is a first time lamber so the experience was a bit overwhelming for her and us until she got with the program. She had a ewe lamb (spotted) and a ram lamb, both CVMs. The importance of a lambing jug was exemplified with this mother ewe. The jug(small pen) forces her to be near the lambs constantly and for them to be able to nurse as easily as possible. Today she is a full blown mama and darn proud of it, as you can see her lying with the lambs after they all had breakfast!

Bea's lambs

Bea paid us a fast surprise last night. She was in labor by 6PM, we checked in at 8:30PM and she was fast approaching, went back at 10:30PM and she had just given birth to twins, a ram lamb(above left) and a ewe lamb(above right). All went just like clockwork. We got them all into a jug with a heat box, clipped and dipped the umbilical cords, made sure Bea could give milk, gave the lambs a colostrum boost and a dose of Baby Lamb Oral Strength and we were off to sleep at 12:30AM! We checked in early this AM and all were down resting, the lambs alert and happy. The heat box is a great help, Jack built them so they fit into the corner of the jug with a light fixture up inside which we put a 125 watt bulb in, just enough to give additional warmth but not at all hot. The lambs just instinctively know to go to the heat. Bea passed her afterbirth and is alert, attentive and healthy. We just weighed them, gave them another oral boost, they are nursing regularly, all is well. Who's next!?

March madness

This is March madness, my style. No basketball for me! We are still waiting for lambs to arrive; I think our first will be here by tomorrow. So meanwhile I am keeping busy, today with dying yarn. I wanted a color that would welcome spring and this color is reminiscent of the Azaleas that will be blooming in just a few months! But today the temps never got over 30 and with the wind chill it felt like 15. March is the cruelest month, enough to drive a person mad!

Knit wit

If sleep knits the ragged sleeve of care, does knitting ease the ragged sleeve of waiting? Waiting for lambs to be born; knitting is great when waiting for things to happen! I finished the knitting part of this entrelac bag this morning...been working on it since February. I just need to felt it and it should look great!

Holy mama ewe

Here's Ashley; she'll be 11 in April! She's first on the list for lambing. We took her coat off today so we can watch her progress. She'll get a sunken look in front of her hips a few days before lambing. She's got a great appetite and is mellow and happy. Currently she has the lowest micron (finest) count of all our fleeces. Nice color, isn't it?